Board of Directors

Pat Shuman

President

Wendy Bohlke was appointed November 2017 and  reappointed to the Whatcom Community College Board of Trustees in October 2019.

Wendy served as the Board Vice Chair, 2020-21; ACT Member At-Large, 2020-21; ACT Nominating Committee, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24. In addition to the Former Senior Counsel, WA. State Assist. Attorney General; Counsel to Western WA. Univ. & Bellingham Ed. Team Leader; Counsel to Skagit Valley College and Whatcom Community College; Section Chief, Bellingham Regional Office of Attorney General. 

President-electwendy bohlke

Paula Arno Martinez was appointed October 2020 to the Wenatchee Valley College Board of Trustees.

Formerly served as the ACT Secretary 2024-25 and the ACT Member At- Large 2023-24.

Attorney/Owner, Arno Martinez Law, PLLC. Former Staff Attorney, Colectiva Legal del Pueblo; Associate Attorney, Rios & Cruz, P.S.; Staff Attorney, NW Immigrant Rights Project. Bachelor's Degree, Univ. of Texas, San Antonio; Juris Doctorate, Texas Southern Univ. Affiliations: National Pres., Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc; Latino, a Bar Assn. of Washington; National Lawyer's Guild, Wenatchee Chapter.

Richard Leigh

Secretary

Richard Leigh was appointed February 2018 to the Bellevue College Board of Trustees and reappointed October 2020.

Formerly served as Board Chair 2021-2022. ACT Treasurer, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.

Chief Legal Officer/General Counsel for the SEIU 775 Benefits Group, a family of nonprofit trusts that provide training, healthcare and retirement benefits to 50,000 caregivers in Washington; Chair of the Audit Committee of Seattle Credit Union; former Board member of the Seattle Seahawks Charitable Foundation, and Casey Family Programs.

In addition to his current role, he has also served as general counsel to both public and privately held companies.  Prior to serving as the first-ever Vice President and General Counsel at the Seattle Seahawks and then at Vulcan, he spent eight years as a corporate attorney with the Seattle law firm of Foster Pepper & Shefelman (now Foster Garvey), where he was a Partner.

rebecca choi chanTreasurer

Rebecca Choi Chan was appointed June 2021 to the Shoreline Community College Board of Trustees.

Formerly served as ACT Treasurer 2024-25.

Rebecca is a licensed CPA and Labor Efficiency Manager at Providence St. Joseph Health, with more than 15 years of healthcare finance experience. She earned a bachelor’s in business administration with a concentration in accounting from the University of Washington, where she was active with Asian American groups on campus. Previously, she was employed at non-profit Student Loan Finance Association. In 2019, Rebecca was appointed to a partial term on the King County Women's Advisory Board, District 1. She is now serving her first full 3-year team on the advisory board. In 2021, Rebecca and her husband were awarded PTA Lifetime Membership for recognition of significant contribution to the development and growth of the Cascade K-8 PTSA. 

Bertha Ortega

Past President

Bertha Ortega was appointed January 2021 to the Yakima Valley College Board of Trustees. 

Bertha holds a master's in education from Fort Wright College and bachelors degree from the University of Washington. Prior to helping establish Heritage University, she worked as an instructor for health and human services at Seattle Central College, director of education transportation and early childhood specialist for the Yakama Nation and as a state bilingual liaison for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Claire RoneyMember at Large

Claire Roney was appointed October 2021 and reappointed to the Peninsula College Board of Trustees October 2023. 

Formerly served as the ACT Legislative Action Committee 
Co-Chair 2024-25.

Dr. Roney works as a psychologist in Port Townsend, specializing in geriatric and health psychology.  Previously she served as the Founder and Executive Director of the Van Vleck House, a Teton County youth service in Jackson, Wyoming. She served on the Board of the Peninsula College Foundation until 2021 in addition to numerous other volunteer positions.

Colleen EchohawkMember at Large

Colleen Echohawk was appointed October 2022 to the Seattle Colleges Board of Trustees.

Colleen is an Interim Executive Director at the Seattle Indian Services Commission, where she focuses on affordable housing for Native families and community sustainability. She also co-founded Headwater People, a consulting firm advancing equity and systems change with Indigenous organizations.

An alumna of Shoreline Community College, Colleen’s transformative experience there shapes her commitment to accessible, equitable education for marginalized students. Her career centers on housing justice, leading initiatives for urban Native communities and supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs.

Colleen has served on numerous boards focused on housing advocacy, equity, and Indigenous rights, earning recognition for her leadership in community-driven solutions and social impact.

Legislative Advocacy Committeewilma cartagena

Co-Chair

Wilma Cartagena was appointed February 2020 and reappointed to the Wenatchee Valley Board of Trustees December 2024.

Formerly served as ACT Legislative Action Committee 
Co-Chair 2024-25.

Wilma is a Civil Rights Investigator with the WA State Human Rights Commission; former Marketing Specialist, Numerica Credit Union; School Registrar, Department of Defense Dependent Education Activity (DODEA). B.A., Education, Univ. of Maryland Global Campus; M.A., Human Resources, Webster University.

Legislative Advocacy Committeewilma cartagena

Co-Chair

Heather Moss was appointed February 2018 and reappointed October 2018 to the Bates Technical College Board of Trustees.

Heather served most recently as the Director of Human Services for Pierce County, 2019-2024, after serving as the last Director of Washington’s Department of Early Learning in 2018-19.  Prior to joining the Department of Early Learning in 2014, Moss was the deputy director at Child Care Aware of Washington. Her early career in Washington state government includes serving nine years as a research analyst with the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee and five years as a budget and a policy analyst for the Office of Financial Management. Moss has also worked as an adjunct faculty member of The Evergreen State College. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Montana.

ACCT WA State Regionaltodd woodard Coordinator

Todd Woodard was appointed June 2022 to the Spokane Colleges Board of Trustees.

Todd is the Director of Marketing and Public Affairs, Spokane International Airport and Felt Fields. Former Press and Legislative Assistant to the Honorable Thomas S. Foley, Speaker U.S. House of Representatives. Todd has a legacy of volunteer roles on boards including Visit Spokane, Leadership Spokane, the Northwest Chapter of American Association of Airport Executives and numerous others. He has served Spokane Colleges Foundation since 2015, including as past president. He is a graduate of Washington State  University.