Staff – Business Impact NW

Joe Sky-Tucker has over twenty years’ experience working in the nonprofit world in a variety of positions and organizations including direct experience working with at risk youth and families in crisis, fund development, and strategic planning. Currently he works as the President and CEO of Business Impact NW, an asset building/community lender that specializes in supporting small and micro-businesses; helping them to achieve financial stability. He has also worked with “at-risk” youth in mental health settings including working with foster care youth, children in locked psychiatric settings, and group homes. Joe Sky-Tucker has a Masters in Social Work from the University of Washington. He lives in Seattle.

Danielle Moser is the Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at Business Impact NW, and is responsible for the oversight and ensuring of proper operations of the organization. Prior, Danielle served within the Development & Communications Department as the Director of Development & Communications, responsible for fundraising, brand, and marketing. Danielle worked under contract with Business Impact NW beginning December, 2016 and was hired on as a full-time staff member as of April, 2017. Prior to joining Business Impact NW, Ms. Moser served as Development Officer for ArtsWest after serving on their Board of Directors, and as a high school English and History teacher before joining the nonprofit fundraising world. She brings a wide array of skills to her position derived from past experiences. Ms. Moser completed her Masters in Teaching degree from Seattle University, and her Bachelors Degree from Boston University.

Ashley Clark moved to Seattle from San Francisco, California in 2010 looking for a change of scenery and lifestyle. She studied English and Media Studies at the University of San Francisco and attended cosmetology school. It was during school that she began working at the front desk of a nearby salon and discovered a knack for small business management. She quickly progressed from receptionist to salon manager and has continued to develop her administrative career in a variety of industries. Other than salons, she has worked in insurance, private post-secondary education, accounting, and now the non-profit sector. She currently works as office manager and executive assistant for Business Impact NW and supports its mission to empower entrepreneurs from underserved communities.

Ahmad is currently the Office and Events Administrator at Business Impact NW. His responsibilities include providing event logistics, coordination and execution. Additional duties include facilitating the orderly function of the office, building maintenance and maintaining vendor relationships, supporting managers in the facilitation of large group meetings, providing administrative assistance including scheduling for CEO and COO, and working directly with the Chief Operating Officer to implement and maintain office wide systems and processes. Prior to joining Business Impact NW, Ahmad worked at several non-profit organizations and contributed in providing social and community services. He has Bachelor’s degree in law and likes to play soccer and tennis.

Domonique’s bachelor’s degree in economics, entrepreneurship focused MBA, and her ten years of experience working within the small business community, produce a solid, balanced foundation of academic knowledge and practical experience. Domonique uses this knowledge and experience to assist veteran small businesses navigate the challenges posed when trying maintain bookkeeping, human resources, social media, marketing strategies, sales, and process improvement on a limited budget. Her strengths lie in tackling the complex problems small businesses face on a day-to-day basis. Growing businesses are her passion and she has helped businesses double the size of their staff, implement effective and aggressive marketing strategies, and win business plan competitions.

Susan Perreault, DBA is the Washington Women’s Business Center Director. Prior to joining Business Impact NW, Ms. Perreault earned a doctorate in business administration and spent the majority of her career as a serial entrepreneur and in senior management positions in the professional beauty industry. As a business owner, she understands how difficult it can be to start and run a business. Susan’s extensive business experience, interests, and academic training have prepared her to coach business owners in a broad range of areas including business administration, organizational leadership, entrepreneurship, operations management, distribution, marketing, sales, strategic management, and international business.

Ms. Perreault completed her Doctorate in Business Administration degree from University of Phoenix, and her Master of Business degree from Regis University. Susan’s doctoral dissertation, “Relationships between Leadership Styles and Organizational Success in Woman-owned and –led Small Businesses”, was a study of micro-enterprises in the service industries sector. A motivation for pursuing her doctorate was to assist others to achieve their business and entrepreneurial aspirations. In her role with Business Impact NW, Susan is honored to contribute to the success of the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Steve entered the Air Force right out of high school. During his time on active duty, he obtained his B.S. Degree in Workforce Education, Training and Development. After serving 8 years, Steve honorably separated from the military and began law school a short time later. While in law school, he did a legislative externship to assist homeless parents in Washington State and he was elected Student Bar Association Treasurer. Steve got his J.D. from Seattle University School of Law in 1999. Upon passing the bar, Steve went into partnership with a law school classmate and then ultimately went solo. After closing the firm, Steve went to work as a counselor for incarcerated youth. He subsequently worked for some tech companies in a role of recruitment and training.

Ms. Conaway graduated magna cum laude from the University of Arizona in 2001 with a B.A. in Political Science. She then attended law school at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia and received her J.D. in 2005. During law school Ms. Conaway served as a member of the Mercer Law Review and as a fund raising chair of Phi Alpha Delta. In her third year, Ms. Conaway’s comment, “Reversion Back to a State of Nature in the United States Southern Borderlands: A Look at Potential Causes of Action to Curb Vigilante Activity on the United States/Mexico Border,” was selected for publication. After law school, Ms. Conaway completing a two year clerkship with Judge Joseph Howard of the Arizona Court of Appeals.

Upon the completion of her clerkship in 2007, Ms. Conaway went into private practice at Burch & Cracchiolo, a preeminent Phoenix law firm. While in private practice, Ms. Conaway handled complex commercial litigation and appeals, on behalf of small businesses, large corporations, and corporate representatives. She not only assisted clients in navigating their immediate business disputes and challenges but also help them devise and implement practices, policies, and procedures to avoid future problems and drive revenue. For this work, she was recognized as a 2012, 2013, and 2014 Southwest Super Lawyers Rising Star. Ms. Conaway joined VBOC as a small business consultant in January 2015.

Darren is a Senior Business Consultant at Business Impact NW, focusing on personalized one-on-one coaching, and specializing in marketing, branding, social media, content editing/design, crowdfunding and creative pursuits. He has an MBA in Sustainable Entrepreneurship, an MS in Environmental Studies/Writing and has co-founded five businesses over the past ten years, including a freelance writing/photography business, two concert production companies, and a touring folk band.

He currently plays in and co-manages the folk duo/band, March to May, a nationally-touring, modern folk group based in Seattle. They have opened for larger touring acts such as The von Trapps, Robert Wynia, and Jenn Grinels, filling well-known local venues such as The Triple Door, the Crocodile, and Columbia City Theater. He also currently founded and runs DRYFT, a concert production company in Seattle that produces intimate concerts in unique venues, with the core mission of supporting up-and-coming singer/songwriters and changing the paradigm of live music in the Pacific NW.

Susan Gibson M.A. is a Small Business Coach and Trainer for the Washington Women’s Business Center. Prior to joining Business Impact NW, she served as a senior leader of Organizational Development, Leadership Development, and Human Resources for Nordstrom and Starbucks, ranked as two of the ‘Most Admired Companies to Work For’, and owned a successful consulting business for 20 years serving 350+ small businesses across the U.S. in a variety of industries. Her expertise includes executive coaching for business start-up and formation, strategic planning, ethical business practices, company organizational structures, management and leadership, employee development and motivation, teamwork, customer service and marketing, globalization and international business, franchising, and business growth.

Ms. Gibson holds a Master’s Degree from Western Washington University where she graduated summa cum laude 4.0 and is a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow 2000. She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Washington School of Business and has taught business courses for 14 years. Prior to joining UW, Ms. Gibson was the Executive-in-Residence for the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University. Over her career, she has coached 750+ business leaders to success and trained 300,000 owners, managers, supervisors, and frontline employees. She is honored and privileged to bring this experience to the Washington Women’s Business Center and looks forward to helping small business owners launch, grow, thrive, and soar.

Henry Wong is the Director of the Food Business Resource Center (FBRC) & Special Projects at Business Impact NW. Henry is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Systems and Information Engineering. Prior to joining the Business Impact NW team, he spent 7 years working in the Strategy group at CarMax developing and implementing inventory and buying strategies. Following his time at CarMax, he spent 3 years running his own mobile food truck business and consulting other mobile food start-ups in Tennessee. After selling his food truck, he moved to Seattle where he worked briefly with a food delivery tech startup. He did contract work for some local nonprofit organizations, including Business Impact NW, before joining the organization full-time. Having grown up around a family-owned restaurant and as a former entrepreneur, Henry understands the unique challenges that small business owners face. He also knows their advantages and the incredible value they can bring. Henry is passionate about leveraging his extensive experiences in strategy and operations to support clients in any stage of their business and strategic planning from concept to growth.

A proud U.S. Navy veteran as both enlisted and officer, professional speaker and mentor, and successful business owner, Shawn brings his wealth of experience and passion for mentoring and coaching to the Boots to Business program and aspiring entrepreneurs. Shawn holds a BS in Business Administration from Central Washington University and a Masters in Management & Leadership from Western Governors University. His career path has emphasized consulting, teaching, and mentoring; early on as the owner/operator of a boutique financial advising firm which prioritized financial literacy, then as a public speaker and trainer on team-building and leadership development prior to joining the mission at Business Impact NW. Shawn is currently 2.5 projects behind at his home in Monroe while he is a volunteer at the SeaTac USO and father to a vivacious and talented teen daughter, volleyball player, and student leader.

A Seattle native, Faith graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelor’s in Tourism Management. She used those skills working in various hotels and then transitioned into the medical and dental fields. After getting married in 2014, she moved with her husband to Panama City, Florida where she continued to hone her administrative and supervisory skills at a local otolaryngologist’s office. Four years later, Hurricane Michael hit, and they were ready to return home to the Pacific Northwest. That event seemed to have stirred up a passion to step into a different field however. After watching so many businesses crumble after the hurricane, she returned home with a new outlook and a strong desire to do what she could to help keep the small business dream alive. Faith is now the Technical Assistant Administrator at Business Impact NW working to do just that.

Amber Bittner has a lifetime of experience within the military community having grown up on various military bases, and being a current military spouse. She started her career at the age of 16, and was promoted as the youngest night manager of a large box retail establishment by the age of 18. She did this all while attending college at the University of South Alabama where her original focus was Computer Science and Programming. In attempts to obtain her first degree she worked two full time jobs at a time in order not to utilize loan funding and gained experience as a qualified plan assistant putting together 401(k) and PSP plans for large companies along the gulf coast within a CPA firm. During tax season she also worked on different business payrolls, and general bookkeeping which gave her much knowledge about the accounting aspects of business.

After a terrible car accident, Amber went full time into general management and was not able to finish her degree, being a mere 4 credit hours short from her BS in Computer Science. She broke into the banking world when she married a service member and started working with the military banking overseas division as a personal banker; this work continued when she worked as a relationship manger with Bank of America, and provided monetary solutions to small business owners within that role amongst other financial aspects. Amber currently attends the University of Maryland where her focus is corporate pre law, she has a 4.0 GPA. Amber’s clients finds a lot of value in speaking with her as she has fifteen years’ experience in general retail management and interim district management, seven years within accounting and finance, successful business ownership experience, as well as 4 years within small business banking.

Ron "Cat" Mason is the Veteran Business Outreach Center (VBOC) Representative for Anchorage, AK, the Founder and CEO of CM&A Consulting, LLC which provides comprehensive high-quality business coaching to entrepreneurs, and a Certified SCORE Mentor. Mason is a retired United States Air Force veteran with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Technical Management, with an emphasis in sales and marketing. He also has two Associates of Science (AS) degrees in Aircrew Operations and Information Systems Technology. Mason is a Lifetime Member of the Sigma Beta Delta Honors Society, and an Honorary Commander (Emeritus) of the 732^nd Logistical Group on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER) Alaska. He is a Lifetime Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and has been an active member - in good standing- of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and its Military Committee since 2002. Mason is a also National Federation of High School (NFHS) certified football coach, and has been coaching in the Anchorage School District since 2007.

In addition to working at the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) as a training specialist in Fairbanks, AK, Jim has worked as an adjunct/term business Instructor with the University Alaska Fairbanks, Wayland Baptist University and for Axia College on-line. He is the former Director Small Business Development Center in Fairbanks, AK and a retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant. He retired from the Air Force in 1998 after serving for a total of 22 ½ years. Throughout his Air Force career, he was stationed in Guam, Washington D.C., Arkansas, Germany and finally Alaska. Originally from Rhode Island, Jim has called Alaska home since January 1991. His education background includes an M.S. in Business Organizational Management with a concentration in Information Technology from the University of La Verne, California. In 2018 he received an Executive Certificate in Negotiation from the University of Notre Dame. He and his wife Janet have been married for 22 years and they have a blended family that includes seven children.

Roland Chaiton is a Sr. VP/Loan Officer with Seattle Economic Development Fund (SEDF) dba Business Impact NW. He has over 22 years of financial services experience through two CDFI’s, Business Impact NW—Washington State’s 2nd largest CDFI and before that, Snohomish County Private Industry Council (SnoPIC)—WA State’s 3rd largest CDFI, at that time. In 2011, Roland was selected by SBA as their Financial Services Champion for WA State and for SBA’s Region 10 (WA, OR, ID, AK). Besides doing Small Business and SBA7a lending, Roland has done successful grant writing for both SEDF and SnoPIC. He has also been instrumental in helping numerous SEDF clients achieve award winning results through the financial packages and counsel he has provided to them. Awards winners have included (but are not limited to) the Seattle Mayor’s best small business of the year award-2004 (two clients); King County Executive’s Best Green/Sustainable Business of the Year-2011; SBA’s Best Small Business Owner of the Year for WA-2013, and as a National finalist for SBA-2014.

Ezgi’s expertise lies in designing, implementing and managing innovative financial solutions to provide financial access to lower income populations. She has been involved with diverse aspects of the financial inclusion process with key institutions across numerous countries in East and West Africa, Central Asia, MENA, Latin America, including market research, product development, strategic planning, business development, and credit & operational risk management to build / strengthen financial institutions. Additionally, she was responsible for staff recruitment and training.

She holds a Master of International Affairs degree with focus on Economic and Political Development from Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs in New York and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from Bogazici Universitesi in Istanbul, Turkey.

Freweini Tesfai is currently the Loan Documentation Specialist at Business Impact NW. Her responsibilities include processing loan documents and monitoring loan files. Additional duties include preparing payoff statements, releasing collateral and processing paid in full loans. Prior to joining Business Impact NW, Freweini worked in the financial services industry for 6 years, both in retail banking and back office. She worked at Chase as teller and Assistant Manager Trainee and as Operation Specialist at Washington Federal bank. Freweini attended Eastern Washington University and received her Business Administration degree in Finance.

Christopher Stone is Loan Portfolio Manager and IT Manager at Business Impact NW. Before joining in mid-2014, his career was primarily spent in the education and non-profit fields. In addition to work with universities, school districts, preschool language programs, and the American Red Cross, he has worked with tech startups in Seattle and other technology companies. Passionate about Business Impact NW’s mission to combine financial empowerment with business education, Christopher also uses his experience as a former Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Georgia to work with Business Impact NW's diverse client base. Originally from the Midwest, Christopher moved to the Seattle area in 2009 and has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in linguistics from Truman State University in Missouri.

Tui Landa has a Masters in Business Education and has been servicing loans since 1986. Having worked at banks such as Bank of America and BECU, Tui is well-versed in consumer lending, commercials loans, loan documentation, SBA audits and credit review. Tui started working part-time for Business Impact NW in 2017, and current reviews the risk rating of all portfolios and reviews all current SBA loans, in addition to being a loan officer for new clients. Born in Thailand, Tui came to the US in 1971 and is proud have a husband, two daughters, three grandchildren and three dogs. She also plans to retire again soon.

Eric Foley is a Loan Readiness Officer at Business Impact NW. Eric’s position, which is based out of Portland, Oregon, is unique within the organization in that it overlaps with both the technical assistance and loan departments. In his lending role, Eric will assist business that are “loan-ready” and seeking small business financing, through the loan application and underwriting process. He will also be providing post-loan technical assistance to the borrower, often throughout the life of the loan. In Eric’s technical assistance role, he will be assisting small business owners to become “business-ready”, by working with them to strengthen their business acumen and financial systems, up to, and beyond the point at which the business becomes loan-ready. Prior to joining the organization in early 2020, Eric was a small business Loan Officer for a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI), serving the greater Portland metro area. Eric has over ten-years of professional experience in the CDFI industry, and has worked in the sectors of nonprofit financing, New Markets Tax Credits, and small business lending.

Eric was raised on a small family-farm, in California’s Coachella Valley. His personal and professional interests intermingle at the intersections of topics such as regenerative agriculture, food systems and access to food, the succession of family farming, and food- related businesses and the culinary arts. In his spare time, he enjoys baking bread and making pizzas, at home, from his sourdough starter. He has dreams of one day opening a pizzeria, as well as owning and farming a small farm. Eric moved to Portland, in 2015. He holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Social Ecology, from the University of California, Irvine, with majors in Environmental Analysis & Design, as well as Psychology & Social Behavior.

Greta Stough is the Director of Development and Communications at Business Impact NW. She has a passion for sharing the work we do here in compelling ways. Prior to joining Business Impact NW, Greta operated her own consulting business, The Cabra Group, for over a decade, focusing on nonprofit development, community planning, grants and fundraising. Prior to that she was the Director of Development for the Suquamish Tribe. She has an undergraduate degree from Oberlin College. She did graduate work in Planning at NYU, living for five years in Brooklyn and enjoying diverse food, culture, and music. Greta enjoys hiking, cooking for her family, classic film, and playing with her English Cocker Spaniel, Scooter.

Alyssa Pizarro is the Corporate Giving Officer at Business Impact NW, and is responsible for corporate relationships. Prior to joining Business Impact NW, Alyssa served as the Corporate Partnership and Donor Engagement Specialist, and the Development Coordinator at Yoga Behind Bars. Her career began as a 10-year fashion sales manager and director in New York before moving to Seattle in 2013. Alyssa is able to combine her belief in social justice, community and corporate experience to culminate into her current life at Business Impact NW. She completed one year of her MBA at Northeastern University, and has a Bachelor’s degree from State University of New York at Albany.

Ying Zhou is the Controller for Seattle Economic Development Fund dba Business Impact NW. Ms. Ying comes to this position after completing her MBA degree at the University of Bridgeport. While there, she worked 3 years as the budget analysis assistant in the finance department of University of Bridgeport. She also volunteered as tax preparer for international students and US residents in University of Bridgeport and United Way of King County 5+ years. She is also currently helping in her family’s business management.

Mari holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and over 12 years of expertise in finance with business and industry companies in her home country. Her last position was senior accountant and her prior experience includes computing taxes, budget and financial forecasts, conducting year-end close processes and calculating the cost of goods. Mari completed a professional ACCA accounting course in 2016 to further develop her career. She moved to the United States in 2017 and was hired as an accountant, then joined Business impact NW in 2018 as our new Staff Accountant.

Business Impact NW Staff

Administration

Joe Sky-Tucker, MSW

Danielle Moser

Ashley Clark

Ahmad Ali

Technical Assistance

Domonique Juleon

Susan Perreault, DBA

Steve Watts-Oelrich

Jessica Conaway

Darren Guyaz

Susan Gibson

Henry Wong

Shawn Palmer

Faith Hamilton

Amber Bittner

Cat Mason

Jim McDermott

Lending

Roland Chaiton

Ezgi Ucaner-Flor

Freweini Tesfai

Christopher Stone

Tui Landa

Eric Foley

Development & Communications

Greta Stough

Alyssa Pizarro

Accounting

Ying Frisch

Mari Bahmani