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.

Alexa is currently the Office and Executive Administrator at Business Impact NW. Her responsibilities include 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. Additional duties include facilitating the orderly function of the office, building maintenance and maintaining vendor relationships, and providing event logistics, coordination and execution. Prior to joining Business Impact NW, Alexa Served 12 years in the military, serving 3 tours overseas. She also started her own small business which ran successfully for two years before shutting down due to the COVID pandemic. Alexa has a passion for business, equality, and inspiring and helping others be successful.

Alyssa Pizarro is the Strategic Partner & Diversity Officer at Business Impact NW. Alyssa is responsible for the organization’s relationships and diversity focus. Before this, Alyssa served as the Corporate Giving Officer at Business Impact NW for a year and a half. Alyssa’s previous nonprofit experience was in the Development Department at Yoga Behind Bars, from career beginnings as a 10-year fashion sales manager and director in New York before moving to Seattle in 2013. Alyssa has combined her passion for social justice and community engagement with her corporate experience to culminate in her current role 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, with a double major in Anthropology & Women’s Studies. Alyssa is also a yoga instructor, a pup-mom, a forever-learner, and a fair-weather jogger.

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.

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.

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.

Shelby Hammond grew up in Northern California before moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, where she began her career in Holistic Health services. After a number of years working in high-end spas where the focus was on healing the body and mind, Shelby aspired to find new ways in which to give back to her community and support others. After deciding to head back west to be closer to family, she discovered her passion for nonprofit work. Her time at Lifeworks NW served as an eye opening experience in the dedication and all-important work that nonprofit organizations provide in their communities. Her interest in grants and program management only increased after moving to Boise, Idaho, where she spent time as the Housing Programs Coordinator at Idaho Housing and Finance Association.

Shortly after relocating to Seattle in November of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and Shelby sought out an organization dedicated to providing services to underserved populations during this pivotal time. Shelby is now a Technical Assistant Administrator at Business Impact NW. She is responsible for assisting in program support, through managing new client intakes, responding to client inquiries about Business Impact NW services, outreach for training events, and other various administrative tasks to ensure our programs run smoothly. During her free time, Shelby enjoys taking her kayak out on Lake Washington and exploring all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Neil Subhash joined Business Impact NW in 2020 as the Food and Farm Business Coach and Trainer. Neil has spent the past ten years in the community supporting agriculture and local food systems. Together with his partner Jayme, they own and operate Present Tense Farm, a diversified organic vegetable farm growing and selling directly to Seattle area restaurants and farmers markets. Prior to starting and running his own business, Neil gained experience working with small family farms in both Oregon and Montana. As an active member in the local community he has previously been elected to the Board of Directors of Sno-Valley Tilth, the Snoqualmie Valley Farmers Cooperative; and currently sits on the Board of Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Markets.

Neil is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Science in Community Development and Applied Economics. He is an east coast transplant who came westward with an ever-growing passion for mountains, rivers, and all things outdoors - happy to have settled in Snohomish County. Through experience, Neil knows firsthand the obstacles and challenges entrepreneurs face in starting and growing a business. He believes strongly in the viability of small businesses and the value that small business owners bring to their communities.

Oren is a COVID-19 Response Team Member at Business Impact NW, focusing on personalized coaching for small business owners and entrepreneurs who have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. He has a B.S. in Business Administration and has founded several for-profit and non-profit organizations. He is also a certified ADA Coordinator and accessibility/inclusion specialist, having consulted on inclusion programming for various municipalities and private organizations. A musician and live music enthusiast, he co-founded Accessible Festivals, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the standards of accessibility at live music events and concerts throughout the country.

Christine has been an advisor to small businesses through her work with several Puget Sound area Women’s Business Centers as well as her private consultancy. Her beginning in entrepreneurship began with helping her father in his second career in corporate travel, then with a family business in Spain and several businesses while raising her two boys. She was involved in operations to launch a solar industry start-up. She has brought her hands-on knowledge to thousands of clients, from helping them build a sustainable model to dealing with day to day operations. She enjoys assisting clients with financial literacy, cash flow and financial statement analysis. Christine integrates her degrees in International Relations, Sociology and Public Administration into her advising, resulting in a positive connection and relationship with her clients which include the LatinX community, women, minorities and veterans. Travel and adventure are inspiration and she enjoys being outdoors (preferably the beach), running and working out at the gym.

Lisa Dempsey is originally from Pennsylvania. She graduated with a degree in Finance from Lehigh University and moved to Manhattan immediately after to embark on a career with Chase Manhattan Bank. After her initial assignments were completed, Lisa received a two year assignment to work with Chase Manhattan’s Private Bank in Geneva, Switzerland. Upon return to Manhattan, Lisa attended NYU’s Continuing Education Film program and went on into film production and working with other independent filmmakers in the business of film and then onto work with Getty Images. From that point, Lisa was recruited to work for stock photography and film enterprise in Toronto, Ontario, where she became a dual citizen. After briefly returning to Pennsylvania, Lisa became a licensed Financial Advisor and embarked on a career in assisting Private Banking clients, until relocating to Seattle to work for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and after the assignment, Lisa joined Business Impact Northwest, where she is happy to assist small businesses achieve their goals.

Addy Cui has been studying in the UK since 2000 and after obtaining a bachelor's degree in business and management in the UK, she joined the International Student Center of the University of Leicester as a study abroad consultant. She returned to China in 2010 and began to help her original employer develop their business, and set foot in related industries such as jewelry customization. At the same time, she helps students who are willing to study abroad to apply for schools for free and help their families get visiting visas. In 2018, Addy got her permanent residence card and immigrated to the United States.

After nearly a year of adjustment, she started her first US job as an office manager in Helzberg Diamonds. She has considerable experience in the planning of small and medium-sized enterprises, low-cost operations in market expansion, and a lot of achievements in network operations. Due to years of cross-cultural learning and management, Addy has her own unique cross-cultural management and business experience - especially in establishing integration with new immigrants and network cross-cultural communication.

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.

Born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. Immigrated to the US as a young adult, my first office job was with a small non-profit organization in Albuquerque, NM (where I lived for over 20 years). It was then that I developed a passion for helping underserved communities. I have over 15 years combined experience between mortgage financing and small business financing. I have an associate degree in psychology, and I have managed my own business in the past. This education and experience helped me understand the passion, and motivation that new entrepreneurs, and small businesses owners have. I currently live in a very small community in Oregon, and I work with the Portland market helping small businesses with micro-loans.

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.

Madeline Nicholson is the Development Coordinator at Business Impact NW. Prior to joining Business Impact NW, Madeline served as the Development and Communications Assistant at Inside Out Youth Services. Madeline began her career in Museum Education at the Fine Arts Center of Colorado Springs where she worked for three years as an in-gallery museum educator. Her passion for working with diverse communities brought her from the museum to the nonprofit sector to work in Development. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Colorado College. Madeline brings a commitment to social justice and experience cultivating relationships with individual donors. Madeline enjoys hiking, yoga, making ceramic pottery, and baking bread.

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.

Quy graduated with her Bachelor Degree in Accounting and M.B.A in her home country. She had over 12 years of working in Logistics and Accounting positions before she moved to U.S. in 2015. She went back to school to finish her B.S. in Accounting at Central Washington University in 2018. She worked as Accountant in a Public Accounting firm after graduation and then was hired as Loan Accountant at Business Impact NW in 2020. Quy loves traveling to see the world and learn more different cultures.

Business Impact NW Staff

Administration

Joe Sky-Tucker, MSW

Danielle Moser

Ashley Clark

Alexa Ramon

Alyssa Pizarro

Technical Assistance

Domonique Juleon

Shelby Hammond

Technical Assistance

Washington Women's Business Center

Susan Perreault, DBA

Darren Guyaz

Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance

Food Business Resource Center

Henry Wong

Neil Subhash

Technical Assistance

COVID Response Team

Oren Shani

Christine Buckley

Lisa Dempsey

Addy Cui

Lending

Roland Chaiton

Ezgi Ucaner-Flor

Freweini Tesfai

Christopher Stone

Tui Landa

Yolanda Hawkins

Ahmad Ali

Development & Communications

Greta Stough

Madeline Nicholson

Osmir "Oz" Díaz

Accounting

Ying Frisch

Mari Bahmani

Quy Duong