FROM DIAPERS TO DIPLOMAS... Amazing Accomplishments of Moms and Dads in Issaquah Highlands

WORK.

I am the chief marketing officer at Everbridge, where I am responsible for creating worldclass digital experiences for our customers. Additionally, I serve remotely as an executive professor at the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Currently, I teach “Marketing in Technology,” which is designed to provide real-world insights for students that seek future careers in technology. I am also a board member of the charitable organization Love Takes Root, which currently supports and enables the children at the LaConcorde orphanage in Jacmel, Haiti.

FAMILY.

I’ve been married to my wonderful wife, Carley, for 22 years. We have three amazing sons: Collin (19, freshman at Texas A&M), Ryan (16), Evan (14) and Rudy the dog (4). We are proud native Texans but have lived in the Wisteria Park neighborhood of Issaquah Highlands for the last 18 years. Carley and I both went to Texas A&M University and are super exited to have Collin there, and for me to now be part of the faculty. Gig ‘em Aggies!

BALANCE.

Balancing family and work can be challenging, and for me, it’s a real blessing to work from home when not traveling. I think that people

Alexander

tend to spend their time and energy on the things that they are most passionate about. Since I’m passionate about both my family and my work, things tend to naturally balance themselves out. My wife is also an amazing mom and partner, and frankly, she is the real “secret sauce” that makes all of this work.

CHERISHED MEMORIES.

Being a dad is the greatest gift I ever could have asked for. My boys (all 3 of them) are my favorite people in the world. I loved being their dad when they were babies and have loved every phase since. Our current phase, the “entering adulthood” phase of parenting, is bringing many new parenting surprises but also a lot of joy as we see our kids thriving and becoming young adults.

FATHER’S DAY RECOLLECTIONS. Most of my Father’s Days have been spent enjoying “bleacher time” while the kids were involved in some combination of sports –mostly baseball and basketball. However, I think my favorite Father’s Day in recent memory was a couple of years ago (during COVID) when we went to New Mexico. We spent Father’s Day at White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns, mostly hiking/sledding in the desert and exploring underground.

K elly Su

WORK.

I think I was born loving fashion. At the age of 3, rather than playing with dolls, I preferred to sketch my own and dressed them up with my own designs. I didn’t stop at that. When I received my first Barbie doll at the age of 6, I began making my own clothes for her with whatever I could find around the house. After graduating from design school at The Art Institute of Seattle, I landed the opportunity to serve as an assistant designer at Nordstrom and soon after got promoted to lingerie designer. It opened my eyes to an entirely new world that I had only dreamed of as a little girl. Now, I design and make beautiful women’s apparel at camiandtank.com as well as teach fashion sewing to kids and adults at ksschoolofdesign.com.

FAMILY.

I married my best friend, Wayne Su, and we have two beautiful kids. Kaitlyn, 14, is in ninth grade and Caleb, 10, is in fifth grade. We have lived in Issaquah Highlands for 18 years.

BALANCE.

My decision to leave the corporate world/ Nordstrom was to raise my kids and make my family a priority. I work during the day when kids are at school and I try to leave my office right when my kids get home from school. I truly am blessed to do what I love doing every day.

CHERISHED MEMORIES.

It’s the simple things: making breakfast with the kids in the morning, packing their school lunch, and giving and receiving little hugs and kisses from my kids.

MOTHER’S DAY REFLECTIONS. My favorite Mother’s Day was back when my kids were 4 and 8 years old. Both kids and their dad surprised me with morning breakfast, flowers and my favorite chocolate in bed. I will always remember the look on my kids' faces with complete excitement, love and joy of surprising me.