SWAN 2018

2018 Business & Professional

WOMEN OF THE YEAR

Jacque Beamer

Patsy Martin

Lifetime Achievement Nancy Gentry & Cathie Wyman A Supplement to the Skagit Valley Herald

Rita Ordóñez

Rising Swan Morgan Curry

About Us CONNECTIONS ENCOURAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY

Skagit Women in Business (SWIB) provides members with the opportunity to make a difference in our community. Our core mission is to support local women who are returning to school after a break in their education. Through our scholarship program, SWIB has gifted more than $110,000 to deserving women since 1980. We host a meeting the first Tuesday of each month, featuring a delicious breakfast, guest speakers and networking.

Learn more at SkagitWomenInBusiness.com.

OUR MEMBERS Melissa Beaton Kathryn Bennett Annette Booth Ann Childs Barbra DeVries Yulia Garrison Danita Gilbert Eli Haddick Kjerten Heron Stephanie Hooper Jenifer Howson Leigh LaLonde Debra Lancaster Lauri Lauritson Danielle Martin Deanna McDougle Sharon McPherson

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INSIDE

Congratulations

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A celebration of women’s accomplishments in Skagit County

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Past winners Women of the Year JACQUE BEAMER PATSY MARTIN RITA Ordóñez

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Lifetime Achievement NANCY GENTRY CATHIE WYMAN

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Rising SWAN MORGAN CURRY

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Scholarship winners

Publisher Heather Hernandez Director of Content Colette Weeks

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Contributing Writers Kimberly Cauvel, Kera Wanielista, Brandon Stone, Julia-Grace Sanders, Leah Allen, Trevor Pyle, Vince Richardson

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Advertising & Marketing Director Duby Petit

Design & Layout Jody Hendrix, Greg Fiscus

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SWAN Women of the Year!

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Skagit Women’s Alliance and Network celebrates 34 years What 34th annual SWAN Women of the Year awards banquet when 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 18 where Swinomish Casino & Lodge, Anacortes tickets $50, my360tix. com more info swanskagit. com

By JULIA-GRACE SANDERS

The Skagit Women’s Alliance and Network will honor six women Oct. 18 for their work in giving back to the community.

The six women — not to mention the entire group of 14 who were nominated for SWAN Gifford awards — are an exceptional bunch, SWAN President Janet Gifford said.

“Every year when we read through the nominations, we are in awe of the many ways nominees are — and often under the radar — doing the most amazing things in support of people throughout Skagit Valley,” Gifford said. “This year’s awardees are no exception.”

Patsy Martin, Rita Ordóñez and Jacque Beamer will be honored at the Swinomish Casino and Lodge as SWAN Women of the Year. Cathie Wyman and Nancy Gentry will receive SWAN Lifetime Achievement awards, while Morgan Curry will be honored as a Rising SWAN. The three women of the year will be honored in the categories of Community Engagement, Professional Achievement and Mentorship of Women. The recipients’ categories will be revealed at the banquet.

The three were chosen because of the outstanding ways they continue to give back to our community and make a difference in the lives of others, Gifford said.

Nominations for the 34th annual SWAN awards were taken in May. Every year, the group asks community members to nominate women based on their work volunteering or giving back in some capacity. The SWAN organization then reviews nominees and selects a group of finalists.

Those finalists are then interviewed by an independent selection panel.

This year, the selection panel included Andrea Martin, Teresa Pugh and Marna Carpenter.

The Rising SWAN category honors young professionals.

“As young professional women, we were struck by how they are already engaged in the community and making a difference in their own personal ways,” Gifford said.

Rising SWAN recipients receive a leadership Skagit scholarship.

The guest speaker at this year’s banquet will be Dr. Allison Porter, who lives and works in Skagit County as a general surgeon at Skagit Valley Hospital. She will be speaking on mentorship, community engagement and empowerment.

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Past Women of the Year winners

1997 Lola Lang

2017 Germaine Kornegay Teresa Pugh Heidi Roy 2016 Bonnie Bowers Erin Long Rebecca Schlaht 2015 Erin Baldwin Janie Beasley Kari Ranten 2014 Kathryn Bennett Mary June Curtis Jeanne Youngquist

1996 Maureen Dickson 1995 Judi Knutzen 2007 Pam Nelson 2006 Maureen Harlan 2005 Laura Cailloux 2004 Lisa Janicki

2013 Debbie Allen

2003 Mary Arendse

2012 Kristia Poppe

2002 Debra Lancaster

2011 Valerie Stafford

2001 Laurie Gere

2010 Liz McNett-Crowl

2000 Susan Cook

2009 Sue Krienen

1999 Shirley Osborn

2008 Jan Ellingson

1998 Linda Freed

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1994 Dorothy Bluhm Urbick 1993 Judy Montoya 1992 Nanette Hough 1991 Pat Hyatt 1990 Carol Kirkby 1989 B.J. Kendall 1988 Cheryl Bishop 1987 Geneva Sasnett 1986 Judy Menish 1985 Carol Pritchard Poppe SWAN / October 2018

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SWAN Woman of the Year JACQUE BEAMER

BrandQuery founder got her entrepreneurial start in Alaska

By TREVOR PYLE

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SWAN Woman of the Year JACQUE BEAMER If you’re looking for the source of Jacque Beamer’s entrepreneurial ambitions, a good place to start would be rural Alaska.

Today, Beamer is the founder of BrandQuery, a marketing firm with a quarter-century track record, offices in Mount Vernon and Seattle, and deep ties to the communities in which it works.

But as a teenager, she grew up — among other places — in Alaska, where she helped her family with its commercial fishing business located, as she calls it, “in the middle of nowhere.”

“My brothers and dad would fish together so I’d get the truck ready and drive it four and a half miles down a road my grandfather built,” Beamer said. “I’d load the truck with fish. It would fit about 400 sockeye.”

Loading the fish, driving the truck, negotiating with representatives at a nearby cannery owned by a Japanese company gave Beamer the urge and skills to strike out on her own.

“I wanted to direct what I’d do and who I’d work with to a certain degree,” she said. “I was raised by parents who were independent. It was born into my blood ... I did the independent thing as teenager. That was the direction I wanted to go in my adult life.”

After working for different employers, that impulse led Beamer to form BrandQuery. Rather than being focused on the sale of goods, the firm generally works more with communities, such as Oso after the deadly 2014 mudslide, or on the Skagit Valley Family YMCA Capital Project.

The latter won BrandQuery a national award from the North American YMCA Development Organization.

“In the end it’s telling a story in a way that resonates with people ... getting people to get behind things,” Beamer said. “The brands we’ve worked with aren’t high fashion, aren’t throw-away goods. I feel good about the work we do because it’s not things that will end up in landfill. It’s on behalf of communities ... to help, rebuild.”

BrandQuery’s clients has included King County and the cities of Anacortes, Burlington and Mount Vernon, as well as the Burlington-Edison School District, Skagit Valley College and the University of Washington.

Beamer’s engagement with communities isn’t limited to her work. She’s also been a volunteer and donor with organizations such as Skagit Adult Day Care Services, the Skagit Valley College Advisory Board and Habitat for Humanity.

Serving with pride

The Skagit County Board of Commissioners

Congratulations Patsy Martin Executive Director, Port of Skagit Women of the Year Finalist

And to all the 2018 SWAN Nominees.

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Thank you for your contributions to our community!

Kenneth A. Dahlstedt Lisa Janicki and Ron Wesen

Congratulate the Professional Women of the Year and SWAN Scholarship Recipients. www.skagitcounty.net/CountyCommissioners 1816563

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SWAN Woman of the Year PATSY MARTIN

Giving back to her community drives Port executive director

By KIMBERLY CAUVEL

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SWAN / October 2018

SWAN Woman of the Year PATSY MARTIN Longtime Skagit Valley resident Patsy Martin made it her mission in life to give back to her community and make a difference.

She’s done just that as executive director of the Port of Skagit for more than a decade and while serving as president of various local organizations.

“I find it incredibly overwhelming and humbling because this isn’t about Patsy Martin, it’s about all of the people I’ve ever worked with coming together to make things happen.

It’s about my port team, it’s about my church team ... and I’m very appreciative of all of those that have helped me get to this place,” Martin said.

Her husband of 35 years, Dan Martin, is an important team member in her life. He helped her balance her career while raising their two sons, Nick and Gabe, in Alger.

“When I took over as executive director of the Port of Skagit in 2007, he took over all of the cooking and shopping responsibilities in our lives, which was amazing,” Martin said.

To ensure that women working at the Port of Skagit have support raising their children, the port recently adopted a bring-your-baby-to-work policy at Martin’s recommendation.

“I think that the more we can accommodate young

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parents — moms and dads — to stay engaged with their children, the better off their families are going to be and the better off the employers are going to be,” Martin said.

“That would have been something that would have been very helpful to me if I had had that opportunity.”

Martin was nominated for a SWAN award by her friend Shirley Osborn, who said many women in the community admire, respect and learn from Martin.

“I have known Patsy for a number of years and have been impressed and amazed with how well and balanced she handles her career and personal life,” Osborn wrote on a nomination form. “Patsy leads by example and has demonstrated that you can be a great mom, have an interesting life and also be very accomplished as a professional.”

Martin has worked for local ports since 1987, when she took a position with the Port of Anacortes and realized the mission of ports was a perfect match for her aspirations.

“I wanted to work in an area where I could make the Skagit Valley a better place,” she said. “The mission of creating economic opportunities for people and good jobs fit with my passion.”

Now as leader of the Port of Skagit, Martin was instrumental in bringing the SWIFT (Sedro-Woolley Innovation for Tomorrow) Center under local ownership and bringing the Washington State University Bread Lab onto port property.

SWAN / October 2018

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SWAN Woman of the Year RITA Ordóñez

Her mission: ensuring that all have access to fresh food

By BRANDON STONE

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SWAN Woman of the Year RITA Ordóñez For Rita Ordóñez, the importance of fresh food was instilled in her during childhood.

“Growing up, my mom made everything from scratch,” she said.

As Ordóñez got older and had kids of her own, she said she developed an interest in what her children’s schools were feeding the students, and in 2005 started an after-school gardening and cooking program at Lincoln Elementary School in Mount Vernon.

“I feel and believe that fresh food should be accessible for everyone, regardless of income,” she said.

Through her work both regionally and statewide, Ordóñez has pulled together farmers, farmers markets and social support services to give lowincome families access to fresh fruit and vegetables.

By helping get 35 farmers markets throughout the state to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and give shoppers incentives for using the benefits at farmers markets, she expanded the options for families in Washington.

“One thing I’m always working on is thinking about how we can make processes better (and) give people more dignity when shopping for fresh food,” Ordóñez said.

She worked three years with Community Action of Skagit County as its community food access manager, helping get products from local farms into

food banks and on the tables of the county’s low-income families.

Now, as the executive administrator for the nonprofit Food From Farms, Ordóñez offers vouchers valid at Skagit County farmers markets. The vouchers are given to families when they take their children to a pediatrician for a well-baby exam, she said.

Ordóñez also owns her own consulting firm, Birdsign Consulting, of which all of her employees are women.

One of her ongoing projects, she said, is with United Way of Skagit County’s Financial PEOPLE Project, a financial literacy course for lowincome people taught by their peers.

Of the 10 peer leaders she’s trained to teach the course, she said nine are women.

“I really love my role as a mentor with these women,” she said.

Diane Smith, who nominated Ordóñez for the SWAN award, worked with her when she was at the Community Action Food Distribution Center.

“She’s forward thinking,” Smith said. “She’s curious, and I really admire the way she brings her curiosity to problem-solving.”

Smith said she observed Ordóñez mentoring female AmeriCorps volunteers, where she gave them enough coaching to be successful but didn’t overdo it.

“She came up with a way to engage, encourage and foster them in their success,” she said.

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Lifetime Achievement CATHIE WYMAN

A helping hand with a smile

By LEAH ALLEN

Those strolling through La Conner might notice public benches dotting the town, a Steinway piano in Maple Hall or the flowering baskets along Morris and First streets.

Instrumental in all of those endeavors has been La Conner resident, entrepreneur and leader Cathie Wyman.

“Always learning, always giving her time and talents with a smile and a helping hand, that is Cathie,” Jill Rouw, a 2014 SWAN Lifetime Achievement winner, wrote in nominating Wyman.

“She enjoys the journey as well as the accomplishment itself.”

Over the past three decades, Wyman has contributed to her town in numerous roles with the La Conner Chamber of Commerce, La Conner Beautification Committee and La Conner Institute of Performing Arts.

“I love La Conner,” said Wyman, who owned the La Conner gift store Wyman Park for 31 years before closing it in 2016 to retire. “It’s small enough that you feel ownership. Anyone can make a difference.”

She also spearheaded Season of Giving, in which local businesses donated

10 percent of their holiday sales to charity, and served on the board of directors for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival for six years.

But out of all of her accomplishments, Wyman said the most meaningful work she’s done has been developing affordable housing.

While serving in leadership roles with Friendship House — a Mount Vernon nonprofit that shelters, clothes and

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feeds those in need — Wyman realized how important permanent, affordable housing was to individuals and families.

That realization led her to Skagit Housing Solution, where she worked to create a low-income housing development called Channel Cove, which provides homes for 34 adults and 23 children in La Conner.

“I loved that work. It was my payback for having such a charmed life,” Wyman said.

Upon retirement, Wyman served as treasurer for the Home Trust of Skagit, an organization that helps homebuyers in Skagit County purchase affordable houses, and is currently treasurer for the Museum of Northwest Art. Thinking of the many women who have been recognized at past SWAN banquets, Wyman said she feels humbled by her nomination.

“I feel very honored that they think I was this good,” she said.

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Lifetime Achievement NANCY GENTRY

Showing caring and compassion

By VINCE RICHARDSON

Nancy Gentry cares about people of all ages as well as her community.

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their nursing certificates.

In the community, she has worked with an impressive list of support groups, foundations, ethics committees, philanthropic organizations as well as local charitable and nonprofit groups.

Gentry has been involved with the Skagit Adult Day Program since 1992, has facilitated Alzheimer’s and dementia support groups since 2010 and managed the distribution of track-

ing bracelets for those with dementia living within Skagit County as part of Project Life Saver/Care Track — Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.

“This is such a great honor,” Gentry said. “There is a lot of good work being done in this community. I have gotten to know so many through the years. It goes well beyond a business for me, it’s family.”

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“I’ve always been a caregiver,” Gentry said. “I’ve always wanted to help people.”

Gentry is described on her SWAN nomination form as an expert in her field who has remained successful in both her personal and business endeavors.

While working in the health care industry, Gentry saw a need for change.

“I spent time as a nurse at Northern State Hospital, and I had a neighbor with dementia and diabetes. My dad had dementia. So I have had people very special to me throughout my life with it. It has always been my focus and desire to help those people,” she said.

And it had been a driving force for her for more than four decades.

“It really bothered me to see how people were being treated as they aged,” she said. “I wanted to change the paradigm of health care for people with age-related difficulties.”

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in nursing and becoming a registered nurse in 1975, Gentry worked sporadically as a labor and delivery nurse at United General Hospital.

She continued on the health care path for the duration of her career, founding, managing and operating several facilities for those with dementia and Alzheimer’s. She also trained individuals in the caring of those patients.

Gentry showed the same steadfast compassion for children, owning and operating early learning childcare centers throughout Skagit County.

“I have always loved kids,” she said.

“I have always been an advocate for kids. They have always held a special spot for me.”

Gentry also operated a school to educate caregivers working toward

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Rising SWAN MORGAN CURRY

Difference maker

By KERA WANIELISTA

Ever since she was in fourth grade, Morgan Curry knew she wanted to help others.

That was when the Lincoln Elementary School student saw an unmanned crosswalk outside the school and jumped in to provide safety patrol at the intersection.

That, she said, was when she started living by the motto “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

“I feel like I’m unique in the way I get to connect on a different level,” Curry said. “I’ll do it with you. We’re going to do it together instead of ‘Here’s some resources for you.’”

It’s that attitude that has helped the 24-year-old Curry to Rising SWAN honors.

“It’s such an honor being in the room with all those inspirational women,” she said. “I’m thankful to get this opportunity to make more of a difference in my community.”

Curry is the operations manager at Skagit Gleaners, works with the Washington Vocational Service’s Adult Transition to Independence Center and was formerly on the board for the Neighbors in Need Food Bank.

She said working with vulnerable populations is her passion. “All these programs that I work for are so unique,” she said. “They help a certain population that is overlooked or there isn’t a current place for them. They touch on such a need in the community.”

Through her involvement, Curry said she hopes to set an example for her young daughter about the value of community. “I want her raised in a community where she sees the togetherness and the attitude of gratitude,” she said.

Curry’s path has just begun. In the spring, she will graduate from Western Washington University with a degree in Human Services. “You learn so much empathy,” she said of the program. “There’s so many barriers that people face that make it an unlevel playing field.”

When the time comes, Curry said, she wants to look at the bigger picture and look for ways to solve the housing crisis in Skagit County.

For Curry, just being nominated as a Rising SWAN was an honor. Winning it, she said, just gives her more resources and connections to allow her to help more people.

“I just felt honored and empowered,” she said. “And excited to see what the future holds.”

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS Andrea Alaniz A student pursuing a master’s degree in library and information science at the University of Washington, Alaniz has a goal of working in a public library, where she can help community members access the resources needed to fulfill their life and career goals.

Madison McKenzie The development coordinator at Hospice of the Northwest Foundation is pursuing an MBA through Western Governors University. After getting her MBA, McKenzie plans to secure a leadership position at a nonprofit.

Abbey Baeslack The mother of three

Congratulations Cathie Wyman On your SWAN Lifetime Achievement Award!

- La Conner Chamber of Commerce

boys works part-time at several jobs, including at Skagit Valley College and Riverside Health Club, while working toward her master’s degree in school counseling. She also volunteers at a monthly women’s grief support group.

Lynnette Bennett The associate dean of Workforce Education at Skagit Valley College is a first-generation college student who is working on her doctorate in education through Northeastern University.

Tanna Baker The Skagit Valley College applied management student volunteers at the Anacortes Housing Authority, for mobile blood drives offered through BloodWorks, and serves as a program co-chair for the American Association of University Women.

Jennifer Daley The Sedro-Woolley wife and mother of three is working on her master’s degree in school counseling from Oregon State University. She works as a counselor at Sedro-Woolley High School.

Fan Fion Wang The Western Washington University student came to the United States from China to pursue a college degree.

She is the first in her family to go to college.

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