Staff
Edsel Blanche (he/him)
Family Resource Center Manager
Edsel is a first generation, Filipino-American, born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He has a BA in Community Psychology and a Master's Degree in Social Work. After serving as an Americorps at WithinReach, he joined us as a Family Programs Coordinator, and then transitioned to the Family Resource Center Manager. He is excited to bring his passion, lived experience, and education to empower and advocate for families.
CLOSE
Hannah Daley (she/her)
Grants & Evaluations Manager
Hannah Daley became FamilyWorks’ Grants and Evaluations Coordinator in 2021 and oversees the organization’s institutional giving. Before coming to FamilyWorks, she supported philanthropic and organizational development teams at PATH and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She previously led capacity building efforts with grassroots NGOs in the Middle East and holds a master's degree in social work from the University of Washington. Hannah is passionate about improving systems to promote better outcomes for her community and about her dog, Nova.
CLOSE
Nicole Freitas (she/her)
Community Connector
Nicole grew up in San Jose CA and has been in Seattle for about 8 years. She graduated from SU with her B.S. in Psychology. Throughout college she worked with Bailey Gatzert Elementary and the SU Center for Community Engagement. After graduating she joined Americorps as a Family Engagement Program Coordinator at Gatzert. Through this work, Nicole discovered her passion to foster safe and accepting spaces for families to feel supported in and has helped to grow these spaces around Seattle. Outside of work Nicole can be found bouldering, learning pottery, or attempting trivia!
CLOSE
Kelly Groat (she/her)
Food Access Coordinator
My name is Kelly, and I'm really excited to join the team! I reside near Green Lake with my husband, daughter, and our two pups. My hobbies include beachcombing and painting, and I love pandas and the color green. For a long time, I thought being a teacher was my dream, and after four years of teaching preschool I decided that was not the case for me. Eventually I found employment with a food bank in Snohomish County, where I spent over a year. This time helped me realize that my true passion lies in serving my community and working towards ending hunger. I have learned so much about this line of work and am very much looking forward to meeting everyone and working with you all.
CLOSE
Kat Johnson (she/her)
Volunteer Coordinator
Kat is originally from London, England and moved to San Francisco in 2008 and then to Seattle in 2016. Originally trained as a research scientist, Kat decided to ditch the lab coat and microscope after discovering her passion for creating community. She found FamilyWorks while looking for a play group, read the mission statement and got hooked! She loves being part of an organization that has a direct impact every day and is full of so many committed, passionate people: staff and volunteers.
CLOSE
Ron Ketelhut (he/him)
Community Connector
Hi! My name is Ron, and I am thrilled to join the FamilyWorks team as a Community Connector. New to Seattle by way of New Orleans, I have a Masters in Social Work from Tulane University and have been working in school and communities as a classroom teacher then social worker for over a decade. I am deeply passionate about working in partnership with communities to help the grow even heathier and happier! One of my greatest professional and personal joys is spending time with kids, and I love working with caregivers (in both English and Spanish!) to ensure all children’s needs are met. Outside of work, I love being outdoors, camping, hiking, spending time with my dog, and cooking.
CLOSE
Rehana Lanewala (she/her)
Director of Development & Communications
Rehana (“ray-hah-nuh”) Lanewala (“layne-wah-luh”) comes to FamilyWorks after nearly a decade at Launch in various fundraising and communications roles, where she worked to expand access to childcare programs for communities furthest from educational justice. She is a co-founder of Community-Centric Fundraising, a BIPOC-led movement seeking to radically transform nonprofit fundraising by taking an anti-racist and social justice approach. In addition, she is the Board Co-Chair of Small Faces Child Development Center. In her spare time, she can be found hanging out with her husband and two children, hiking, binge-watching bad tv, taking way too many photos of her cats, or reading any book she can get her hands on.
CLOSE
Kirby Lochner (he/him)
Communications Manager
Kirby was born and raised in Encinitas, CA. After graduating from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA in 2014 with a BA in History, he moved to Seattle to work at a non-profit and play music with the band, Versing.
CLOSE
Gladys Martinez (she/her)
Youth & Family Programs Coordinator
Gladys was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and moved to Seattle in 2004. She served with AmeriCorps from 2004-2006 as a Legal Advocate for Domestic Violence. She is the mother of three multi-talented teenage boys. She enjoys working with teen parents and having the opportunity to make a difference in their lives.
CLOSE
Diana Mata García (she/her)
Mobile Food Pantry Coordinator
Hola! My name is Diana, you can call me Di (She/her). I'm born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. I've been living in the USA since 2014. I've been a professional Chef for ten years and eventhough I love cooking and the hospitality industry I was looking for a break. Started as a volunteer a couple months ago and in that time I learned how energizing it is to help people and work with people that care about the world and try to make it better day by day. Very excited to be part of the team as a mobile food Pantry Coordinator.
CLOSE
Shana McCann (she/he/they)
Food Bank Manager
Shana (she/he/they pronouns) joins us from Solid Ground, where they have served as the Community Food Education Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator for the past 7 ½ years. In this role, they have managed volunteers and Americorps members, supporting cooking, nutrition, gardening and food budgeting classes for members of our community who are experiencing food insecurity. One of their favorite parts of the work has been supporting volunteers in classes and at Solid Ground’s partnership community farm, as well as working to ensure anti-racism and anti-oppression are the core lenses and foundation for the programs. Shana has also spent time at the Pike Market Food Bank as an operations coordinator, where they created a resource center and no-cook food bags for community members experiencing homelessness.
CLOSE
Pete Metzelfeld (he/him)
Food Bank Coordinator
A long time food bank volunteer, Pete finally joined staff in 2016 to help out with our ever growing schedule of food deliveries and pickups. He’s since transitioned from driver to the Food Bank Coordinator role. He’s a great guy and loves the Green Bay Packers!
CLOSE
James Moody (he/him)
Food Bank Coordinator
James has a passion for hunger relief work. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and was a former Manager of Food Lifeline’s Seattle’s Table Program (A perishable food rescue program). He is a former Seattle Firefighter and more recently worked for a cruise line for eight years before deciding to return to community service work.
CLOSE
Danielle New (she/her)
Annual Giving Manager
Danielle has 3 years of experience in nonprofit development including appeal writing, database management & reporting, event planning, and donor stewardship. She enjoys being able to connect donors with causes they are passionate about. When not at work, you can find Danielle running, checking out a local art exhibit, or playing with her two kittens.
CLOSE
Anisa Nun (she/her)
Community Connector & Family Programs Coordinator
Anisa is one of our Community Connectors and Family Programs Coordinators. She is originally from Somalia, and also speaks three languages: Somali, English, and Italian (and casual Spanish!). After several years as a volunteer and participant at FamilyWorks, she is excited to continue her passion for helping families and community as a FamilyWorks staff member. In her spare time, she loves volunteering and spending time with her kids outdoors.
CLOSE
Subigya Pandey (she/her)
Summer Family Programs Coordinator
I grew up in Nepal, Hawaii, and most recently California, before moving to Seattle almost 3 years ago. During undergrad, my work experiences leaned more towards public and global health, and since undergrad I have pivoted more towards individuals and direct service. I worked as an Advocate at a DV/SA clinic in Silicon Valley before moving here, and recently worked for 2 years as a care coordinator at Eating Recovery Center/Pathlight Mood and Anxiety. I am looking forward to continuing working in the food space, and deepening my understanding of community services, policies, and barriers that systemically shape access to our most basic needs. In my free time, I love browsing farmers and seasonal markets, cooking and eating with loved ones, and have spent a lot of my summer dragonboat racing with my team in Seattle!
CLOSE
Renée Pierce (she/her)
School Community Resource Navigator
I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. I enjoy traveling, crabbing, and cooking. In addition, I love to give back to my community by participating in many various activities and various groups. I come from a large loving and hard-working family, and I was taught at a very young age that family is everything and it’s very important for us to stick together. Over the years, I have continued to live by that motto and I have expanded it to involve community. I believe having a strong family and community goes hand in hand with each other. Together they shape who we are, it creates values, and it strengthens us as one. This is why I feel so passionate about the work I do.
CLOSE
Theresa Williams (she/her)
Office Manager
Theresa comes to FamilyWorks with over 12 years of experience administrating services to communities throughout the West Coast through The Salvation Army, a non-profit organization. She has always had a passion, and a heart to support the individuals, families & community in which she resides. So, after taking a break to give birth to a beautiful baby boy, she is extremely excited to join the FamilyWorks teams as a support to the dedicated staff making a difference in the lives of so many, as well as get to know the participants, volunteers & donors.
CLOSE
Marcia Wright-Soika (she/her)
Executive Director
Marcia Wright-Soika joined FamilyWorks in July 2020. She stepped into the nonprofit sector after being inspired by the strength, resilience, and need of the local communities she covered as a journalist in Pennsylvania. In her most recent role as Director of Philanthropy and Strategic Partnerships for Mercy Housing Northwest, she helped to lead the strategy that launched a new community resource center in South Seattle, inspired in part by the holistic family services offered at FamilyWorks. Marcia is honored and thrilled to join FamilyWorks, and is looking forward to connecting with the volunteers, donors, and participants that form our rich and vibrant community.
CLOSE