Staff & Board

Staff

What’s your role at Pongo?

In my role as Co-Executive Director, Programs I’m responsible for Pongo’s programs, expansion, and the implementation of our mission.  In addition, I work closely with Nebeu, our Co-Executive Director, Development & Finance. Pongo holds a special place in my heart because I served as a poetry mentor from 2013-2017 while employed as a Recreation Therapist at the Child Study & Treatment Center; one of Pongo’s flagship program sites.  

Why does Pongo matter to you?

The work Pongo does is important because of the positive impact it has on individuals and their community. I’ve witnessed a youth’s self-confidence increase after writing a poem about a difficult time in their life. When a youth is empowered to write about challenges they’ve experienced and feel safe enough to share their poem with others, it brings them closer to their treatment team, friends, and family.

What/who is your favorite poem and/or poet?

Asking me to pick a favorite poem or poet is like asking me to shoot an arrow at a moving target, it’s always changing! At the moment, I’m vibing with Tonya Ingram. I especially like her poem, “How to Invite Yourself to Fall in Love Again,” from her collection, How to Survive Today.

What’s your role at Pongo?  

In my role as Co-Executive Director, Development & Finance, I’m responsible for Pongo’s development, finance, operations, and the implementation of our mission. In addition, I work closely with Ashley, our Co-Executive Director, Programs. Having the opportunity to leverage my development experience to secure the resources to help Pongo grow, and deliver on our vital mission, is incredibly fulfilling work.

Why does Pongo matter to you?

The youth we serve are dealing with compounding interpersonal and systemic inequities, the foundations of which are often unaddressed trauma. By offering an effective, empathetic, and healing intervention, Pongo plays a crucial role in advancing social justice. 

What/who is your favorite poem and/or poet?

“Never to Forget,” a poem by Arundhati Roy from her essay collection, The End of Imagination.

What’s your role at Pongo?

As Project Lead at the Clark Children and Family Justice Center (CCFJC), I am part of a team who uses the Pongo method to sit alongside youth as they explore writing poetry. We create a safe space and a generative process for children to reflect and express the beautiful and challenging things they carry in their hearts.

Why does Pongo matter to you?

Everyone deserves to feel a sense of belonging. Youth feel seen, heard and valued when they have a chance to share their life experiences. It’s empowering for youth to speak their truth openly and honestly. And, it’s so important for those of us lucky enough to hear or read their poems to get a small glimpse into the complex stories and souls of young people bravely battling forward on a healing journey.

What/who is your favorite poem and/or poet?

A poet who has been a transformative teacher in my life is Gwendolyn Brooks. Her words have inspired and re-inspired me to stay committed, connected and accountable to all others through practicing hope and centering love. These words, hers, are my best-loved at the moment:

“…we are each other’s
harvest:
we are each other’s
business:
we are each other’s
magnitude and bond.”

What’s your role at Pongo?

As Project Lead at the Child Study and Treatment Center (CSTC) I plan and lead weekly workshops with mentors to engage youth in writing healing poetry.

Why does Pongo matter to you?

I think poetry can be absolutely transformational for all people, especially young people experiencing adverse and traumatic experiences. Having an opportunity to be involved and to assist youth in finding their voice and validating the importance of their stories is such a unique and gratifying opportunity.

What/who is your favorite poem and/or poet?

My favorite poem is “The Planet on the Table” by Wallace Stevens. Honoring the idea of poetry itself, and the effort and memory it bears is such an important part of the creative process that I never want to take for granted.

Board of Directors

What do you do for work?

I work as an intellectual property attorney, and my practice focuses on trademark and copyright protection and enforcement within the media, entertainment, and gaming industries.

Why does Pongo matter to you?

I am passionate about Pongo’s mission to provide an outlet for underserved and marginalized communities to process traumatic experiences while building comradery. Through my board service I want to lend a voice to underserved and marginalized populations (specifically within detention centers and at-risk youth) and to become a change-agent, carrying forth the vision and mission of Pongo through creative arts and poetry.

What/who is your favorite poem and/or poet?

My favorite poet is Nikki Giovanni.

What do you do for work?

I work for King County Housing Authority as an executive team member leading the central facilities maintenance, capital construction, and weatherization departments. My professional goal is to ensure access to quality housing for as many people as possible within our region.

Why does Pongo matter to you?

I believe it is essential for youth who have experienced trauma to have an outlet where they can tell their story and see that people are moved by them. I also believe that the arts are a bridge to a deeper understanding of each other as human beings, and that organizations like Pongo fill a gap in equitable access to the arts.

What/who is your favorite poem and/or poet?

My favorite poet is Ross Gay, although if pressed I would admit I enjoy his short essays on joy and delight; more for the way they tend to choose to ignore rules while conveying emotion rather than following any kind of poetic structure.

What do you do for work?

I’ve worked as a Creative Writing instructor, a Learning & Development leader in Silicon Valley, and the VP of a treatment curriculum publisher. In these roles, as well as my current consulting, I’ve sought to blend behavioral science with creative storytelling to tackle complex topics, from cognitive-behavioral therapy to the gamification of corporate training.

Why does Pongo matter to you?

I am awestruck to see us in an age where things like empathy and creativity are outsourced to automated agents. When so many are using AI to probabilistically smooth language’s jaggedness, I think poetry (and how the Pongo Method nurtures it) will be an essential way to preserve radical self-expression and self-acceptance.

What/who is your favorite poem and/or poet? 

Jack Gilbert was one of the first poets I remember jumping off the page. In grad school, I read, learned from, and idolized Heather McHugh and Linda Bierds. More recently, I’ve been exploring Kaveh Akbar and A. Van Jordan.

What do you do for work?

After a long career in health care administration, I am currently working as a small business consultant. I primarily provide guidance in the areas of operations, human resources, and finance. My primary goal is to gather as much information as possible, then help the client act on that data to drive business improvement. I focus on breaking down processes to improve operational efficiency and strongly believe that investing in people is critical to business success. 

In addition, I’m especially passionate about women’s health issues and emphasizing preventive measures to improve community health outcomes. I’m also a life-long runner, aspiring poet, optimistic gardener, wayward traveler, and unconditional dog-lover.

Why does Pongo matter to you?

I believe in the impact of the Pongo method and the role that poetry can play in healing from trauma and mental illness. The need is greater than ever to find creative, innovative ways to reach vulnerable youth in a variety of settings. I am excited to watch the organization grow!

What/who is your favorite poem and/or poet?

I appreciate the work of so many; in particular Claudia Rankine, Margaret Atwood, and Rupi Kaur for their brave and bold expression of difficult subject matter; and Mary Oliver for Dog Songs, which reminds me that poems can also bring joy and relief.

What do you do for work?

I am a life coach (Professional Coaching Credential through International Coaching Federation) who works with people who are navigating change in their lives.

Why does Pongo matter to you?

I believe in the power of the written word and the healing that happens when you take the space to put pen to paper. Pongo provides the opportunity for people to process their life and experiences through poetry and writing. This is a mission that I wholeheartedly support!

What/who is your favorite poem and/or poet?

Currently, my favorite poem is “Hymn to Time” by Ursula K. LeGuin which was published in Late in the Day: Poems 2010 – 2014, but my favorite book of poems is by Ashley C. Lanuza called, my heart of rice: A Poetic Filipino American Experience.

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