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  Erin Jones is a biracial, transracial adoptee, who was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she was adopted by parents who had been raised in Northern Minnesota. Her father took a teaching job at the American School of The Hague in the Netherlands, where Erin was raised and where her parents taught for over 30 years. By the time Erin was 17 years old, she could speak four languages and had played soccer, basketball and softball in 10 countries. Upon graduation from high school, Erin returned to the United States for college. She attended Bryn Mawr College, in a suburb of Philadelphia, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literatures of the African diaspora in English, French, and Spanish. She later earned her teaching certificate from Pacific Lutheran University and another certificate in Language Immersion instruction from Concordia College. Erin has worked as an athletic coach, a substitute teacher, a classroom teacher, an instructional coach, a state assistant superintendent, and a school district executive. Erin has earned awards as The Most Innovative World Language Teacher, the Washington State Milken Educator of the Year, a White House Champion of Change, and the Inaugural Hanford Education Leader. Erin ran to lead the Office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2016 and lost that race by 1%. Her loss propelled her into full-time consulting on issues related to equity and public speaking at conferences, in schools, and at churches. Since 2017, Erin has spoken to over 500,000 students and provided trainings and keynotes to a similar number of adults. She has three TEDx Talks and recently published a book, “Bridges to Heal US: Stories and Strategies for Racial Healing.” She and her husband, James, have been married for almost 30 years. James is a high school teacher and head football coach. They have three adult children - one who is a para educator and coaches football, one who serves as the communications and project manager for an education foundation, and one who works for an independent video game design company.  Governor Jay Inslee is a fifth-generation Washingtonian who has lived and worked in urban and rural communities on both sides of the state. Governor Inslee worked his way through college and graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in economics before earning his law degree at Willamette University. He and his wife, Trudi, then moved to Selah, a small town near Yakima where they raised their three sons. Jay worked as an attorney and prosecutor. Governor Inslee first became involved in public service in 1985 when he and Trudi helped lead the effort to build a new public high school in Selah. Motivated to fight against proposed funding cuts for rural schools, he went on to represent the 14th Legislative District in the state House of Representatives. Governor Inslee continued serving communities in the Yakima Valley when he was elected to Congress in 1992. The Inslees later moved back to the Puget Sound area where Governor Inslee was elected to Congress in 1998, serving until 2012 when he was elected governor. He was re-elected in 2016.  Melannie Denise Cunningham, aka “Peace Queen” has developed a notable career across various sectors including government, community partnerships, youth development, broadcast media, higher education, and entrepreneurship. Her work spans several decades and she is celebrated for her dedicated advocacy in education, racial reconciliation, and the empowerment of Black women and girls. For over thirty years, she has also engaged in promoting trade and economic development internationally, particularly in South Africa and Ghana. Melannie contributes her expertise locally as a board member of Northwest Harvest—Washington State’s largest food distributor—and the South Sound Leadership Foundation and Tacoma Sister Cities. Her commitment to service is further exemplified by her long-standing involvement with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she has been an active member since she joined as a charter member at Washington State University in 1981.Melannie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington State University, an MBA from Pacific Lutheran University, and an MA in Organizational Leadership and Change from Fielding Graduate University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Organizational Development and Change at Fielding Graduate University, further enhancing her deep expertise in the field. In her self-care moments, Melannie enjoys being with her family, playing golf, and gardening.  Mayor Dontae Payne was elected mayor in November 2023 and was elected to the Olympia City Council in November 2021. Professionally, he has served as a Regional Representative and Senior Policy Advisor for Civil Rights & Racial Justice in the Washington State Office of the Governor, as Deputy District Director in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he currently serves as the Equity & Community Partnership Manager for the Washington State Department of Revenue. He’s also a former board member on the Olympia Hands On Children's Museum's Board of Directors. Payne is the first Black American and openly gay person elected or appointed to the office of mayor in Olympia’s 164-year history at the time of the election. Payne was born and raised in Philadelphia, and his family later relocated to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he attended high school and joined the U.S. Army. He moved to Olympia in 2014 after being stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. He and his husband Jason are raising their 8-year-old daughter, Priscilla, along with their cat “Minnie” in Olympia’s westside. Payne earned a Master of Public Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Evergreen State College in Olympia following his service in the U.S. Army. He served on active duty in the United States Army for six years, with two tours to Logar Province, Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. He re-enlisted to serve for two additional years in the U.S. Army following his initial enlistment and separated from the Army in 2016.  Amongst his many accomplishments and accolades, Christian Paige, is Tacoma’s Poet Laureate. Christian is an Emmy nominated spoken word poet, a professional speaker and educator who speaks at schools, conferences, and events across the United States. Paige has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people and loves to work with young people who are committed to doing good in the world. Christian is a first-generation college graduate, an Actsix Scholar and is passionate about community, anti-racism, equity, and empowerment. He has spent his entire career in and around education advocating for historically marginalized populations and working to create equitable environments where young people can thrive. He provides motivation, inspiration, encouragement and truth through school assemblies, professional development sessions, conference keynotes, community gatherings, and poetry performances. Christian’s work has appeared on national stages, on television, and in museum exhibits. Christian Paige is one of the top youth speakers in the Pacific Northwest and is in demand nationally however, Christian believes there is no place like home. He was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington where he currently lives and teaches. He believes that our voice is our most powerful tool and encourages others to use their voice to advocate, interrupt, empower, and teach. Christian often uses one sentence to summarize himself. He says, “I am just a somebody, who wants community to work for everybody.” Comments are closed.
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