Oral Historian, Educator, Founder

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I spent the first 20 years of my life in a small town about an hour outside of New York City. I grew up in a working-class family among very affluent white families, many of whom came from generations of wealth and privilege. My experience growing up feeling both a part of and apart from my community led to a deep interest in understanding the nuances and complexities of human experience. When I moved west in 1998 to attend The Evergreen State College, I began to grow my interest into a vocation as an oral historian, multimedia storyteller, and community-based educator. I have since carried out my work in a variety of ways: as a community-based learning coordinator at high schools in Albuquerque, NM and Portland, OR; a development director in arts and social service nonprofits in the South Sound; and an adjunct faculty teaching in the Evening and Weekend Studies and Masters in Public Administration programs at The Evergreen State College. In 2016, I founded Window Seat with a group of supportive community members who believed in its vision.

I am an introvert who is fed by conversation and human connection. I feel most at home as an interviewer, editor, and curator, and I love facilitating learning communities. Window Seat offers me an opportunity to connect deeply with people in my community. It is an honor and a gift to have the opportunity to sit with others, to listen deeply to their stories, and create opportunities for community members to come together to learn from each other.

I've called Olympia home since 2008. I live here with my partner, two kids, and two kitties.

To read more about my professional and educational background, you can download my CV.

Elaine's CV

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I am a writer, storyteller, strategist, relationship builder, and advocate for equity and justice. I’ve worked in economic development in the public sector, been an investor and entrepreneur in the private sector, directed philanthropic programs in the nonprofit sector, and spent over sixteen years learning from and contributing to many grassroots and community-based organizations. I currently support economic justice and strong local communities as the founder and principal consultant at Salmonberry Community Strategies.

Originally from the San Luis Valley, a high desert farming community in southern Colorado, I have early lived experience in poverty and rural life. From there, I went on to live in various places around the Western United States and globally as my family migrated for work. I returned to Colorado to start a family, earning a B.A. in psychology from the University of Colorado and a graduate degree in management from Regis University while we were there. We relocated to Olympia in 2016 and have loved connecting with this place and the people who live here.

I joined the Window Seat Media board because sharing stories across differences is how communities build the trust and connections needed for a more just and humane world. It’s important to hold each other and our unique stories with thoughtfulness and care, and I love how Window Seat weaves that into every part of the organization and process.

When I’m not fiddling with a system map, investing in local sauerkraut companies, or plotting a mutiny, you’ll find me teaching my three teen boys how to cook; wandering a rainforest, mountain, or beach on the lands of the Coast Salish people with my husband; writing science fiction; or around the fire with friends.

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I am the oldest daughter of two Salvadoran immigrants, a first generation college graduate and a community-based worker. Growing up in Thurston County, my family and I utilized many of the resources I now collaborate with. It is an honor to repay and continue the efforts of those resources that provide connection, stability and equitable opportunities so that our community continues to thrive.

I am a Community Schools Manager at TOGETHER! who works closely with the Tumwater students and families. Through this position, I have been able to connect and support folks with their individual needs. As relationships and trust grow, we learn that our needs are much more common and with communication and storytelling, we are able to connect and support one another at a micro and macro level. Window Seat Media is unique in their way of connection and support, and I am grateful to be a part of their efforts to create social change through community storytelling.

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I believe storytelling and story exchange not only affirms our shared humanity, but builds compassion and empathy. As a first generation Filipina American growing up in central California, I saw how my immigrant parents used stories to practice balancing those aspects of their identities that made up who they were and how they wanted to be seen. I studied English and writing, earning a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.F.A. from the University of Michigan. After college, I pursued roles in communications and marketing, using my writing skills to help arts organizations and higher education institutions hone their mission and expand their communities. Recently, I moved into a consulting role, helping public agencies and small nonprofits with strategic planning and community engagement, and storytelling is still a core element of my work.

I joined Window Seat because of its mission: to spark social change through conversation and connection. I hope to contribute my experiences in bridging the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to help Window Seat convene more critical conversations, to extend its reach and its positive impact.

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I am a relationship builder, storyteller, and advocate for overall community well-being. As the daughter of Cuban and Ecuadorian immigrants who moved to Miami, Florida in the early '90s in search of a better and brighter life for future generations, my roots deeply shape how I view community, resilience, and connection. I hold a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in counseling psychology from Palm Beach Atlantic University, and I’m certified as an Impact Philanthropy Advisor (IPA)—an education that has fueled my belief that doing good isn’t transactional in nature but rooted in building trust and empathy.

Since 2013, I have dedicated myself to serving nonprofit teams, developing a deep practice in fundraising, strategic communications, and building welcoming spaces for all. My husband, Jim, and I relocated to the PNW in 2021, where I quickly fell in love with the local nonprofit community. Currently, I serve as the Philanthropy & Communications Officer at the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound and on the board for South Sound Partners for Philanthropy.

I joined the Window Seat Media board because storytelling and community impact go hand-in-hand. To build a more just, vibrant, and humane world, we must listen deeply to one another and ask curious questions. Just as generosity creates a ripple effect of good, documenting and sharing our unique stories helps create the trust and empathy our communities need to feel connected and experience more neighborliness. I look forward to leveraging my skills and lived experiences to help Window Seat Media thrive long into the future!

When I'm not at work, you can find me fueling up at a downtown Olympia coffee shop, on a day hike in our beautiful nearby landscape with Jim, or spoiling our kitty, Biscuit. I’m also a big nerd, and you can find me playing Dungeons & Dragons with my friends.

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I am a long time faculty at The Evergreen State College. I am also a community musician. I joined the Window Seat Board to support the organization's efforts to develop educational curriculum from its oral history archive. For the bulk of my time at Evergreen I served as a faculty member for the Masters in Teaching program — an interdisciplinary, coordinated studies learning community that prepared folks to become teachers in public schools. I also developed and taught in a range of undergraduate interdisciplinary programs that are informed by community based learning experiences, and social, cultural, indigenous, and critical perspectives, including: "What is Education for at This Moment in Time and Place?", "Reading the Word-Reading the World - Stories of Hope and Resistance," and "Cultivating Imagination." Questions that drive all my work with students are: What would a syllabus look like that is informed by the aspirations, concerns and work within communities? What knowledge, skills, and habits of mind would we be learning and practicing if we were to participate in just, humane, and sustainable daily work? A large focus of my work with students involves learning to seek out narratives from multiple stakeholders–purposefully including those that have been historically marginalized–and developing a practice of listening to the stories with self-aware stances of humility, curiosity, and inquiry. I'm coming to understand oral histories as models and mentor stories for practicing these skills and habits of mind. They are powerful texts to integrate in the curriculum.

As a musician I seek out ways to connect with communities and larger soundscapes. Playing music challenges me to look up from simple musical lines on a page, to listen, be in dialogue, and engage with ideas offered by others - be it through melody, harmony, or rhythm.  I regularly play with  Choro Tomorrow and the Makedonians. And join the Artesian’s for Friday vigils.