Equal Rights Washington Board of Directors

Thomas Zambito, Co-Chair

Thomas is a manager at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP, an entity of Deloitte & Touche LLP where he helps small to multi-billion dollar sized clients to quantify and articulate values for financial reporting and transaction related purposes. Thomas is a founding member of Seattle GLOBE; Deloitte's LGBT Business Resource Group and is a member of the Northwest Corporate LGBT Network Roundtable which works to empower Northwest LGBT employees and their allies through education, partnership, positive leadership, and community visibility. Thomas has previous fundraising and volunteering campaign experience. Thomas earned his MBA degree from Thunderbird with an emphasis in Finance. He currently resides with his partner in Seattle, WA.

Mike Wrenn, Co-Chair

Michael R. Wrenn is a Partner in the law firm of Heller Ehrman LLP and specializes in complex litigation. He is a member of the firm-wide Diversity Committee and LGBT Task Force for the 700-attorney firm. He also Chairs the Diversity Committee for the firm's Seattle office.

From 1995 to 2005 Michael was a member of the Board of Trustees for the King County Bar Foundation and its President for 2000 and 2001. The Foundation sponsors and funds the pro bono programs for King County, including the Voluntary Attorneys for Persons with Aids/HIV Legal Access, as well as 25 Neighborhood Legal Clinics.

Michael received the King County Bar Association's Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award for 2006. He earned his undergraduate degree in Society and Justice and his law degree from the University of Washington. He currently resides in Rainier Beach (Seattle) with his partner of ten years.

Ryan Mello

Ryan Mello is a political consultant/manager in Tacoma/Pierce County. He has worked on numerous campaigns for progressive candidates and issues. Ryan lives in Tacoma where he graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a degree in Politics & Government. He also serves on the boards of the Pierce Conservation Voters and Tacoma United for Fairness (TUFF), organized in 2002 to defeat Initiative 1, seeking to overturn Tacoma's antidiscrimination ordinance for LGBT people.

Ryan Mello originally grew up in Hawaii where his parents and family still live. Ryan enjoys playing music, volleyball, the outdoors and activism around progressive politics particularly in the environmental and LGBT civil rights movement.

Leroy Johnson, Treasurer

Bio coming soon.

Marsha Botzer, Secretary

Marsha Botzer served as co-chair of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force during 2005-6. In Washington State she serves on the board of the Pride Foundation, is a founding member of The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, and is a co-chair of the Safe Schools Coalition.

Marsha is a Founding Board Member of Equal Rights Washington. She founded Seattle's Ingersoll Gender Center, one of the first such Centers in the country. In 2005 Marsha joined the Board of Visitors of Antioch University Seattle.

Since 1996 Ms. Botzer has been a member of the Department of Social and Health Services Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Advisory board, and was chair from 1999 to 2005. In 2003, Ms. Botzer received the Community Service and Leadership Award from the Greater Seattle Business Association. In 2004 she received the Horace Mann "Victories for Humanity" Award from Antioch University.

In 2004 Marsha received the Virginia Prince Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Federation for Gender Education, and in 2007 Marsha received the Task Force Leadership Award.

Ms. Botzer is a 1997 graduate of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Leadership Tomorrow Program. She served as co-chair of the Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities from 2001 to 2002, and served on the Seattle Women's Commission from 1987 to 1991.

George Cheung

George Cheung is founder and CEO of Lopez & Cheung, Inc, an independent consulting firm specializing in geographic information systems (GIS) and social science research. George brings a breadth of experience in civic participation and social geography. His professional experience includes several years as a civil rights investigator for state government and internships with the Organization of Chinese Americans and the Democratic National Committee. He has also work on city council, state legislative and congressional campaigns around the country. George’s other leadership roles include board member of the Center for Environmental Citizenship and steering committee member of ROAR (Raising Our Asian Pacific Islander Representation). George is a graduate of the JFK School of Government with a Master in Public Policy and Brown University with Bachelors in Political Science. He is native of the Seattle area, graduating from Renton High School.

Herb Krohn

Herb's political expertise spans a liftime including service as a Congressional Page in 1979, 1st openly Gay Legislative District Vice Chair and Chair in Washington State (1982-1986), 1st openly Gay person to win a contested Primary Election race in Washington State (1986), Elected SEAMEC Steering Committee (1986-Present), Elected SEAMEC Co-Chair (1992-2000, & 2002-Present), Board Member . Seattle LGBT Community Center (2003-Present), Charter Member . Log Cabin Washington (formerly GROW) (1981-Present), Elected Board Member . Log Cabin Washington (1986-Present), Elected Co-Chair, Seattle Metropolitan Election Committee, (1992-2000 & June 2001-Present), Board Member, Discrimination Free Washington (2004), and many others.

Margaret Rothschild

Margaret Rothschild has a Masters in Art Therapy. She is an artist and spiritual director. She has a passionate interest in social justice and civil rights issues. She and her husband, George Heidorn, have been supporters of ERW since its inception. She's also on the vestry of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral.

Josh Heim

Bio coming soon.

David Haack

David is a successful healthcare professional with more than 19 years of experience in the health industry. Having spent the past 20 years devoted to improving the quality of care for seniors, he works with a number of organizations including Puget Sound Healthcare Professionals, Washington Healthcare Association, Washington Association of Housing and Services for the Aging, South End Senior Care Coalition. David is also on the Board for Verbena, and is the Chair for the D.S.H.S. GLBT Advisory Committee.

Vincent Lachina

Vincent Lachina is a product of the South. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, was raised in Jackson, Mississippi, and spent his college and early adult years in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham with a degree in English and Religion, and the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, with the Masters degree in Religion and Education. For more than 40 years, he has held various both national and local church staff positions in Tennessee, Kansas and Washington State. For ten years he served as the senior pastor for Grace Gospel Chapel in Seattle, the oldest evangelical church in the USA with an LGBT congregation. He simultaneously held secular employment – 14 years with the Boeing Aerospace Company as an Industrial Engineer and a Seattle communications company as Director of Operations. In November of 2004, Lachina was hired for the position of Washington State Chaplain for the five Planned Parenthood affiliates of Washington and Portland, based in Seattle. Vincent has one son, Joshua who lives in Missoula, Montana, with his wife and Vincent’s grandson, Dakota.