Board of Trustees
Scarlett Foster-Moss, President
Scarlett Foster-Moss is a consultant on strategic communications projects and a senior team member for a global public affairs/public relations firm. She is a community organizer, building grassroots support for the arts and environmental sustainability projects. Scarlett and her partner Nancy own the Beall Greenhouses, which include studio and office space for seventeen artists, craftspeople, and activists. Scarlett joined the Board in 2005. She is also President of FosMos Enterprises, a social venture focused on arts and sustainability.
Mary Van Gemert, Vice President
Mary is an attorney, passionate art collector, and long-time supporter of the arts, with a strong commitment to arts in education. Housing issues are also important to her, and she served as commissioner for the Seattle Housing Authority. She was also a member of the board of Neighborhood House, supporting social services for residents of public housing. Mary joined the Board in 2004.
Jean Zartman, Secretary
Jean has a BA in Commercial Interior Design, and certification from the National Council of Interior Design. With extensive experience in sales and marketing, she worked in commercial interior design for 28 years before changing careers and jumping into advertising. Jean served on the boards of the San Diego Chapter of the Institute of Business Design, and the American Society of Interior Designers. Jean’s passion for glass leads to the creation of custom jewelry boxes and commissioned stained glass works. She joined the Board in 2006.
Leslie McIntosh, Treasurer
Leslie McIntosh holds a degree in mathematics and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. She was born in Toronto and has lived on both coasts but has called Vashon home for over 10 years. She was a Human Resources and employee benefits consultant for 10 years before joining Weyerhaeuser Company where she is the Corporate Actuary. McIntosh is a long time supporter of the arts and arts education. She is an avid gardener and her garden was featured on the 2007 VAA Garden Tour. Previously she served on the Board of Vashon Maury Food Bank.
Mark Bennion, Executive Committee Member at Large
Mark is a painter and sculptor who has lived on Vashon since 1976. He is known for his iconic abstract paintings, installations and geometric welded steel sculptures. He also designs and builds architectural elements for both public and private spaces. This past spring Mark was a featured artist at the Museum of Northwest Art and has an ongoing installation of sculpture at the Museum of Glass. A show of his paintings recently opened at the Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia. He is represented by the William Traver Gallery Seattle. Mark's term begins in 2007 and he is looking forward to working with the staff and hopes to bring a new perspective to the board. Mark joined the Board in 2007.
Kira Bacon
Kira is a long-time supporter of the arts, having participated in theater and dance for many years. She taught acting to children, was part of an integrated arts team for the Eugene Public Schools, and served as the director of the Tacoma Arts Commission in the early 1980s. She also directed corporate communications and investor relations for several companies, most recently at Getty Images in Seattle. Kira joined the Board in 2005.
Karin DeSantis
Karin has lived on Vashon for 10 years. Her relationship with VAA began when her children started taking dance classes at the Blue Heron. “I love VAA. It is a wonderful resource for the community,” said DeSantis. So it is no wonder when asked to join the Board in 2007 she quickly agreed. The experience she brings is phenomenal. Her undergraduate degree is in Museum Education and she earned a Master’s in Human Development and Psychology at Harvard, focusing on children’s aesthetic and symbolic development. Since 1988 she has worked for the company Visual Understanding in Education, doing such things as training docents at SAM. Karin joined the Board in 2007.
Carol Eggen
Carol studied English literature, economics and Spanish and then received an MBA in finance and marketing. She worked for American Airlines and British Airways in financial and international management for 14 years. She then ran a small business in London: a school of garden design and horticulture. After 10 years in Europe, she relocated to the Northwest in 2001 to concentrate on volunteer work and outdoor pursuits. A Master Gardener and volunteer for the Arboretum Foundation, Carol joined the Board in 2005.
Bill Gleason
An ex-New Yorker, Bill worked originally for Doubleday Publishing. He was a board member of On The Boards, as well as Dance Critic for the Seattle Weekly and the Bellevue Journal Amerian in the mid-1980s. Bill also served as a peer panelist for the Seattle Arts Commission and the NEA. A commercial real estate broker, he handled the sale of the old ACT Theater on Queen Anne and the Union Art live-work co-op on Capitol Hill. Bill joined the Board in 2005.
Kathi Jenkins
Kathi retired 10 years ago and moved to Vashon. She grew up in Seattle and was a schoolteacher and then went to United Parcel Service as a delivery driver and worked her way up the ranks in management. She originally started coming to the island to purchase Christmas trees and go on the Art Studio Tours. Since then she has become a major collector of Vashon artwork. Currently she owns about 90 pieces of art. Many of the pieces she purchased at VAA’s Art Auction. Kathi's term begins in 2007 and she would like to get involved in the Board’s budget and finance committee.
John Overton
Born in the Motor City, John was a beauty shop parking lot attendant and studied at Michigan State. For the past 30 years he has taught drawing, printmaking, and digital imaging at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts. He was also a Visiting Professor at Dartington College (England). John’s work is represented in collections that include the Brooklyn and Seattle Art Museums. A young grandfather with a passion for arts education, John joined the Board in 2005 and chaired the search for VAA’s new Executive Director.
Sylvia Soholt
A consultant for KSA-Plus Communications, Sylvia is responsible for qualitative research and strategic communication planning for education associations and parents. Her clients include Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Mississippi Department of Education. A published author, Sylvia has an MBA in Marketing and spent four years as Community Relations Director for the Edmonds School District. Sylvia actively supports the Vashon Forest Stewards and the Vashon Land Trust. A valued volunteer at VAA’s Heron’s Nest Gallery, she joined the Board in 2006.
Paul Martinez
Paul Martinez was born in Los Angeles and moved to Seattle in 1989, from Denver, where he worked as a ceramic artist and in the art services industry. He joined the Seattle Art Museum staff in 1993, and currently holds the position of Associate Exhibition Designer. He participated in the recent reinstallation of Seattle Asian Art Museum, and expansion of the downtown Seattle Art Museum. His art work is primarily in ceramics and he is currently a member of the Blue Heron ceramic co-op. Martinez has exhibited widely and is represented in many corporate and private collections. He has been a recipient of the Artist Trust Fellowship Award. He lives on Vashon with his wife Renee Roman.
Anna Martinsen
Anna Martinsen grew up on an island in Southeastern Alaska. While a student and young mother she worked summers in the commercial fishing industry. She lived forty in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she worked in the public school system and in the retail industry. Her expertise is in visual presentation and marketing. She worked as a department manager for Nordstrom for many years, organized fashion events and taught professional image seminars for companies throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Martinsen has always loved theater and special events. She spent several years costuming local theater productions. Martinsen has collected Native American baskets for many years. She and her husband Nick retired to Vashon Island to live near their daughter and grandchildren. Martinsen volunteers at Heron’s Nest, is a member of Vashon Island Chorale and enjoys gardening. She looks forward to contributing her time and effort to VAA which is an exciting and vital part of our community.
Anita Halstead
Anita Halstead, arts educator and creativity consultant for over thirty years, earned her B.A. from University of Washington and holds a Masters degree in Creative Education from Seattle Pacific University. Halstead has conducted hundreds of workshops and graduate level courses in arts education, gifted and talented, creative problem solving and self-esteem for public and private schools, universities, businesses and corporations throughout the Northwest. She was Director of Education at Frye Art Museum until her retirement in 2005. She has received numerous awards and grants for her work including “Museum Educator of the Year” by Washington Arts Education Association chapter of the National Arts Education Association. Halstead lives in Dockton with her husband, Kelly Robinson and currently leads a group of community members in planning and creating a neighborhood interpretive trail along the historic waterfront. Her garden was part of the 2007 VAA Garden Tour and will be featured in upcoming Seattle Times story. Halstead is also a quilt-maker, calligrapher, beachcomber and grandmother.
Glenn Easely
Glenn Eastly is an architect practicing with a large international firm in Seattle. Before settling down to a career in architecture, he spent time working as a graphic designer, musician, art director and hardware store owner. Since moving to the Island in 2003, he has been experimenting with large scale sculpture and in 2007 received a grant to design and build a 70 foot tall bamboo tower in the Nevada desert. Glenn hopes his participation on the VAA Board will be a way of giving something back to the Island community that he now calls home. He joined the board in 2008.
Anne O’Leary
Anne O’Leary has lived on Vashon for 12 years. One of the first things she did upon moving to Vashon was to become involved with VAA and she says she has enjoyed every moment of her association with ‘this wonderful organization.’ She moved with her family to Seattle from the East Coast in 1979. Anne retired five years ago from a career in Social Work/ Non-profit administration with a focus on Children and Family services. She worked for Community Hospice (volunteer coordinating and fundraising) Was Executive Director of PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support) and a Program Director at Catholic Community Services.
Lark Pelling
Lark Pelling is an attorney on the Island and the mother of two children who love to dance and make a mess with paints, pens and clay. She previously served on the Board of the Bridger Clinic in Bozeman, Montana before moving to the Island in 2004. With a background in mediation, litigation, and community outreach for a variety of organizations over the years, she looks forward to contributing to VAA.
Susan Sullivan
Susan Sullivan is a retired Research Biochemist who, through her artistic daughter, came to love being involved in the arts - from the performing to graphic to fine. Moving to Vashon eight years ago, she became involved in VAA and has loved being on the Board, working on the art auction, running art sales, buying art and supporting the excellent, dedicated staff of this organization. In these ways, she supports and promotes the many wonderful artists of Vashon. She joined the board in 2004.
