A Community Preservation & Development Authority named in honor of the Rev. Dr. Samuel Berry McKinney
New
Board of Directors & Staff
Board of Directors - Executive Team
Rayburn Lewis, MD - Board President
Dr. Rayburn Lewis, former CEO of Swedish Medical Center Issaquah and former COO of Swedish Cherry Hill campus in the Central area. Dr. Lewis has been a resident of the CD for 40 years and owns and manages residential property in the Central District. He has served on the Technical Advisory Committee for SVI.
John Yasutake -
Board Treasurer
John is a former Conciliation Specialist for the Department of Justice and has served the Central District in his position with Sound Transit and Seattle Public Schools. Mr. Yasutake has extensive volunteer service within the community- Garfield High School, CAYA, Yesler Terrace, and Central Area Senior Center to name a few. He’s also a host on Rainier Avenue Radio and he guest lectures on sociology at South Seattle Community College.
Gerald Bradford - Board Vice President
Gerald serves as the Re-Entry Manager at Renton Technical College and works with the non-profit Fresh Start PS, that works with system impacted persons transitioning from incarceration back into the community, including a diversion program at the King County Juvenile and a transition group at the YWCA Passage Point.
Shaude' Moore, BSHS, MBA -
Board Secretary
Shaude' serves as the Chair of the Seattle/King County MLK Jr. Organizing Coalition which is an all-volunteer and grassroots organization that annually plans the community's largest tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She is employed with Amazon Web Services as a Sr. Datacenter Security Manager and is engaged in Diversity hiring and leadership in her organization and serves in her local community as a mentor, life skills coach and public speaker. She graduated from University of Phoenix (Western Washington Campus) in 2014 obtaining a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Services (BSHS) and a Masters of Business Administration in 2016 (MBA) and is completing her final year as a Postgraduate Student at City University of Seattle enrolled in the Ed.d Program working to receive her Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership.
Board Members
Rev. Phyllis Ratcliff-Beaumonte, D. Min., M.A.P.S., M.A., B.A -
Board Member
Rev. Dr. Phyllis Ratcliff-Beaumonte is an Associate Minister at Mount Zion Baptist Church. She is a retired high school and community college teacher and the former president of both the Black Heritage Society of WA State, Inc., and board president of the Central Area Senior Center. Dr. Beaumonte Is a faith based leader, who was born and raised in Seattle. She has extensive knowledge of the Central District’s history and culture.
Carver Gayton, Ph.D - Board Member
Dr. Carver Gayton, was the founding CEO of the Northwest African American Museum and continues to work with the museum as a Director. He provides board oversight, community history and programming recommendations for the current Museum CEO. Dr. Gayton is a leader in education reform and workforce training. All of his degrees (B.A., M.P.A. and Ph.D.) are from the UW. Dr. Gayton was born and raised in the Madrona District of Seattle.
Benjamin S. Danielson, MD - Board Member
Dr. Benjamin Danielson, Senior Medical Director of Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic works and resides in the Central District serving the many residents and clients that frequent the clinic. Dr. Danielson has over 24 years of service to the Central Area, with most of his clinic work involving the African-American community. Dr. Danielson graduated from Harvard, and then the University of Washington School of Medicine. He chose to specialize in pediatrics because of his previous experiences coaching youth and volunteering with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.
Kelly Jefferson -
Board Member
Kelly is the owner and operator of KCD Trucking, LLC and is a lifelong resident of the Central District. He and his family have lived in the CD for over 40 years. As an active resident in the Central District, Mr. Jefferson has served the community as an employee at organizations such as the Urban League, Therapeutic Health Services, and the Youth Detention Center.
Patricia Hayden - Board Member
Patricia Hayden serves as the Chief Program Officer for the YWCA of Seattle|King|Snohomish, whose mission is to Eliminate Racism and Empower Women. Her commitment to racial equity is the cornerstone of her 30 years of leadership at the agency. Patricia focuses on racial equity from a systemic perspective, understanding the impact systems have on the daily lives of communities served by the YWCA. She leads a division that serves over 15,000 people annually. Her legacy includes the design and implementation of specific programs for Black/African American women. Patricia prioritizes culturally appropriate services that address issues of homelessness and affordable housing, family unification, domestic violence prevention and intervention, education and economic opportunities.
Patricia was also responsible for the re-naming of two key buildings in the Central District, The Alvirita Little Center and The Phillis Wheatley branch of the YWCA of Seattle | King | Snohomish. The renaming of both buildings acknowledges the rich and strong history of the African American/Black community in Seattle’s Central District, along with lifting up the community based work that helped to build a positive space for Black/African American women and girls and families in the Central District.
Lewis Rudd -
Board Member
Lewis Rudd is President/CEO and Co-Founder of Ezell’s Famous Chicken. Rudd grew up in Marshall, Texas in a large family of ten siblings, with strong values. He served 3 years (1974-1977) in the Army and received an Honorable Discharge. In 1984, the dream of owning his own restaurant business became a reality in Seattle Wa.. Under Rudd’s leadership, Ezell’s has evolved to a growing enterprise with 16 restaurants and over 350 employees with plans for expansion.
James Bush -
Board Member
James Bush currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Equity, Partnerships and Engagement for Seattle Public Schools, appointed to this role in January of 2021. As head of the division, James oversees three departments: Racial Equity Advancement, Stakeholder Engagement, and School and Community Partnerships (for which he previously served as Executive Director). The division supports key work in the district's five-year strategic plan, including changing broken systems and undoing legacies of racism in public education, and fostering inclusive and authentic engagement with families and students.
Prior to joining Seattle Public Schools in 2016, James served as the Neighborhood Programs Manager at the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, where he managed a variety of community building programs including Neighborhood District Coordinator Program, Neighborhood Matching Fund, People’s Academy for Community Engagement, and Public Outreach & Engagement Liaison programs. James has built a career of strengthening community connections and increasing systems abilities to meet the needs of our students and families. He served as a key leader in the City of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative for three Seattle mayors, and is committed to improving educational outcomes for SPS students, parents, partners and communities.
Staff
James E. King Jr (he/him/his)
MAED - Interim Executive Director
James has more than 15 years of experience coordinating various community-led stewardship projects throughout the United States. James graduated from Antioch University Seattle with a B.A. majoring in Urban Ecology; Leadership and Sustainable Business; Global and Social Justice. Graduate with his MAEd in Urban Environmental Education (’18) held at Antioch University Seattle. James is from Atlanta, GA and currently lives in South Seattle.
Stephanie L. Ogle -
Webmistress
With a background in TV/Video production, Stephanie has worked for several Broadcast television stations and on various local productions and short films. She’s been published in a variety of print publications and online since 1996. She has held leadership roles in organizations like WIF (Women In Film), as the Communications Chair for the Seattle Chapter and as an Organizing Committee member of the Langston Hughes African-American Film Festival. She has built/maintained several websites for businesses, non-profits and for individuals (for personal use), graphic design work & has done Social Media Marketing & Promotions for those clients as well.
Kathleen Johnson,
Executive Director of HSD PDA and
Supporting ED to the CDCPDA
Kathleen Barry Johnson serves as the executive director of Historic South Downtown, Washington's first Community Preservation and Development Authority, which invests in the vitality of Seattle's two historic downtown neighborhoods: Pioneer Square and the Chinatown-International District. Prior to coming to HSD, Kathleen was a seasoned nonprofit leader. Most recently, she served as Executive Director at Vashon Youth and Family Services, helping to provide mental health and human services to the residents of Vashon Island. Kathleen earned two legal degrees: an LLM from the University of Washington and a JD from Southern Illinois University. Kathleen was awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship during her time at the University of Washington. Kathleen lives in Northeast Seattle with her family, enjoys biking, playing with her dogs, and raising backyard chickens.
MaryKate Ryan (she/her),
Communications Associate
MaryKate has 19 years of experience in historic preservation working in four states. She has a degree in architectural history from University of Oregon, and a BA from Agnes Scott College. Most recently, she was the preservation planner for the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority. She lives in the Jackson Place neighborhood in Seattle with her partner and their two cats.