Meet the 2022 MAP Distinguished Alumni

The son of a sharecropper, Pitre was born in Louisiana and grew up with seven siblings. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school and received a full-ride scholarship for the first seven years of college. Pitre received a bachelor’s degree (magna cum laude) from Southern University and master’s degree and Ph.C. in chemistry from the UW, where he was a National Institutes of Health Fellow.

After graduating, Emile worked as a senior chemist and educational planner, but ended up rejecting an offer that would have paid $20,000 more in order to return to the UW in 1982 and serve as the head chemistry instructor with OMA&D’s Instructional Center. Seven years later he was promoted to director. During his tenure, the IC won two University Recognition Awards and more than 11,000 IC students earned UW bachelor’s degrees. Emile went on to serve as OMA&D assistant and associate vice president for assessment and is currently in a part-time role as senior advisor to the OMA&D vice president.

For over 20 years, Emile has served as an advisor to the UW’s Black Student Union. He also led the production of an award-winning documentary in 2007 that highlighted the BSU’s role in the establishment of OMA&D. In 2008, Emile and the other founding BSU members were presented the Odegaard Award together.

Emile is a member of Phi Beta Sigma, Incorporated and has held various leadership roles within the fraternity. In 2010, he received the Sigma Inspirational Award for dedication of service to education and selected as the 23rd member of the Western Region Distinguished Service Society (DSS) in 2018. Emile has been the recipient of several other honors including the UW Professional Staff Organization Award for Excellence, induction into the Northwest African American Museum Elder’s Circle, and has three academic scholarships in his name. In May, 2021, Emile became the 47^th recipient of the distinguished Charles E. Odegaard Award, regarded as the highest achievement in diversity at the University of Washington.

By the time of his retirement in 2014, he was recognized as an “elder statesman” of the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity, not only for his knowledge of OMA&D history but also for his dedication to student success throughout his career.

Emile has long been entrenched in documenting the history of OMA&D and has completed a book manuscript on its 50-year history scheduled to be published in summer 2022. Emile and his wife love salsa dancing and appear in one video on YouTube. An avid photographer, he is known to photograph several OMA&D and UW events and has served as the official photographer for the UW Graduate School Public Lectures. His favorite quotation (attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes), reads as follows: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

From a young age, Khan knew she had to put herself in politics to fight systemic racism and change the system of oppression of minority communities. As a councilmember, she has advocated for environmental sustainability, criminal justice reform, and renters’ and workers’ rights.

During the 2016 presidential cycle, Varisha was elected to serve as one of the youngest Presidential Electors in the historic Electoral College to represent voters from WA State’s 1st Congressional District. Varisha has worked at numerous nonprofit organizations in King County where she focused her work on making media and government more representative and inclusive. Most recently, Varisha worked as a Political Action Committee (PAC) Director of OneAmerica Votes.

Marcus then found his passion as a counselor, IB Community Coordinator, Community Engagement Manager, Student Family Advocate and Assistant Principal Intern with Seattle Public Schools for nearly 15 years (Madrona K-8, WA State Charter School Association, Rainier Beach HS and Interagency Academy).

Marcus has proudly served in the non-profit sector as Executive Director of The Accounting Career Awareness Program (ACAP) and as Co-Founder and Director of Programs for The Academy for Creating Excellence (ACE) in service to young Black and Brown men through experiential and social-emotional learning. Marcus currently serves as the Senior Director of Academics & Development for Overtime Elite Academy, co-designing and overseeing the educational and youth development program for gifted young professional athletes in Atlanta, GA.

Marcus’ proudest accomplishments are as a foster adoptive parent of six; mentoring and advocating for youth across the country through “loveful” practices; and making his parents (Brenda & Charles Harden) and extended family, friends, mentees and anyone he comes in contact with know they are worthy and loved.

Before launching làmdi, she served as the Chief of Staff for the National Innovation Service (NIS), a systems change agency with clients across the U.S. focusing on addressing the disproportionality of BIPOC communities experiencing homelessness. Mỹ Tâm previously co-founded Blokable, a smart modular housing solutions company and served as Blokable’s VP of Business Development, launching the company in WA, OR, and CA to address the housing shortage crisis. Her public sector experience includes serving as the Governor of Washington’s first Director of New Media; the Mayor of Seattle’s Deputy Director of External Affairs; and the deputy campaign manager of Seattle’s first congressional race in 30+ years. She led public engagement for Seattle’s city planning team through the 2008 recession from developing Seattle’s neighborhood plans to launching Waterfront Seattle, one of the city’s largest infrastructure projects to date. She also has extensive experience with economic development for BIPOC, immigrant and refugee small businesses and communities in the U.S. and E.U., working in Bergamo, Italy; Paris, France; Chelsea, MA; and with a collective of 200+ small holder Black farmers in the American south.

Mỹ Tâm has a graduate degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in urban planning, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in journalism and international studies. Nationally, she is an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Young American Leaders Program, the Truman National Security Project and the New American Leaders Program. Locally, she is a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow, the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation and the Institute for a Democratic Future. She is a frequent public speaker on civic engagement, leadership and entrepreneurship, including at Edelman and Logic Monitor. She serves on the board for Community Credit Lab, providing zero percent interest loans and alternative finance structures for those historically left out of traditional financial systems.

As a proud Husky, she is deeply grateful to the Ethnic Cultural Center and Theater, the Instructional Center, the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity, the Alumni Association, the Department of Communication, the Career Center and the Student Activities Office whose staff and faculty all provided her with a home and beloved community during her formative undergraduate years.

Trudging his way into high school, Tulee was a shy kid that was regularly distracted by the usual teenage angst and uncertainty. Mike played multiple sports, but it would be basketball that would be his passion. His senior year in high school, Mike earned “All-Conference” honors at his high school. After high school, Mike enlisted into the US Air Force. While on leave, he met his wife, Betsy. Mike exited the US Air Force with the rank of Sergeant. Mike applied for, and was accepted into the University of Washington. Tulee recalls that “hands down, the best time(s) of my life occurred during my University of Washington days.” Mike finished his bachelor’s degree in geography at the UW and simultaneously finished the university’s State Teacher’s Certification Program.

Mike first teaching job was with the Seattle Public Schools. While working in the Seattle Public School system, Mike earned his Master’s Degree in Education Management and Planning. Mike eventually became an administrator within the Seattle Public School system. Over the years, Mike has worn multiple professional “hats,” including a federal education specialist; a private consulting/management company specialist; a policy analyst/outreach director; and a Boys and Girls Club of America recruiter.

Tulee also finished his Ph. D. studies, dissertation and general exam in 2015. During his years as a Ph. D student, he was afforded the opportunity to teach numerous courses at the UW. Currently Mike is the executive director for the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation.

Over Mike’s life, he has been fortunate enough to be surrounded by very smart and encouraging elders. He also worked at numerous and rewarding jobs that he believes afforded him strategic professional tools. Tulee also believes that he was very lucky to be influenced by his father’s work ethic, his mother’s unrelenting belief in her kids, gaining numerous insightful advice from admirable folks, being taught by great teachers, and having a very supportive wife!