The Board of Directors of the PSO is a membership-elected, all-volunteer board dedicated to serving the over 10,000 professional staff members of the PSO through leadership, collaboration, advocacy and action. You can contact us at psoboard@uw.edu.
Learn more about us:
2022-2024 Officers
President - Steve Snyder
Term: 2022-2024
Northeast Zone Maintenance Manager
UW Facilities, M&C
Plant Services Building, Box 354285
Vice President - Deci Evans
Term: 2022-2024
Manager, Harborview Medical Center Trauma, Burn and Surgical Critical Care
deci@uw.edu
Deci Evans is a Administrative manager in the Department of Surgery at HMC in the Trauma, Burn and Surgical Critical Care division. Deci oversees department projects and assists the faculty with their academic responsibilities. She has worked at UWMC and HMC for over 20 years
Deci is the chair of the PSO Events Committee.
Treasurer - Jennifer Payne
Term: 2022-2024
Management and Organization at Foster School of Business
jap2@uw.edu
Box 353226
206-543-4340
This is my 14th year at the UW, 3rd year on the PSO, and my first year as the PSO Treasurer. I am really excited about continuing to serve and the PSO and think the initiatives this year will really engage and energize the UW’s Professional Staff.
Secretary - Laine Ritter
Term: 2022-2024
Admin Specialist, Department of Surgery, UW Medicine
Box 1959 NE Pacific Street | Box 356410 | Seattle, WA 98195-6410
ritterea@uw.edu
A Retired U.S. Navy Veteran, a mother of 3 kids, a wife for almost 25 years, and a proud UW Alumni, this is my first year at the PSO. I am very grateful for this opportunity to serve and think of initiatives that will improve mentorship, DEI and work life balance for UW’s Professional Staff.
Past President - Leyla Salmassi
Having been a student life professional on campus for several decades, I am thrilled to be in a position where I am able to contribute directly to the Professional Staff community on campus. I am passionate about creating an equitable, diverse, and inclusive campus community for all.
Board of Directors
Emily Allen
Term: 2021-2023
Associate Director, Department Operations, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine
emily04@uw.edu
Emily Allen currently serves as the Associate Director of Operations in the Department of Pediatrics. Previously, she spent 8 years Directing the Strategic Analysis, Research, and Training (START) Center in the Department of Global Health. She holds both a bachelor’s (Economics) and master’s degree (MPA, Evans School) from the University of Washington and has been a professional staff member since 2012.
She served as the PSO Vice President in 2018-2019 and continues as a board member.
Alex Bolton
Term: 2022-2024
Program Manager, Tech Policy Lab
bolt@uw.edu
Alex is the Program Manager for the Tech Policy Lab at UW. The Tech Policy Lab is an interdisciplinary collaboration that was founded by the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, the Information School, and the School of Law. Alex is a Triple Dawg with a JD from the UW School of Law, an MPA from the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, and a BA in Economics and Political Science. He has worked at UW and in state government in a variety of roles. Alex is very interested in public policy and has a deep passion for UW.
Sue Brennan
Term: 2022-2024
For the past 5+ years I have had the distinct pleasure of serving as an MGO for the College of Engineering Advancement Team. I’m a proud mom of three; one is currently studying at the UW. This past year I began to look for new opportunities to serve and to engage with a larger UW Community—professionally, I hoped that these experiences would also sharpen my leadership skills. To that end, this past fall I served on the Husky 100 selection committee and enjoyed the process of recognizing a job well done and forging new connections on campus. To continue in that vein, I believe that my desire to engage on a broader scale, a strong drive for results and a love of people and how to best connect one to another, will prove me a great asset as a member of the PSO board.
Jen Davison
Term: 2022-2024
Assistant Dean for Research & Director of Urban@UW
College of Built Environments
Box 351267
I am excited to begin my 5th year on the Board of the PSO. With a background in science and a passion for collaboration, community engagement and social justice, I am grateful to serve this incredible group of over 11,000 members doing amazing work at this university.
Eileen Guo
Term: 2022-2024
Coordinator for Student Leadership, Ethnic Cultural Center
Box 355650
I am excited to join the PSO Board to meet other professional staff across departments and disciplines. As a PSO Board Member, I hope to advocate for staff wellbeing, create inclusive spaces for staff to connect and find community, and work towards equity and social justice on campus.
Betty Lanman
Term: 2021-2023
Assistant to the Chair, Department of Radiology
blanman@uw.edu
Box 357233
Betty provides executive support for the office of the Chair in the Department of Radiology, School of Medicine. She administers the promotions process for department faculty. She also organizes and guides development activities in the department pertaining to long-term strategic initiatives and donor relations. In addition, she manages communications including social media outreach and educational events. Betty is the newsletter editor and events coordinator in support of the Rohrmann Endowment for UW Radiology Resident Educational Excellence.
Misti McDowell
Term: 2021-2023
Program Director IAETC
I’m passionate about advocating for professional staff within the organization and improving the work environment. In addition, I think it is a great way to learn more about University while creating a collaborative environment.
I’m a Program Director at the International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) within the Department of Global Health. I’ve been working at the UW for the last four years. Prior to joining the UW I spent 13 years working in Asia and Africa leading global health projects. I’m interested in being part of the PSO board to have the opportunity to work closely with UW leadership and advocate for professional staff. I think the UW is an amazing place to work but would like the opportunity to bring new ideas and to engage on a broader scale.
Larry Pierce
Term: 2020-2022
UWMC Department of Radiology
lapierce@uw.edu
Box 357987
206-543-0517
Larry Pierce has been a Research Scientist in the UWMC Department of Radiology since 2008. Larry graduated with a degree in mathematics from Oregon State University the same year. Larry enjoys volunteer work and developing communication skills for himself and others.
Robert Livingston
Term: 2022-2024
I first joined the professional staff 1989 when I was hired as a Research Scientist in a Medical Genetics lab. I am also an alum having completed my graduate training in Pathology in 2000 and served as a post-doctoral fellow in the newly formed Genome Sciences department. Since 2013 I have worked for Laboratory Medicine as a Senior Research Scientist. Throughout my career I have been fortunate to have benefitted from many of the career development opportunities afforded to our professional staff such as the tuition exemption program and PSO scholarships and would like see these programs continue. As a member of the PSO Board I will work to promote and expand these and similar programs for our young professional staff and advocate for our Professional Staff Program.
Stacey Wedlake
Stacey Wedlake
Term: 2021-2023
Information School
staceyaw@uw.edu
My research at the iSchool focuses how civil society organizations such as public libraries and nonprofits support their community’s information needs with a particular focus on digital equity. I started working at the UW while a graduate student earning my MPA and MLIS and continued post-graduation in a soft-money funded professional staff position. My PSO responsibilities include chairing the Communication Committee and representing professional staff on the University Transportation Committee. I hope PSO can support and advocate for professional staff and help create a more supportive university community.
