Meet our team

Michelle Kind

President/Executive Director

Michelle brings over 16 years of experience as a successful leader in the non-profit sector to her role as Executive Director of Evergreen Safety Council. With a degree in business from Valparaiso University and an MBA from Seattle University, as well as a background in project management in the startup software industry, she is passionate about using her wealth of knowledge and skills to help organizations make a difference in the areas of health and safety. In her free time, she loves traveling, running, spending time with family and friends, and going on walks with her adorable Cavapoo, Eji.

Sophie Merwick

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Sophie is the Operations Manager at Evergreen Safety Council. After graduating from Whitworth University with a BA in Business and Hospitality management, she honed her management skills working through the ranks of a local restaurant group. She enjoys developing systems and tools to help streamline operations and make them more efficient, finding creative solutions to problems, and building synergistic teams—all of which culminate in a strong workplace culture. Sophie is a lover of the great outdoors, and can often be found hiking, fly fishing, skiing, and enjoying life with her Australian Shepherd pup, Lolo. She also loves cooking for family and friends and cheering for the Seahawks.

Nara Hohensee

SENIOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Nara oversees the creation of Evergreen’s program content. Since 2019, she has headed up the Creative Services team to design engaging and effective learning experiences that use cutting-edge technology. She holds a Ph.D. from the City University of New York, and has a background in higher education as well as digital media production. In her spare time, Nara loves composing and playing music and traveling with her family.

Tina Bacon

Sr. Administrator & Trainer, Occupational Safety

Since starting work for Evergreen Safety Council as a Roadway Programs Coordinator, in February 1996, Tina has worn many other hats, which has made her invaluable to the rest of the team.

The programs she has managed include Work Zone Flagger and Traffic Control Supervisor for Idaho, Oregon and Washington as well as the Washington State Pilot/Escort Program. She was also the in-house graphic designer and lead project coordinator for all of Evergreen’s training materials.

Her most recent role is that of a trainer and master instructor. She currently teaches Flagger, Pilot/Escort, EverSafe and First Aid & CPR courses.

Maneet Chagger

Staff Accountant

Maneet brings over 7 years of experience in financial reporting, budgeting, and compliance to Evergreen. In addition to her strong background in accounting, she loves problem-solving to optimize financial processes and organizational efficiency. She holds a Bachelor’s of Accounting degree with a finance concentration from Western Washington University. Outside of work, she enjoys doing nail art on her family and friends.

Ashley Kachmar

Records Administration Specialist

As our records department specialist for our health and safety programs, Ashley manages class registration paperwork, troubleshoots students’ technical issues, and assists with inventory and certification management. Her friendly, upbeat demeanor and attention to detail help ensure our customers have a great experience. She attends Edmonds Community College in pursuit of a Diagnostic Ultrasound degree. In her spare time she enjoys reading, traveling to new places, and spending time with her cat.

Leigh Wright

Sales and Operations Specialist

Leigh uses her many talents and background in customer service, sales, and operations to help our customers find the best training solutions that fit their unique needs. She started at Evergreen in 2022 and, after a brief stint away, she now continues to dazzle our team and our clients with her outstanding skills. Outside of work, she’s a devoted nature lover, animal enthusiast, an avid reader, and culinary creator.

Momo Clyne

Occupational Safety Instructor

Momo is a Seattle native who escaped the technology mines of Silicon Valley and returned to the Northwest to share their passion for learning with others. Originally coming to Evergreen as a motorcycle instructor, Momo’s infectious energy is focused on teaching occupational safety and keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes. When not working to help keep you safe, Momo enjoys spending time on two wheels, exploring the Northwest, and enjoying science fiction.

Brittany Staten

customer Support Specialist

Brittany is a Southern belle from Beaumont, Texas who came to Washington in September 2023. She brings 10 years of experience providing exceptional customer service in a variety of fields. In her free time, she loves spending quality time with her husband and 4 children, cooking for fun, shopping, exploring the Northwest’s rich coffee culture, and watching true crime shows.

Manuel Moreno

Customer Support Specialist

Manny is a Los Angeles native who moved to Tacoma in June of 2024. His wealth of experience includes 15 years of customer service and sales work in telecom, catering, and transportation. His ability to help students get connected to what they need is just one of the many assets he brings to Evergreen. Manny loves to cook, spend time with his two dogs, and travel. Fun fact: he’s been to all of the lower 48 states!

Rick S. Bender

Board Chair | WA STATE LABOR COUNCIL AFL-CIO (RETIRED)

Rick served as President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, from 1993 – 2010 after serving as Vice President from 1988 to 1993. He was also the Executive Secretary of the King County Labor Council along with serving on the Seattle Building and Construction Trades Council. Prior to serving on the State Labor Council, Rick was a Washington State Legislator from 1973 to 1991, serving 10 years in the House and eight in the Senate. In Olympia he served as Senate Majority Whip, House Assistant Majority Leader and Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.

Rick has been active on many boards and committees, including the Washington State Economic Development Commission, Board of Directors for the Washington State Trade & Convention Center, the Washington Council on International Trade, the Governor’s Commission on Competitiveness, and the Washington State Workforce Training Education Coordinating Board.

In addition to his many years of public service, Rick is an Army Veteran who served in the Vietnam War.

Stan W. McNaughton

Board Vice Chair | PRESIDENT, PEMCO INSURANCE CO.

A native of the Northwest, Stan grew up in Seattle, graduated from Seattle University and joined PEMCO in 1986. Prior to PEMCO, he held positions at Price Waterhouse and Everett’s Herald Newspaper where he served as corporate treasurer. He sets the standard for corporate citizenship, mentoring students and serving on boards focused on education, including Albers School of Business at Seattle University, Foster School of Business at University of Washington, Junior Achievement and Pacific Science Center. He also participates with safety organizations crucial to the Northwest community, including Northwest Insurance Council and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. He’s proud of his years of service in Seattle’s positive, forward-leaning and uniquely diverse community. Stan enjoys cycling, photography, snow skiing and scuba diving. In fact, he’s spent more than 2,000 hours underwater.

Todd B. Thompson

Board treasurer | Dealer Principal, Eastside Harley-Davidson

Mike Mitchell

Board Secretary | Real Estate Manager, PEMCO Insurance Co.

Meghan Anaya

Regional Employee Services Generalist, Apex Service Partners

With over 15 years of HR experience, Meghan is dedicated to service and the candidate/new hire experience with a passion for building relationships with people as an HR Professional. She is committed to full cycle recruitment and hiring with a commitment to offering the best customer service to everyone she encounters. She is an accomplished leader skilled in successfully recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training employees who are deeply connected to service, creating community, and passionate about their work.

Meghan has partnered with Evergreen Safety Council for the last year and a half to train her workforce in the Eversafe Driving Program® curriculum. Apex Service Partners is a valued customer of ESC.

Chason J. Coelho

PhD, CSP, CFI | Principal Scientist, Exponent

A cognitive neuroscientist by training and consultant by profession, Dr. Coelho has applied his background to address mental and physical behavior in safety-related areas such as human error prevention, decision making, human reliability, safety in design, human-machine interfacing, warnings and labels, and ergonomics. He works in a variety of industries, including construction, oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical, marine, mining, manufacturing, and utilities. This diverse experience is well-aligned with Evergreen Safety Council’s slate of occupational and motorcycle safety training programs.

Dr. Coelho did his doctoral research at Pennsylvania State University after completing an internship at the University of Chicago and an undergraduate program in learning, memory, and cognition at UCLA. He holds a Certified Safety Professional designation from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, a Certified Fire Investigator designation from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, and a Safety Practice Certificate from Texas A&M University for advanced training in industrial hygiene, fire risk management, and other similar topics. He is also a volunteer firefighter, emergency medical technician, technical and confined space rescuer, vehicle extrication technician, and licensed motorcycle safety instructor.

Chris Elwell

Executive Director – Labor Relations, SOUND TRANSIT

Chris has been with Sound Transit since 2011, which has been a very momentous period for the organization. He also serves in other demanding roles, including being a Commissioner for the King County Fire Protection District 2, a position he has held since 2004. He has served as the Executive Secretary for Seattle/King County Building & Construction Trades Council as well as being active in UA Local 32 Plumbers and Pipefitters. Chris has had many appointments where he has served the State of Washington and the Puget Sound region. Here are a few notable appointments and elected positions:

Appointed by King County Council to serve on King County Emergency Management Committee
Appointed By King County Executive Ron Sims and Seattle Mayor Greg Nichols to the Workforce Development Council
Served on the Commercial Residential and Industrial Technical Working Group for the Governor’s Climate Advisory Team
Served as Vice President of Washington State Labor Council representing King County
Served on the Washington State Building Trades Executive Board representing Seattle/King County Building Trades Council
Served on Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Council Executive Board representing Building Trades section

Jamie France

Logistics & Safety Professional, GE Vernova Onshore Wind

Jamie is an accomplished commercial manufacturing professional with experience in logistics, production planning and scheduling, procurement, international and domestic supply chain management, warehousing, inventory control, C-TPAT, EHS, and safety. She has demonstrated success in the areas of project management, process standardization, financial analysis, costing, supplier development, quality management systems, auditing, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement. Her specialties include 14 years of Tier 1 automotive manufacturing experience and 14 years of project/heavy logistics experience focused on safety in the onshore wind turbine industry. Jamie is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and an Army combat veteran.

In 2022, Jamie was honored as the Spellman Safety Award winner for paving the way to new standards in the wind transportation industry through the development of WITPAC (Wind Industry Transportation Professional Advanced Certification).

Jamie France spearheaded a joint effort involving in-depth risk assessment, development of best practices, and a new training curriculum for operators. This new training program is becoming an industry requirement for truck drivers, Pilot/Escort Vehicle Operators (PEVOs), and steerpersons. To date, thousands of operators have been trained, and best practices have been implemented by trucking companies and their operators.

Mandi Kime

MS, BS, BA, CSP, CHST, Director of Safety, AGC OF WASHINGTON

Mandi is a Central Washington University alumnus of the safety and health management program and currently serves as the director of safety for AGC of Washington. She also has a bachelor’s degree in foreign language and teaches Spanish for supervisors in the construction industry. She recently earned her master’s degree in Safety & Health Management and published a thesis and employer best practice guide on mental health interventions in construction. Mandi has worked in AGC’s safety department for 20 years, helping members with safety programs, training, doing safety team inspections, working on legislative/regulatory issues pertaining to safety, and serving on various safety committees. Mandi currently serves as the co-chair of the AGC of America Chapter Safety Leadership committee. Mandi enjoys spending time camping and traveling with her family, including her 16-year-old daughter and 10-year-old triplets. Mandi was the only safety professional selected by Construction Business Owner for the 2019 class of top 20 Outstanding women in construction from 200 nominees and was featured in their November 2019 issue.

Jim Maltby

DIRECTOR, HSSE, LYNDEN INC.

Jim has been with the Lynden since July 1991 and has been Lynden’s Corporate Director of HSSE since October 2011. His background includes 21 years as Director of HSSE for Alaska West Express Inc. His current duties include developing, implementing and enforcing Lynden’s Integrated Health, Safety, Security and Environmental programs and policies as well as assuring compliance with DOT, USCG, EPA, OSHA and applicable federal, state and local regulations.

Jim has thirty (30) years of experience in hazardous materials emergency response. He is a Hazardous Material Emergency Response Specialist in highway and railroad transportation. He is an instructor of hazardous material emergency response, and hazardous materials transportation utilizing 49 CFR, IATA/ICAO (air) and IMDG (water). For 15 years he was Chief for the Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) Hazardous Materials Response Team, member of the Statewide Hazardous Material Working Group, Fairbanks Emergency Planning Committee (FEPC) and member of the State Emergency Response Commission. Jim was also former Chairman of the Alaska Trucking Association Safety Management Council and American Trucking Association Hazardous Material committee. Jim was appointed by the State of Alaska Governor to the State Emergency Response Commission for four consecutive terms. He was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Evergreen Safety Council in 2012.

Jeffrey Vaughan

Jeff was appointed to the board of directors after serving as the Council’s President/Executive Director from 2017 – 2023. During his service on the Council, Jeff led the effort to reinvent processes and bring new opportunities to the Council. Jeff has prior experience operating a start-up safety and lighting products company. Jeff’s career also includes working as an occupational safety and health professional for the Boeing Company’s commercial airplane operations and in the electric utility industry for PacifiCorp. Jeff also has 20 years of public service on a city council, county health board and fire district board member.

Dr. Lin Zhou

President, Bates Technical College

Since her hire at Bates as the dean of continuing education, apprenticeship and child studies in 2013, Dr. Lin Zhou served as dean of instruction and executive dean before becoming the vice president of institutional effectiveness and student success in 2016. Previously, she held the positions of associate dean of extended learning, and director of branch campus and continuing education at Lake Washington Institute of Technology.

Dr. Zhou holds a Ph.D. in education, with an emphasis in community college leadership, from Oregon State University, a Master’s Degree in business administration from City University in Seattle, an Associate Degree in computer science and networking technology from Lake Washington Institute of Technology, and an Associate Degree in accounting from Renmin University of China. In 2017, Dr. Zhou participated in the Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management, administered by the university’s Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Zhou is the college’s first female president, and the first female Chinese immigrant to serve as president at a public two-year college in Washington state.

Flagger certification