Seattle Area Happiness Advisors provide guidance for strategy and activities of the project as well as service to the project, such as introductions, blog posts, volunteer work, and other services. If you are interested in joining the SAHI Advisory committee, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Paul Carlson
Paul Carlson served as Strategic Advisor on homelessness and supportive housing for the City of Seattle Mayor's Office of Housing. He was responsible for administering the Sound Families Initiative program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This regional program funds housing with supportive services for families in transition out of homelessness. Previously, he worked for Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, developing housing resources for persons with severe mental illness. He has served on numerous local and regional housing boards, as well as on the National Shelter Plus Care Steering Committee that advises the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development on this national rent subsidy program. Mr. Carlson received his baccalaureate from Dickinson College, St. Andrews University, attended Princeton Theological Seminary, and received a master's of divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Katheryne Davis
Katheryne is very active in her community and has volunteered with organizations focusing on families and children for over 20 years. Katheryne is a co-founder of The Youth & Law Forum, an annual event first organized in 1990 and held at First AME Church with the purpose of educating youth and families about their legal rights, protection and responsibilities, law careers, court procedures, and resources. Katheryne has served on many boards. She is passionate about environmental issues and the future of our planet

Bonnie Duncan
Bonnie Duncan is a writer dedicated to sharing information that benefits community life. Over the past thirty years, she has built a diverse portfolio of experience in the region, from advocating sustainable development in the San Juan Islands, to supporting documentary production at KCTS-9, to directing communications for local architectural firms engaged in Seattle’s civic future. With a BA in English Literature from the University of Oregon and an MA in Communications from the University of Washington, she values education and works to make the most of her opportunities. Bonnie has lived in Maryland, Oregon, Minnesota, Florida and England, but chooses to call Seattle home.

Abigail Echo-Hawk
Abigail Echo-Hawk is an enrolled member of the Pawnee Nation who has made Seattle her home. With a B.A. and Masters of Arts in Policy Studies from the University of Washington, Ms. Echo-Hawk currently works for UW as a Tribal Liaison for the Institute for Translational Health Sciences. In her professional and community based roles she specializes in analyzing the social determinants of health for marginalized communities of color. As a dedicated advocate for women's health, Ms. Echo-Hawk has concentrated on policy change to decrease health disparities for Native American and African American women in Seattle.

Betsy Geist, Ph.D.
Betsy Geist is Interim Director of the Center for Creative Change at Antioch University, where she's taught for more than 25 years. She focuses on sustainability-- personal, organizational, societal, and ecospherical, and the ways in which those inter-relate; and she is ever curious about how we might bootstrap ourselves out of the paradigm that blinds us to those interconnections.

Jenny Heins
Jenny Heins is the Sustainable Ballard President. Jenny is also a member of the Admin Team, the Food and Health Guild, an Undriving board member, and part of the Information Technology Taskforce. Jenny is also part of the leadership team for Sustainable Communities ALL Over Puget Sound (SCALLOPS), and Regional Director for the Seattle Green Festival. In her spare time, Jenny is owner/operator of Small Wonder Farm, a small local nursery growing gourmet vegetable and herb starts and educating neighbors how to grow their own food.

Lloyd Jansen, Ph.D.
Teaching political science, Lloyd Jansen is full time faculty member at Green River Community College and is a lecturer at the University of Washington.  He holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in political science as well as a B.A. in public administration.   He recently served as a contributing consultant to the online project, “What’s the Economy For, Anyway?” at the Center for Communication and Civic Engagement at the University of Washington.  He lives in Seattle.

Yaffa Maritz
Yaffa Maritz has a master degree in Clinical Psychology and is a licensed mental health counselor with advanced training in Infant Mental Health.  She is an advocate on behalf of kids and their families and serves on several local and nation boards that promote this agenda including the Governor Commission for Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention.  Ms. Maritz believes that by supporting parents and creating a nurturing environment for them in which they can explore emotional issues, we can set the foundation for their kid’s emotional health.

Lang Marsh Bio Coming

Donald Miller, Ph.D.
Donald Miller joined the faculty of Urban Design and Planning at UW in the autumn of 1970 as a professor.  He holds a B.A. degree from the University of Chicago and received his Master of City and Regional Planning and his doctorate in City and Regional Planning from the University of California, Berkeley.  Miller has been the recipient of a Fulbright Graduate Fellowship, and two Fulbright Senior Research Scholar Awards.  He is a past chair of the Department, and of the Seattle City Planning Commission.
He is a founder and the chair of the International Urban Planning and Environment Association – that organizes a series of international symposiums, and sponsors the book series Urban Planning and Environment published by Ashgate, which he co-edits.

Alex Suarez is the chair of the doctoral program in psychology at Antioch University Seattle.  Alex Suarez has a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and a postdoctoral Masters degree in Psychopharmacology.  She is one of a small group of psychologists competent to work with Spanish-speaking clients in their language.  She as been in private practice for over 20 years. She has also taught graduate and undergraduate courses both in Mexico and in the USA.   Alex Suarez is past-president of the Washington State Psychological Association.  She has presented internationally and published her work in several venues including the American Psychologist and the Washington Psychologist.  Currently she is studying the effects of mindfulness and non-violent communication training in prisons, as well as working on the integration of psychological treatment with psycho pharmacological interventions and social concerns.

Thank you to the 2011 Seattle Area Happinss Initiatigve advisers: Seattle Area Happiness Initiative Local Advisory Members:

Samantha Becker

Paul Carlson

Wanda Gravett, Ph.D.

Charlie Cunniff

Al Runte, Ph.D.

Joëlle Robinson

Lloyd Jansen, Ph.D.

Richard Conlin

Cecile Andrews

Betsy Geist, Ph.D.

Mimi Allen

Barbara Anne Lawrence-Piecuch M.B.A.

Connie Moffit

Rob Alexander, Ph.D.

Diane Douglas

Bonnie Duncan

Abigail Echo-Hawk

Jenny Heins

Donald Miller, Ph.D.

Vicki Robin

Karma Ruder.

Anne Stadler

Bill Aal

Laurie Ringaert

Sarah Speck, MD

Margaret Ktichell, MD

Yaffa Maritz

Linda Raymond

Alejandra Suarez, Ph.D., M.S.C.P.

Susan Cannon, Ph.D.

David Levy, Ph.D.

Mallary Tytel, Ph.D.