Board of Directors & Staff

Executive Committee

Kelly Keith, President

Kelly Keith was born and raised in Wisconsin but moved to Seattle about five years ago and fell in love with the city. Unable to stay away from the great South Lake Union neighborhood, Kelly has recently taken on a new adventure as the Director of Sales and Marketing at the SpringHill Suites Seattle. With over 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Kelly just recently joined the South Lake Union Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors in 2015 and has actively participated on the Events Committee. Kelly is excited to bring her event planning and sales and marketing experience to the Board of Directors and to continue to build relationships in the wonderful South Lake Union Neighborhood.

Kelly Keith
President

Director of Sales, SpringHill Suites Seattle

Deborah Kang Gentzen, Vice President

Deborah Kang Gentzen is Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA), a world-class cancer treatment center that unites leading-edge researchers and oncology specialists of Fred Hutch, Seattle Children's and UW Medicine.

Debby oversees the organization's strategy, research integration, marketing and communications, and service line management. She leads SCCA's affiliation partnerships, managing community-based hospital affiliations. Debby helped launch SCCA's proton therapy center, a specialized form of radiation therapy, to the Pacific Northwest in 2013.

Debby holds board positions in the for profit and not-for-profit sectors. She is a member of the Washington Lung Force Women's Cabinet. She serves on the Board of Directors of Seattle ProCure Holdings, LLC and is a former member of the YMCA Camping Services board.

Debby holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering and petroleum refining from the Colorado School of Mines.

Deborah Gentzen
Vice President

Chief Strategy Officer, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Amy Besunder, Treasurer

Amy Besunder is an experienced philanthropy and communications professional. She started her career at the Washington Community Reinvestment Association over twenty years ago and was immediately bit by the affordable housing and community development bug. She has served in leadership roles at Phinney Neighborhood Association, Compass Housing Alliance, North Helpline Food Bank and Emergency Service Center and the Family & Adult Service Center and is currently the Director of Development & Communications for Bellwether Housing.

Amy holds an executive masters of not-for-profit leadership from Seattle University, serves on the marketing committee for the South Lake Union Chamber and co-owns Populuxe Brewing in Ballard with her husband Pete.

Amy Besunder
Treasurer

Fund Development Director, Bellwether Housing

Curt Archambault, Immediate Past President

Curt Archambault, Vice-President of People and Performance Strategies, brings a real world perspective that connects with clients and participants in a way that motivates them to take the steps necessary to improve performance. Curt has spent over 30 years in the training and hospitality industry where his career started in operations. He has fulfilled every role from entry level employee to corporate training and development manager playing a key role in developing and implementing performance-improvement projects. Along with his wife Carla, he became a resident of the South Lake Union neighborhood in April of 2007 and has watched as the neighborhood has grown over the past 5 years. As a resident and small business owner in the neighborhood, he knows it is important to take an active role in the community.He is the chairperson for the Neighbors of South Lake Union Park group working to promote the value of the park to the surrounding neighborhoods.

Curt Archambault
Immediate Past President

Vice President, People & Performance Strategies

Directors

Eric Berlinberg

Eric is a Senior Program Manager at Amazon working on the Prime Air team developing drones for package delivery. He also is the

Founder & Global Chair of Connect@Amazon, a grassroots organization at Amazon that creates community and professional networking opportunities for Amazon employees. Connect@Amazon is comprised of around 35,000 Amazon employees across 27 chapters globally, and continues to grow.

Outside of Amazon, Eric has served as a member of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Network (YPN) Board of Advisors since 2014, and on the Seattle Chamber Board of Directors in 2017. Eric serves on the Board of the Seattle Symphony Young Patrons Council and lives in Eastlake.

Eric Berlinberg
Director

Senior Program Manager, Prime Air, Amazon

Lindsey Khanfar

Lindsey Khanfar is the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Residence Inn by Marriott Seattle Downtown Convention Center. Lindsey began her hospitality career over 11 years ago in Dallas, Texas and has had the opportunity to work in several markets in the U.S. She moved to Seattle in 2012 and absolutely fell in love with the city that she now calls home. Lindsey has been working in the South Lake Union neighborhood for almost 4 years; she has loved seeing the growth of the neighborhood and was thrilled to have the opportunity to open a hotel in this thriving location. Lindsey is excited to continue to connect local businesses and help assist in cultivating partnerships.

Lindsey Khanfar
Director

Director of Sales, Residence Inn Downtown

Allison Leep

Allison Leep is the Social Impact Manager for PEMCO Insurance, a local insurer dedicated to helping our communities worry less and live more. At PEMCO, Allison oversees the social good strategy that ensures they're a force for good in the Northwest by building safer, stronger, and better educated communities.

Prior to joining PEMCO in 2010, Allison was a Development Director at Easter Washington University Foundation. She also spent 7 years in broadcasting where she paved the way for women serving as the first-ever female sports anchor in Spokane.

Whether at a local nonprofit organizations, her neighborhood schools, or on a board, Allison believes in living a service-filled life. Before joining the SLU Chamber Board, Allison was the Vice President and Fund Development Committee Chair for the Foundation for Edmonds School District Board. During her tenure, the organization's revenue quadrupled allowing them to powerfully increase their impact for at-risk students.

Allison works and play in South Lake Union and is committed to helping create a vibrant community we can all be proud of.

Allison Leep
Director

Business & Channel Development Manager, PEMCO

Matthew Mauer

Matthew Mauer is the Government & Community Relations Associate for Vulcan Inc. where he assists on a wide range of Vulcan initiatives in the community and abroad. Matthew most recently worked for U.S. Senator Patty Murray where he was her King County Veterans Affairs Director, responsible for state-level outreach and casework for Washington State Veterans and Service members. Right out of high school, Matthew joined the United States Coast Guard where he served in the reserves for nine years; deploying with them twice - once to Cuba and once to Kuwait. In between his deployments, he was able to finish his schooling eventually attaining a Master's in Public Administration from Seattle University.

Matthew was born and raised in the Tacoma area where he currently lives with his partner Jobie and their dog DeeDee.

Matthew Mauer
Director

Government & Community Relations Associate, Vulcan Inc.

Erin Oest-Larsen

Erin Oest-Larsen is the Associate Director of Corporate Engagement and Philanthropic Initiatives with Woodland Park Zoo. Erin has more than 20 years experience in event planning; she has working for the University of Washington and was the Co-Founder of an event and project management business for eight years. Erin oversees Woodland Park Zoo's corporate engagement and philanthropic events, including its new young professionals network, Network for Nature. She feels it is a privilege to work for Woodland Park Zoo while upholding its mission. Erin is a member of AFP Advancement Northwest and is active in her daughters' schools.

Erin was born and raised New Orleans, Louisiana and moved to Seattle in 1998. Erin lives in Queen Anne with her husband and two daughters.

Erin Oest-Larsen
Director

Associate Director, Philanthropy, Woodland Park Zoo

Molly Schlobohm

Molly Schlobohm, Vice President of Sales for Seattle based Argosy Cruises, brings more than 13 years of proven achievement in sales, operations and organizational management for multiple Fortune 500 companies. She spent 8 years in the United States Coast Guard before attending graduate school and earning her Masters of Business Administration from Baker University in 2009. She has spent several years leading diverse teams in the retail, hospitality and tourism industries. Mentoring, coaching, and developing young professionals into elevated levels of responsibility within their organizations has become a true passion of Molly’s.

Eager to turn this passion into action, in 2011 she joined the Board of Directors for the National Association of Women MBAs as their first Development Director for the Seattle Professional Chapter. In 2013 she was elected as President of this organization where she leads a diverse group of highly successful executives dedicated to empowering female business professionals, assisting women into leadership positions in business, and enhancing the diversity of the workforce worldwide. Outside of work and volunteering Molly can be found out boating, diving, hiking and spending time with family and friends.

Molly Schlobohm
Director

Chief Operating Officer, Argosy Cruises

Luisa Taddeo

Luisa Taddeo is an attorney at the law firm of Scheer Law Group, LLP which is located in downtown. Luisa practices in various areas of the law, including but not limited to personal injury, premises liability, products liability, insurance coverage, insurance defense, complex civil litigation, and construction defection lawsuits. Luisa joined the Scheer Law Group in January of 2017. Prior to moving to Seattle in July of 2015, Luisa worked for a bit law firm in Cleveland, Ohio. Luisa is a Montreal, Canada native and holds a Bachelor of Science from McGill University and earned her J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Her interests outside of work include traveling, cooking delicious new recipes, and spending time outdoors. Luisa is excited to bring her experience and legal background to the Board of Directors and looks forward to making more connections in the South Lake Union neighborhood.

Luisa Taddeo
Director

Of Counsel, Betts, Patterson & Mines, P.S.

Jessica Weinstein

Jessica Weinstein is Associate Director of Internal Communications at Juno Therapeutics, A Celgene Company.

Prior to moving to Seattle and joining Juno in 2017, Jessica was Director of Communications at MassBio, the Massachusetts life sciences industry association. She also led communications for the MassBioEd Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that brings biotech education to students throughout Massachusetts.

Jessica joined the SLU Chamber Board of Directors in 2018 and volunteers with the local Seattle chapter of Women in Bio.

Jessica is a Boston, MA native. She holds an MBA in Health Sector Management from Boston University and a BA in English from Wheaton College (MA).

Jessica Weinstein
Director

Associate Director, Internal Communications, Juno Therapeutics, A Celgene Company

Staff

Danah Abarr, Executive Director

Danah has been an active member of the SLU Chamber since 2011 and served a 3 year term on its Board of Directors prior to becoming the Executive Director. She enjoys meeting new people and identifying mutually beneficial opportunities for companies and individuals looking to connect. Danah holds a Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley, a Bachelors from Cornell University and is a passionate supporter of the SLU community and the great work being done by Chamber Supporters. Her interests outside of work include cheering for the Seahawks, outdoor adventures and playing with her family and doggos.

Danah Abarr
Executive Director

Natalie Dewey-Smith, Marketing & Engagement Manager

Natalie serves as the Marketing & Engagement Specialist for the SLU Chamber. She is passionate about the nonprofit world and is excited to be a part of such an established organization. An Alabama native, Natalie graduated summa cum laude from the University of Alabama at Birmingham receiving a Bachelor's degree in Foreign Languages with a concentration of French and a minor in Sociology. She enjoys exploring the PNW with her husband, Corwin, and dog, Bruno.

Natalie Dewey-Smith
Marketing & Engagement Manager

Professional headshots courtesy of Lifestring Photography

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