Optimizing the quality of life for all people
living with cancer.
Cancer Lifeline Seattle
Dorothy S. O'Brien Center
6522 Fremont Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
206-297-2100 voice
206-297-2200 fax
Hours: Mon-Fri
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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Cancer Lifeline Staff Directory
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Sean
Berger
Senior Program Operations Coordinator
206-832-1276
Sean’s responsibilities at Cancer Lifeline include
coordinating our staff and volunteers around the class registration
process. This process begins with the creation of the class schedule,
ends with collecting feedback about our programs, and includes
everything in between. Sean also maintains our program’s database and
assists the staff to ensure smooth day-to-day operations of the Dorothy
O’Brien Center. Sean is a graduate of the University of Washington and
enjoys spending time with his family and his girlfriend Ana. He also
takes pleasure in traveling, outdoor sports, and being a foodie.
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Peter
Boyle
Patient Financial Navigator
206-832-1298
After six months as a community volunteer, Peter
came on the Cancer
Lifeline staff at full speed, locating resources and providing
information to help people in treatment survive cancer financially.
Prior to Cancer Lifeline, he spent 20 years in food service as
inventor, consultant and executive chef. His personal experience with
cancer and care-giving fuels his passion for his job. During the
winter, you’ll find Peter on a snowboard; in warmer weather, he’s on
his motorcycle.
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Basha
Brownstein, MSW
Community Program Manager
206-832-1275
Basha came to Cancer Lifeline in 1998 to develop
the Healing Arts Program that is so successful today. She continues to
inspire the artist in all of us as she manages Cancer Lifeline programs
at the Dorothy S. O'Brien Center and Northwest Hospital. Basha lives in
Seattle with her feline friends Sebastian and McCavity.
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Martha
Cantrell
Office Manager
206-297-2100 ext. 0
Martha brings a wide range of skills and experiences to
her work at
Cancer Lifeline. In her role as building manager, she keeps the Dorothy
O’Brien Center in “nearly new” condition. Martha is also a key part of
our programs that help patients pay for their daily living while they
are undergoing cancer treatment. She works with Social Workers and
staff to ensure that funds are utilized well and that they reach their
destinations in a timely manner. Martha finds that part of her work
particularly gratifying.
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Lisa Gardner
Program Outreach Coordinator
206-832-1277
Lisa provides support for Cancer Lifeline hospital
programs at Evergreen Hospital Medical Center and Valley Medical
Center. She makes sure class participants are reminded of and made to
feel welcome at our programs, and that rooms are set up and available.
She actively promotes future programming at each site through direct
outreach. Lisa’s past experiences include work with Horn of Africa
Services as a Volunteer Coordinator, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of
Southeast Alaska as a School Program Coordinator. New to Seattle, Lisa
is still exploring this urban oasis.
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Jan
Gray
Chief Executive Officer
206-832-1270
Chief Executive Officer Jan
Gray leads the organization's management team
and is responsible to the Board of Directors for day-to-day operations,
staffing, planning and financial performance. She came to
Cancer Lifeline after 25 years in Broadcast Marketing and more than 15
years consulting with community organization boards. Jan
earned her M.S. in Management at Antioch University, Seattle. She has
served on the boards of Seattle/King County Senior Services and Sound
Experience. She is an active volunteer with the Phinney
Neighborhood Association and occasionally with this organization’s
24-hour help and support line. Jan lives with her husband
Kerry Fowler, a medicinal chemist, just 10 blocks from Cancer
Lifeline.
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Karyn
Kubo Fleming
Assistant Development Director
206-832-1273
Karyn’s fundraising duties include direct mail appeals, grants, donor
recognition and events, with additional projects in communications and
public relations. She brings to this position a background in
fundraising, public relations and broadcast journalism. Karyn enjoys
creating handcrafted greeting cards that reflect her Japanese American
heritage. She and her husband Bruce live on Queen Anne with their
rescued Rat Terrier, Chauncey, who has them both wrapped around her paw.
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Michelle Hewitt
Finance Assistant/Patient Financial Navigator
206-832-1295
Michelle wears two hats at Cancer Lifeline. In the Finance office, she
assists the Controller with accounting duties ranging from payroll to
budgets. As a Patient Financial Navigator, she helps clients with their
financial needs during cancer treatment. Michelle previously worked as
an accountant in a Port Townsend office with both for profit and
non-profit clients. She lives in Edmonds with her husband Tim and their
daughter Tonya. When not crunching numbers, Michelle is a fan of Sci
Fi/Fantasy books, and is an avid World of Warcraft gamer.
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Suad
Ibrahim
Program Operations Assistant
206-832-1276
The support Suad provides to the program staff
ensures the smooth,
continuous operation of the various programs offered at Cancer
Lifeline. Before Cancer Lifeline, Suad acted as a
translator/interpreter at the University of Washington Parenting Clinic
for three years. She enjoys art, movies and spending time with her
family; different languages and cultures are of particular interest.
Suad recently began a graduate program in Health Administration at the
University of Washington. Her goal is to work to develop and manage
hospital patient records and care management systems.
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Bobbi
Christensen-Meins
Associate Program Director for Community-Based
Programs
206-832-1285
Bobbi is committed to making a difference in
people’s lives through her work at Cancer Lifeline and in the
community. She is the impetus behind Cancer Lifeline’s patient
navigation program to help cancer patients pay their bills while in
treatment. Bobbi oversees Cancer Lifeline’s community-based programs,
including the Komen for the Cure and Cancer Lifeline Patient Assistance
programs and the Lymphedema program, and conducts outreach to diverse
communities throughout Western Washington. She and her husband Mike
make time to volunteer for programs supporting developmental
disabilities. Avid skiers, they also tramp up and down mountains to
watch their younger son race mountain bikes, go sailing with their
oldest son and encourage their daughter to outshine her brothers.
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Patty
Moe
Controller
206-832-1293
Patty’s responsibilities are related to the
finances of Cancer
Lifeline. She is a Certified Public Accountant who has focused on the
non-profit accounting field throughout her career as an accountant.
Patty is a graduate of the University of Washington.
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Terrie
Nixdorff
Executive Assistant
206-832-1271
Terrie has dual responsibilities for supporting
the CEO and Board of
Directors, as well as managing human resources functions. She is often
involved in preparation for a meeting or coordinating some activity of
the Board and board committees. Terrie produces the annual report,
handles special projects, and manages meetings and events related to
the Board. Her HR responsibilities support the overall effectiveness of
staff through the evaluation, planning and performance appraisal
process, hiring and staff retention efforts, and administering benefits
programs. Singing is her passion. With the 80-voice Seattle Choral
Company, she has appeared at the 5th Avenue Theatre, Benaroya Hall,
with the Symphony and Ballet, and has recorded film trailers for Lord
of the Rings, Star Wars, Walt Disney, Pirates of the Caribbean and
numerous TV shows.
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Kim
Schaaf
Lymphedema
Program Coordinator
206-832-1281
Kim has been a breast health educator since 1991.
Her passion is
sharing the message about the importance of early detection for breast
cancer, as well as the importance of being an advocate and active
participant in one’s own health care. Kim’s work and life has been
enriched by the time she has spent with women learning and laughing.
She and her husband Rod, and their daughter Angeline live in Bothell
with their two dogs and two cats.
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Mary
Ellen Shands, RN, MN
Clinical Program Manager/Family
Consultant
206-832-1279
Mary Ellen coordinates the support group program,
facilitates Family Meetings, and Share the Care Meetings. In addition
to her work at Cancer Lifeline, Mary Ellen is a member of the Family
Functioning Research Program at the University of Washington School of
Nursing since 1987 studying the impact of cancer on families. Mary
Ellen and her husband Roger, live with their two children in Lake
Forest Park.
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Samantha
Slaughter, PsyD
Clinical
Program Manager
206-832-1296
Upon
completing her internship with Cancer Lifeline, Samantha joined the
team as an employee and now helps run the operational aspects of the
student internship and practicum program. As an intern, she answered
the Lifeline and assisted in programmatic evaluations. Previous
experience includes working with teens with substance abuse issues and
providing psychological services to inmates in two Washington state
prisons.
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David
Sugarman, Ph.D.
Clinical Program Manager
206-832-1284
David is a clinical psychologist responsible for
supervising the Practicum Students and the Pre-doctoral Interns at
Cancer Lifeline. These students play a vital part in providing
emotional support for our clients who utilize our lifeline, our support
groups and the other services we offer. David states, “My mission is to
teach the students to listen carefully, and to be comfortable bringing
the full range of their humanity to their work with clients at Cancer
Lifeline. If I help them become better psychologists, then that is
particularly rewarding.” David and his wife, Ellen, live on Bainbridge
Island with their two dachshunds, Bodhi and Sattva.
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Sarah
Urrutia
Patient Financial Navigator
206-832-1292
Sarah’s role as a patient financial navigator is
to help clients
with their financial needs while undergoing treatment—whether it be
health insurance, housing, transportation, utility bills, medication or
another kind of necessity. Before coming to Cancer Lifeline,
Sarah worked at a non-profit helping clients of the Washington Breast
and Cervical Health Program and performing community outreach with
other social and health service agencies. Sarah lives with her husband
Eduardo in Lake Stevens. They have four children and three
grandchildren. Sarah enjoys tending to her flower and vegetable
gardens, and rooting for the Dallas Cowboys and Everett Silver
Tips.
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Bruce
Wood
Development Director
206-832-1272
Bruce came to Cancer Lifeline in March of 2006
bringing with him years of successful management experience in both the
non-profit and for-profit environments. Bruce's job is to develop and
manage all of Cancer Lifeline's fundraising activities including their
popular Annual Faces of Caregiving Awards Luncheon. He and his wife
Rebecca live in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood with their daughter,
Sofia.
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Joseph
Yurgevich
Associate Program Director for Operations and
Hospital Programs
206-832-1283 or
425-747-4367
Joseph has primary responsibility for Cancer Lifeline’s
hospital and other site based programs as well as over-site of Program
Operations including registration, data-tracking, and
outreach/marketing/pr. His responsibilities also include
programming classes and acting as site manager for Cancer Lifeline at
Evergreen Hospital Medical Center and Cancer Lifeline at Valley Medical
Center. Before coming to Cancer Lifeline Joseph spent 9 years
working for Bastyr University. Joseph is a licensed massage
therapist, loves music, movies and his dogs Buddy &
Lulu.
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Ellen
Zahlis, MN
Clinical Program Manager/Family Consultant
206-832-1280
Ellen is responsible for the Family Support
Programs which include: the 24 hour Lifeline; Workplace Consultation,
Family Meetings, and Share the Care Program. She also manages the
Therapist Referral Program. Ellen has been with Cancer Lifeline since
responding to a PSA for volunteers for the Lifeline in 1983. In
addition to her position at Cancer Lifeline, Ellen is a member of the
Family Functioning Research Program at the University Of Washington
School Of Nursing studying the impact of cancer on the family since
1987.
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