Board of Trustees

Diane Bai, MD, joined the Annie Wright Schools Board of Trustees in 2020. She is a practicing gastroenterologist at Franciscan Health Systems in Tacoma, co-founder of BaiologyMD, co-founder of South Sound Women in Medicine (SSWIM), and served as Medical Director of Service Excellence at Franciscan Medical Group. Prior to moving to Tacoma, she was Clinical Assistant Professor at UW Medical School, Medical Director of Gastroenterology Department, and a member of the Board of Trustees Finance Committee of Pacific Medical Centers in Seattle. She grew up in China and California. After receiving her medical degree at UT Southwestern, she completed her residency at Columbia University and GI fellowship at Duke University. Diane and her husband, Clay Zhang, are strong believers in the Annie Wright educational philosophy of nurturing young people to become principled, creative, and reflective thinkers and communicators in the close-knit AWS global community. They have two daughters, Sasha ’23 and Hannah ’25.

Troy T. Bailey is a Senior Counsel with Google. Troy earned his B.A. in accounting and J.D. from the University of Washington and his L.L.M in Taxation  from New York University. Prior to joining Google, Troy practiced law with various law firms, including Cooley Godward and Davis Wright Tremaine and then joined  the Expedia legal team where he focused on mergers & acquisitions. Troy spends the majority of his free time with his family and friends having good conversation and laughs over meals and drinks. Troy also loves reading, movies, travel, boating and playing the bass. Troy was the principal bassist in the Tacoma Youth Symphony and has since played with various community symphonies. Troy acquired his love for classical music and jazz from his father and grandfather.

Medina Broadenax is a CPA with over 15 years of experience in finance, accounting, and audit. After several years at Deloitte, Medina transitioned into the healthcare industry and is the VP of Finance at Thriveworks, a behavioral health organization. Medina is passionate about inclusion and equity and has supported DEI work throughout her career from leading bias mitigation trainings to serving as a mentor for young professionals. Medina is an ardent supporter of Annie Wright’s mission of cultivating responsible global citizens and looks forward to serving on the Board’s Philanthropy and Community Engagement Committee. Medina has a daughter, Kaydee ’29, and credits Annie Wright with fostering an environment that inspires Kaydee to achieve her fullest potential.

Tenley Cederstrand joined the Board of Trustees in 2021. She currently serves as Managing Director, Business Development, EG Business Metrics. With a bachelor’s in biology from Washington State University, her background is in business development, primarily in life sciences. She has also fostered start-up companies in apparel, fine art and real estate, and has served on the board for RAIN Incubator, Children’s Museum of Tacoma, AWS and Junior Achievement of Washington. Tenley and her husband Eric have two children who attended AWS, Avery ’11MS and Annika ’17 (lifer!). They credit Annie Wright with making them inquisitive learners and really nice people. She serves on the Governance Committee.

William (Bill) is Chairman and CEO of Clearwater Management Company, managing partner of Lincoln Park Partners and president of Tacoma Venture Fund. He currently serves on the board of PotlatchDeltic (NASDAQ). A Marine Corps veteran, Bill also serves on the boards at Topia Technology, StratusCore and Gestalt Diagnostics, and is a member of the Investment Committee at Annie Wright Schools. Bill is an AWS parent of two current students: John Saul ’27 and Anna ’30. His wife, Lisa Hoffman, is a former AWS Trustee who is currently a professor at UWT.

Jason Griffiths joined the Annie Wright Schools Board of Trustees in 2022. Jason has worked exclusively in entrepreneurial educational organizations since 2006 and currently serves as an advisor to Great Minds, a rapidly growing organization that provides high quality instructional materials for K-8 schools. Jason's wife, Christy, is a proud graduate of Annie Wright. Having developed a strong affinity for Annie Wright since first stepping onto the campus over 20 years ago, Jason serves on the Head's Support and Evaluation Committee.

Janelle Guirguis-Blake MD joined Annie Wright Schools' Board of Trustees in 2019. A clinical professor of family medicine at the University of Washington, she practices and teaches full-scope family medicine with a focus on underserved populations. She has been working since 2003 with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality where she has served in the capacities of chief medical officer, program director, and technical advisor for the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Since 2013, she has worked as a principal investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research leading systematic reviews in the area of preventive medicine for the USPSTF. Her areas of expertise include health policy, guideline development, and evidence based medicine. She received her medical degrees from Dartmouth Medical School and Brown University School of Medicine, then completed her residency at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine and health policy fellowship at the Georgetown School of Medicine. Janelle and her husband, Jeff, have two daughters, Natalie ’21MS and Norah ’28.

Manuel La Rosa joined the Annie Wright Board of Trustees in 2020. He is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon who graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is in private practice in Tacoma & Gig Harbor. He served as an Affiliated Instructor at UW and was president of the Washington State Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He is passionate about advancing education and creating individual economic freedom. Manuel and his wife Silvia have two children, Sebastian ’13LS and Sofia ’23. Manuel will serve on the Trusteeship Committee.

Damani Leech ’09MS joined the Annie Wright Schools Board of Trustees in 2020. Damani was named President of the Denver Broncos in 2022. Before then, Damani was the NFL’s Chief Operating Officer of International, driving international fan development, player development, sponsorship, and consumer products, as well as leading the planning and execution of International Series Games in key markets. Prior to his time at the NFL, Damani spent 17 years at the NCAA national office in various roles. Damani, raised in Tacoma, is a graduate of the Annie Wright Middle School and serves on the Board's Finance Committee.

Kyra Mungia (yellow tie, class of ’09) is an Annie Wright lifer who has become a passionate advocate for racial, social, and educational equity. As a former Oakland public school teacher, Kyra saw firsthand how under- resourced and underserved communities are treated. Those disparities are what drove her to take a more systems-level approach, serving as the Deputy Director of Education in the Office of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, where she was able to launch and co-lead Teachers Rooted in Oakland (TRiO) and TRiO Plus to increase recruitment and retention of teachers of color by addressing the cost of housing. TRiO Plus has now become its own nonprofit that Kyra is honored to lead as the CEO. While in the Mayor's Office, Kyra also co-wrote legislation passed by voters that will bring in more than $30M annually to increase access to and quality of preschool, as well as support students to and through college; she played an instrumental role in #OaklandUndivided to ensure all Oakland public school students have a computer, internet, and culturally competent tech support; and she helped raise over $5M for COVID relief to ensure the basic needs of Oakland's most vulnerable residents were met when the pandemic hit. Kyra has been recognized for her work as a Forbes 30 under 30 lister and Diablo Magazine 2021 Agent of Change. Kyra always gives 100%, except when donating blood. She enjoys mastering crossword puzzles with a cup of tea, exploring the Bay Area’s beautiful trails with her dog Noodle, and running into friends at Lake Merritt.

Marjorie Oda-Burns ’66 joined Annie Wright Schools' Board of Trustees in 2019. After attending Annie Wright as a boarder from Hawaii and graduating from Pembroke College (the former women's college of Brown University) Marjorie completed medical school at Yale, with only seven women in her graduating class. After her internship at Stanford, Marjorie spent her career as an orthopedic surgeon in California while pursuing an active interest in medical ethics. Marjorie and her husband John's daughter, Theresa ’04, also attended Annie Wright for two years.

Kevin Sanders joined the Board of Trustees in 2021, and is a radiation oncologist at Sound Cancer Care in Puyallup, Washington. He received
his medical degree from University of Illinois College of Medicine and his residency training from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Kevin and his wife Brenda have two children attending AWS, Alyssa ’24 and Natalie ’26. He serves as Treasurer as well as on the Finance and Executive Committees.

Monica Torrez-Pfister joined the Board of Trustees in 2021. She is an attorney with over a decade of specialized experience in employment law, currently serving as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer at TrueBlue, Inc., a Tacoma-based global company that is a leading provider of staffing and specialized workforce solutions which connects over 500,000 people to work each year. She has earned academic and professional honors, and served on community boards such as Lawyers Helping Hungry Children, Association of Corporate Counsel, Latina/o Bar Association of Washington, and has served as the Employment Law Chair of the Hispanic National Bar Association. Monica and her husband Bill have three children attending AWS, Maxx ’28, Maison ’34 and Mia ’35. She serves as Co-Chair of the Head’s Support and Evaluation Committee.

Jennifer Vertetis found her life’s calling in 2001 when her first child was diagnosed with autism at age two. She has dedicated her life to helping him and other children with learning disabilities so they will have every opportunity for the future. Between 2001 and 2023, Jennifer served the Charles Lefitte Foundation (CFL), first as director, then as President and Executive Director. She currently serves on the CFL Board. Prior to her time at CLF, Jennifer worked at Datek Online in Iselin, NJ as a Vice President in the areas of Corporate Development and Project Management from 1997 - 2001. From 2002 to 2006, Jennifer was on the Board of Directors of the University of Washington Autism Center. Jennifer is deeply involved with her community and has served two terms as both President and Vice President of the Board of Directors the Academy for Precision Learning. She is also active with the “Friends of the EEU,” an advisory group to the Experimental Education Unit of The University of Washington in Seattle. She is a founding member and has worked on the project, which offers inclusive educational services, since 2002.

Jake began serving as Head of Annie Wright Schools in July 2020, but his tenure at the school began long before that. He joined AWS as a second-grader when his mother became the school’s Director of Communications. He stayed through Grade 8 and was in the first class of boys to graduate from Middle School. After high school, he earned a bachelor's from Pomona College. In 2000, he launched his 20-year career at AWS, serving in a range of roles including English & Humanities Teacher, Basketball Coach, Director of College Counseling, Director of Summer Programming, Interim Director of Admissions, Assistant Director of Upper School, and most recently, Director of Upper School for Girls. These two decades of service to AWS were only interrupted by his EdM at Harvard University from 2002 to 2003.