Our Leadership Team
Hamdi Abdulle
Hamdi is the Executive Director of the African Community Housing and Development and has collaborated on numerous projects with the CCC, spearheading the use of the Community Café model for parent engagement in the refugee community. Hamdi’s vision and expertise is in building a strong family foundation from the earliest years of a child’s life.
Bilan Aden
Bilan joined the Leadership Team in 2018 whilst completing her Masters in Education at the University of Washington. She supports Café hosting teams working closely with communities, committed to family engagement in education, creating effective home and school partnerships for student success.
Tiesha Clark
Tiesha is a parent leader and advocate in her community supporting the CCC as Project Manager and Program Coordinator with parent leadership programmes in the South Seattle School District. She is also an optimal well-being life coach with her own company Divine Appointments Consulting.
Sunny Giron
Sunny is the Interim Executive Director. She draws on her nonprofit background to support the organization and is proud to be a member of a team committed to furthering social justice and systemic change through the strengthening of families.
Fátima González-Galindo
Fatima has been involved in the Community Café Collaborative for several years. She is a parent leader in her community. One of her dreams is for everyone to have the same opportunities to succeed in life.
Robin Higa
Robin Higa is the founder of the Community Café approach and an active coach. She has over 30 years of experience in community activism and strengthening families work.
Jeanine MacQuarrie
Jeanine MacQuarrie connects and supports the leadership team through communications. Together with her background in producing Theatre for Young Audiences in Ireland, she values the opportunity to be part of a team committed to upholding every child’s rights.
Maricela Magaña
Maricela is a young community parent leader based in Olympia, WA. With a Business Administration background and her bilingual strengths, she supports the Community Café Leadership Team by helping others start cafés, communications and administrative work.
Jacquetta McGowen
Fighting for change! I am a Teamplayer with Community Café Collaborative, a Parent Leader with the Road Map Project, a part of PTSA, a Girl Scout Co-Leader, an Individual Provider for homecare and a business owner but most importantly, I am a mother to 3.
Shereese Rhodes
Shereese is a committed parent advocate and leader in her community having served as a parent ambassador for Head Start/ECEAP, member of the Parent Leadership Team in the Road Map Region and working with OneAmerica’s grassroots education advocacy program. She believes in modeling the change she wishes to see for future generations through active engagement on issues like addressing the opportunity gap and expanding access to early learning for all.
Alejandro Romero
Alejandro (el, he, him, his) joined the Community Café Collaborative Team in 2019 comes from Rochester Washington, a small-town community. He is dedicated to his family and community and is always willing to help in whatever capacity is needed to help get the work completed. In June 2022 he graduated with his Masters in Elementary Education with Teacher Certification in hopes of having his own classroom to help educate and shape the minds of his students in being successful. “One of my dreams for my community is that everyone has the opportunity/tools needed to be successful.”
Carolyn Solitaire
My name is Carolyn Solitaire. I am a lifetime resident of Tacoma and a graduate of the Tacoma School District #10. I have a strong love for life and enjoy helping my community.
My belief is: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Dr. Maya Angelo
Our Board of Directors
Joel Higa
Secretary
Joel Higa is the Chief Operating Officer of Skysthelimit.org, a 501(c)(3) digital accelerator that helps young underrepresented adult entrepreneurs accomplish their business dreams. He’s an overly caffeinated crypto-evangelist, home cook, concert goer, and outdoor enthusiast.
Joan Sharp
Chair
Joan is the Principal at Sharminski Associates, Strategic Consulting. Specialized expertise in child and family issues, including child abuse and neglect prevention/family strengthening; outcome based planning; policy analysis & system change; innovative & evidence-based programming; community building; public relations, writing and editing.