We are pleased to present this year's candidates for the inaugural CSTA Washington board positions. This year we are holding elections for leadership positions across the board.
- President (2-year term)
- Secretary (2-year term)
- Vice president Coastal/Peninsula (ESD 113 and 114) (2-year term)
- Vice President Southern (ESDs 112, 105, 123) (2-year term)
- Treasurer (1-year term)
- Vice President I-5 Corridor (ESDs 189 and 121) (1-year term)
- Vice President Eastern North (ESD 171 and 101) (1-year term)
- Member-at-Large Communications (1-year term)
- Member-at-Large Membership (1-year term)
If you have received this email you are a current member of CSTA Washington in good standing. The ballot is available here: https://forms.gle/aHdMSU4jwa6myz8q7
Please note that you must use the email that you currently have on file with CSTA Washington when you submit your ballot.
You can learn more about each candidate below. The election process will close on Friday, June 20, 2025, at 11:59 pm PST
If you have questions about the election process, please contact Lauren Bricker, interim board president and 2025 elections coordinator at bricker@cs.washington.edu.
We thank you for your participation!
Sincerely,
Lauren Bricker for the interim CSTA Washington Board
Board Nominee Statements
Michelle Laskowski, nominated for President (2-year term)
Michelle would be an inspired choice to be the next CSTA Washington President. She has spent entire career in education, and is a public school CTE teacher in a relatively small district in Pierce county where she currently teaches APCSP, Video Game Development, Intro to Cybersecurity, Robotics (and more) in an inclusive learning environment. Michelle has been an active participant in the Interim CSTA Washington board. She plans to use the newly formed CSTA Washington resources and organization to focus on uniting and supporting CS teachers of all grade levels across our state. She is a graduate of the STEP CS program at the UW, is a National Board Certified Teacher for Career and Technical Education and in 2024 received USEA's Outstanding Alumni Award for STEM education.
Lawrence Tanimoto, nominated for Treasurer (1-year term)
Lawrence has been the Treasurer of CSTA Washington/PSCSTA since 2019. Our financial assets are now larger than when he started in 2019, and we have not yet had our EIN revoked. Although now retired, Lawrence taught computer science at Ingraham High School in north Seattle from 2014-2021 after a long career in the international computer industry.
Melissa Cook, nominated for Secretary (2-year term)
Melissa has been an active participant in the Puget Sound CSTA Community. She has a strong network of K-8 CS educators and is seen as a leader in inclusive CS practices. Melissa has been a CSTA conference presenter and participant, and is currently completing an endorsement exam prep course.
Jacqueline Russell, nominated for Member-at-Large Communications (1 year term)
Jacqueline is a Product Manager working at Microsoft and is passionate about CS Education. She previously served last term as Secretary for the Puget Sound CSTA chapter and hopes to continue contributing value to CSTA Washington as a Member-at-Large focused on Communications, helping to create a vibrant community of CS Teachers across the state.
Alice Ouyang, nominated for Member-at-Large: Membership (1 year term)
Although just starting as a CS teacher (CTE) at Nathan Hale in November, Alice has shown great interest in CSTA Washington activities as she has attended our PCW, FUTURE, and STEP CS events. I believe that for the next few years, this role will be more "technical" in nature than specified in the current document. We need to create a new "participant" management system that allows us to support all of Washington's CS teachers without relying on national infrastructure, and she seems to have the wide range of technical skills (including in the EdTech industry) to help out here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/qyaouyang/
Note: The Regional Vice Presidents will be voted on by people who reside in their regions:
Denise Thompson, nominated for Vice President I-5 Corridor (ESDs 189 and 121) (1-year term)
Denise Thompson has been teaching STEM and computer science for 11 years at Orting High School. As a CTE and College in the High School educator, she serves a specialized student population focused on workforce preparation and higher education both. In addition, she coaches a Washington Technology Student Association team, advises the school STEM club and has been involved with CS support programs such as TEALS, Code.org, and CSforALL. While this would be her first term as a CSTA officer, she has served as co-President for her local WEA association for 8 years and Secretary for an additional 4. Finally, she served on the CDC committee.
Trish Henry, nominated for Vice President Eastern North (ESD 171 and 101) (1-year term)
Trish Henry will be an excellent candidate for VP/Eastern North. She has been a Curriculum Coordinator/District Librarian in the Mead school district for the last 16 years. Next year, she will be a full time elementary Library/Tech teacher. Trish is a facilitator for Code.org for CSF, CSD and CSP as well as a Cricut, Ozobot, Apple, and Makey Makey Certified Teacher. She is an adjunct at Central Washington University where she teaches courses for Applied Technology and Library Administration. Trish is also an OSPI Science Fellow. Moreover she was an instrumental member of the Chapter Development Committee and helped recommend a best path forward for joining the four disparate Washington CSTA chapters into one unified chapter. Her background and knowledge of the NE region of the state will make her an effective VP for that region. She will help the new board better understand how we can serve the region effectively and likely be a "leader" among the new VP roles.
Vice president Coastal/Peninsula (ESD 113 and 114) (2-year term)
Write-in ballot only
Vice President Southern (ESDs 112, 105, 123) (2-year term)
Write-in
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Lauren Bricker
(Dr./Ms.,she/her/hers)
President, Puget Sound CSTA
Associate Teaching Professor and K-12 Outreach, Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering
Adjunct, Human Centered Design & Engineering
University of Washington
bricker@cs.washington.edu
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