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KYFS Board of Directors
Pastor Jane Prestbye has been serving on Kent Youth and Family Services Board of Directors since 2004 and she is currently Board 1st Vice President. Since September 1999, Kent Lutheran Church has had the pleasure of Pastor Jane Prestbye serving as lead pastor. She and her husband Fergus reside nearby in downtown Kent. She has lived in northwest Washington all her life except for some time in Minnesota while studying for her Masters of Divinity at Luther Seminary. She has served several congregations in the northwest area including Bellingham, Seattle, and Bothell, where she devoted time to Christian Education and Youth Ministry. Before accepting her call to Kent Lutheran Church, she was on the faculty of Trinity Lutheran College (formerly LBI) for thirteen years. Pastor Jane excels at getting people together to talk, listen, think, pray, laugh, and serve. She delights in any opportunity to help people consider God’s love in and through their lives.
Carla Dean has been a member of Kent Youth & Family Services since May 2003 and is currently serving as President of the Board of Directors. She is also serving as Board President for the Pacific Credit Union.
In addition to being a student at both South Seattle Community College and Bellevue Community College, Carla is very active in her community and is married and raising two children in Maple Valley.
Anil Abraham has been on the Kent Youth and Family Services Board of Directors since 2003. Anil served as Board President from 2005-2007 and is currently the audit committee chairperson. He is the owner of Tacoma Peoples Builder, a local affordable homebuilder.
Born and raised in Kent, he graduated from Kentwood High School and received his BA from WSU. Anil currently resides in Renton with his wife Annie, daughter Alisa and son Ahron. Anil has been active in the local and East Indian community for many years.
Mike Mathews has been a board member of Kent Youth and Family Services since 1993. He has served as board president twice, is currently the board treasurer and a member of the KYFS finance committee.
Mike is currently a Vice President and Branch Manager for Banner Bank in Kent and has held that position since September of 2004. Mike has been in the banking industry for over 23 years, working in South King County since 1990. He is also a board member for the Kent Downtown Partnership and serves that finance committee as well. Mike is married and raising two daughters in Kent. His belief that “family comes first” is the reason for his commitment to Kent Youth and Family Services.
Israel Vela, Serving as 2nd Vice President for Kent Youth and Family Services, Israel Vela is the Director of Student Services in the Kent School District. The KSD mission is to successfully prepare all students for their future. Israel has been an educator for 24 years and during this time he has served as a classroom teacher, staff development educator, elementary school principal, and special services director. Israel oversees a wide variety of state and federal support programs serving the district’s highest need students and families and his expertise relative to ensuring success for English Language Learners (ELL) is constantly sought by both professionals in other districts and OSPI state officials. It was Israel’s vision that resulted in the KSD Refugee Transition Center becoming a reality. Israel has had first hand knowledge of how critical support and high expectations are to making sure that all students are prepared to be highly skilled and productive citizens.
In addition to serving as a board member for Kent Youth and Family Services, he has been a strong advocate for the Lucy Lopez Center in the City of Kent. Also, Israel is highly respected as someone who works to build bridges among the various cultures in our educational system and community. Israel is a productive leader whose actions exemplify true professionalism.
J. David Huhs, Dave has been a board member of Kent Youth and Family Services since 2006. He is currently the board treasurer and a member of the KYFS finance committee. Dave works as an attorney for Curran Law Firm P.S. in Kent where he represents clients in business and real estate matters. He also contributes to his community as President of the South King County Bar Association and pro-bono legal clinic volunteer.
Before coming to Kent, Dave attended Yale University where he played basketball for the bulldogs. He sees Kent Youth and Family Services as a way for children and their families to achieve their dreams by providing outreach, resource, and support to those in need.
Debra Entenman
Field Representative, Congressman Adam Smith, 9th District, Washington, U.S. House of Representatives
Sagal Hussein is a sophomore at Kent–Meridian High School and will be a Junior in the fall. Sagal will be an International Baccalaureate (IB) student, taking 4 IB classes.Sagal traveled to America many years ago, for a better education from Nairobi, Kenya where before her mother migrated from Somalia to get away from the war. Currently Sagal serves on the Kent School District Advisory Committee as well as the Kent–Meridian Change Committee. Sagal is a leader on the KM basketball team and an all league competitor on KM’s Track and Field Team, while also serving as the KM Volleyball team Manager. This will be Sagal’s first year on the Board of Directors for Kent Youth and Family Services as the student chair. Sagal intends to represent her family, school and community in the best way possible.
Carl Hart, Past President
Bell Anderson Agency, Inc. (Retired)
Steve Strachan is a 22–year veteran of law enforcement, and was appointed Chief of Police in Kent, Washington in 2006. Prior to that, Steve served as Chief of Police in Lakeville, Minnesota, a Twin Cities suburb of 56,000, where he previously served as administrative Sergeant, detective, school resource officer, SWAT team leader, DARE officer, and patrol officer. Steve has also been at the forefront of community policing initiatives such as the Conflict Resolution Team (CRT), which has shown tremendous success in reducing repeat calls for service and increasing safety in multiple-housing areas.
Steve holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Minnesota, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He is a graduate of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS) #51. In addition to serving on the board of directors for Kent Youth and Family Services since 2006, Steve is a member of both the International Association of Chiefs of Police, The King County Chiefs of Police Association, and is an active member of the Kent Rotary Club.
Pat Sullivan
47th Distict Representative, Washington State Legislature
Sommer Ueda
Brandy Reed
Honorary Board Members
Theresa Ahern
Curran Law Firm
Rev. William Carleton
Retired Pastor Kent 1st Presbyterian Church
Ed Crawford
Kent Police Department, Chief (Retired)
Julia Patterson
5th District Member, Metropolitan King County Council
Geoff Simpson
Washington State Representative, 47th District
Margaret Whitney
Assistant Superintendent Kent School District (Retired)
Judy Woods
Retired Green River Community College