CELTC Events

It is never too late to change the course of your life and career. I will discuss how I went from a fairly typical suburban woman following the path she thought she was supposed to lead (college, corporate job, marriage, children) to living the life I didn’t know I could lead, making a living as a commercial and fine artist.

Recommended Resources

• Rich Reading - Book Excerpts (Google Drive)

Speaker Bio
Martha Rich

Martha Rich lived the typical, suburban life - until she followed her husband to Los Angeles where, just short of a picket fence and 2.5 children her average American life unraveled. To cope with divorce, fate lead her to a night class at Art Center College of Design. Her teachers persuaded her to quit the pantyhose, corporate world, leave her human resources job at Universal Studios behind and become an artist full-time. She went on to graduate with honors from the college and then got her MFA in Painting from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. 

Her commercial clients include Blue Q, Fringe Studio, Mincing Mockingbird, Chronicle Books, Green Thumb Industries, Penn Gazette, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Penguin UK, McSweeney’s, Portland Mercury, Village Voice, Bon Appetit, San Francisco Chronicle, Henry Holt Publishers, and Country Music TV to name just a few. 

Her work is featured in the Beck video “Girl” and a book about her sketchbooks, Sketchbook Expressionism, was published by Murphy Design. In 2019, Chronicle Books published her book, The Furious Notebook, Release Your Rage, Use Your Anger for Good and Chill the Heck Out. Rich’s artwork has been shown in galleries throughout the U.S. and internationally. 

She is currently living in her hometown of Philadelphia and teaches classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. 

How has history led to the dysfunctional social conditions we are dealing with in the world today? 

Maia helps people work through natural resistance to change and explore new options for integrating their physical, mental and emotional health. Using the Hero's Journey as a model for growth and development, they can build stronger connections with others for sustainable life balance, families, and communities. She helps them connect with purpose so they can lead more meaningful lives.

Recommended Resource

• The Story: the Maiden Tsar (MS Word)

Speaker Bio
Maia O’Brien

Tapping into her 30+ years as a dance teacher, physical therapist, creative arts therapies and community health specialist Maia offers new perspectives on turning obstacles into opportunities. In this presentation they will learn how master skills of creativity and emotional intelligence to bring higher levels of excellence to all areas of life including personal, family and social health.

Business leaders throw around terms like sustainability, net zero, and the circular economy without always providing enough context. This talk will clarify definitions, clear up common misconceptions, and encourage participants to think differently about how companies communicate about sustainability. It will reframe the traditional mantra of reduce/reuse/recycle and share examples of how companies can incorporate an expanded hierarchy of “Re’s.”

Recommended Resource

• Beyond the Green Team, Intro and Chapter 1 (Google Drive)

Speaker Bio
Julia Freer

Julia L Freer is business owner and the award-winning author of Material Value (2019), Rethink the Bins (2020), Beyond the Green Team (2022), and Materials and Sustainability (2024), plus a chapter in Empowering Women in STEM (2025). 

Julia’s company, Material Value Consulting, helps businesses that are committed to excellence in manufacturing while prioritizing environmental responsibility communicate their value without greenwashing. 

Julia holds a PhD in materials science from UC Berkeley, an MS in materials science from Stanford University, and a BS in engineering from Harvey Mudd College. 

How does one create a sustainable and thriving business within the exclusive and opaque world of the art market? What is an Art Gallery? Who can start one? What does it take to manage an Art Gallery? 

With this discussion we will demystify the field of contemporary art, review the nebulous Art Market, and discuss the business models and best practices for managing a Fine Art Gallery.

Recommended Resources

• How to Hack the Art Industry, with Magnus Resch (YouTube)
• The Field of Contemporary Art: A Diagram (e-Flux)

Speaker Bio
Judith Rinehart

Judith Rinehart is the Owner & Director of the J. Rinehart Gallery. She graduated with her BFA in Art History from the University of Utah and has spent the last 20 years working at an art dealer in Seattle, opening the J. Rinehart Gallery in 2019. 

In addition to running the gallery, Judith is currently a member the Board of Trustees for Artist Trust, the longest-running arts organization in Washington State that supports and encourages artists of all disciplines that enrich community life, and on the Board of Directors for the SOLA Awards, which recognizes and celebrates mature female artists in Washington Through her gallery and her volunteer work, she continues to advocate for art and artists in the Puget Sound region.

While there is a lot of conversation about raising money for innovative business models, there is less emphasis on a clear path to product market fit and a clear path to positive cash flow. Until then, founders have limited leverage. With customers and a profitable demonstration, valuations are higher, negotiation strength is stronger.

Recommended Resource

• Cash Flow Management: The Survival Game (iHeart)
• Why Execution Matters (Kellblog)

Speaker Bio
Kevin Grossman

Kevin is a catalyst for business, real estate, and sustainability projects. He supports founders and investors with strategy, finance, and most importantly successful execution advising. Kevin's renovated historic mixed use buildings, built green homes, led a LEED Gold adaptative reuse transaction, and developed two community solar projects. He's worked with 100's of businesses in making facilities decisions and with general business advising, from startup through $10m arr and successions. He's led reg D offerings and taking projects from concept through exit.

In this talk the Co-Founders of Haki Farmer’s Collective will discuss the history of alternative wealth systems from across the Black diaspora. They will explore how this history of cooperation and whole community wealth investment has informed the work of the Collective, and the unfolding successes, opportunities, and challenges that come from pursuing alternative systems in a quickly changing economic landscape.

Recommended Resources

• Freedom Farmers, Monica M. White: Chapter 2 (A Pig and a Garden, Fannie Lou Hammer’s Freedom Farm Cooperative)

Speaker Bio
Elisa Nyambura McGee

Co-Founder Elisa Nyambura McGee is a second generation Kenyan farmer and Co-Founder of the Haki Farmers Collective and TESC alumni. Elisa oversees operations at the collective’s 4 acre shared farm space in rural Thurston County. A lifelong resident of Olympia and TESC Alumni, Elisa feels a deep responsibility to help our unique Salish ecosystem thrive, while incorporating the sustainability teachings of traditional African foodways and farming traditions. Elisa’s core drive to live in accordance with this ecosystem comes in no small part to their time spent as the Puget Sound Estuarium’s outreach coordinator for nearly half decade, creating exhibits, digital and print materials about our estuary for youth and public programs. Elisa synthesizes these experiences on the farm when welcoming volunteers, students and event attendees onto the farm, creating an education space that is both hyper local, yet globally interconnected.

Speaker Bio
Mercy Kariuki-McGee

Co-Founder Mercy is a Co-Founder of a Haki Farmers Collective who has over 30 years of project management, organizing, and collaborating with others to design and implement projects related to environmental health and sustainability. Mercy is a TESC alumni who completed the MES program. Since then her work has brought her to WSDOT working on the first state emissions inverter for the WA Climate, to leading working group studies at WSU, the USDA, and policy advocacy in D.C. While her work has spanned many institutions and places, Mercy’s heart resides with the working farmers of the world from which she was raised in rural Kenya, and continues to move from the grassroots tradition of small scale sustainable farming communities.

Through the Assured Impact program, a panel of state agency representatives provides information to nonprofits on regulatory compliance within WA State. Subject matter experts from the Secretary of State's Corporations & Charities Division, the WA Attorney General's Charities Division, the WA Liquor & Cannabis Board, the Department of Revenue, and the Department of Labor & Industries will be on hand to answer questions. Whether you are thinking about starting, maintaining, or sustaining your nonprofit, Assured Impact is here for you.

Recommended Resources

• Charity & Non-Profit Board Service in Washington State (WA.gov)

Speaker Bio
Melissa Harris

As the Consumer Protection Education and Mobile Services Program Manager with the Washington Secretary of State's Corporations and Charities Division, Melissa Harris collaborates with the Small Business Liaison Team, the Attorney General's Consumer Protection & Charities Divisions, and a network of over 25 state agencies to promote public trust through education and outreach. The Consumer Protection Education & Mobile Services program strives to meet customers where they are to provide free education, resources, and information to small business entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and everyday consumers in all thirty-nine counties throughout Washington State. 

The Native Entrepreneurial Program at the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA) is a hands-on business development program designed to assist Native entrepreneurs move from idea to launch to growth. Built from the ground up in partnership with Tribal communities, the Program blends practical skill-building—like business planning, marketing, finance, and sales—with maker bootcamps, creative projects, and space to integrate values and community into each venture. Participants receive coaching, mentorship, and access to tools and resources that demystify entrepreneurship and make it feel achievable, not abstract. Whether someone is starting a side hustle, formalizing a home-based business, or scaling an existing enterprise, the Program is focused on one thing: equipping Native business owners with the knowledge, confidence, and support they need to build sustainable, community-strengthening businesses.

Recommended Resources

• Washington Tribal Economic Impact Summary (WashingtonTribes.org)

Speaker Bio
Shawn McElhinney

Shawn McElhinney assists Native entrepreneurs turn ideas into real businesses. As the creator and lead of the Entrepreneurial Program at the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA), he has built more than workshops — he’s built momentum. From murals and incubator spaces to tech initiatives and business workshops, Shawn designs programs where creativity, and business strategy reinforce each other. He’s known for clear writing, precise thinking, and values-driven leadership. At every stage, his focus is the same: turning sparks of potential into practical pathways for Native business owners to grow, thrive, and lead.