Facilitator
Meghan Doughty
Meghan Doughty is the current Director of The Evergreen State College Master of Public Administration (MPA). Meghan previously served as Associate Director and is an active faculty in the MPA curriculum.
Meghan received her PhD from American University in Public Administration and her Master's from the London School of Economics in Human Rights. She is interested in ethics and the way the Supreme Court intersects with public administration and policy.
Alumni
Dolly England '05
Dolly is a dedicated public health advocate and long-time resident of Southwest Washington, with over 25 years of experience in community health. Her work has spanned HIV/AIDS education, reproductive health, and chronic disease management, always rooted in equity and outreach. She served as an HIV Case Manager in Southeast Alaska, bringing compassionate care to underserved communities, and spent three years as Vice President of the Vancouver NAACP, where she championed civil rights and social justice.
Her deep commitment to community organizing and belief in grassroots change led to her appointment by Governor Jay Inslee as Commissioner for Southwest Washington on the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs, a role she held until 2017. From 2021 to 2025, Dolly served on The Evergreen State College Foundation board, advocating for student scholarships and educational access.
Currently, she serves as the interim Equity Director for the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division, where she continues to push boundaries and uplift marginalized voices. Known for her fierce leadership and unapologetic style, Dolly has earned the nickname “the Beyoncé of Public Health”—a nod to her brilliance, boldness, and unwavering commitment to justice.
Alumni
Jasmin Faulk '20, MPA '23
Jasmin Faulk is an author, speaker, and educator whose work centers on cultural identity and deconstructing extremism. Born to an Arabian father and Italian mother, she came of age in a conservative Saudi Arabia before immigrating to the U.S. in 1999. Her expertise spans women’s rights, multicultural perspectives, religious extremism, and global diversity, captured in her memoir The Last Sandstorm. She also hosts the podcast I Want You To Meet and is currently writing her second book, a reflection on the harms of social extremism.
Alumni
Margaret Flerchinger '01
Margaret is a seasoned public health professional with over two decades of experience spanning food safety, radiation protection, and cannabis policy. Her journey in public health began with her very first internship during her freshman year at Evergreen, igniting a lifelong commitment to advancing community well-being. Today, she serves as a Lead Policy Analyst at the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division, where she helps shape cannabis policy through strategic policy development and cross-sector collaboration.
Margaret is known for her ability to guide teams through complex, emerging public health challenges. Her expertise in policy formulation, community engagement, and strategic planning has made her a trusted leader in creating sustainable, health-forward solutions with a commitment to partnership and equity.
Beyond her professional work, Margaret channels her passion for wellness into yoga. Recently certified as a yoga instructor, she blends her love for movement and mindfulness with her dedication to public health—empowering others to lead healthier, more balanced lives.
Facilitator
Leah Ford '18
As a dedicated leader in health equity and community engagement, I have driven transformative change to improve health outcomes across sectors. I chaired the Health Committee of the Tacoma-Pierce County Black Collective, advancing initiatives that prioritize the black community. I also contribute strategic guidance as a member of the Evergreen State College Foundation Board of Governors, the Board of Directors for First 5 Fundamentals, and the Executive Committee of Leaders in Women’s Health.
At the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, I collaborate with teams to design health equity policies grounded in community needs. Using a data-driven approach, I identify health disparities and address their root causes, ensuring targeted, impactful interventions. I lead the department’s Community Health Assessment, Community Health Needs Assessment, and Community Health Improvement Plan initiatives, setting priorities that drive systemic change.
Passionate about lasting, equitable solutions, I am committed to ensuring every individual has the opportunity to achieve their highest level of health.
Alumni
Jesse Honniker '16
Jesse Honiker is the Farm and Nursery Operations Manager at Hama Hama Oyster Farm—though she’ll tell you she’s just an oyster farmer. Before diving into aquaculture, Jesse spent a decade farming vegetables and sheep, where she learned that whether you're grazing livestock on pasture or oysters in the bay, it's all about feed—grass or algae, the principles are the same. With a background in agriculture from Evergreen (not shellfish, ironically), she found her education surprisingly relevant to marine farming: nutrient cycling, ecosystem management, and a healthy obsession with spreadsheets. Jesse traded a tractor for a boat and dodges orcas instead of elk, but the joy of growing food remains constant.
Alumni
Derek King '14
Facilitator
Beth Leimbach '94
Beth Leimbach attended Evergreen from 1990-1994, receiving a Bachelor’s of Science in Organic Agriculture and Natural History. After studying Ecological Agriculture with Pat Labine and Russ Fox, Beth participated in one of the first organic agriculture programs led by Farm Manager Pat Moore.
Since then, Beth has been working on and managing small farms in Thurston County: 9th Heaven Herbs & Vegetables with Greener alum Debbie Leung; a “Master Gardener” at the Nisqually Tribe; the Farm Production Manager at a non-profit called Left Foot Organics that provided employment and training to people with disabilities and at-risk youth; Farm Manager at GRuB (Garden-Raised Bounty) founded by alums Kim Gaffi and Blue Peetz; and a season with Kirsop Farm (alum Colin Barricklow). Beth returned to Evergreen in 2015 part-time as Assistant Farm Manager and became the full-time manager in 2020.
In addition to her passion for organic agriculture, Beth has also devoted time to her love for the arts through music and theatre. She’s been a long-time member of The Heartsparkle Players (founded by alum Debe Edden), and active member of The Olympia Peace Choir.
Alumni
Iesha Molnes '21 (Cowlitz)
Iesha Molnes is the owner of Brave Blooms Flower Farm, a Native-owned flower farm in Rochester, Washington. She is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and an Evergreen alumna (’21). Drawing on her background in biology and her Indigenous heritage, Iesha integrates traditional ecological knowledge into her flower farming, growing in rhythm with the seasons, saving seed, and caring for the land through practices of reciprocity. Alongside her husband, Matt, an Evergreen alumnus (’22), and their son, Braven, she cultivates premium, pesticide-free flowers for her community. Through Brave Blooms, Iesha is reclaiming Native presence in agriculture and showing how cultural traditions and science can flourish together.
Alumni
Dr. KK Pandya '05
Alumni
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner '91
KRISTIN ROWE-FINKBEINER is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of MomsRising, a nonprofit advocacy group with over a million members across the nation working to improve economic security, stop discrimination, and build a nation where everyone can thrive. She is a frequent public speaker, radio host, and an award-winning author of several books. She has advised lawmakers at the highest levels and been published and featured in hundreds of news outlets, including: Politico, USA Today, TIME, The Guardian, CNN, MSNBC, Newsweek, New York Times, and Washington Post.
Alumni
Doug Schuler '76
Doug's mission is understanding and development of civic intelligence, the ability of individuals and groups to meet critical challenges equitably and effectively. His first class at Evergreen, "Humane Technospheres" in 1974 helped him see both the opportunities and challenges that technology offers. It led him to start the free Seattle Community Network in the 1980's and to oppose autonomous weapon systems. And although he has been interested in AI since the 60's, he's concerned as to its likely effects.
Since graduating from Evergreen Doug earned Masters degrees in Software Engineering (Seattle University) and in Computer Science (UW). He's written dozens of articles and several books including Participatory Design, New Community Networks, and Liberating Voices. He's former chair of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility and of SIGCAS, the special interest group of the ACM professional society focused on Computers and Society. He worked at Boeing Computer Services on collaborative systems and AI for 16 years before coming to teach at Evergreen in 1996.
Over the next 21 years, he taught programs related to software engineering, computers and society, and civic intelligence, often with colleagues from other fields including geography, public health, philosophy, library science, and folklore studies. He also convened the Civic Intelligence Research and Action Laboratory where student teams developed their own collaborative projects.
He's retired now but working on writing projects including a chapter in "Liberating Voices in Education" that was inspired by his work, working with volunteers on the Pattern Sphere collaborative app, and serving on the Advisory Board of Evergreen's Center for Climate Action and Sustainability.
Alumni
Amber Sexton MPA '10
Alumni
Dana Simpson '99
Alumni
Dorian Taylor '25
Dorian Taylor (he/they) has been a dedicated advocate and community organizer for the last 15 years, whose expertise lies in Disability Justice, community engagement and social policy. Their lived experience gives them a passion for community and transformative change.
As a Queer, Black, disabled lifelong survivor of systemic violence Dorian believes we are lost without community. Only together through access and collective vision can we truly accomplish a common goal.
Alumni
Yasmin Trudeau '10
Facilitator
Wenhong Wang
Wenhong Wang, Ph.D. is a member of the faculty teaching in the Master of Public Administration at The Evergreen State College. In her over 17 years of teaching at Evergreen, she has taught many interdisciplinary programs with a main focus on public health and social inequality. Her current research interest is in pedagogy of teaching quantitative reasoning to students with math phobia and facilitating difficult conversations involving race, gender and class related issues.
With a broad interest in issues related to human conditions, she has organized events on artificial intelligence since the launch of ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence interface.
Alumni
Emily Wilder '16
Emily Wilder was born and raised on Whidbey Island in northwest Washington State with a love of salt water and fresh air, a connection with nature and native food, a commitment to a green planet, a strong sense of community, and a determination to fight for equal rights for all people, plants, and animals.
She earned her BA in Sustainable Food and Agriculture at Evergreen while running the educational oyster farm along the edge of Evergreen's 1,000-acre forest, joining student government, serving as the governor-appointed Student Trustee on the college's Board of Trustees, and helping to organize the Real Food Challenge (RFC) chapter on campus.
After Evergreen she earned her Masters in business and marketing at Bentley University. Emily is currently founder and 'Sea-E-O' of an online grocery store called Salinity Seafood & More, which features sustainable foods and home goods from dozens of Whidbey Island and Pacific Northwest small businesses -- specifically highlighting our native oyster species, the tiny Olympia oyster.
Facilitator
Sarah Williams
Ph.D., History of Consciousness, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1991; M.A., Anthropology, State University of New York, Binghamton, 1985; B.A., Political Science, Mankato State University, 1982.
Facilitator
Sean Williams
Sean Williams lives and breathes music and writing. She teaches ethnomusicology—the study of music in cultural context all over the world—and plays over 30 musical instruments. Her written work focuses on the many ways in which music and culture intersect: through spirituality, urbanization, food, immigration, gender, language, and politics.
Facilitator
Pauline Yu
Dr. Pauline C Yu (ze/keui/she) has been Environmental Studies faculty since 2014 in the Oly daytime curriculum. Dr. Yu has utilized training in marine biology and interests in the philosophy of science, feminist studies and queer activism to teach advanced marine science in both the daytime curriculum and in PaCE and to teach in broadly interdisciplinary programs in the daytime curriculum. Dr. Yu's co-stewardship of the Evergreen Shellfish Garden allows keui to offer shellfish ecology and husbandry training to students at various levels of interest. This fall keui is co-teaching Introduction to Environmental Studies: Waste with Dr. Eric Stein.