Who We Are

Andrea Elderkin is originally from Brazil and moved to the US in 2007 to start a family with her husband who is born and raised in Seattle.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a Master’s in Logistics Management, she worked in the Computer Software Industry in Corporate and Startup environments. Andrea’s relationship with WAAA started in 2010, when her daughter was diagnosed with autism and she looked for help to secure insurance coverage for treatment. In 2012 her family’s story of hope was published on the WAAA website, and you can read it here. She understands what it is like to raise a child on the spectrum and is eager to support the community.

Leah is from a small town in Ontario, Canada. She has been involved in direct support of individuals with autism and developmental disabilities since 2008.

Leah completed her Undergraduate Degree in Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario in 2014 and continued her education with a post-graduate diploma in Behavioural Science in 2016. Leah has experience in Intensive Behavioural Intervention, group home settings, community support, family support and case management. Leah is currently working towards her Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology. Leah brings a caring and compassionate approach when supporting families to access the resources they need.

Amy Schley has both personal and professional experience advocating for students with special needs in the public school system. As a parent, Amy has learned how to advocate for her own child and has gained extensive knowledge on how to effectively handle disagreements with the IEP team.

As a paralegal, she provides non-legal supports to families such as helping parents problem solve and communicate more effectively with the IEP team. Amy will refer families to resources and support with other agencies when necessary. Amy also assists our staff attorneys, in legal research, initial drafting of correspondence, and other general legal support for the health law cases we take on.

Aspen holds a Masters in Information Technology Management.
She has professional experience working with non-profit organizations to improve outcomes for individuals with autism and other disabilities.

Since her son was diagnosed with autism in 2014, Aspen has dedicated her life to advocating for individuals on the spectrum.

She is excited to use her technical and managerial skills to contribute to WAAA’s mission.

Elena moved to Washington State in 2015 and decided to follow her passion for building and developing websites.

Born in Romania, she holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics.
She then moved to Ireland, where she pursued an ACCA degree and worked in financial services.
Currently, she lends her expertise to WAAA to support our robust, member-driven website.

Nicole is born and raised in Sacramento California. She received her Bachelors degree at Boise State University where she majored in Communications and Public Relations.

At Boise State University, she found a passion for nonprofits and has been working for the past five year for different human services organizations. She has professional experience with nonprofits in fundraising, grant management, and event coordination.

Nicole is using her skills for Investments and Partnerships at WAAA to continue organizational growth.

Kimberleigh got her start in the nonprofit field as a volunteer for The Friendship Circle while in high school. She has since been involved in fundraising and event planning capacities within the cancer community during the course of her undergraduate and professional career. Kimberleigh is excited to share her experience and educational background with WAAA.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, hiking, painting, reading, and sailing when the weather permits it. She also has two pet tortoises named Clyde and Slightly.

Jack Conley was born and raised in the Greater Seattle Area and returned here in January 2020 after 3 years away completing his master's degree in New York City. Jack found WAAA by complete (but fortunate!) chance and joined the team soon after his move.

As a young professional with ASD, Jack is passionate about WAAA's mission and eager to help serve the community. Jack’s duties as Office Manager and Volunteer Coordinator include providing operational, logistical and administrative support to WAAA staff in a variety of areas, as well as managing WAAA’s volunteer program.

Jack comes to WAAA from a background in psychology, theatre, and nonprofit work. He has worked and volunteered in mental health, social services, and administration. Jack holds a Masters in Health Administration from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health (2019), and a BA in Psychology and Theatre Arts from the University of Puget Sound (2017).

In his free time, Jack enjoys singing, reading, swimming, writing, and playing board games.

Jim’s legal practice spans a decade and several practice areas, including health and disability law, business law, litigation and policy advocacy. Jim has worked in government, nonprofit and private settings, including building a small firm, and is delighted to lead WAAA’s legal team.

Romina was born in Asuncion, Paraguay. She worked for 10 years for the Primary Level, Child and Adolescent, and Civil and Commercial Courts in Paraguay. She went to Law School, and received her Bachelor’s degree from The Catholic University of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in 2006. In 2007, she moved to Seattle with her husband to start a new life. She came to the USA with no English and started to learn the language at Bellevue College. 

She has three kids, and teaches them to speak Spanish. In 2019, she got a certificate in Translation from
Bellevue College.
Romina speaks three languages, Spanish, Guarani and English. Currently, she is volunteering as a Legal
Translator at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and she wants to use her acquired skills at WAAA to
connect people, and overcome the obstacles between languages.
She loves to make new friends and enjoys spending time volunteering at her kids’ school. Romina loves
outdoor activities. She and her family always say yes to new adventures.

Dr. Chellappa brings in 12 years of experience in project management.

She previously worked in Green Energy sector and here in WAAA as a Quality Assurance Program Manager, she manages Grant based projects since the fall of 2018. As a part of WAAA, Raji is excited to embrace this opportunity and look for all of the ways to initiate positive change. In her spare time, she loves going on hikes, travelling and watching soccer with her family.

Ms. Forough brings over 20 years of experience in training and development to her position, including leadership development, government relations and non-profit management.

In 2007 she founded Washington Autism Alliance and Advocacy, developed the “Autism IEP supplement: Best Practice Guidelines for educating students with autism”. Her IEP supplement as well as guidelines for training teachers was legally adopted by the Washington State legislature in 2008 and became the requirement for all teachers working with learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders statewide.

Arzu introduced Shayan’s Law, Autism Insurance Parity to the Washington State legislature, petitioned the state Health technology Assessment of evidence based treatment of autism and ignited multiple legal actions that have clarified state and federal laws mandating insurance benefits for those with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Arzu designs, implements and manages local, statewide and national projects as well as provides technical assistance to agencies, providers and families on current insurance, education and social service practices and strategies.

Larry Blasko is Chief Revenue Officer at Apptio, where he led sales through its growth from venture-backed startup to successful IPO and then acquisition several years later. He is a parent of a child on the autism spectrum.

Aparna is a business leader with over 15 years of experience running multi-billion-dollar categories and launching breakthrough innovations in the consumer retail/restaurant space.
She is currently the director of product innovation at Starbucks, leading equipment innovation and automation programs to build the store of the future.
Aparna is on the advisory board for AIIM Partners; a venture fund focused on sustainability investments. She is a strong advocate for children with disabilities.

Valerie Kelly, a wholesale account executive, small business owner, retail buyer, and manager, left her
career to pursue her long-held interests of advocacy work for families of children with autism and volunteer work for her community and beyond.

Keith Foe, CFA®, CFP®, CPA, CLU®, ChFC®, is a Financial Advisor with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. The Network's mission is to develop enduring relationships with clients by providing expert guidance for a lifetime of financial security. Keith teaches a course on Not for Profit account at Seattle U.

Anna Kakos is
Managing Director, Corporate Counsel at Starbucks Corporation. She is a commercial attorney with emphasis on marketing, advertising and social media law.