Team Members of the Family Support 360° Program

Verónica Guzmán, Outreach and Advisory Coordinator for Family Support 360° Program

Employee since 2009

Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Verónica moved to the U.S. in September 2000 to pursue her undergraduate degree at The University of Chicago where she studied political science and international studies. 

Upon graduation, she moved to Washington D.C. to work at the Office of Evaluation and Oversight at the Inter-American Development Bank.  In 2007, she was awarded the Rotary World Peace Fellowship to pursue a Masters degree in Public Policy at The University of California, Berkeley. 

During her two years at Berkeley, Verónica worked at UC Berkeley's Human Rights Center on project to reunite families torn apart by the armed conflict in El Salvador.  She also traveled to Uganda to work with CCF Pader Fellowship, a local non-profit that supports war-affected children and families, and to South Africa to work with loveLife, an organization that supports people living with HIV/AIDS.

Verónica loves the outdoors, cooking (and eating), and working with vulnerable populations.

Family Support 360° Navigators

Catalina Angel

Employee since 2009

Catalina is originally from Colombia, South America and has been living in the U.S. for the past three years.  She worked in the construction field for 18 years until she decided to become a full time mom.  Catalina is the proud mother of a two year old daughter.

Last November, Catalina joined The Arc of King County to support Spanish speaking families who have children with developmental disabilities.  With a smile on her face, Catalina explains that, "it has been an outstanding experience."  Catalina is also a participant in The Arc's program, Advocating for Change Together (ACT) where she is "learning to advocate for our families and our children in the community."

Catalina likes traveling to different places, doing colorful paintings with her daughter, and spending time outdoors with her family.

Tammy Dang

Employee since 2010

"Tammy" refers to her Vietnamese name Thanh Tam, which means a "pure heart".  Tammy was raised in a small town in Viet Nam without electricity or automobiles.  She came the United States in 1991 with her family after being sponsored by her uncle.

Tammy graduated with a B.S. degree in Business Administration from California State University of Sam Bernardino in 2005.  Her family relocated to Seattle in 2006 where she started working in a social service environment at the Asian Counseling and Referral Service.  As a case manager, she served individuals who were elderly and with disabilities in the community.

Tammy enjoys working and making a positive difference for others.  She also enjoys most outdoor activities, travel, and spending precious time with friends and family.  She is happy to be a part of The Arc of King County and the Family Support 360° Navigator team.

Mia Franklin

Employee since 2011

Mia recently moved to Washington from California. She has 23 year old daughter who has Cornelia DeLange Syndrome (CDLS). Mia joined the 360 Program to be a positive form of support for other families in the area. She has been an advocate for her daughter her entire life and has participated in several organizations such as the National Council of Negro Women, Poet Society, and others that support children and adults with intellectual and/or physical disabilities.

Mia’s goal is to continue to be a supportive and empowering person in the livelihood of others who find it difficult to navigate through a very complex system. She is a licensed Plebotomist, Cosmetologist and tutor. She genuinely enjoys working with people and being part of a supporting organization that cares about a better quality of life.

Mia enjoys being a poet and comedian in her spare time. She finds this very relaxing and a way to turn tears into laughter in light of challenging situations.  Mia has two other children, two grandchildren, a sister, niece and nephew whom she loves spending family time with. Mia feels blessed for her family and parents who are encouraging and supportive as well. Mia looks forward to working with families and being a positive member of her community.

Patricia Gonzalez

Employee since 2010

Patricia is originally from Mexico.  Although she has many things to share about herself, she wants families to know that, to her, the most important thing is her own family.  She is always telling them how much she loves them.

Patricia volunteers for several organizations.  She enjoys volunteering because she is always learning something new that enriches her life.  With the support of volunteer parents, Patricia started a family support group in her own community, called "Sueños de Familias" (Dreams of Families).  The group meets to discuss the issues in the community and how to best solve them.  Patricia strongly believes that having compassion for people is essential in life.

Patricia likes to travel, eat Chinese food, go to movies, and watch the news to discover what is happening in the world.  She is excited to be a part of the Family Support 360° program.  Her priority is to provide the best service to families.

Khadro Jama

Employee since 2010

Khadro is originally from Somalia.  She moved to the United States in 1994 and attended the University of Portland in Maine.  She received her Associate's Degree as a Medical Assistant and started her career in mental health as a peer counselor.

Khadro has been working with families with post-traumatic stress disorder and disabilities.  During the past seven years, she has been working with the Somali community services across Seattle to help refugees and immigrants.

Khadro loves spending time with family members and friends, likes cooking, and helping others as much as she can.

Barni Musse

Employee since 2010

Barni was born and raised in Somalia, where she studied nursing for two years.  Barni worked at a hospital in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.  Prior to her arrival in the United States in 2005, Barni lived in Kenya and Egypt.

Barni's passion is to help new immigrants during the first months of their arrival.  In this capacity, she has volunteered and worked for community organizations in Boston and Seattle. Barni enjoys spending most of her leisure time with her four children and husband.

Teresa Nguyen

Employee since 2011
Teresa is passionate about supporting people with developmental disabilities because it allows her to care for individuals who are like her son. She enjoys teaching and playing with children and loves to spend time with her son that has autism. Teresa looks forward to a long lasting relationship with those in need of her support.

Born in Vietnam, Teresa immigrated to the U.S. in 1990. She has resided in the country for 20 years.  Friends and family members describe Teresa as a friendly, open-minded, and compassionate individual. Teresa is a mother of two boys, one of whom was diagnosed with autism.  Teresa has a very close relationship with both of her sons. 

Spokane

Rosslyn Bethmann, Family Support 360° Coordinator at The Arc of Spokane

Rosslyn, or Roz, graduated from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo with a degree in Interior Design.  In 1995, her first born child was diagnosed with severe speech delay, sensory integration disorder and multiple learning disabilities, and so "The Journey" began.

Roz is the mother of two children in the autism spectrum.  Her work with developmental disabilities has been a personal one shared with her husband of 23 years.  "I learned early on that our journey would be full of challenges, bumps along the way and the occasional tears.  Anything I can do to help others through the maze of resources, services, rules and regulations is now my passion."

Anna Avakimova, Family Support 360° Navigator

Anna is originally from Armenia.  She came to the United States 17 years ago, and has lived in Spokane since then.  Anna attended a community college and obtained a degree in Health Information Management.  She passed the Federal Board Exam in California and became a Registered Health Information Technologist.

Anna lives with her mother and son.  She is also a piano teacher and has been teaching for 30 years.  In her spare time, Anna enjoys cooking, baking, playing the piano and reading.  She is proud to work at The Arc of Spokane, and is determined to use all resources available to her to support and advocate for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

Shannon Hensley, Family Support 360° Navigator

A native of Washington State, Shannon has lived in Utah and south Florida where she met her husband, and the first of her three children were born.  She has lived in rural Stevens County since 1991.  She attended Brigham Young University and graduated from Palm Beach Community College with an Associate's Degree in Psychology. 

Shannon has been an advocate for people with disabilities since her youngest son was diagnosed with autism.  She has even argued in state and federal courts to secure needed services.  She finds great satisfaction in helping people travel the road she has already traveled because of her son's disability.  She feels it's so much easier if one has a friend and a guide by his or her side who has already done the things a person who is new to the world of special needs will need to do.  The services that are available to persons with special needs shouldn't be a well-guarded secret! 

Shannon spends her free time volunteering in her church and her community and spending time with her family.  She is a newsletter editor for the local historical society and museum.  She loves helping others whenever she can, reads extensively and is planning on furthering her education by completing her Bachelor's degree.

Family Support 360° Advisory Committee

Mercedes Cordova-Hakim

(Bio coming soon)

Katrina Davis

Katrina is a mother of two beautiful children and a career advocate in family health and social services.  She brings a blend of personal and professional expertise the Advisory Committee for Family Services 360°

She has come to know autism services and resources through advocacy for her own son with autism and through her sincere interest in helping others navigate the complex maze that accompanies an autism diagnosis and, for most with autism, the life-long journey.  With a background in public health and significant experience in resource referral and case management, Katrina is an expert in finding vital services in our region and supporting individuals and families impacted by autism.

Lisa Fox

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Lisa was inspired to make a career move from Microsoft to Eastside Employment Services (EES) in 1995 by a co-worker with a developmental disability.  She is currently the Program Manager for Project SEARCH at Seattle Children's Hospital.  Her professional focus for the last 15 years has been to contribute to quality employment opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities in private and public companies.

Lisa is President of the University District Rotary Club and past Board Chair for VSA Arts of Washington-Art programs for students and adults with disabilities.  As a private consultant, she provides training and consultation at the local, state, and national level.  She is a visionary leader with experience in marketing, public speaking, leadership, management, training and facilitation.  Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication with an emphasis in marketing from Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana.

Paula McDade

(Photo coming soon)

Paula McDade is a long time Washington State resident originally from Louisiana. She accepted the invitation to join the Advisory Committee because “it is an opportunity to give back to the developmental disability community”. Paula brings her experience as a parent of a young adult who happens to have Down syndrome. Paula’s daughter, Marcella Young, is on the Board of Directors at The Arc. 

Paula works at the Seattle Times. In her spare time, Paula loves to travel both locally and out of state. She tries to take trips with her family at least twice a year. She also used to make hats out of fabric, straw and felt velour; a desire she wishes to continue sometime in the future!

Thao Pham

(Photo coming soon)

Thao Pham was born and grew up in a small town in Viet Nam. She became a US resident in 1992. Thao participates in Vietnamese temples and with the local community helping and supporting new immigrant families to adapt to the new life and culture. She has two daughters, Jennifer and Jasmine. Jasmine was diagnosed with autism and she is the reason why Thao joined the Advisory Committee. Thao wants to help and support people with developmental disabilities and their families.

Thao enjoys spending time with her family and helping other families as well. She is very proud to be a part of The Arc of King County

Martha Pinto

Martha immigrated in 1995 to Seattle, although her first time in the area was in 1993.  After 6 months in the city, Martha returned to Mexico.  Upon reflecting on the health and Early Intervention services her son, Ricardo, received in the U.S., she decided to return and make the Northwest her family's home.

Martha feels very fortunate to live in the Seattle area and enjoys the services and opportunities available for Ricardo, Paulo and herself.  Martha's sensibility and eagerness to help others is the result of her experience.  As an immigrant, she had to develop an understanding of the new culture, language, and different support systems in order to locate the services Ricardo needs.

Martha believes that there is a special connection between parents with children with special needs.  She is excited to participate in the Family Support 360° Advisory Committee.