Spokane Schools Foundation Announces New Board Members
Apr 15, 2020
SPOKANE, WA – The Spokane Public Schools Foundation (SPSF) has welcomed five new Board members who were recently elected to its voluntary Board. These new members include the following:
Sam Song has over 20 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors. He is the Owner and Lead Instructor of Kumon Math and Reading Center of Spokane. Sam spent a decade overseeing the operations at Riverfront Park, and will be especially remembered for chairing the beautiful Washington State Lantern Festival in 2015 which drew over 80,000 people to the park. Born in China and educated there and in the U.S., Sam is familiar with cross-cultural communication and excels in relationship building. He was a past board member of Spokane Sister Cities Association, Spokane Chinese Association, Spokane International Academy and the Downtown Spokane Business Improvement Board.
Shelby Phillips is an attorney currently working in-house for Washington Trust Bank’s Legal Department. Shelby moved to Spokane three years ago from Los Angeles. While in Los Angeles, she was a member of the Junior League of Los Angeles and she also served on the Board for Pathways LA. She earned a BS in Business from Northeastern University, an MBA from Suffolk University, and JD from the University of San Diego.
Celeste Bowen is the scheduling department lead at Sacred Heart Medical Center where she leads the team that schedules surgeries in the Cardiovascular lab, Echo, Nuclear Medicine, Respiratory, Endoscopy, Interventional Radiology and Sacred Heart main OR department, the Heart Institute, and Holy Family Hospital. Celeste grew up in North Central Washington and has an Associates of Arts degree from Spokane Community College. She is a hard-working team player who has a diverse background in management, customer service and administrative roles. Her interest in serving comes from having seen the positivity that comes with community working together.
Laura Parasida, CPA, CFE, is an audit manager for Anastasi Moore Martin Certified Public Accountants & Consultants. A graduate of the University of Idaho, Laura has a B.S. in Business and Accounting 2012, and a Master of Accountancy in 2013. Laura is from Spokane where she and her husband enjoy the outdoors, including hiking and cycling the Centennial Trail. They are new parents of a baby boy and are enjoying parenting.
Jenny R. Slagle is the Spokane Public Schools Board’s (SPS) ex-officio member of the SPS Foundation. She is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation, and descendant of the Northern Arapaho tribe. The first to graduate college in her family, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration - IT Management. Jenny is currently the Director of Tribal Relations at Better Health Together and previously worked for the Kalispel Tribe of Indians for almost 15 years. With her husband of 28 years, she raised four children who attended Adams Elementary and Chase Middle School, all graduating from Ferris High School. Jenny was actively involved in Parent Teacher Groups throughout her children's time in Spokane Schools, eventually participating in Ham on Regal for eight years. She has been a member of SPS Diversity Advisory Council since 2015, chairing it during the 2017-18 school year. Jenny is also on the Board of Trustees for Every Woman Can and is on the WA211 Statewide Board. As the first American Indian woman to sit on the SPS Board of Directors, she is looking forward to engaging and representing each of the diverse communities in Spokane.
“We are very pleased to welcome to our SPS Foundation Board these five new members whom we know will be a great addition to our depth and experience,” said K.C. Constable, SPSF Board President.
