About

Nichole Alexander is the Entry & Care Manager for the CoLEAD program at PDA. She has spent over a decade actively serving the community to expand programs for underrepresented populations, incarcerated individuals and children and families of incarcerated individuals. Nichole has been a Troop Leader for Girl Scouts Behind Bars since 2012, and since 2008, has participated in Read To Me Mommy and designed the After School Reading Program in 2014, for incarcerated mothers and their children. Nichole has recently acquired her BA in Law and Policy and will start her Master’s in Public Administration Public Policy this fall.

In addition to Nichole’s dedication to helping families heal, Nichole has specialized experience in intensive case management and care coordination services for individuals in the community with substance use disorder, mental health barriers and homelessness and has demonstrated her expertise and dedication to advocacy by developing strategies, and implementing successful solutions for community members to heal and recover from addiction, incarceration, homelessness and trauma.

Maxine Anderson has been an Outreach Responder on the north CoLEAD team since November 2020. She earned her BA in Sociology from Vassar College and started her career in domestic violence services with a focus on intimate partner violence in the LGBTQ+ community in Honolulu, HI. Maxine earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a behavioral health focus while studying under Richard and Lynette Paglinawan on integrating traditional Hawaiian healing practices into her social work practice in the Hawaiian Learning Program. Since relocating to Seattle in late 2018 Maxine has worked on the King County Mobile Crisis Team providing outreach and support to people in crisis all over the county. 

Outside of work, Maxine enjoys spending time with her cat, Po. She also enjoys PC gaming, cooking, and reading fantasy novels. Maxine is passionate about social justice work and reducing barriers and inequities in helping systems and looking forward to growing with CoLEAD.

Jesse Benet, MA, LMHC, is currently the Deputy Director for the Public Defender Association in Seattle, Washington. Jesse has worked at the intersection of human services and the criminal legal system for over 20 years, largely focused on adult populations since 2002. As a white, queer, and trans person, Jesse is committed to systemically addressing racial disparities and other forms of oppression across criminal legal and social/health services in King County. He completed a master’s degree in Psychology in 2002 at Humboldt State University and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Washington state.

Prior to joining PDA in early 2020 Jesse served in a leadership role as the Diversion and Reentry Services (DRS) section manager in the King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division which sits in the King County Department of Community and Human Services in Seattle. During his 12-year tenure working for King County, he administered behavioral health and housing diversion and reentry programs (including F/ACT, intensive case management, housing first, harm reduction and other best practices) and played a central role in getting the King County Department of Community and Human Services tightly aligned with the mission of criminal legal system reform. Prior to that he worked at a local behavioral health agency to provide and oversee direct release planning services to individuals with behavioral health conditions in the King County Jail in downtown Seattle.

One of Jesse’s signature accomplishments while at King County was driving the King County Familiar Faces systems transformation initiative (2012-2016), which has garnered significant attention nationally and cemented King County’s commitment to shift from a paradigm of stigma and coercion to one of health- and recovery-based initiatives to address problematic behavior and law violations caused by behavioral health conditions.

Jesse is driven and passionate about centering and serving individuals who have come into contact with the criminal legal system, often because of social justice issues (mental health disability, substance use, living in extreme poverty, systemic racism, homelessness and a lack of access to resources). Jesse has a long history of working extensively with a variety of adult problem-solving courts (most specifically mental health courts) and jail reentry best practices. However, he is most passionate about jail diversion grounded in harm reduction human services response, supported by important and integrated collaborations with law enforcement and prosecutors (e.g. LEAD). Most recently, Jesse has served as a local expert on promoting a health and human services response to the competency population (known in Washington as the Trueblood class), who often languish in local jails and cycle though criminal courts, a harmful and inappropriate response.

Michelle Brownlee is an Outreach Responder for the CoLEAD Response Team. Michelle is responsible for providing outreach, engagement, and case management services to her participants in the community.Michelle is graduating from the University of Washington Tacoma with a Masters in social. During this time Michelle has worked as a Peer Counselor at local Evaluation and Treatment Centers, on a LEAD team with the Olympia Police department, as a chemical dependency councilor and a lead discharge planer for a lockdown detox and involuntary treatment center as well as with the Thurston County law enforcement providing crisis intervention.

As the Greater Northwest Alumni President of Phi Theta Kappa Michelle also serves as the Vice President of Division IV on the Alumni Advisory Board for the headquarters of Phi Theta Kappa. Michelle started an Honor society chapter of Phi Theta Kappa in the women’s prison in 2020, here at the Washington correctional center for the woman in Purdy WA. It is the first in the nation. She is also a founding member of the formerly incarcerated student body club at University of Washington – Tacoma (UWT).

Michelle has also obtained her SUD professional license and is a certified peer counselor and a certified recovery coach for the state of Washington. Michelle is the true definition of recovery and beyond. She draws on her experience and strength and uses it to empower others to resolve their life’s challenges. Michelle is change agent in her community and role model to many.

Julie comes to us with over 16 years of experience working in supportive housing models/social services. She has over 10 years of leadership experience, holding supervisor positions at DESC for on-call residential support staff and as a supervisor at 1811 Eastlake. It was at 1811 where she developed a passion for harm reduction and human/relationship focused services. She was a member of the Life Enhancing Alcohol-Management Program (LEAP), a partnership between the UW HaaRRT Center and the housing first residents, staff and management of DESC’s 1811 Eastlake. She was also a member of the DESC Equity and Social Justice Committee for three years. Prior to joining CoLEAD as a Shift Lead, Julie was a Building Manager with Plymouth Housing Group, Julie currently holds a B.A. in Theatre at UW and plans to get her Master’s in Public Health.

At home she can be found in her yard, with over 170 species of pacific northwest native plants, making landscaping adjustments to provide improved housing to animals. She also likes to go on drives and forest hikes.

Tabatha Davis is the Operations Manager for the CoLEAD Response Team. In her current role, she works with the Deputy Director to support program needs, staff, and participants. She brings over 20 years of administrative, leadership, and operations experience to PDA.

Prior to joining PDA, Tabatha was the Director of a national media company, overseeing its operations in eight states. Tabatha earned her bachelor’s degree, with an emphasis on Leadership, from Capella University and her Nonprofit Management certificate from Highline College.

Outside of work, you can find Tabatha looking for new restaurants to try, enjoying a good book or on her way to the movies.

Crystal comes to CoLEAD with over 4 years in Human Services dedicating most of her time serving unhoused communities in Pierce and South King County. Her work has consisted of providing case management to assist folks from all communities living in encampments, cars and shelters. She has experience navigating the complex housing system such as permanent supportive housing, accessing employment, education, mental health, the legal system, SUD supports and other basic need resources in the community. Crystal has worked with organizations such as Pierce County’s Associated Ministries and Shared Housing Services in partnership with the Tacoma Reach Center. In South King County she has worked with Catholic Community Services Federal Way Day Center and Reach Out shelters. Her work is centered on holistic and creative approaches to fill the gaps in our communities where our most valuable, yet forgotten community members tend to fall. Crystal’s core belief is that everyone has the right to housing, resources and support that allow all people the ability to thrive.

Crystal has dual AA Degrees in the Arts & Sciences and Applied Human Services with a certification in SUDPT from Tacoma Community College. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Law and Justice at Central Washington University. In addition, Crystal is tirelessly on the frontlines with her community being a catalyst for much needed systemic change. She focuses on grassroots advocacy and organizing for many social issues including but not limited to; housing, social justice, equity, systemic racism, police accountability, and reforms in Pierce County. In her down time she enjoys learning, trips to the ocean with her kids, karaoke, hiking, being artsy and gardening.

Garrett Fonteyne is an Outreach Responder for the CoLEAD Response Team. In this role, Garrett provides outreach and case management to program participants transitioning from living outside into temporary lodging with supportive services.

Before joining the CoLEAD team, Garrett did outreach and intensive case management at the REACH Program, working specifically with individuals experiencing chronic homelessness who inject drugs and have complex medical needs. Garrett has worked in the social services field in the Seattle area since 2013. He prioritizes building relationships with individuals and empowering them through compassionate support to achieve greater well-being.

After moving to Seattle from California in 2008, Garrett started working at the iconic Pike Place market selling fruits and vegetables. Becoming a member of the market community and culture led him to call Seattle home. While not working, Garrett can be found playing guitar or spending time outdoors.

Carlo Garcia is a Shift Lead for the CoLEAD Program. He possesses 10 years of homeless outreach and direct service experience with a full spectrum of individuals experiencing homelessness. He originally started his career as an outreach coordinator for the Downtown Seattle Association’s homeless outreach team. He assisted in the development and growth of the program and was promoted to the Lead Public Safety Outreach Coordinator. In this position, he assisted law enforcement when addressing homelessness issues in downtown Seattle. He recently relocated back to Seattle from Buffalo, NY where he worked as the homeless street outreach specialist for BestSelf Behavioral Health where he provided intensive case management and care coordination to individuals living with severe, persistent mental health diagnoses. He also was the Chair of the Homeless Outreach and Housing Committee, part of Western New York’s Homeless Coalition, and participated in Code Blue which provided emergency shelter during the winter.

Outside of work, you can find Carlo spending time with his wife and pets, cooking, exploring parks or enjoying a multitude of other outdoor activities.

Savannah Goguen is an Outreach Responder for CoLEAD North, providing case management services to adults experiencing homelessness.

Savannah brings years’ experience to the PDA from her work at Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), where she served some of the most vulnerable individuals in Seattle. She first case-managed at Crisis Solutions Center, and thereafter as a member of the Homeless Outreach Stabilization & Transition (HOST) Program. As an Outreach Mental Health Case Manager, Savannah successfully connected adults experiencing severe, persistent mental illness and homelessness with services, which often included a place for them to call “home.”

In 2016, Savannah earned a bachelor of arts degree in Psychology from the University of Washington. More recently, she was awarded a Certificate in Private Investigation from the same university. Savannah aspires to continue her education in clinical social work to be able to offer mental health care and legal services to those involved in the criminal-legal system.

Savannah enjoys baking, kayaking, mysteries, and international travel.

As a previous member of the White Center Community Development Association and the Chairman for the White Center South Delridge Safety Coalition I have enjoyed working side by side with those in my community to make it a safe and thriving environment for my family. I have also spent time as a security guard throughout the greater City of Seattle and hope to join my experience to better serve those we at PDA support. On a more personal note, I am a father of 4 kids and enjoy watching my son’s traveling football team, hiking with my wife, weekend BBQs and working out with my Crossfit team. I am excited to learn about all of you here.

Ramon Hernandez is a Shift Lead for the CoLEAD Response Team. Ramon’s role involves assisting system-impacted individuals by helping them adjust and adhere to the shelter in place order. This assistance includes providing outreach services, determining survival needs, and coordinating healthcare consultations. He also provides leadership, coaching, and guidance to a team of Outreach Responders.

Prior to becoming a Shift Lead, Ramon has been a member of Civil Survival, Seattle Central’s Prison Education and Reentry group, and Pathways to the UW Campus for System Impacted Students. He is an advocate for men and women that have been impacted by the criminal justice system. He continues to work to create space and access for men and women at institutions of higher learning and advocates for restoring the voting rights of formerly incarcerated men and women. Ramon believes that speaking on behalf of these individuals will help others understand the importance of having a voice and engaging civically.

Ramon is passionate about helping those who do not have a voice. His goal is to help repair what he considers to be a fractured justice system.

When not working, Ramon takes courses at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is a graduating senior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Law, Societies and Justice. After graduation, Ramon aims to pursue a law degree. Ramon enjoys spending his free time perfecting his photography and videography skills. Additionally, he enjoys watching movies, going for runs, biking, exercising and spending time with his fiancé and loved ones. From being in foster care as a child to being a system impacted individual himself, Ramon has traveled a long journey to get where he is today.

Brittany earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Child and family development from Texas Southern University in 2015. Her education and career have always focused on her passion for work with children and families. She has been a pillar and advocate in the underserved community and those in the greatest need. Brittany has been working in the social services for over 15 years. Her line of work prior to joining CoLead has been in various leadership positions in the Pacific Northwest as well as Houston and surrounding areas. She was a shift supervisor at a residential treatment center in Wallis, Texas called Prairie Harbor with at-risk youth. Prior to that, Brittany provided housing case management at YWCA in the heart of downtown/Belltown where she housed over 40+ clients in a short time. She also assisted in the the Rapid Rehousing program at the YWCA.

When Brittany isn’t serving her community you can find her spending time with her fabulous 4 year old daughter. Their hobbies include shopping, laughing, reading, watching Netflix, and doing self-care at the nail spa.

Dr. Cyn Kotarski, ND, currently serves two important roles to support the newly formed and integrated care operations at PDA (specifically for CoLEAD). Dr. Kotarski serves as both the Medical Director for CoLEAD and is also, in a separate independent contractor capacity, a direct medical provider for CoLEAD participants. These two roles are mutually reinforcing and of great value during a time when integrated and holistic care for marginalized populations is recognized as a truly transformational healthcare delivery system, with excellent care, improved outcomes, and lower costs.

Before coming to PDA, Dr. Kotarski established a primary care medical clinic in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle (2013) focused on providing access to, and delivery of, health care services to the LGBTQIA community. She also served as Medical Director of the non-profit organization Integrative Care Outreach, providing outreach naturopathic medical care for people experiencing homelessness in Seattle. From that experience she recognized that conventional and pharmaceutical-based medicine have an essential role, but for many, didn’t provide significant or long term benefits.

Dr. Kotarski knows that the historical medical model of pathologizing the human condition has failed those served by CoLEAD and believes that rates of iatrogenic harm are disproportionately higher for marginalized communities. She found that additional holistic support including nutritional counseling, alternative and adjunctive health care options, harm reduction, empowerment, stress management, and demonstrable allyship support complex and long term health outcomes.

She believes that not adequately addressing social determinants of health undermines health outcomes and harms people and communities. Dr. Kotarski is a proponent of advancing health equity, the destigmatization of mental illness and substance use disorders, MAT access, harm reduction, safe injection sites, PrEP access, housing first, and believes that a society should be measured by how it treats its most vulnerable members.

Dr. Kotarski has been licensed by the Washington State Board of Health as a Naturopathic Physician since she relocated to the Seattle area in 2013. Born and raised in Buffalo, NY; she attended Buffalo State University of New York where she earned her bachelor of arts degree in Psychology with honors. Dr. Kotarski completed her medical studies at The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Tonia Lowery is an Outreach Responder for the CoLEAD Response Team. Tonia possesses more than twenty years of experience, education, and training in the Criminal Justice and Public Service fields. Tonia is devoted to public service and uses her passion to outreach and support the diverse population we serve.

Tonia’s education and experience are vast and include: conflict resolution, dynamics of human behaviors, municipal, trial, DV and mental health court procedures.

​When Tonia’s not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family and her 3 grandchildren (her heart and soul). As a hobby, she refurbishes old furniture.

Michelle McClendon a site manager at one of your lodging sites for the CoLEAD program. In her role, she provides outreach, case management, and resources that promote stability to our program participants.

Michelle’s reach spans nationally, speaking publicly at various K-12 schools, colleges and universities, prisons, and reentry organizations. She continues to impact marginalized people by lending her expertise to education, employment, and housing initiatives.

Michelle was a member of the steering committee for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a founding member of the Civil Survival Project, a committee member of the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduate Network (FICGN) and is a board member of the Housing Consortium. She also serves as the Reentry Advisor, Peer Counselor, and Housing Liaison at Highline College in Des Moines, Washington.

A certified medical and pharmacy assistant, Michelle is also a certified peer counselor for the state of Washington. She is a college graduate and participates in continuing education courses around mental and behavioral health. She is also a motivational speaker, facilitator, educator, mentor, and advocate for the advancement of postsecondary education opportunities for people who have experienced incarceration.

Danielle brings over 20 years of experience working in the non-profit sector. She got her start working with dual diagnosed individuals in a group home setting.  During that time period she received a bachelor of arts degree in Psychology from Seattle University.  While at Seattle University she worked with Creative Expressions, a volunteer prison program at Washington State Reformatory, which involved offenders in community-oriented writing and art projects.

In 2011 Danielle started working for Plymouth Housing Group as a Housing Case Manager.  In this position she was responsible for the delivery of homelessness prevention and housing stabilization services to tenants who were formerly and chronically homeless. The position called for delivery of services to program participants by establishing relationships with community service providers; providing information and referral assistance to tenants; intervening in tenant crises; providing eviction prevention services; coordinating activities that develop community, and facilitating occupational opportunities for tenants. This service delivery was based on the values inherent in Plymouth’s mission; the principles of cultural proficiency and anti-racism; the tenets of harm reduction; and the ‘housing first’ philosophy. 

Following that she worked as the Social Services and Member Resources Coordinator at the Pike Place Market Senior Center.  In this role she worked with a diverse clientele including Veterans and seniors who were homeless, suffered from the disease of addiction, had disabilities and/or mental health issues.  She assisted her clients by helping them to find and retain housing, accessing medical care, connecting them with benefits, navigating the immigration system, and helping them with day to day issues that they were not able to resolve themselves.   

In her downtime you can find her listening to true crime podcasts, watching stand up, painting, perusing the internet, or reading.

Stephen Percer is an Outreach Responder for the CoLEAD Response Team. He works with program participants to provide social welfare outreach and engagement through transparent communication and everyday actions. Stephen is a Northwest local who was labeled “at risk” as a youth and continued his behaviors into early adulthood, resulting in involvement with the streets, criminal legal system and the correctional system. Now Stephen assists others, by helping them navigate systems while fostering self-definition by actively practicing peer-to-peer mentoring principles. As a CoLEAD Outreach Responder Stephen is a communication-driven criminal reform advocate who views any interactions as an opportunity for overall growth.

Stephen is a 2012 Toastmaster of the Year Recipient and the founding President of Inside Out Toastmasters Club, the first Reentry Toastmasters Club in the world.

Ken Schoener is an Outreach Responder for the CoLEAD Response Team. Prior to joining PDA, Ken served honorably in the United States Coast Guard from 1984-1988, attending UMASS/Boston after discharge.

​In 1991, Ken packed up his VW microbus and moved to the Seattle area, where he worked at the Fircrest school and contracted as a vocational counselor until 2006, when he built a successful Boston-sports-themed pizzeria and cheesesteak restaurant near the Everett event center.

When the economy tanked in 2009, Ken was forced to close the restaurant and became a case manager/vocational counselor/property manager on the SE PACT team at Navos Mental Health where he worked for 8 years before joining the US Postal Service as a letter carrier. In 2017, Ken began working with homeless veterans at the Mark Cooper house, connecting veterans with employment, VA healthcare, and housing and resources for veterans transitioning to their own homes. Ken believes the biggest injustice in this country is the homeless veteran population. He continues to advocate for veterans by connecting them with the assistance and benefits they deserve.​

Ken lives with his wife on 60 acres outside of Mount Kenya, where he hopes to retire and build a primate campground and go on frequent safaris.

Josh Sutton is a Shift Lead for the CoLEAD Response Team. As a Shift Lead, Josh is responsible for providing outreach, engagement, and case management services to adults. He also provides leadership support to a team of Outreach Responders. Josh utilizes his lived and professional experience to connect with program participants and support them on their journey to stability. Josh approaches his work with a core belief that everyone is redeemable. Having been redeemed himself, Josh is a living testimony to the power of seeing someone beyond their current circumstances.

Josh earned his bachelor of arts degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Washington Tacoma. He also earned his A.A.S., Chemical Dependency Professional Certificate, and Case Aid Certificates from Olympic College. When Josh isn’t at work, you can find him playing shortstop for the Clean and Sober Softball League and spending time with his family.