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Board Biographies

Teresa Bigelow, Founder: Teresa co-founded the Safe Crossings Foundation after her husband, Bill Robertson, passed away in 1989 leaving her with three small children. (She was joined in this effort by Carol McMullin Flannigan, the widow of Ken McMullin.) Teresa recently retired from the law firm of Bennett, Bigelow & Leedom P.S. after a twenty-five-year legal practice during which she specialized in health care law and primarily represented not-for-profit corporations. She served as President and Executive Director of The Safe Crossings Foundation for seventeen years.

Kevin Brown, Immediate Past-President: Kevin Brown is a Vice President of Swedish Health Services and serves as the director of the Swedish Physician Division. Kevin has worked as an executive in the health care arena for a number of years and is particular adept at complex problem solving, finance and technology. As the father of three small children, he is dedicated to helping children in his community who are faced with the loss of a parent or loved one.

Kimberly Burton: Until recently, Kimberly Burton conducted research in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Washington as a Research Associate Professor. She took a leave of absence from the university to spend time with her two children and to help care for a close friend battling stage IV melanoma. The loss of her own mother to cancer at an early age and her friend (with two surviving children) to melanoma has led her to want to help children who experience the pain of losing a family member. The Safe Crossings Foundation uniquely addresses this need in the community. Kimberly joined The Safe Crossings Foundation Board of Directors in 2008.

Annette Clark: Annette Clark is Vice Dean and Associate Professor at Seattle University School of Law. She is both a physician and a lawyer, and has a life-long interest in bioethics issues that operate at the interface of law and medicine, particularly those related to end-of-life care. Annette is the mother of two college-aged children, and as her own children are launched, she feels privileged to devote her community service efforts to the Safe Crossings Foundation board and its mission of assisting children who are dealing with the death of a loved one.

Clark Collins: Clark is Director of the Banking and Financial Practice
at Strong-Bridge LLC as Seattle based management consulting firm.
Clark has served as a senior marketing executive in multiple industries
including financial services, renewable energy, brand & marketing
communications and travel and leisure. Clark's mother was orphaned at
a very young age due to an untimely death of her parents which inspired
him to join an organization where he can support children who suffer the
loss of a parent or sibling.

Donna Haggarty-Robbins: Donna served as Safe Crossings Foundation's first executive director, and has now returned to the Board of Directors as Secretary. Ms. Haggarty-Robbins has a master’s degree in nursing as well as a law degree, both from Yale University. She practiced health law in Washington, D.C. before moving to Seattle in 1989, where she worked in private practice and later as in-house counsel for a Seattle medical center. Donna brings a passion for helping grieving children to Safe Crossings Foundation founded on the personal experience of losing her mother as a teenager.

Thomas L. Hall, PT:  Tom Hall is the President/CEO of Peoples Injury Network Northwest, (PINN) an outpatient physical and occupational therapy company focused on rehabilitation of injured workers. He has practiced orthopedic and sport rehabilitation since 1982. Christine, Tom’s wife, passed away in August of 2007. Tom and his two teenage daughters have appreciated the services that Safe Crossings offers.  Tom sees his volunteering on the board as a tangible opportunity to help and support an organization he passionately believes in.

Casey Jorgensen: Casey is a Member at Williams, Kastner & Gibbs law firm in Seattle. Casey has personally experienced the loss of a parent. After attending a Safe Crossings luncheon, he became very passionate about the Safe Crossings cause. As a father of a young son, he genuinely sees the parent’s importance to a child. Casey’s legal practice focuses on business and real estate transactions, and his “prior life” involved officiating professional hockey.

Patti Joyce: Patti Joyce worked as a medical administrator for a number of years before becoming a full-time mother of three. Patti brings a sensitivity to the issues involved in death and dying and a commitment to help children and families facing these difficult issues.

Marjorie (Mari) Wellin King: Mari King has been involved with schools on Bainbridge Island and in The East Coast on different levels for the past 21 years. She has been a co-founder, Board Member and President, Capital Campaign Chair, fundraiser, and involved with development and admissions. As the mother of three children and having experienced the loss of her own Mom at a young age Mari understands how profound that loss can be for a child and how important support and communication are for that child. Mari is delighted to serve on the Board of Safe Crossings Foundation.

William Leedom: Bill Leedom was one of the founders of The Safe Crossings Foundation. He was a close friend and legal partner of Ken McMullin and Bill Robertson. Mr. Leedom has over thirty years of experience as a practicing trial attorney. Bill is actively involved with many organizations in the Seattle community; he currently practices with the firm of Bennett, Bigelow & Leedom.

Mary McWilliams: Mary McWilliams is Executive Director of the Puget Sound Health Alliance, a regional partnership of purchasers, providers and plans who are collaborating on public reporting on the variation in the cost and quality of health care. This follows a 25-year career of leading health plans in the northwest. Mary had 2 children, 14 and 18, when her husband died in a ski accident in 2000, and appreciates the value of helping children work through such loss.

Philip ("Flip") Morse, President: Flip Morse is the Senior Vice President, Administration, at Nintendo of America Inc.  He previously practiced law with Perkins Coie and has been a professional guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for his entire adult life.  Flip's wife Wendy died when their children were 2 and 3 years old, and he brings a strong dedication to helping kids who are dealing with the death of a parent or other loved one.

Mariann Zylstra: Mariann Zylstra is a Senior Vice President and Commercial Banking Team Leader for KeyBank in Bellevue. She is a career banker and currently manages a team of Relationship Managers serving middle market corporations in the greater Seattle-Cascades area. Mariann lost both parents to cancer at a very young age and understands the needs of children facing the death of a parent or loved one. She is married with two college-age children.