Board of Trustees

John Thielbahr, Board President. John has spent the past 40 years managing people, projects, and budgets.  Recently retired from Washington State University where he was the director of continuing education for 10 years, John has a varied and entrepreneurial background that includes both private sector and public sector experience, and non-profit leadership experience.  Highlights of John’s career include the following:

• 25 years of private sector experience in corporate finance, business consulting, and economic development
• 10 years as Director of Professional Education at Washington State University, managing development, funding and delivery of statewide, national and international education programs with a focus on children and the environment, in partnership with organizations such as the National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club, and Nature Conservancy
• 2 years as volunteer President of the Board of the Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute (PCEI), a Moscow, Idaho-based environmental education and habitat restoration non-profit operating throughout the Inland Northwest
• 2 years as volunteer member of Richard Louv’s national Grassroots Leadership Team, a part of the Children and Nature Network
• Volunteer Member of the Washington State No Child Left Inside Grant Advisory Committee, charged by the Washington Legislature to allocate an appropriated $1.5 million in grants for programs to connect children with nature
• Volunteer Member of the Washington Attorney General’s Youth Internet Safety Task Force to address predators stalking children on the Internet
• MBA in Finance from the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management, Phoenix, Arizona
• Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations, Cum Laude, from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California

John is married and the father of four children, one of which is adopted.  He has nine grandchildren, three of which are adopted.  He lives with his wife Sonia in Pullman, Washington.

Hilary Loeb serves as the Project Director of the Puget Sound Caucus at the Puget Sound ESD. Hilary has also been the Director of Research and Evaluation at the College Success Foundation, a nonprofit providing a host of supports to low-income students in Washington State and the District of Columbia.  She also completed research and evaluation projects at Washington KIDS COUNT, the University of Washington’s Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy, College Spark, and the Heinz Endowments.  She has published articles and reports about such topics as educational data systems, school engagement, and child poverty.  These projects built on Hilary’s research interests in teacher workforce development, multicultural education, and the impact of educational policies on students of color and students living in poverty.

Beginning her career as a teacher, Hilary worked and volunteered for a number of educational and nonprofit organizations in California and Washington. These roles include service as a philanthropic program officer, grant writer, and trainer.  Her passion for the mission and work of the Washington State Childcare Resource & Referral Network has been nurtured through her role as mother to her son Joseph who is currently in kindergarten and her family's access to high quality childcare.

Trise Moore, is presently in her 7^th year as Federal Way School District’s first Family & Community Partnership Director. Trise was recently selected by North West Asian Weekly Foundation to become a member of their 2010 ‘Women of Color Empowered’ alumni of Courageous Education Leaders. She was also appointed as a member of the Governor's K-12 Education Advisory Committee to Washington Learns, and in 2007 she was selected to represent her district at Harvard University’s Training Institute for Large School Leadership. Trise has lived in the Northwest for 20 years with her husband of 24 years and two children, a daughter who is a junior in college and a son who is a high school senior.

Deeann Burtch Puffert, Chief Executive Officer at Child Care Resources, brings together a talent for building relationships with others, engaging staff in a vision and strong analysis skills. She has devoted her entire career to working on behalf of children and youth through the not-for-profit sector. Professionally, Deeann has focused the past 24 years on the issue of child care and has worked on many aspects of the challenges of affordability, accessibility and quality.

Deeann joined the Child Care Resources staff as the East County Director in 1990. She was initially responsible for all aspects of opening the Bellevue office of the agency; hiring staff, engaging the community and developing the data system required to serve families. In July 1993, she was promoted to the position of Associate Director of the agency became responsible for overseeing the day to day operations of the agency as it delivered services to the community. Throughout her tenure, Deeann has shown innovation through the development of programs and tools to better meet the needs of the agency’s customers; children, parents and the provider community.

Deeann graduated from Western Washington University with a BA in Sociology, attended the University of Texas School of Social Work and received her Master’s in Public Administration from the Evans School at the University of Washington.

Prior to working at Child Care Resources, she was a Child Care Program Director. She was responsible for the overall management and operation of four NAEYC accredited child care centers that served 180 families. Deeann is a native of Seattle, is married and the proud mother of two daughters.

Douglas Hedger, Vice President/Manager of South King County Commercial Banking Center, Banner Bank.

• Member – Federal Way Noon Rotary,
• President – Meeker Middle School PTSA 2011-2012
• Treasurer/Executive Board Member - White River Historical Society 2005-2010
• Treasurer – Meeker Middle School PTSA 2009-2011
• Founding Board Member - North Pierce County Communities in Schools 1999-2000
• President - Lakewood First Lions Club 1998-1999

Cindy Dracobly, Principal of Camelot Elementary School in Federal Way. Personally and professionally she has focused her entire career on building partnerships with families, the school community, and children in order that they can work alongside each other to ensure each child reaches their full potential. She is passionate about working alongside families and the community including early care providers.

Cindy has been in the education field for 33 years. She taught Special Education for several years and then spent over 8 years as a Kindergarten/Preschool Teacher in an Integrated Program that included weekly home visits and Parent Training.  After that, she taught General Ed and worked as a Program Specialist and Transition Coordinator for 18 to 21 year olds.  Prior to becoming a principal, Cindy was a Special Education Coordinator.  She has been a principal for 14 years and is thrilled to be at Camelot which is a Pre-5 school.  She also has additional duties working with the district Preschool, Kindergarten, ECEAP, Head Start and SOAR programs.