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Meet Our Advocacy Team
The League of Women Voters of Washington has a large advocacy team made up of issues chairs, a paid contract lobbyist, and a team of volunteer advocates who support their work.
LWVWA Issue Chairs
The following people are volunteer lobbyists on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Washington State.
Mary Lynne Courtney Behavioral Health CareMary Lynne Courtney is a retired child/adolescent clinical psychologist. She practiced in North Carolina and Washington State. Prior to returning to school to train as a psychologist, she worked as a computer software consultant for small businesses. She joined the League in 2018. Currently, she is Co-chair of the LWV-BWC Healthcare Issues Team and a member of the Public Hospital District Civics Education Committee. In addition to her League activities, she is active in local disaster response groups. She grew up In Chicago, briefly lived in New York State, and then moved in North Carolina where she lived for 27 years. She and her husband moved to Bellingham Washington in 2008 after being lured by the idyllic weather in the Pacific Northwest in August. Contact Information: |
Phyllis Farrell Agriculture Phyllis Farrell is a retired public school teacher and has been active with the League’s Lobby Team since 2016. She served as Climate Change Issue Chair from 2016-2020 and has been an Advocate from 2021-present. Phyllis was raised on a farm in Iowa that practiced what is now known as regenerative farming. She will focus on protecting agriculture lands, promoting agriculture viability, sustainable agriculture practices, reducing climate impacts, environmental protections and addressing rural communities impacted by agriculture pollution. She lives in Olympia and enjoys hiking and traveling. Contact Information: |
Dee Anne Finken Local NewsDee Anne Finken is a former journalist who reported for The Fresno Bee and The Oregonian newspapers before becoming a tenured faculty member at Clark College. There she directed the journalism program until her retirement in 2018. She co-chaired the LWVWA study “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy” and now chairs the state League’s Local News Committee. She believes strongly that local news serves a vital role in our efforts to defend democracy and empower and educate voters. She lives in Vancouver with her husband of 41 years. They have two adult sons and two grandsons. In addition to her volunteer work with the League, she offers pro bono coaching to early career journalists, swims, enjoys time with family and friends and reads newspapers — in print and online. Contact Information: |
Martin Gibbins Climate Change and EnergyMartin Gibbins grew up in West Virginia; his father was a college professor and his mother was an activist for the League of Women Voters for over 50 years. He earned engineering degrees from Virginia Tech and for 35 years worked for Boeing in design, analysis, research, and management. Now retired, he lives on a lake in Carnation and enjoys snow skiing in the Cascades, travel, theater, and flying sail planes (zero-emission vehicles) with Evergreen Soaring. Marty joined the LWV of Washington in early 2017 and joined the Advocacy Team to promote legislation that ensured a healthy environment for people and wildlife. He has previously worked on water issues and now advocates in the areas of climate and energy. He served on the State Energy Strategy Advisory Committee in 2020 and on the LWVUS Climate Team. Contact Information: |
Janet Hedgepath Child Custody and Support; Children's Services Bio to come Contact Information: |
Katie Johnson Health Care Katie Johnson,DNP, RN, NCSN-E, PHNA-BC, FNASN, FAAN, is a retired Registered Nurse with a passion for equitable, accessible health care. She has a clinical doctorate (DNP) in population health nursing and has been recognized as a Fellow in the National Association of School Nurses and the National Academy of Nursing. She is a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow, and a Johnson & Johnson School Health Leadership Fellow. Katie’s experience spans nearly 50 years in nursing, from intensive care in the hospital setting, to community care as a visiting nurse, and as a school nurse. As a school nurse, she has worked in direct care, as Interim School Nurse Consultant at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Manager of Seattle Public Schools Student Health Services leading 90 nurses and serving 54,000 students from diverse backgrounds. She taught community health nursing to undergraduate nursing students and population health to nursing clinical doctorate students. Most recently, she developed the OSPI Beginning Educator Support Team School Nurse Mentorship Academies and Roundtables. She is a national presenter on school nursing issues—particularly policy and data use - has published frequently in peer reviewed journals, and as invited author for textbook chapters on data, documentation, and public health. Growing up in Upstate New York, she has made Everett, WA her home since 1980, where with her husband of nearly 50 years they have raised their three adult children and enjoy their first grandchild. Katie is active in nursing policy through the legislative committees for the School Nurse Organization of Washington and the Washington State Nurses Association. She has been a member of the League of Women Voters since 2025 with a goal of advancing a single payer, universal health insurance program. Contact Information: |
Kate Lunceford Forests Kate Lunceford is a retired Certified Property Manager who worked most recently with Trammell Crow Company. Kate joined LWV of Snohomish County in 2013, where she found talented, interested people engaged in the work of strengthening democracy. Kate’s interest in forest issues grew out of many years of hiking and backpacking in the Pacific NW. She joined the Snohomish County League’s Tree Campaign and helped shepherd an Urban Tree Canopy Policy into the 2025 Snohomish County Comprehensive Plan. Laws and policies governing urban trees in state law led to the question of whether trees in urban areas and on state forest lands could be better managed to provide climate mitigation and biodiversity. Contact information: | Alison McCaffree Alison McCaffree has a wide range of leadership, management, and community organizing experience. Her involvement with giving back to her community started at an early age—when she was a recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award. Alison holds mechanical engineering degrees from Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Sloan School of Business at MIT. After starting and managing successful for-profit businesses, Alison moved to the nonprofit sector, where she has held chief executive positions since 2009. Alison currently leads Politics of the Possible in Action—a nonprofit that focuses on increasing community engagement and enhancing the public’s knowledge of civics and Quantum Martial Arts Tacoma – a nonprofit dojo focused on personal strengths and interconnecting communities. Alison chairs the LWVWA Washington Redistricting Reform Task Force that is advocating for reforms to the Washington State Redistricting Commission. Contact Information: |
Ann Murphy Solid Waste Management Reduce, Reuse, Recycle...and Rethink!—Ann’s mantra as Education Coordinator for the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System for 25 years is the basis for her passion and knowledge of handling waste. In the solid waste arena Ann worked with statewide groups: Environmental Education Association of Washington (Green Schools Program & Secretary) and Washington Recycling Association (named to Recycling Hall of Fame-2011) As a League member previously served: LWVWA – Waste Diversion Advocate (2022), Lobby Team Chair (2018-20), Action Chair (2018-19), President (2015-2019), Education Fund Board (2011-15), Ed Fund Treasurer (2013-15). LWV Spokane Area – member since 1982; offices held: President, Vice President/ Action Chair, Secretary, VOTER Editor, Program Issue Chair. Also, past membership in LWV Pullman & former Othello UAL. Contact Information: |
Karen Peacey Criminal Justice Karen Peacey has worked on voting and criminal justice issues since 2013. She believes that every citizen has the right to vote and needs to be informed that their vote truly counts - and that there is a need for criminal justice reform in Washington to correct a system that is broken and to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Karen has served on several Governor-appointed task forces, alongside the Department of Labor and Industries Electrical Department, to create new licensing requirements for electrical workers. In that capacity, she met with legislators to develop positions, seek common ground, and identify shared interests, as well as writing and passing legislation. Karen joined the League of Women Voters of King County in July 2023 and has been actively involved with the criminal justice team since joining. Having been incarcerated herself, Karen knows criminal justice issues well. Contact Information: |
Cynthia Stewart Housing and Homeless, Cynthia Stewart has worked for decades in the field of public works, including management roles on the King County Council central staff, the King County solid waste division, and the King County airport, where she was designated Airport Manager of the Year by the Washington State Department of Transportation. She has also consulted with small cities on development of capital facilities plans and served as deputy county manager in Thurston County, where she was responsible for finance, including funding of the capital facilities plan. After retiring, Cynthia became an active League of Women Voters member and has served on the LWVWA Advocacy Team for transportation and as support for health care and revenue. In the last several years, she has worked intensively on homelessness issues and now lobbies for the League on housing/homelessness and revenue as well as transportation. Contact Information: |
Karen Tvedt Early Care and Education of Young Children Karen Tvedt worked for decades on public policy and research issues specializing in child care, early education and family policy. Among her many roles, she operated child care programs, served as a child welfare social worker, oversaw statewide child care licensing, subsidies and quality activities in Washington State, and was director of child care policy and research for the federal government in Washington DC. Karen joined the League of Women Voters of Thurston County in 2009, serving on the board from 2010 through 2017 and local president from 2020-2022. From 2010-2015, she was a member of the League’s statewide lobby team working on issues of child care and early learning. Karen is passionate about issues of social justice and is committed to sound public policy and research-based efforts in addressing the many challenges we face as a society. Returning to Washington State in 2005, Karen worked for the Governor’s Office as director of the Early Learning Council and coordinated the federal Child Care Policy and Research Consortium as a consultant. She has an MPA from The Evergreen State College, a Ph.D. in Social Work and Social Research from Portland State University and was ordained as a Buddhist Chaplain in 2019. In retirement, Karen has helped care for her elderly parents while volunteering with the League of Women Voters, Interfaith Works, Assured Hospice, and the Washington State Correctional Center in Shelton. Contact Information: |
| Lydia Zepeda Immigrants Lydia Zepeda is professor emerita of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She worked for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization in Rome and has been a Fulbright Scholar in Spain and Costa Rica. She is co-author of Welcoming Immigrants to Washington, author of Bad Choices in Our Food System. and has over 70 research publications on the economics of food production and consumption. In addition to serving on the LWVWA Lobby Team as Immigrant Issue Chair, Lydia served on the concurrence committee for the LWVWA immigrants policy; is on the Board and Secretary of the League of Women Voters Tacoma Pierce County (LWVTPC); moderates LWVTPC candidate forums; leads the LWVTPC observer corps; teaches the history of voting for LWVTPC civics education; is a Commissioner for the City of Tacoma Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and Chair of its Community Safety Committee; on the Board and Treasurer of Wisconsin University Union; on the Advisory Board of Slow Food University of Wisconsin; and has over 15 year experience regularly visiting and advocating for immigrants in detention. She is also an avid equestrian, sailor, hiker, Regency costumer, wine maker, and foodie. Contact Information: |
Advocates The following people are volunteer advocates who support the work of our Issue Chairs. They do not lobby on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Washington State.
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