About: Staff and Board

George Abeyta

Senior Program Manager

George manages Humanities Washington’s Prime Time Family Reading program. He is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound with a degree in English, and has a certificate in editing from the University of Washington. George came to Humanities Washington after an internship in Village Theatre’s development department.

Contact George at (206) 682-1770 x104 or by email at george@humanities.org.

Stone Addington

Director of Programs and Deputy Executive Director

Stone Addington, PhD, oversees Public Humanities Fellows, Think & Drink, Speakers Bureau, Prime Time Family Reading, and special initiatives. Stone received his PhD from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Washington, where he continues to teach. His research focuses on public philosophy, rationality, and the epistemology of extremism. Stone serves on the Washington Museum Association’s Board of Directors and as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Questions: Philosophy for Young People.

Contact Stone at (206) 682-1770 x102 or by email at stone@humanities.org.

Tom Beasley

Technology and Special Projects Manager

Tom is the administrator for Humanities Washington’s Salesforce database. Prior to joining, he managed the database for Yale University’s Office of Marketing and Trademark Licensing. Tom has a PhD in Classics and comes to Humanities Washington after 10 years in higher education, where he taught Latin, ancient Greek and digital humanities at a variety of small liberal arts colleges.

Contact Tom at (206) 682-1770 x105 or by email at tom@humanities.org.

David Haldeman

Director of Communications and Content

David is the editor of Humanities Washington’s Spark magazine, and oversees the organization’s social media, website, PR, and general marketing. He came to Humanities Washington after seven years in the nonprofit sector, first as a grantwriter at the Pacific Science Center, then in communications positions at the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Science History Institute in Philadelphia. A graduate of the University of Washington with a BA in journalism, David has written for the Utne Reader, CityArts, Chemistry International, the scientific journal Neurosurgery, and other outlets. He also hosts Dead Electric, a weekly music show on Everett’s public radio station KSER.

Contact David at (206) 682-1770 x108 or by email at david@humanities.org.

Mariana Imaz

Program Manager

Mariana Imaz, PhD, manages the Speakers Bureau program. She has a BA in history, an MA in literature and she received her PhD in philosophy from UC Santa Cruz. She has taught the humanities at many levels. She has encouraged grade schoolers to explore their ethical intuitions, introduced college students to the field of philosophy and pushed postgraduates to consider the connections between history and fiction. Her research focuses on historical narratives, philosophy of fiction and Latin American philosophy. She is passionate about creating spaces for people to explore philosophical questions and engage in meaningful dialogue.

Contact Mariana at (206) 682-1770 or by email at mariana@humanities.org.

Rachel Jacobson

Development and Communications Coordinator

Rachel assists both the development and communications staff with fundraising, email marketing, editing, and other tasks. She received her Bachelor’s in environmental studies from Lewis & Clark College with a focus on resilience in socio-ecological systems. Rachel is a Washingtonian through and through, and has an eclectic background in musical theater, world travel, and public health.

Contact Rachel at (206) 682-1770 x109 or by email at rachel@humanities.org.

Jera Lego

Program Manager

Jera manages the Washington Stories Fund grant, as well as the expansion of Prime Time reading programs. Previously, she served as the education programs coordinator at the National Humanities Center in Durham, North Carolina, where she organized various events including more than 40 Humanities-in-Class webinars on a wide range of topics. Jera has a PhD in liberal arts, with a focus on politics and international relations, from the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. She has two little ones who love to read books.

Contact Jera at (206) 682-1770 x113 or by email at jera@humanities.org.

Tori Lopez

Program Coordinator

Tori assists with development and administrative tasks across a variety of Humanities Washington programs. She received her Bachelor’s in English from Gonzaga University with a concentration in creative writing. Tori worked as a writing tutor at the university level in The Gonzaga University Writing Center. Having also received a double minor in Italian studies and film studies, Tori has a diverse background and appreciation for the arts, cultural studies, and language.

Contact Tori at (206) 682-1770 x114 or by email at tori@humanities.org.

Violeta Martin

Director of New Audience Engagement and Folklife Specialist

Violeta has a Bachelor’s degree in comparative literature and the history of ideas from Willamette University and a Master’s in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from New York University. Violeta has previously worked in higher education supporting first-generation students via college access and success organizations.

Contact Violeta at (206) 682-1770 x111 or by email at violeta@humanities.org.

Eric Sanders, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

In Eric’s current role as the chief financial officer at Humanities Washington, he oversees financial performance and measurement, governmental compliance, human resources, and information technology. He began his career at Ernst & Young in the San Diego tax compliance department after earning an accounting degree from San Diego State University, and subsequently transferred to the San Francisco office’s audit practice. Later, he served as a financial analyst for a publicly-traded pharmaceutical company in the Bay Area, worked as an auditor with KPMG Berlin, and taught business English in Germany before moving to the Pacific Northwest, where he managed the finances and operations of a small Seattle-based company prior to joining Humanities Washington in 2006.

Contact Eric at (206) 682-1770 x106 or by email at eric@humanities.org.

Thomas Grant Richardson

Director, Center for Washington Cultural Traditions

Thomas directs WA Cultures, a collaboration between Humanities Washington and the ArtsWA. WA Cultures conducts ethnographic fieldwork, publishes the online Journal of Washington State Folklife, maintains the state folk arts archive, and runs the Heritage Arts Apprentice Program. Prior to joining Humanities Washington, Thomas worked as an independent folklorist, writer, and consultant with numerous folk and traditional arts agencies across the county, as well as national organizations including the Association for Cultural Equity, The American Folklore Society, PBS Education, and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. Thomas has a Ph.D. in Folklore and Ethnomusicology from Indiana University.

Contact Thomas at (206) 682-1770 x107 or by email at thomas@humanities.org.

Julie Ziegler

CEO/Executive Director

Julie Ziegler has served as Humanities Washington’s CEO/Executive Director since 2009, joining the organization after a career in corporate philanthropy with such companies as Safeco Insurance (now Liberty Mutual), Bank of America Foundation, and U.S. Bank. A passionate advocate for the humanities and a lifelong Washingtonian, Julie is committed to bringing engaging, thought-provoking humanities programs that build community across the state.

Accomplishments during Julie’s tenure at Humanities Washington include increasing state funding more than tenfold and securing the largest multi-year private grant in the organization’s history; extensive work in equity and inclusion at all levels of the organization from board leadership to program development to operations; and the development, launch, and growth of new programs including Prime Time Family Reading and the Center for Washington Cultural Traditions.

Ziegler is a member of Washington Cultural Funders Consortium and represents Humanities Washington with the Federation of State Humanities Councils. She is a past advisory committee member for the Fales Foundation, a past board member for the Federation of State Humanities Councils, and was a founding member of the Washington Consortium for the Liberal Arts.

Contact Julie at (206) 682-1770 x110 or by email at julie@humanities.org.