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Emily Johnson

President

Emily Johnson (she/her) is a strategic project manager for the King County government where she works to ensure all young people in King County have what they need to be healthy, happy, safe, and connected to community. She has nearly a decade of experience working on food policy issues at the local, federal, and international levels. Emily is excited to leverage her strategic planning and food systems expertise to support HIP’s mission of increasing food security in North Seattle. She is passionate about advancing food justice efforts rooted in racial equity to improve community health, create economic mobility, and build power.

Nicole Danson

Vice-President

Nicole Danson is a senior business operations specialist at Boeing. She has also worked in philanthropy serving on the board of the Employees Community Fund of Boeing and as a grant portfolio manager for Boeing. She has a Masters in Social Work from the University of Washington and MBA from Eastern Washington University. Prior to Boeing, Nicole worked as a social worker in homelessness and housing services in Seattle where she was first introduced to HIP. She is passionate about advancing anti-poverty and anti-hunger work by addressing systemic issues that create and contribute to these problems. Nicole lives in Lynnwood with her husband and daughter. They love indoor rock climbing, games, and cooking together.

Yvonne Chiau

Treasurer

Yvonne Chiau is a Risk & Regulatory Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, focusing on building compliance programs and monitoring risks and controls in organizations. She has been a CPA for 10 years and has a Master of Accounting degree from The Ohio State University. Yvonne enjoys exploring her neighborhood and loves discovering new and exciting things to do in the Pacific Northwest. She has lived in North King County for over 7 years with her partner and two cats. She hopes to contribute to increasing access to nutritious food and helping make a positive impact in her community!

Marilyn Miquel

Secretary

For nearly two decades, Marilyn Miquel has served as an officer in the US Air Force Reserve while holding positions at various government agencies. She earned her Bachelors in Nutrition and Foods from Drexel University, where she also completed her supervised practice to become a Registered Dietitian (RD). While still a proud east coaster, Marilyn, along with her cat, now happily call Seattle home since moving here to pursue an Executive MBA at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. Having stepped back from her career as an RD, Marilyn is excited to continue sharing her nutrition knowledge and volunteering in the HIP kitchen. 

Diane Carmel

Diane Carmel, MSW, LICSW is a Social Worker with King County Public Health. She provides behavioral health support for patients who experience poverty, trauma, and systemic barriers. For over 15 years she worked with several local agencies providing nutritious food and a sense of community to folks served, volunteers and staff. She was a collaborator with HIP founders in the early years of operation and is excited to be an active HIP board member. Diane lives in North Seattle with her husband, teenage daughter, and 2 dogs. She enjoys being in nature, gardening, cooking, reading lots of books, and recently started playing mahjong. Diane believes nutritious food is everyone’s right and hopes her contribution to HIP can positively affect the North Seattle Community.

Anita Colombara

Anita Colombara, originally from Washington, D.C., has called Seattle home since 2008. After a career in international humanitarian work, she earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Washington. Her experience as a social worker has included managing a domestic violence shelter, supporting unaccompanied refugee youth in foster care, and providing mental health services to low-income families. Currently, she is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, providing mental health therapy through her private practice. Outside of work, Anita enjoys a full life with her family, active involvement with her church, tending her garden, and always searching for glimpses of the sun.

Jon Douglas

Jon Douglas is a food writer and avid traveler, cook and eater based in Seattle. He is the author of 500 Ways to Eat Like a Local: A travel guide to the regional foods of the U.S., and publishes at Seattle Food Hound, a journalistic take on food news, trends, cooking and local restaurants. He was previously an editor for SmarterTravel, MSN Travel and Bing Travel, and has written for USA Today and Frommers Travel. Jon is a graduate of Dartmouth College and, in addition to working with the Shelter Meals program at HIP, also volunteers in community kitchens at FareStart and OSL Serves, two additional Seattle-based organizations that are dedicated to food security for underserved populations.

Julia Engel

Julia Engel is a Registered Dietitian and works at Sodexo. She is a Seattle native and lives in NE Seattle with her husband, two kids and a cat! An active John Rogers Elementary PTA member, Julia enjoys volunteering wherever help is needed. An avid home cook, she loves any of the HIP activities which involve preparing food! Being an active part of community in her neighborhood, school, church and other parts of her life are some of the most important things to her. She believes nourishing food to be a fundamental human right and the foundation of a strong community.

Lisa Siegel

 Lisa Siegel is a retired engineer from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Along with designing highways, Lisa was a member of PTE Local17, as a shop steward, REC member and contract negotiator. Prior to that, she worked for many years as a first and dessert chef in NW restaurants. Lisa knows how to prepare good and healthy food and what it takes to work and to volunteer in this capacity. Originally from New York, Lisa has made Seattle her home since 1987.

Krista Ulatowski

Krista Ulatowski, MPH, RDN, is a senior brand marketing and PR manager at drinkware company, Stanley. Prior to this, Krista owned and operated KUcumber Nutrition Communications, where she managed strategic marketing campaigns for food companies and wellness professionals. She holds her Master’s in Public Health Nutrition from the University of WA and her BA in advertising/business from the University of WI-Madison. Her strong belief in equal access to nutritious foods reaches back to her grade school years where she created a service club and organized fellow students’ volunteer shifts at her local food pantry. In her free time, Krista can be found spoiling her pup, Barley.