Meet the Board
The Alliance Board of Directors consists of a diverse mix of Pioneer Square professionals and residents.
Jane Nelson
Co-Chair
Nelson & Nelson PLLC
Jane Rakay Nelson is a real estate attorney who has more than three decades of experience handling numerous real estate financing, lease and acquisition transactions for nonprofit and for profit clients. She is a resident and has an office in Pioneer Square.
Jane has been active in several professional and community organizations, having served as chair of the Downtown Seattle Association Board of Directors, co-chair of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Business Affiliates Board, chair of the Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club Board and member of the Board of Directors of the Woodland Park Zoo. She is also on the board of the Pioneer Square BIA.
Stephen P. VanDerhoef
CO-CHAIR
Cairncross & Hemplemann
Steve has been connected to Pioneer Square almost his entire life. From attending the first sports event in the Kingdome (a Sounders game) as a child and a thousand games since, to starting his legal career serving as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney at 3rd and James, to his current post as a partner at a law firm that has been in the Collins Building at 2nd and James since 2001, he has been excited about and dedicated to Pioneer Square and its residents and businesses. Steve advises corporate and individual clients on a full range of complex commercial disputes and risk management. His practice focuses on litigation and resolution of disputes based upon securities, financing, fraud, complex contract, real estate, closely-held companies, and intellectual property.
Leila Kirske
treasurer
At Large
Leila Kirske is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for RadarFirst, a Vista Equity Partners portfolio company. She has also served as the CFO for several other Seattle companies. She is a senior financial executive who has assisted public and privately held technology companies grow their businesses worldwide. Leila has a demonstrated track record in leading successful large-scale transformation initiatives, optimizing financial and operational management processes in complex, global business environments. She has served on the Alliance’s board since 2014 and has also served as a board member for Photographic Center NW, PAWS, and Bicycles fo Humanity.
Heather Hodge
secretary
The Pastry Project
Heather Hodge is the Cofounder and Culinary Director of The Pastry Project. Founded in 2019 and located in Pioneer Square, The Pastry Project is a social enterprise providing job training and mentorship to individuals facing barriers to entry in the baking and pastry industry.
Heather has worked in the food and beverage industry for twenty years, and throughout her career has focused on improving benefits and compensation standards for employees as well as repairing inefficiencies and reducing costs. Heather lives in Seattle’s Central District with her husband and enjoys foraging wild mushrooms and shellfish, producing elaborate meals, and studying the world of wine.
Grant Wojahn
LT Partners
Grant Wojahn joined the Alliance board in 2019. He is an alumnus of the Pioneer Square BIA board, having served as Treasurer as well as heading up the Finance committee. He is the Director of Human Resources for LT Partners, a marketing & consulting services firm.
Kim Cook
Bread of Life Mission
Kim Cook is the President & CEO of Bread of Life Mission, founded in Pioneer Square in 1939. Bread of Life (BOLM) is a shelter for men who are caught in homelessness and addiction. The staff there walk alongside their guests to find healing and life transformation in all areas of their lives. Kim came to Seattle in July of 2023 to lead BOLM and quickly fell in love with Pioneer Square. She believes that a healthy community is good for all of its residents and businesses and is excited to be part of the renewal happening in Pioneer Square. Prior to this, Kim lived in Upstate NY where she raised her family and was CEO of a rescue mission for nine years.
Jennie Dorsett
Hudson Pacific Properties
Jennie relocated to Seattle from Sarasota, Florida in 2001 and started her CRE career with Samis Foundation at the Smith Tower. She currently serves on the board of directors for BOMA Seattle and also serves on BOMA’s executive and finance committees. Additionally, Jennie is a recent new board member of the Metropolitan Improvement District.
Jennie Dorsett joined Hudson Pacific in 2013 and serves as Vice President, Operations for the Pacific Northwest region. She is responsible for overseeing 2.2M sf of property operations throughout Pioneer Square and the Denny Triangle.
Justin Nikbakhsh
Weyerhaeuser
Justin Nikbakhsh is the Vice President of Financial Operations at Weyerhaeuser, one of the world’s largest private owners of timberlands and one of the largest wood products manufacturers in North America. Justin has spent most of his career in or around Pioneer Square, starting at KPMG in Public Accounting in the early 2000s, and more recently at Weyerhaeuser, which has its Headquarters in Occidental Square.
Justin has nearly 20 years of experience in finance, audit, systems, and technology across multiple industries and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a graduate of Washington State University and holds a Master of Accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He currently serves on the Seattle University Accounting Advisory Board and the Puyallup Schools Foundation.
Tija Petrovich
Pioneer Square Residents’ Council
A born Seattleite, Tija started working in Pioneer Square in the early ’80s. By the mid ’90s, she and her partner moved into the neighborhood, purchased the business, and transitioned it into a modern facility. Tija and her 28 employees ran this multi-decade customer service based business until it closed in 2020.
Tija credits her neighbors and former customers for teaching her love of neighborhood. In 1994, she and a group of neighbors started an annual Pioneer Square clean-up day on Earth Day. From that day, the spark was lit and Tija has been a neighborhood advocate ever since.
She currently chairs the Pioneer Square Residents’ Council and has served on various PS Boards.
Whether through the lens of employee, business owner, resident, or property owner, Tija is all about “The Square.”
Barry Blanton
Blanton Turner and BIA Ratepayer Board
Barry is the “Chief Problem Solver” and a founding principal of Blanton Turner, an AMO® (Accredited Management Organization) real estate management and consulting firm based in Seattle, Washington. Barry is a Certified Property Manager (CPM®) and a Counselor of Real Estate (CRE®). In 2022, Barry served as international President of the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM).
Blanton Turner manages multifamily residential, commercial and student housing portfolios, and specializes in development consulting on new real estate projects. Blanton Turner is an accredited Management Organization (AMO®). Blanton Turner was recognized as the 2014 Management Company of the Year (nationally) by Multifamily Housing News, and was recognized as the 2016 AMO® of the Year (internationally) by the Institute of Real Estate Management.
Henry Watson
Railspur
Henry is the development manager for the Railspur project in Pioneer Square, while also managing placemaking initiatives for Urban Villages’ portfolio in Seattle and Denver. He has attracted notable businesses to Railspur and has forged partnerships with non-profit organizations. Henry also serves on the Pioneer Square Historic Preservation Board. His passions include art, food/cooking, and traveling.
Ryan Smith
Martin Smith Inc.
Ryan oversees the management of the property portfolio and operations of Martin Smith Inc, based in Pioneer Square. He was the third generation of Smith’s to join the firm when he began his career in 2003. Ryan also serves as a board member of the Friends of Waterfront Seattle and the Seattle Historic Waterfront Association.
Charles Beall
National Park Service
Ex Officio Non-Voting Member
Charles has served as superintendent for the National Park Service in Seattle since 2015, during which time he has led significant initiatives. He helped Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Pioneer Square offer a more thorough and accurate understanding of Native Americans, LGBTQIA+ communities, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and the working class. He has led the Seattle Unit to feature their contributions to Seattle’s history and culture through the lens of the Klondike Gold Rush and its legacy. The park’s responsibilities have also grown, leading to the creation of Seattle Area National Park Sites as an administrative structure that includes several other sites and programs in the greater Seattle area.
Jen Kelly
Emeritus
Although not a Seattle native, Jen Kelly fell in love with Pioneer Square shortly after moving there in 2009. After living in the neighborhood for just a few months, she decided to start a blog called “The New Pioneer Square” that could show people the positive aspects of the neighborhood and help build a strong community of Pioneer Square residents. A few years later, she had a daughter, who is now a precocious young lady who loves the city, and helped Jen to get more involved in making Seattle a more family-friendly city. In 2014, she and her husband opened a fast-casual restaurant in Smith Tower, called SPROUT. She hopes to continue to be an activist for Pioneer Square, get residents more involved in facilitating change, and share the realities of living in Seattle’s first neighborhood.
Kevin Daniels
Emeritus
Kevin Daniels is a founding board member of the Alliance for Pioneer Square. He is President of Daniels Real Estate. His development team has received two National Preservation Awards and numerous local & state awards for their work. He was named as the first recipient of the Urban Hero award from International Sustainability Institute, and received the Washington State Special Achievement Award and the Judge’s Choice Award from the National Association of Office & Industrial Properties for his work to save the historic First United Methodist Church in Seattle.
The American Institute of Architects has made him an honorary member in Seattle for his body of work. Mr. Daniels serves on the Board of Trustees for the National Trust for Historic Preservation where he is vice-chair of the Preservation and Audit Committees. He also serves on the Board of Regents for Gonzaga University. Until recently he served on the board of the Gonzaga Business Forum that sponsors Seattle Trek’s annual luncheon and Gonzaga’s Annual Vintner Dinner & Auction in Seattle. Mr. Daniels serves on the boards of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and Historic Seattle as a board emeriti.