Board of Directors

Carmen serves as the finance and administration director at Inatai Foundation. Early on in her career, Carmen was inspired by mission-driven organizations working towards social justice and education equity. Prior to working at Inatai, she worked at various nonprofits in California and Washington.

A first-generation college graduate, Carmen earned a BA in business management and economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz. She enjoys serving on the board of Southeast Seattle Education Coalition to be connected with her community and to support organizations that serve students furthest from education opportunities. In her free time, she enjoys kickboxing, spending time in her community of Beacon Hill, and rediscovering life marvels with her son.

Nimco Bulale is a small business owner, community organizer, educator, and an
education policy expert with extensive experience working with community-based
organizations and coalitions that work to strengthen the voices of disenfranchised
communities to promote a more just society. She is passionate about closing the
achievement gap in education, building power with communities of color, and breaking down the systemic barriers to opportunity.

Nimco was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and raised in South Seattle and South King
County. Nimco is fluent in Somali and Spanish. She received her Master’s in Public
Administration with a focus on nonprofit leadership and local government administration from Seattle University. Previously, Nimco attended the University of Washington where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with a focus on foreign policy, diplomacy, peace and security. She served as a Commissioner for King County’s Immigrant and Refugee Commission and is on the Board Member of the Southeast Seattle Education Coalition, the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Washington state chapter, and the 37 th LD Democrats. Nimco volunteers with various community-based organizations and coalitions that work to strengthen the voices of communities furthest from opportunity to promote a more just society.

During her free time Nimco enjoys traveling, discovering new coffee shops, spending time with her family, as well as enjoying Seattle’s impressive selection of restaurants.

Heather Otieno is a church administrator, 13-year south Seattle resident, and parent of children in south Seattle public schools. Originally from Missoula, Montana, Heather moved to Seattle for college and fell in love with south Seattle while tutoring elementary schools students at Graham Hill Elementary and getting involved in the neighborhood with Rainier Avenue Church. She worked with Urban Impact in after school and summer educational programs and grantwriting, and has since served at Rainier Avenue Church in both administrative and community development roles. Her church work has included helping people understand the pursuit of justice as a key component of their faith, and guiding church operations through a senior leader transition and the aftermath of organizational stress from the pandemic.  Heather loves walking through the neighborhood (often on the way to and from school with her kids), reading novels especially by authors from places and perspectives different than hers, and vacationing with her husband and kids in northwestern Kenya visiting her husband’s extended family.

Emily Tomita (she/her) joined the SESEC board in 2019. Emily currently serves as the Corporate and Foundation Relations Manager for Neighborhood House and the Grants Manager for Arms Around You. Outside of work, you can probably find Emily baking a cake, spending time outdoors, or hanging out with her dog Velcro.

Sofia Voz is the Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (DEIA) at Goalbook, an ed-tech company focused on ensuring all students, and specifically Black and Brown students in special education, have access to what they need to thrive. She has worked and consulted in the private, public and nonprofit sectors in Seattle for over 15 years. Sofia attended Seattle University and earned her Masters in Public Administration from University of Washington. She believes social change and anti-oppression movements happen through authentic relationship and community, and strives to build cultures and facilitate spaces that hold this at the center. In her free time Sofia enjoys food in all forms, traveling to new places, and showing up for her loved ones in big and small ways.

Corinna Quesada, MSW (she/her/they/ella) is a K-12 Program Advisor for the Strategies and Engagement team at the City of Seattle. She was previously with United Way of King County in the Education Strategies team where she largely supported the work of the Racial Equity Coalition – fourteen Black, Indigenous, People of Color-led community-based organizations throughout King County that provide youth development services through a positive cultural identity lens. Her career has primarily been in the education sector as her passion and lived experience has led her wanting to be part of supporting, challenging, and transforming education systems and institutions for current and upcoming generations. She holds both her Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Social Work degree from the University of Washington.