WSTRA Board Candidates
We are thrilled to announce the following candidates for our open board positions!
Online voting will be held Monday, June 1st – Tuesday, June 9th and the new board will be sworn in on Wednesday, June 1oth.
Please review the candidate bios and vote below!
WSTRA Board Candidates
President Elect
Kelsey McFarland Ellis, CTRS/R
Kelsey obtained her degree in Therapeutic Recreation from Eastern Washington University in 2008. After completing her internship at Harborview Medical Center on the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, she has worked on various inpatient rehabilitation units in Western Washington, as an Aquatic Therapist, and completing evaluations for King County Metro Access. In 2013, she and her husband traveled around the world, visiting South America, India, Nepal, and Southeast Asia. Kelsey is currently working for Providence ElderPlace.
Secretary
Katie Stephens
Katie Stephens is a graduate of Western Washington University where she received her BA in Recreation and emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation. While in school, she completed an internship at the Seattle VA Hospital in the Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury Unit and was able to attend the Wheelchair Games in Colorado. After graduation she worked for four years in a long term care setting for older adults with memory loss and served as a TR intern supervisor for WWU students. Katie is currently pursuing a Masters in Social Work with an emphasis in Administration and Policy and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management at the University of Washington. Additionally, Katie is volunteering her time in a number of different capacities in order to help community-based organizations offer adaptive recreation within their programming.
West Side Representative
Ashley Skartvedt
Ashley Skartvedt earned her BA in Therapeutic Recreation from Western Washington University in 2009. She has been working as a CTRS at the Child Study and Treatment Center in Lakewood, WA for the last 3 years. Ashley enjoys playing soccer and recently completed a 200 hour Yoga Teacher training in March.
Michele Solomon
Michelle Solomon grew up in Redmond and graduated from Western Washington University in the Therapeutic Recreation program in March of 2014 and has been credentialed as a CTRS since May 2014. Most of her experience and passion has been working with individuals with developmental disabilities on life skills and social skills. Michelle recently took on a Recreation Therapist position at Cascade Behavioral Hospital where she works with patients with mental illness, helping increase leisure awareness and quality of life during their stay as well as post-treatment. Michelle has helped plan the student networking sessions for the 16th annual WSTRA conference. In her free time, Michelle loves Zumba, karaoke, hiking, cooking, playing tennis, and exploring the Pacific Northwest.
