Reza Khastou, M.Ed., Program Director

 

Reza Khastou is Founder and Director of Bright Future Program, part of the Running Start system enabling high school students to participate in local career training programs within community colleges. He is also a founding member of the Institute for a Bright Future, dedicated to replicating the Bright Future Program into other geographic areas. Concurrently, he serves as Director of Transitional Services and Adult Basic Education at Seattle Vocational Institute. Throughout his 30 years' career, Reza has functioned as a school administrator, teacher, advisor, business owner, and private consultant. His ability to communicate effectively with high school, community colleges, and vocational training facilities has enabled him to develop and implement effective workforce education programs that create meaningful options for high school students. Reza has been recognized professionally for his innovative work through multiple awards, including the KCTS Golden Apple Award in 2007, the Governor's Best Practice Award in 2009, and the Seattle Community Colleges Trustees Lifelong Learning Award in 2011.

 

Reza earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the College of Political and Social Studies in Tehran. He holds a Master of Education degree in Instructional Communication from Eastern Washington University. He serves on the board of directors for 501 Commons, a valuable resource focused on helping nonprofit organizations increase capacity, and is an advisor to Bright Future Dollars for Scholars. Reza is a frequent public speaker within the greater Seattle area, presenting to student, parent, and professional audiences. 

 

 

 

Ruth Wilson, Director

 

Ruth Wilson founded Brightmont Academy (formerly EA2) in 1999, an accredited private school implementing a one-to-one instruction model for students in grades 6-12.  Ruth served as Executive Director until 2010, overseeing expansion into three campuses within Washington State. In 2010, EA2 was sold to Apex Learning Inc and renamed Brightmont Academy. Since then, Brightmont has expanded and now operates a total of eleven campuses in five states, with Ruth currently serving as Director of Development.

 

Ruth is a certified principal in Washington State and a Board Certified Educational Therapist. She earned bachelor of music cum laude and master of arts in education degrees from the University of Tulsa, including some studies as a Visiting Graduate Student at the University of Washington. She has served as a board member for the Washington Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, and has presented at conferences and other events for several organizations, including the Association of Educational Therapists, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (ChADD), the International Dyslexia Association, and multiple public and private schools. 

 

 

Scott M. Seidel, Director

 

Mr. Seidel began his healthcare career as Administrator for Mecical Services at the Institute of Applied Physiology & Medicine (IAPM) in 1981.  With Dr. Merrill P. Spencer, he co-founded the noninvasive vascular laboratory at Providence Medical Center, the first of its kind.

 

In 1986, Mr. Seidel helped found the Pacific Vascular Laboratories, a for-profit spinout of IAPM, and was responsible for expanding to the initial laboratory to 14 locations in Western Washington.

 

Mr. Seidel has more than 30 years experience in clinical patient services, and product development, manufacturing & sales relating to neurovascular and cardiovascular technology.  In 1992 he co-founded Spencer Technologies, a neurovascular ultrasound company and currently remains as CEO. He was CEO of Spencer Vascular Diagnostic Services, Inc., recently acquired by Swedish Health Services, and founding Chairman of the Board of Otonexus Medical Technologies, a spinout from Spencer Technologies.

 

 

 

Scott T. Toborg, Ph.D., CTO/CIO & Board Trustee Designate

 

Mr. Toborg is a business driven technology executive with 25+ years experience in leadership roles such as: VP Product Management for Control4, CTO for HealthMate Medical, SVP/CIO Strata8 Networks, CTO Coscomm International; Co-Founder and CTO Mosaix Communications; VP and CIO 360networks; Director, Product Development Teledesic Corporation; Network and Service Architect SBC Communications.

He has also served in technology leadership positions at MCC, Hughes Aircraft and IBM. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from USC an MS in Computer Science and BS in Physics from BYU along with Project Management Professional and ScrumMaster certifications. His expertise includes several medtech and healthcare projects over the last decade plus.  His strengths are Product Innovation and Development Processes, Predictive Analytics, Big Data Architectures, Systems and Software Development, Cloud Computing, Complex Project Management, Leadership and Management of Technical Teams, Business Process Management, Telecommunication Operation Support Systems, Satellite, Wireless and Cellular Technologies, High-Performance Websites and Networks, Healthcare IT Systems, Home Automation, M2M, Internet of Things (IoT).

 

Audrey Nieswandt, Strategic Advisor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Marzocco, Board Observer

 

Mr. Marzocco is a seasoned business executive and serial entrepreneur with extensive technology & medical industry experience including venture finance. Key roles with numerous pioneering and market-defining leaders as significant emerging technologies and key market segments (from multi- $100M to many tens-of $1B+) began forming, matured, crashed and reshaped entire business landscapes and through multiple cycles.

 

 

 

 

Mike Madden, Board Observer