Trustees:

Kathy Edwards - President

Kathy is one of the Cedarmere Foundation’s two co-founders. She has a PhD in Human and Organizational Systems and has spent decades working with nonprofit organizations, both as a board member and as an organization development consultant.  These experiences are what created her passion for building the capacity of the nonprofits in our community that work so hard to improve the lives of all who live here. She is serving a 2-year term as the Co-Chair of the Statewide Capacity Collaborative in 2021-2022.  Kathy has four children and 11 grandchildren.  When she's not spending time with family or promoting capacity building grants within the philanthropic community, she loves to ski, play tennis, hike, bike, read, take photographs, and go for long urban walks.

Melanie Matthews - Vice President

Melanie is a non-family member Trustee.  She has over 25 years’ experience in the nonprofit sector, and is a passionate champion for nonprofits and their role in supporting and strengthening communities.  After 11 years in philanthropy, Melanie currently works as a Senior Advisor/Coach for FMA consultants (a company focused on building the fiscal strength of nonprofits) and as the Project Manager of the Statewide Capacity Collaborative (SCC), a collective movement among funders to invest in efforts to strengthen the systems, structures, skills, and people of nonprofits and the nonprofit sector in Washington State. She is one of the inaugural Change Leaders in Philanthropy Fellows at Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO).  Melanie is passionate about the arts (especially theatre, live music, and letterpress printing) and finds joy in her daughter, family and friends, good food, a good book, and the coast on a winter day.

Amy Zimerman - Treasurer

Amy (she/ella) is the Cedarmere Foundation’s first non-family member trustee. She is the Director of People & Culture at MOHAI, the locally treasured and nationally respected Museum of History and Industry. Amy is a seasoned nonprofit executive and trusted advisor to nonprofit boards and executives, with a deep passion for education and the arts. She is a CPA and former auditor specializing in nonprofit organizations and holds MBA, MPhil and MNPL degrees.  She was the Lead Instructor for the Nonprofit Management Certificate Program at the UW and a former Adjunct Professor in the MNPL program at Seattle U.  Amy is an art collector and an aspiring novelist. She is fluent in Spanish and lived overseas for 12 years.  Amy has recently discovered a passion for Pilates, though she still enjoys the great outdoors, music and the theatre!

George Edwards - Secretary

George is also a co-founder of the Cedarmere Foundation. During his career, he served as the Head of five independent schools throughout the United States.  He also had a distinguished career in the United States Air Force.  He has served on numerous nonprofit boards over the last four decades and has been consulting and coaching independent school Heads since he retired from leading schools himself.  George enjoys travel, playing tennis, reading novels and writing.  Some of his best trips have been with one or more of his 11 grandchildren, who get to choose where they want to go with their grandparents, Lollie and Pop.

Bob Watt - Trustee

Bob is a Graduate Gemologist from GIA (Gemological Institute of America) and the owner of Exact Gems International and The Seattle Gem Art Gallery.  In addition to serving on the Cedarmere Foundation board, he has volunteered with several nonprofit organizations including Seattle Opera where he served on the board of Bravo.

 

Courtenay Brennan - Trustee

Courtenay is a recent graduate of Seattle University, where she studied Criminal Justice and participated in multiple honors societies. She is currently working for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and plans to pursue a law degree, with the intent of working to find solutions to the inequities in the justice system. Helping those in the community is near and dear to her heart, a passion that was fostered by her grandparents (Kathy and George). When Courtenay is not working or studying for law school, she spends her time volunteering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters Puget Sound, hiking to scenic locations in beautiful Western Washington, and reading novels.

 

Staff:

Danielle Baer, Grants Manager

Danielle is the Cedarmere Foundation’s Grants Manager responsible for coordinating all aspects of our grant making process.  Danielle has spent her career in the nonprofit and public sectors, most recently at School’s Out Washington as the Development and Communications Director.  In addition to supporting the Cedarmere Foundation’s grant making, Danielle provides consulting services in the areas of fund development, communications, and project management to strengthen and support non-profits in working toward their mission.  When not on the sidelines of her two son’s many sporting events, Danielle enjoys traveling, good food, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.