Wanda Brackins

Wanda Brackins is the Head of Global Diversity for RBC Wealth Management, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada, and one of the largest full service securities firms in the U.S.  Wanda is responsible for the creation and implementation of the firm’s global diversity strategy and initiatives that align with and support the overall business goals – including workforce representation, client segmentation, brand building and community involvement.  She assesses needs, leverages best practices across the platform, and recommends strategies that heighten cultural competence and develops an atmosphere of inclusion and mutual respect.  Wanda partners with senior leaders to provide coaching and support for their diversity management efforts. 

Wanda serves as the 2011 Chair of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Diversity Committee. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Management, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management, and a Certificate in Human Resource Management. 

Robert Garza
Robert Garza is a Program Coordinator at Washington State University Tri Cities College of Nursing. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences with an emphasis in Psychology and Sociology, and is currently working on a Master’s in Educational Leadership. Previously Robert was the Director of the Hospital Employee Education & Training (HEET) program at Columbia Basin College in conjunction with Lourdes Health Network.

Robert credits his work ethic to Growing up in a migrant family where he experienced the back breaking work of the farm laborer at just eight years of age. Waking at 4:00 in the morning to pick strawberries, raspberries, asparagus and cherries instilled his determination to get an education.   His parents taught their children that hard work, determination, patience and tolerance can overcome discrimination, adversity and poverty.

Robert now has the privilege of serving and representing low income, migrant/seasonal workers and students from underserved communities.   His passion is to instill in others a “yes we can” attitude, and help them live productive and purpose- driven lives. 

His service on the WSU Tri Cities Diversity Council allows him to have a maximum impact through facilitating state and national leadership and teambuilding workshops, here in the Tri Cities and Yakima Valley. 

Lauren Jones 

Lauren is the recipient of the Mission Support Alliance STEM Scholarship, the Bonnie and Clifford Braden Foundation Scholarship, and the Roberta McFadden Memorial Scholarship. She a Senior in the Nursing program at Washington State University Tri-Cities.  Lauren graduated Magna Cum Laude from Washington State University Tri-Cities in May 2009 with a Bachelor's in English and a minor in Criminal Justice.  She had plans to attend law school, but the universe had other plans for her.  Lauren's father passed away in August of 2009.  His death was the catalyst that changed the direction of her career. She began her journey towards obtaining a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing the same month.  Her love for knowledge is matched by her passion for helping people and her community.  Lauren is able to approach diversity issues with sensitivity and understanding few can achieve. She has been active in the Multicultural Club throughout her academic career and has participated in numerous community events encouraging inclusion and equality.      

Angela Lupercio

Angela Lupercio is currently a senior at Washington State University Tri-Cities majoring in Business Administration with a minor in Human Resources.  Along with being a full-time student, Angela is the Director of Student Life for the Associated Students of Washington State University Tri-Cities.  Angela is involved in various school organizations including the WSU-TC Business Club and Ritmo Latino.(Latin Dance Group).   Angela is very passionate about student rights and is ready to serve the student body in all their needs.  Earlier in her time at WSU she participated in a “Changing Gender Roles in Latina Culture” forum on campus with the late Blanc Torres where she and her fellow Latinas discussed some of the challenges facing young Latin women in a modern society.  Angela shared her inspiring journey from Mabton to WSU and how she refused to give up on her dream of a university education and through hard work has been able to make it happen.

Evelyn Martinez

Evelyn is a senior at Washington State University Tri-Cities, pursuing her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology with a minor in the Social Sciences. Evelyn is a recipient of the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship which allows her to attend the college of her choice throughout her entire academic career. Evelyn saw an opportunity at the WSU Tri-Cities campus to learn and grow as a leader amongst her peers. Evelyn is an active advocate for the students on campus going on her third year as President of the Humanities Club (a registered student organization), her second year as a coordinator for the Women Success Program (a student support program) and has held a position on student government earlier in her academic career as a senator and . Evelyn has coordinated multiple community events and has a passion for growing and empowering strong communities. Evelyn was the 2010 student leader of the year.

Joel Miranda

Throughout his life, Joel has been about the work of charity and social justice and instrumental in making a significant contribution to causes he holds dear.

Spanning a period of 20 years, he has brought that fervor alive through service to those most marginalized in society, with his work at the Downtown Youth Drop-In Center in the Liberty City section of Miami, as well as his advocacy for migrant farm workers in central Florida. 

His passion is in transitional housing.  Joel was the administrator of Operation Clean Start in Ocala, FL, a faith-based housing arrangement that provides a clean & sober living environment as well as mentoring to former inmates navigating the bridge from the Florida penitentiary back into society.  His vibrant and effective leadership at Operation Clean Start led to an overall success rate of 50%- well above the national average.

Joel is a 1991 graduate of UCLA, and currently works as Coordinator for Mental Health Services with a local non-profit agency; he sits on the State of Washington Regional Support Network’s Multi-Cultural Competence Committee.  Joel hopes to create an Operation Clean Start model in the Tri-Cities and to continue to promote cultural diversity and awareness.

Rosa I. Romero (Rosita)

Rosita was born in Colombia, South America and has lived in USA for 40 years. She earned a BA in Business Administration in Colombia, a certification as a Montessori teacher from the American Montessori Institute, completed studies in art therapy at Kansas University and earned a Master of Education from the University of Washington.

• Worked as a Community College teacher trainer, taught art to pre-school and elementary age children
• Owned and directed an art gallery for over 15 years in Seattle
• Appointed by the Governor to a second term as a Commissioner with the
  Washington State Arts Commission
• Appointed by the Mayor of Seattle for a second term to the Museum
  Development Authority (MDA) with the Seattle Art Museum
• Serves as a board member with Artist Trust in Seattle
• Co-founder of Viva la Música Club, a Latino community engagement through music 
• Co-founder and Life Member of Mujeres of the Northwest, a professional Latina support group to foster community involvement and social responsibility among Latinas
• Co-Founder Latinos Unidos por los Niños, a Children’s Hospital Guild in Seattle
• Art docent at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM/SAAM/OSP)
• Visitor’s Docent at the Seattle Conservatory.
• Past member of the Visiting Committee for the school of Women Studies at the University of Washington and of the Steering Committee for Casa Latina, Seattle
  

Memberships:

• Arts Alliance
• Seattle Art Museum Docents 
• Americans for the Arts
• Ikebana International and Senke School of Ikebana
• Puget Sound Mycological Society
• WA State Orchids Society

MODERATED BY PAUL STRAND, WSU TRI-CITIES, ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR IN PSYCHOLOGY

Paul Strand completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Dartmouth Medical School after receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. His research interests include how ethnicity and culture impact the development of self-control, social cooperation, and academic readiness during childhood. Strand is the author of 30 academic papers and his research is supported by grants from Thrive by Five and the MacArthur Foundation.

Entertainment includes:

Greta Matassa Quartet

Greta Matassa

In the Pacific Northwest, where she built her career, Greta Matassa wins wide acclaim; four times, the readers of Earshot, the Seattle jazz magazine, have voted her the best jazz vocalist in the Northwest. Jim Wilke, the Seattle jazz maven and host of the syndicated "Jazz After Hours" radio program, praises her versatility. "She has a fearlessness in approaching material," Wilke says, "that makes her like an instrumentalist in a jam session." Seattle Times critic Misha Berson described Matassa as a vocal chameleon who "can sound husky or crisp, ebullient or wailing, girlish or jaded." Matassa displays all of those aspects of her talent in this live recording made at Bake's Place, a small club in Redmond, across Lake Washington from Seattle.

Susan Pascal, photo by Kevin Clark.

Susan Pascal, Vibraphonist

Vibraphonist Susan Pascal is a popular mainstay on the Pacific Northwest jazz scene.  Her performances display energy, lyricism, and a repertoire spanning classic standards to contemporary jazz.

Concert appearances include four tours of Singapore and performances and clinics in most states of the US. She has played regional festivals including the Earshot Jazz Festival, Centrum Jazz Port Townsend, Seattle Art Museum’s Art of Jazz, Seattle’s Out to Lunch series, Bellevue Live, Argosy and KPLU-FM jazz cruises, Bumbershoot, the Bite of Seattle, and makes frequent appearances at Seattle jazz clubs including Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, The New Orleans, Tula’s and Bake’s Place.

Susan's work is heard on motion picture soundtracks for “The Wedding Planner”, “Office Space“, and "Eulogy".  She has also performed on recordings including CDs with Greta Matassa including “All This and Heaven Too,” "And to All a Good Night", and "The Smiling Hour", the Vern Sielert Dektet's "From There to Here", slide guitarist Orville Johnson’s “Slide and Joy,” and many others.

Clipper Anderson

Known for his improvisational virtuosity, his steady presence in the pocket and his command of multiple styles, bassist Clipper Anderson is one of the most highly regarded musicians on the Northwest jazz scene today. Equally comfortable with straight-ahead, traditional, free jazz or bebop, he plays with genuine reverence for the music and an unassuming mastery that speaks for itself. Anderson has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a composer, performer, studio musician, vocalist and educator. He plays at jazz festivals throughout the United States and Canada and has appeared at the Port Townsend Jazz Festival, the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation Jazz Festival, the Highland Jazz Festival, the Blaine Jazz Festival and the Buddy DeFranco/University of Montana Jazz Festival, the latter two of which he plays annually. He has shared the bandstand with a long list of jazz luminaries including Michael Brecker, Arturo Sandoval, Dave Samuels, Peter Erskine, Bruce Forman, Tamir Hendelman, Bob Mintzer, Lew Soloff, Bucky Pizzarelli, Benny Golson, Paquito D’Rivera, Phil Woods and Buddy DeFranco. As a session musician, Anderson has appeared on numerous recordings, including five with Northwest vocal icon Greta Matassa. Anderson’s new CD “The Road Home,” marks his debut as a solo artist and composer and is due for release on Origin records in early 2012. Anderson works out of Seattle, WA and is presently on the jazz faculty at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.

Darin Clendenin

Darin Clendenin is recognized as one of the Northwest's finest pianists and keyboard artists. Darin has performed and recorded with drummer Dave Weckl, saxophonist Eric Marienthal, and drummer Bruce Carter, as well as Leroy Vinnegar, Richie Cole, Ted Curson, Ernestine Anderson, Nancy King, Eddie Marshal, Rich Dangel, Rebecca Kilgore, Ron Steen, Greta Matassa, Edmonia Jarrett. Darin has composed and arranged music for Trish Hatley, Todd Hymas, Dub DeBrie and Mark Quint as well as Greta Matassa. For six years he was the musical director of the International Tap Festival and worked alongside Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, Cholly Atkins and Charles "Honi" Coles. Darin also performed in the film documentary, "The Magic of Honi Coles." Darin Clendenin currently resides in Seattle, Washington and performs regularly at Tula's and with award-winning vocalist Greta Matassa. His music can be heard on CDs including Darin Clendenin and Friends' "Tidings of Joy and Jazz" and "Revenir", Greta Matassa's "Favorites from a long walk."

Mark Ivester

Mark Ivester is a consummate drummer, widely respected for his sensitive musicianship and sincere dedication to his craft. He is experienced in many different idioms from pop-rock to big band to jazz, latin jazz and orchestral settings. Mark's live performance credits are extensive, having worked with such jazz luminaries as John Patitucci, Larry Coryell, Freddy Hubbard, Mal Waldron, Diane Schuur, Eliane Elias, Bud Shank, Howard Roberts, Jack Sheldon, Michael Brecker, Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, Frank Foster, Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, Tierney Sutton, Ann Hampton-Calloway, Karyn Allison and Mose Allison. His versatility is demonstrated on a wide range of recordings such as jingles, film scores and album projects including those of R&B artist Philip Bailey of Earth Wind and Fire, Grammy award winning new-age duo Tingstad and Rumbel, Brazilian keyboardist Jovino Santos Neto and vocalist Greta Matassa. Mark is currently on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA and Olympic College in Bremerton, WA.

Co-Hosts

Cassi Alexandria Davis, Co-Host

Miss Cassi Alexandria Davis is the daughter of Kimberly Williams and Army Major Dexter Davis. She relocated to Washington State from Arkansas in 1995.
Cassi is an honor student at Richland High School (RHS), where she is a senior and the first African-American Student Body President in RHS history.

She makes numerous contributions to the Tri-Cities. As the 2010-2011 Miss Juneteenth Queen, she spent a year serving our community. She has volunteered for United Way, Goodwill, and the American Diabetes Association. Out of twelve-thousand students in the district, Cassi is one of only two to serve a second year on the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Board. This summer, she worked at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a student researcher. Recently, the superintendent invited her to meet with our U.S. Congressional Delegation to discuss district educational concerns. Cassi plans to attend a 4 year university next fall and study bio-medicine.

Zachary Garland, Co-Host

Zach Garland is a student at WSU Tri-Cities and is in his fourth year at school. For the past two years Zach has been the Vice President of the Multicultural Club at WSU Tri-Cities, and is now taking on new roles being the Director of Multicultural Affairs for the Associated Students and WSU Tri-Cities, and also a chair on the Diversity Council.

Zach Garland was born and raised in the Tri-Cities, and knows the area well. He has contributed to many different events to help the community; with the Multicultural Club at WSU Tri-Cities, such as food drives for the Richland food bank, supported the LGBTQ community, and also put together a Relay for Life team for the past two years.

Zach is planning to start the WSU Nursing Program in the fall to fulfill his goal of becoming a Nurse.

Esther Ervin, Curator of The Freedon to See Ourselves - A Celebration of Cultures taking place at the Richland Public Library and WSU Tri-Cities Art Center in the CIC in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

Active in the arts community, Esther Ervin was the art gallery curator at South Seattle Community College, Seattle Art Museum docent and on the board of the James W. Washington, Jr. Foundation. She is often called upon to serve as a juror. She has served on selection panels for Pratt Fine Arts Center, the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Washington State Arts Commission. Esther is an On-Site-Evaluator for 4Culture, having served since 2005. She is also a member of the International Union of Mail Artists, the Seattle Metals Guild and the Society of North American Goldsmiths.

Esther holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and an Master of Fine Arts degree. She has been a Peace Corps volunteer, artist in residence and art scholarship recipient. Her work has been shown in numerous invitational and juried exhibitions since 1978, and it has received a variety of awards.

Sponsors

Golden Cougar Sponsor
Music Sponsor

Silver Cougar Sponsor
Panel Sponsor

Emma Peoples

Harvey Gover

C.J. Mitchell

Anne Roseberry & Annanaomi Sams

Dr. Washington

Yvette Dinish

Special thanks to Creator and Event Coordinator Robin Mitchell.

View Photos from last year's event.