Board of Directors

  • Chelsea is a staff attorney with Northwest Justice Project’s Foreclosure Consequences Advocacy Team. She graduated from Seattle University School of Law in 2008. While pursuing her law degree, Chelsea interned with nonprofit organizations serving low-income clients at Seattle Community Law Center and Alaska’s Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Additionally, Chelsea volunteered weekly as a drop-in center volunteer at Lambert House, King County’s LGBTQ teen center. After graduating, Chelsea worked for over three years at Alaska Legal Services Corporation, a nonprofit legal aid organization, where she represented low-income clients in a variety of areas including home foreclosure defense, public benefits, landlord/tenant, consumer protection, property, and family law.

  • Isi is the Associate Director for Equity and Inclusion in the Advancement department of University of Washington. Originally from North Florida, Isi moved to Seattle in 2019 and has a background in student affairs and teaching. She has been in Higher Education for over ten years. Her passions are in education and social justice and she believes herself to be a disruptor of racist and exclusionary systems. Isi has a Bachelors degree from Florida International University and a Masters degree in Global Studies and International Relations from Northeastern University. In her free time, she loves traveling, cooking, watching sports, and reading.

  • Clarissa is currently a Contact Center Agent at JND Legal Administration, which specializes in class action settlement distribution. She graduated from the University of Washington in 2021 with a Bachelor’s in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies. During her time at UW, she interned with Senator Patty Murray as a legislative intern in 2020. Her goal is to complete her master’s degrees in public administration, public policy, and gender, women, and sexuality studies as she is applying for these master’s programs to start fall 2024. She is a mom to a service dog, Manchester, who is a corgi. In her free time, she reads, snuggles with Manchester, and drinks coffee.

  • Matthew is the Executive Director of Healthcare, Higher Education, & Nonprofit Banking at J.P. Morgan. Matthew has volunteered with NW Education Access since moving to Seattle in 2007, serving in different board positions over the last decade. His ongoing commitment to NW Education Access is rooted in the organization’s innovative approach, resulting in exceptional achievement outcomes for students. Matthew graduated from Chapman University in 2005. He also holds the Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) credential from the Association of Financial Professionals. He was born and raised in Southeast Alaska, and now lives in Madison Valley with his partner.    

  • Ashok is an ecommerce professional with more than 15 years experience in ecommerce architecture and operations. Currently, Ashok is responsible for the security of the Microsoft.com store, including designing new models of security for upcoming new products and cloud integration. He possesses a deep knowledge on cryptographic currencies and blockchain technologies and has led product development of several companies in this area including the first currency exchange for Second Life.

  • Brandon Monson is a public affairs, policy, and community engagement leader with experience across government, campaigns, emergency management, nonprofit service, and local advocacy. He currently leads government affairs and business development in Washington State for Rainmaker, where he works at the intersection of public policy, relationship-building, and strategic growth.

    Brandon’s commitment to education access is deeply personal. He grew up as an opportunity youth and understands how life-changing it can be when young people are met with support, stability, and people who believe in their potential. His lived experience with poverty and housing instability continues to shape his commitment to helping young people overcome barriers and access the education, resources, and opportunities they deserve.

    Before joining Rainmaker, Brandon served in roles with FEMA, the City of Kirkland, Clark County, nonprofit organizations, and political campaigns. His work has included congressional and intergovernmental affairs, housing and homelessness policy, food access, emergency response, community engagement, and constituent services. He has also served in civic leadership roles focused on human rights, equity, and community well-being.

    As a Northwest Education Access board member, Brandon brings a strong belief in practical support, systems change, and the power of education to transform lives. He is committed to helping build pathways for students who have been underestimated, underserved, or pushed to the margins

  • Gray Sterling is a dynamic and strategic leader with more than 15 years of experience in K-12 and higher education policy, systems coordination, public and nonprofit management, and advocacy across local, state, and national levels. A first-generation, non-traditional college graduate and son of an immigrant, Gray brings both lived experience and professional expertise to his commitment to advancing educational justice for marginalized communities and students of color. 

    Gray is the founder and Principal Consultant of Mindmap Strategies, where he provides strategic advisory support to education organizations navigating complex policy, coalition, and systems change challenges. Previously, he served as Deputy Executive Director and Interim Executive Director at the Foundation for Tacoma Students (Graduate Tacoma), where he led cross-sector networks, oversaw a $4 million budget and 20-person team, and directed policy strategy that secured nearly $1 million in state investments for student navigation support. As a State Director at The Education Trust, he established the organization's Washington State presence and led the Black Joy Consortium, a statewide coalition advancing education equity for Black students. During his tenure at the Washington Student Achievement Council, he co-led the statewide Adult Promise initiative reaching more than 100,000 adult learners, directed initiatives expanding postsecondary access for incarcerated individuals, and founded the agency's inaugural Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.

    Throughout his career, Gray has built high-impact coalitions and designed purposeful interventions that address systemic inequities and expand opportunities. He is driven by a deep passion for strengthening education systems and ensuring that every learner has access to the tools and support they need to thrive. Gray lives in Tacoma, Washington with his wife Nicole, and two dogs, Mac and Ruby. He holds a Master of Education in Education Policy from the University of Washington (Seattle) and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of Washington (Tacoma).

  • James is a finance director at Microsoft, where he works in the Investor Relations team. In this role, he is responsible for managing relationships with investors and analysts and ensuring that the company’s financial performance is communicated accurately and clearly to stakeholders. James joined Microsoft more than 15 years ago after graduating from William & Mary, with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a double major in psychology, and spending a year with a nonprofit organization. James is passionate about education, particularly higher education, and believes that it is critical to empowering people to pursue their dreams. He remains active with his alma mater, serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the William & Mary Alumni Association. Prior to joining the Board, James served on the Finance Committee for several years. 

  • Rathi is an Associate Director on the Strategy & Partnerships team at the Washington Student Achievement Council, a cabinet level agency dedicated to increasing postsecondary attainment for Washingtonians. Rathi focuses on increasing postsecondary enrollment for students across Washington by engaging and collaborating with stakeholders including K-12 schools, community-based organizations, higher education institutions and the legislature. She is also a Henry M Jackson fellow. Prior to this, she has held a variety of roles in engineering, advertising and early childhood education. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from India and a Master’s in Education Policy from the University of Washington. In her free time, she loves to cook, dance and go on hikes with her two sons and her husband.

  • As Director of Licensing and a three times recipient of the Sr. Leadership Bench Program nomination at Microsoft, Simmone Misra works for the Global Partner Sales Group. Simmone leads the team that creates and manages all the licensing programs supporting various Microsoft products and services, including Windows, M365, Office, Windows IOT, Windows Server etc. sold with and through partners. Simmone incorporates more than 20 years of strategic planning and negotiations experience in the high tech sector.