Board of Directors

Kathi Lentzsch

Board Member since 2024. Board Chair. Executive Committee, Governance Committee, Finance Committee, Merchandising Committee. Volunteer since 2022.From a young age, Kathi Lentzsch knew she wanted to be part of the wider world. That curiosity became a 30+ year global career, working in more than 30 countries. She visited China when bicycles filled the streets and cars were rare. In India, she worked side by side with craftspeople in small factories with dirt floors and little light. She partnered with artisans in remote villages in Africa, helping create steady work that supported entire communities. Kathi is most proud of developing fair trade and sustainability practices long before those ideas became popular. Her interest in artisanal talent and fostering connections between cultures led her to RAI. In 2022, she began volunteering at the Maker Space, supporting product development and marketing. In 2024, the organization’s founder invited her to join the Board, where she now serves as Board Chair and is committed to RAI’s mission and the refugees RAI serves. Kathi has served on nonprofit, for-profit, and university boards for a combined 48 years and now focuses mainly on nonprofit work. Combined with her background as a four-time CEO and her work with founders and family businesses, Kathi brings relevant and significant experience in leadership and governance to her board role.

Heather Bridges

Board Member since 2022. Vice Chair, Board Treasurer, Governance Committee Chair, Finance Committee Chair, Executive Committee, Compensation Committee.Heather is Managing Director at Unify Consulting and is a veteran leader in the management consulting industry, bringing over 30 years of experience helping for-profit and non-profit organizations establish more effective operations, systems, and teams. She brings her extensive Finance experience to her role as Board Treasurer. Heather's journey is deeply rooted in her personal experience. As a former foster child, she understands the importance of community support and it is this understanding that fuels her commitment to the women that RAI serves. Their strength, resilience, and hopeful spirit embody the very best of humanity and inspire us all.

Cleo Escarez

Board Member since 2023. Secretary, Governance Committee.Cleo Escarez is a results-oriented retail executive with over 15 years of experience leading and growing successful retail businesses. Throughout her career, she has consistently delivered impressive results by developing and executing innovative retail strategies, fostering a customer-centric culture, and leveraging data-driven insights to optimize operations. She is a champion of sustainability and a recognized expert in integrating circular economy principles into retail operations. A passionate advocate for women, refugees, and immigrants. Cleo leverages her expertise in business to create impactful programs that empower marginalized communities. As an immigrant herself, Cleo brings firsthand lived experience that mirrors the realities of the communities we aim to serve. She uses that perspective—alongside her business expertise—to design and support programs that create meaningful, long‑term opportunities for marginalized populations.

Ziba Kaboli-Gerbrands

Board Member since 2024.Ziba Kaboli-Gerbrands is an Iranian immigrant. Her family was exiled to Europe for several years after the Iran revolution in 1979 and eventually settled in Washington, DC. as a political refugee. Ziba is passionate about supporting female immigrant refugees, having first-hand knowledge of their struggles - learning a new language in a foreign land, her family working several jobs to make ends meet, and constant uncertainty over visa and immigration status. Ziba joined the board after completing a philanthropic fellowship program at Amazon, where her team was paired with RAI. Inspired by RAI’s mission, she wrote a strategic plan that secured funding for program expansion from Amazon. Ziba has been a product and business development leader at Amazon Devices since Jan 2019, leading new product initiatives across Alexa devices - Fire TV, and Echoshow. She recently took a role as Technical Principal Product Manager supporting Alexa AI experiences and new products. Prior to Amazon, Ziba was a business development leader in media and technology, working with companies like Roku, and Time Warner in both content acquisition and distribution roles. Ziba has served on several non-profit boards including President of Women in Cable Technology, and founding member of C-Positive, a Los-Angeles based AIDs organization. She is a graduate of George Washington University with a degree in International Business.

Yumiko Damashek

Board Member since 2020. Immediate Past President - Former Board Chair.Yumiko has been serving multiple nonprofit boards whose missions are to improve the lives of under-served segments of our population. She has been the board chair of Torrey Project which focuses on training social entrepreneurs in the under-served demographics in addition to serving the board of RAI. Yumiko came to the US from Japan as a graduate student and eventually settled in CA. After a fair share of struggles as a new immigrant in a new country and facing discrimination, she landed a position in the semiconductor industry and successfully climbed up the corporate ladder all the way to executive leadership, breaking glass ceilings along the way. She is a purpose-driven leader with her passion in racial, gender and social justice, and has led women’s career development, leadership development and DEI and ESG sustainability programs in a variety of settings. She has been dedicating her time volunteering for a variety of mission-aligned nonprofit organizations because her life's mission is to improve the lives of the under-served people who deserve to have a fair share of opportunities for success. She understands the difficulties refugees and immigrants face, particularly women, and is honored to help transform their lives through the work she gets to do at RAI.

Kristina Reed

Board Member since 2024. Product Development Task Force.Kristina Reed is a two-time Academy-Award winning film producer with over 25 years of experience leading highly creative and technical teams. Together, they created emotionally resonant, visually ground-breaking entertainment for feature film animation studios like Disney and Dreamworks. More recently Kristina served as the SVP,Creative Development & Strategy for Madison Square Garden Company’s Sphere theater in LasVegas. She guided the development, building a production slate and bespoke pipeline for the 160,000 sf screens. Today, Kristina is leveraging her deep multi-stakeholder leadership skills to strengthen the partnership, network and impact of textile diversion in Seattle. As a daughter of two immigrants to the US, Kristina is passionate about helping the RAI community find their financial and social footing.

Dr. Elizabeth Lyons

Board Member since 2025.Elizabeth has over 20 years of experience providing orthodontic care in greater Seattle. She holds degrees from SUNY Geneseo and Columbia University, earned her DDS from Stony Brook University, and completed her orthodontic training at the University of Washington. Her board experience includes: Director on University of Washington Orthodontic Alumni Association; Board member Washington State Society of Orthodontics; Communications committee Chairperson, Seattle King County Dental society; Secretary and Board member, Assumption Parish Council; and Annual fund Chairperson Seattle Country Day School. Her Volunteer work includes: Health and Hope Foundation, an elementary school team coaching soccer, and Girl Scouts of America.

AKIKO "kiko" Waters

Board Member since 2026. Development Committee Chair. Akiko “Kiko” Waters is a creative director, founder, and product designer with more than 20 years of experience in the fashion and lifestyle industry. She has led product design, merchandising, and brand strategy for organizations ranging from early-stage startups to global Fortune 50 companies, combining creative vision, operational rigor, and entrepreneurial leadership to drive commercial success while advancing meaningful social impact. Kiko founded The Cura Co., originally a Seattle-based boutique retailer built on design excellence and social responsibility, which has since evolved into a consulting practice offering creative direction, product strategy, and purpose-driven design for mission-aligned clients. She is currently developing a new venture exploring opportunities at the intersection of artisan collaboration, fashion, and responsible production. Kiko previously served as a trustee on the Board of Directors of Seattle Girls School and was a founding board member of the Refugee Artisan Initiative (2018–2023), helping guide the organization through its formative years and now she is honored to return to the board as Development Committee Chair. As the daughter of an immigrant mother who faced significant systemic barriers while building a life in the United States, Kiko’s commitment to RAI’s mission is deeply personal. She is passionate about expanding opportunities for refugee and immigrant women through meaningful work, creative expression, and pathways to economic independence.