Advocacy

Jean Paul
Advocacy Sub-committee chair

Hello! My name is Jean Paul (he/him) a Shared Power Consultant with the Washington State Office of Equity. I am a committed equity, diversity, and inclusion professional whose background extends to exposing marginalized youth to STEM careers, helping at risk fathers with child custody and achieving economic freedom. I was born in the beautiful island of Haiti, and immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager. I am a proud husband, father of two, community leader and Doggy Dad. In my spare time, you can find me playing with my children, tending to my garden, bird watching and taking long walks with my Dog Onyx.

Area(s) of Professional Expertise: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Partnerships, Leading Initiatives, Customer/Stakeholder Relations, Change Management, Facilitation, Youth Development.

Ethnic Background: Immigrant born in Haiti. West African and Taíno.
Language(s) Spoken: Haitian Creole, French and English.

Visu Cherukari
Advocacy Subcommittee Member

I am an immigrant from India where I had left my job as a Counselor in Kuwait and came to the US as my husband wanted to be a part of the American dream.

I have done my Doctors in Psychology from India have volunteered in the same field as my degree from India does not allow me to practice here. That is when I found out that I do get pleasure in helping others without expecting anything in return. I am currently serving as the Vice-Chair for the Fife Police Department as a part of their Citizen Advisory Group. I am also a part of ESD’s newest ERG group which is in its initial stages for Asians which is AAPI.

Currently a non-perm Tax Service Representative for ESD and looking for more options where I can be a part of more permanent status.

Leonard Nnamdi Jideonwo
Advocacy Subcommittee Member

I am from Nigeria in west Africa and I moved to the US with my family in 2018.I graduated from the University of Benin, Nigeria with Bachelors in Mathematics/Economics and hold an MBA from same University in 2015.I have 12years banking experience with expertise in Marketing, sales, investment banking, electronic banking, conflict resolution and customer service. Prior to moving to United States I was team lead and later was appointed as Business Manager.

I worked as a supervisor briefly with HUDSON GROUP located in SEATAC prior to joining Department of Social and Health Services in January 2020 as PUBLIC BENEFIT SPECIALIST 1 and am currently a PBS 3 in training.

Membership Outreach

Position currently open
Membership Outreach Subcommittee Co-Chair

Mentorship Program

Kathleen Quinene
Mentoring Administrator

Buenas yan Hafa Adai! Greetings and hello! My name is Kathleen Quinene and I am currently the office manager for the Renton Community Services Office of WA State’s Department of Social and Health Services.

I began my state career with DSHS back in 2003 as an administrative assistant at the local community services office in Federal Way. In 2007, I accepted a position with the department’s Economic Services Administration’s headquarters. I then decided to return to the Federal Way CSO as their office manager until 2009. At this time I returned back to Economic Service Administration headquarters in another administrative capacity. I have also held senior administrative roles within the Puget Sound Partnership and the WA Health Benefit Exchange. In 2013, I departed state service to focus on my education and family. At this time, I began working in the private sector for the hospitality and property management industries. I returned to the state in 2022, where I have spent over 20 months supporting those who serve some of the state’s most vulnerable populations.

I am passionate about the role I play in the workforce and truly believe that authenticity, kindness, and compassion go a long way in a place of confusion and uncertainty.

While I have spent the last 21 years calling the Pacific Northwest home, my roots and culture come from the Island of Guam where I am a native daughter of the CHamoru people. When not at work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends for a quiet night in or searching for an adventure through our taste buds. I also enjoy reading and listening to all genres of music. I have four children, Collin, Noah, McKyah and Isabella.

Career & Professional Career Development

Raquel Rice
Career and Professional Development Subcommittee Chair

Raquel works as a communications consultant at the Department of Revenue. Raquel was born and raised in Costa Rica. She moved to the US in 2008 and worked as English as a Second Language instructor for several years. She has been a State worker for 5 years and has worked for DSHS and LNI.

Raquel has a bachelor’s degree in Teaching and a Master’s degree in Education. She has over 25 years of teaching experience.

Raquel loves cooking, teaching, or coaching and greatly enjoys exploring the great Washington outdoors. Raquel is committed to help others succeeded in any capacity. She has her own free English as a Second Language program and runs it in Spokane.

Gwen Willis
Career & Professional Development Subcommittee Co-Chair

Gwen currently serves as an eLearning Developer and LMS Administrator at the Employment Security Department (ESD). She has been with ESD for almost 4 years, and in previous roles taught business classes for job seekers. Prior to her work in state government, Gwen worked 17+ years for a non-profit organization partnering with a variety of colleges and community-based organizations, providing training in computer skills and professional development. Among the more impactful duties for Gwen, were those where she was able to help others acquire the skills needed to return to work or grow professionally.

Gwen came to America from Guyana, South America as a teenager. She attended public school in New York City. Being a military spouse brought Gwen to Washington State. She has been serving in the Washington Immigrant Network’s (WIN) business resource group since 2018. She has served on the Events Planning Sub-Committee and as one of the editors for our Diversity Cookbook. Gwen earned her Master of Education, Learning and Technology from Western Governors University.

In her free time, Gwen enjoys family, movies, reading, and traveling.

Gina O’Neil
Career & Professional Development Co-Lead

Gina is a matrixed Proactive Equity Anti-Racism (PEAR Consultant) member in the DSHS Office of the Secretary within that office's Equity Diversity, Access, and Inclusion unit. Her PEAR Consultant position supports the development of Equity, Diversity, Access, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDAIB), the agency’s PEAR strategy, and the specific needs related to EDAIB and PEAR within the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) at Western State Hospital (WSH). All aspects of her work support the agency’s mission to become an anti-racist organization that transforms lives and dismantles barriers for those we serve. She also serves as the EDAIB Administrator for both centers, the Civil Center of Excellence and the Gage Center of Excellence at Western State Hospital.

Gina came to America from the Philippines in 1987 as a mother of a 21-month-old toddler. As a young immigrant with limited English and a lack of education, Gina’s first job was as a housekeeper for a retirement home in Skagit County. Gina's desire to finish college heightened when her daughter was accepted to attend the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle in 2004. Gina completed an undergraduate degree in human services in 2007 from the University of Phoenix, one year before her daughter graduated from UW. In 2010, Gina earned her first master’s in health administration from the University of Washington, and in 2021, Gina earned a second master's specializing in industrial and organizational psychology from Grand Canyon University. She is currently writing her doctoral dissertation with a completion date of February 18, 2024. Gina holds certifications in Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Change Management. She is also a Certified Diversity Professional.

Gina began a professional career in health administration in 2004 and later found her true calling in EDAIB when she transitioned from for-profit hospital employee to state employee in 2018 with Western State Hospital. Gina is determined to create an environment more inviting to the marginalized population. As a mentor and coach in the workplace and community, she embraces all and welcomes everyone into her circle of change to experience a safe space and belonging. Empathy, humility, servant leadership, gratefulness, passion, and openness to listen and learn are a few of the qualities that Gina could offer to the DSHS community and beyond, especially here at the Washington Immigrant Network.

Aside from her EDAIB passion and life-long learning, Gina enjoys volunteering with Filipino American non-profit organizations, especially at the Nurture Center in Lakewood, WA. She also enjoys kayaking, cooking traditional Filipino cuisine, traveling, occasional golfing, facetiming with her grandson Cypress, and spending time with her husband, Mike.

Special Projects

Philip Muirhead
Special Projects Co-Lead

Philip Muirhead (think Camp Muir and add a head!). I am from Liverpool in the United Kingdom (UK) or Great Britain (GB) if you prefer! I migrated to the US in 2017 and have worked for the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) since 2018 as their Customer Service Manager. We provide a service to all Washingtonians and aim to do this in a way that makes the process as easy and accessible as possible, in essence though we hold appeals made against decisions by other state agencies and the Call Center is the focal point for interactions with our customers.

In the UK I worked for the government for over 30 years, first in an IT department, then finance and finally immigration – where I was once named in a Supreme Court decision for having helped ensure my department acted lawfully. I feel I have had many blessings throughout my life – not least where I am now – and while I have endured some hardships too, I realize and appreciate the privileges that life has given me and so I am happy to share and give back where I can. I look forward to a time when all people will enjoy the same benefits and happiness!

In my spare time I enjoy sports, movies, travel and when I can, photography.

WIN Communications

Heidi Helsley
Social Media Coordinator

Heidi has been a Health Promotion Consultant at the Health Care Authority since August 2019. She is Washington Wellness’s communications lead and supports political sub-divisions participating in the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) with their employee wellness and benefit promotion efforts.

She brought over 22 years of Department of Health (DOH) work experience to Washington Wellness. At DOH, she focused on health promotion, policy development, training, and communications including serving five years as Office of Nutrition Services’ social media lead.

She studied at Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow School of Communications, the University of Washington’s Northwest Center for Public Health Practice Leadership Institute, and earned a bachelor’s degree from Evergreen State College.
Heidi is the first US born citizen on her father’s side of the family. Her father immigrated to the United States when he was 12 years old. He served in the US Army and later became a citizen.

She is excited to support WIN’s efforts, especially making WIN’s social media platforms engaging and helpful.

Todd Baker
Newsletter Manager

Todd Baker has been the Business Relationship Manager for the Department of Labor and Industries’ since 2017. During his thirty years with the department, Todd has served as operations manager, project manager, and consultant in the areas of strategic and business planning, leadership development, and process improvement. Todd lives in Olympia with his wife. He is an author of three memoirs and enjoys running, grilling, and heavy metal music.

Colin Helsley
Communications/Website Manager

Colin serves as a Communications Consultant for the Washington State Employment Security Department-UICS division, where he also serves as UICS’s Communications lead for the EDI Taskforce. He has over 18 years of state work experience, with 9 years working for the WA State Employee Assistance Program.

Colin began volunteering in 2019, as WIN’s Newsletter manager and now serves also serves as WIN’s website manager.

Colin was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He came to Olympia, WA in 1995 to attend the Evergreen State College, where he received his BA in Communications.

Meet our Team Members