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Meet the Commissioners
Bio to follow. 
David Scott Beard is a Legislative Assistant to state Representative Ruth Kagi, Chair of the House Early Learning and Children's Services. He holds a Masters of Science in Social Work degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelors degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. David has been involved with activism within the LGBT community since he was a Co-Chair for the Pierce County Youth Health Task Force in 1998. Since then, he has advocated for changes to university and public policy through his positions at the Oasis Youth program in Tacoma, as a board member in the University of Washington student government and in his experience with both the Texas and Washington State Legislatures. Professionally, he is committed to improving the state's foster care and family court system, particularly where it interfaces with the LGBT community. David is also an avid political junkie, tries to work out physically and mentally and enjoys spending time with his family and friends.
Born and raised in Ashland, Oregon, Charles Butler earned his B.S. in Hotel Administration from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and his J.D. from the Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon. Mr. Butler recently relocated to the Seattle area to enter into the practice of law. As a local attorney, Mr. Butler is affiliated with the Washington State Bar Association, the King County Bar Association, as well as the Federal Bar Association for the Western District of Washington.
Joseph Daniels is an Iowan at heart, but he has made Seattle his home since 1994 where he has been active in the LGBT community for over 10 years. Joseph co-chaired the SCSM for two terms from 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. Also, he chaired the SCSM Community Relations Committee from 2005-2006. Prior to the SCSM, he volunteered for various LGBT service organizations including Lambert House. Starting in 1999, Joseph served as an AmeriCorps fellow for a year and developed an LGBT youth service-learning program in Bellingham, Washington. As a result of that work, he received a community leadership award from the Whatcom County Chapter of PFLAG. Joseph has a B.A. from the University of Iowa and M.Ed. from Western Washington University. Currently, he is completing his PhD at the University of Washington in International Education Policy and working in Global Health at the same institution.
Eileen Terry has been a leader in the retail industry for more than 20 years. Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President, Franchise, Emerging Brands, Canada, and Global Diversity for Blockbuster, Inc. Terry joined Blockbuster in 1999 as a Zone Vice President, and successfully progressed through several positions before becoming the only female to reach the top ranking of Executive Vice President inside Blockbuster. Terry was responsible for working with the 100-plus franchisees across the United States and Puerto Rico representing 1050 stores, the company’s non-Blockbuster branded domestic retail concepts, and the operation of Blockbuster’s 400 Canadian stores. In addition, she served as the Global Diversity Officer driving forward Blockbuster’s global diversity efforts. Because Terry has always promoted the philosophy of equal rights and equal opportunity throughout her career, especially as she began taking on management positions, she has become a widely sought speaker on a range of topics including Diversity Impact, Female Executive Success Insights in Advancing Careers, and Mentoring. She has been an exceptional executive as she leads by example, and can be counted on to always maintain a cool head when bringing complex people issues to the attention of senior management. She is a leader in the integration of diversity awareness with the practical aspects of running businesses, and she successfully developed a world-class diversity council and program at Blockbuster that resulted in several national awards by key ethnic/diversity groups. Terry has always given back to the community by serving on numerous prestigious community and industry boards, the most recent being the Women’s Museum Advisory Board, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the Women’s Franchising and Distribution Forum Board, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), and the Urban League Youth Diversion Board. She was also keynote speaker at the inaugural North Texas Gay/Lesbian Chamber of Commerce as well as the Houston Gay/Lesbian Chamber. Among many of her influences was Terry’s initiation of Blockbuster’s participation with the Dallas Women’s Foundation (DWF) as an advocate for women and girls. DWF is one of the largest and most successful women’s foundations in the country. Terry’s distinguished career has also included management positions in marketing, merchandising, and operations with Procter & Gamble, Pillsbury Corporation, 7-Eleven, Inc., and Chevron Corporation. Her degrees from the College of St. Catherine’s in St. Paul, Minnesota, concentrated on philosophy and sociology, and she has completed initial course work in the Executive Marketing Program at the University of Texas Graduate School of Business.
Bio tp follow
Ms. Gappert graduated from law school at Seattle University in May, 2000 and focused on two areas of interest, criminal law, focusing on child abuse and domestic violence, and family law, focusing on the rights of couples and their families, particularly gay and lesbian couples. Her career path has gone down the road of prosecuting criminal law, but her interest is in the legal rights and needs of gay and lesbian couples is as strong as ever. While she has never considered herself a particularly political person, the issue of gay marriage has fostered her desire to somehow become involved in policy making involving sexual minorities. She is looking forward to having a small voice in policy making on behalf of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Ms. Gappert is a lifelong resident of the Seattle area – growing up in Renton, and then returning to Seattle after college to attend law school. She has been a permanent resident of this city since 1999 and currently owns a tiny home in Madrona. She enjoys taking advantage of Seattle’s parks, spending as much time outside as possible, and traveling to warm, tropical locations as often as she is able.
Wanjiku Gitahi was born in Kenya and is currently a transplant from the east coast who loves Seattle (despite the gray skies) but still appreciates her roots. She currently works as a Residential Counselor for runaway and at-risk youth. She earned her BA in psychology from Smith College. In high school she was part of the organizations Students for Social and Environmental Justice and Resolutions (an educational group dedicated to promoting diversity and meaningful dialogue), both of which collaborated with the Gay/Straight Alliance to perform workshops. In college she was a member of Bread for the World, the Smith College Mental Health Alliance, SAFE, and various cultural organizations. Wanjiku pursued her devotion to social justice by earning a Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Washington. There she was part of the LGBTQTSI group and Bridges of Color. She has worked with youth in schools, a group home, a drop-in center, and done street outreach for homeless youth. She has also lobbied officials in Olympia for changes in the public service system. She hopes to pursue justice and equality and promote understanding and unity between communities through work with the Seattle Sexual Minorities Commission. When her schedule allows, Wanjiku likes to spend time by the water, catch up on reading, bake, surf the net, and spend quality time with friends and family.
Bio to follow
Bio to follow
Dave Iseminger spends most of his time at the University of Washington earning his law degree and a masters in public health genetics. Before his graduate studies he earned a B.S. in genetics at the University of Rochester (NY) and he originally hails from western Maryland. Dave has a strong background in public service interning for a state senator for 3 years, writing a gubernatorial policy paper and working at a state department of education one year, and in June 2008 began work in his third division of the Washington Attorney General's Office. He volunteers with Lifelong AIDS Alliance in addition to serving in various leadership positions at UW. In 2008-2009 Dave will be a lobbyist in Olympia representing the 12,000 graduate and professional students at UW. Dave is extremely committed to local, state, and national LGBT issues. He focuses a large amount of his spare time learning laws relating to sexual minorities. One of his strongest passions is equal access to employee benefits and health insurance coverage. In 2006-2007 Dave served as President of the law school's LGBT group and helped the group promote legal issues in the school and surrounding Seattle community. He also volunteers on committees with Qlaw - the state's LGBT Bar Association.
Bio to follow
Bio to follow
How to Become a CommissionerAnnouncement of VacanciesEach year a percentage of Commissioners' terms come up for renewal and sometimes those seats are vacated. The Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities currently has open seats and is actively recruiting for new commissioners. The Commission is especially interested in applicants who are women, transgendered, differently-abled, or of color. The Commission is also interested in working with individuals who have an interest in the following issues: lesbian health, domestic violence, aging, work place acceptance, and youth safety. The Commission is also interested in working with qualified volunteers who have an interest on specific Commission projects. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to attend at least one Commission meeting. You may contact us directly if you would like a paper version of the application sent to you, or if you have other questions. Click To read the "PDF" format application, you need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader software, which may be obtained free on the Internet at the Adobe web site.
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