WSPTA Election Information

Tori was first introduced to PTA as a middle school teacher attending PTA meetings, but her involvement really began when her own son entered the school system as a kindergartner. Being new to the community, it was a great way to be involved in her son’s school and meet other parents. After a particular conversation at a carnival decorating night, she answered the “ask” and began to serve as an officer in her local PTA. After leading her local PTA as secretary then president, Tori moved on to roles with council and Region Service Committee, and eventually Region 7 and acting Region 8 Directors. That led to involvement in several state PTA committees and joining the Board of Directors as Area E Vice President. She has since served on the National Membership Committee for almost four years and has been your Washington State PTA Leadership Director. “Looking back at the different experiences and opportunities I’ve had in PTA, each has prepared me in some way for the next adventure,” Tori stated.

Her experience as an educator, and involvement with the PTA, has affirmed her conviction and provided opportunities to advocate for the needs of students and families. As a mother to a creative and very energetic teenager, Tori personally understands the importance of supporting children and families in the education system. In addition to her work with PTA, Tori has over 25 years of experience in education as a full-time and substitute teacher and coach. Time spent on curriculum development and serving on district curriculum teams, helps her understand educators’ perspectives as well as a parent’s. Interacting with district-level administrators has also helped her develop a working relationship at different levels of education.

As Tori got involved in her son’s PTA she remembers, “I became a big fan of not just our local PTA’s efforts, but learning more about our mission as an organization. I didn’t understand the scope and importance of PTA until I attended trainings and conventions.” Tori has had a life- long passion for protecting and empowering children. Understanding that the overarching mission of PTA was about making a difference, she was all in.

Looking towards her new role as Washington State PTA President, Tori’s goal is to continue empowering, involving and developing leaders and students of all situations. She strives to be open to new ideas and perspectives and to bring people together in community, working together towards our common goal. In her words, “PTA is a special organization a lot of people don’t understand, or misunderstand. We are the largest child advocacy organization functioning by the passion, grace and hard work of our volunteers. We will work tirelessly to collaborate with decision makers locally, and on the state and national levels, to benefit all children. We will be united in our purpose and supportive of our children, parents, caregivers and schools. We’ll use our collective voice to be heard and to stay strong. PTA will continue to make a difference for young people.”

View Tori’s PTA Résumé

My name is Liz Nord and I am honored to be nominated for the Vice President of Washington State PTA.

I am the mother of three: 26, 18, and 15, and an Illinois transplant who has found a true home in Western Washington. We are a big gaming family that can often be found sitting around our dining room table playing our favorite board and card games. When I have time to relax, I am usually sitting at a sewing machine or craft table creating costumes for conventions or the high school theater.

My 11 year PTA journey began at a time when the educational needs of our middle child were not being sufficiently met by the school with his medical needs being used as an excuse. I, and parents facing similar issues, worked together with our local PTA to advocate for the necessary changes. Through this experience, I found that we weren’t alone and the PTA contained a whole network of parents fighting for the educational rights of children. I found a home with these educational warriors.

I have served on the state board for the last 4 years. My first two years were spent serving WSPTA as the Area A Vice President. As the AAVP I mostly worked with PTAs and leaders in Regions 1 and 6. I had the opportunity to work with many great leaders across our state and learned so much from them.

Most recently I have served as the WSPTA Finance Officer for the 2023-2025 term. During my time in the position I have been part of a team that examined WSPTA expenses and has worked to make important changes. I undertook the task of making our budget more comprehensive as I strongly feel it is important for our BOD to have a clear understanding of our spending. I also supported the organization during the transition to not having an executive director.

As the vice president, I hope to continue to support WSPTA as we go through more transitions with the change of the finance officer to treasurer, the removal of the AVP position and adding 2 field service director positions to the board of directors.

The next few years will require a strong board of directors to guide us through the changes our nation will be going through and I am asking our members to have trust in me to be one of those guides.

View Liz’s PTA Résumé

I am honored to be in consideration for the position of WSPTA Secretary. I can honestly say that, when I started my work with PTA over 13 years ago, I never would have thought that I would stand for a state PTA office! I have always been in awe of WSPTA’s leaders, and I hope that I can add to their established tradition of exceptional leadership, strong support for local PTAs and councils, and their unwavering advocacy for all children across Washington state.

My PTA journey began before my children entered K-12 schooling. I was the Vice Chair of a cooperative preschool where I was responsible for booking parent/guardian educational events and working with my chair and board to manage the operation and staff of our small school. We were a close-knit group of parents working together to do the best we could for our students while learning and laughing together. It was this experience that led me to search for similar volunteer opportunities during my children’s K-12 years.

Lucky for me, I found PTA. I started off small, entering members into the PTA membership database. But the more I became involved, the more grateful I became for this organization that cared so deeply about facilitating positive outcomes for all students. I realized that by working together and supporting each other, our dedicated group of PTA volunteers could do amazing things. And just like that, I was hooked!

I soon found myself stepping up to run various programs and leading events, which led to my first elected position on a PTA. I haven’t looked back since. I’ve held officer, board, and chair positions in local PTAs at every level of my kids’ education, served as an officer at the Council level, and in the past few years I have been involved with WSPTA as a member and chair of the Governance committee.

Over the course of my PTA journey, I have learned so much. Years of PTA educational classes and on-the-ground work have given me a solid foundation to help support and advise local PTA and council leaders. In leadership positions for PTA, I have honed my communication, managerial, organizational, and time management skills. I have learned the value and strength of working as part of a team. I have also made deep connections and friendships that I will cherish forever.

With my oldest now in college and my youngest in the last few years of his K-12 education, it’s time for me to give back. I promise that I will give my all to this organization that has done so much for so many. I am excited to be given the opportunity to give back to WSPTA and all the local PTAs and councils that are doing outstanding work every day to support the children and families of Washington state. It is my hope that I can use my skills to contribute to this effort and that together we can continue to do great things!

View Jane’s PTA Résumé

My name is Jenn Talingo and I am so honored to be nominated for the Washington State PTA Board of Directors as the Treasurer. I am married and have three children that range in age from 24 to 11. I have always had a love of volunteering and stepping up to whatever role is needed in order to help others and disseminate information. I have been actively involved in PTA since my middle child was in 1st grade, so for about 11yrs. I originally joined the PTA to have something to help occupy my time. I quickly learned that PTA was more than I had thought. I started out as a volunteer coordinator not entirely knowing what I was coordinating and then went on to be a Reflections chair. I immersed myself in everything Reflections to attempt to make it the best program it could possibly be in my child’s school. I was so fired up the first time I attended Legislative Assembly and realized the mission and vision behind PTA. I have held multiple roles from treasurer to reflections chair, to volunteer coordinator, to president. I’ve held these positions not only at the local PTA level but also some at the Council, Region, and State level.

I have a passion for helping PTAs problem solve, troubleshoot, rebuild, and rebrand. With my background not only as a treasurer at all levels in PTA but also working in the financial field, I hope to build upon the great work of the previous finance officers to continue our history of being a financially stable organization. I have served on the corporate finance committee for many years and I have the knowledge and skill set to understand how our budget works at WSPTA. I have a passion for training on all things finance related as well and love explaining how budgets and finance work within a non-profit corporation. I look forward to continuing to serve on the State Board.

View Jenn’s PTA Résumé

Just imagine—imagine a world where every child’s gifts are honored, every need is met, and every child knows they matter. Isn’t that an exciting vision? When we dream of a better world and share that vision with others, we become advocates.

We can prevent gun violence. You’ve probably heard me say that once or twice. But you know what else? We can stop teen suicide. We can fully fund our schools. We can ensure that all schools are seismically safe and provide healthy learning environments. We can make sure every child has enough to eat. We can provide a top-notch education that nurtures every student’s unique potential. We can adapt our education system to meet the needs of military families, children experiencing homelessness, and those facing trauma. We can end child homelessness. We can mitigate climate change. We can protect the safety of children in our schools and neighborhoods.

All of this is possible—and so much more. Let’s dream up the best world we can imagine for our kids, then use our voices, our hearts, our organizational skills, and our relationships to make it real. This is advocacy. This is PTA.

These are hard times. Many children and families are suffering. In our state, we lose a young person to gun violence every other day. One in seven children in Washington is food insecure. Over 40,000 children are experiencing homelessness. Many schools are seismically unsafe. Many districts are cutting programs and staff due to inadequate state funding, even as they struggle to pass bonds and levies. Our climate is destabilizing. Federal education funding is inadequate and under threat.

Parents and caregivers are stretched thin, just trying to make ends meet. Many who volunteer are burned out and feeling despair. And yet, the antidote to despair is hope—and PTA is in the business of hope. Hope is found in working together toward a shared vision where every child’s potential becomes a reality. This is advocacy, which is at the heart of PTA. We have made things better before, and we are doing it now. Will it happen overnight? Maybe not. But everything is impossible—until suddenly, it isn’t. We are all advocates, and I believe in us. I want to hear your vision of hope. What else can we dream up together?

I would be honored to serve as the WSPTA Advocacy Director. I have been a member of the WSPTA Advocacy Committee since 2019, where I’ve worked on gun violence and suicide prevention, student mental health, school funding, and other key issues. I have served on the WSPTA FACE, DEI, and Resolution committees and held multiple leadership roles in Mercer Island PTAs, primarily as Advocacy Co-VP. I am deeply committed to improving the lives of children in Washington state and grateful for the opportunity to advocate on their behalf. Thank you for considering me for this position.

View Gwen’s PTA Résumé

My name is Linda Farnsworth, and I am running for Family and Community Engagement Director with the WA State PTA for the 2025-27 term.

This will be my 14th Convention, as I have been part of various PTAs for the past 15 years. In 2009, I started volunteering for the Mile Club during recesses on Fridays. This led to roles as vice president, secretary, and president. I thought I would get away with not ever serving as treasurer until this year! I enjoyed organizing events at the elementary school level where there was significant participation. As my children grew older, I served as Family and Community Engagement Chair with my council while managing a capital campaign for ADA-compliant playground equipment. This involvement opened up opportunities, such as attending a national conference on Family and Community Engagement sent by the district.

After serving as council president, I joined the Region 9 Service Delivery Team as a FACE Specialist to support more PTAs. When one of my children enrolled at a new public high school, another PTA volunteer and I started a new PTA to ensure students had access to yearbooks, dances, spirit wear, and other activities. This experience led me to contribute to the state-level Growth and Development Committee, assisting with the chartering of new PTAs. I have also been involved in family and community engagement and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at both regional and state levels.

Volunteering often stems from a connection to a special person at a school. The contributions made through PTA help children beyond just that special individual. Considering others’ perspectives and understanding their thoughts and motivations are important to me. Our commonalities and differences contribute to forming a better team where everyone can feel included.

For example, I worked with a friend, Patricia, who shared her culture’s affinity for dances. We organized an inclusive event initially called a Valentine’s Dance but later renamed it Family Dance to accommodate all families, not just Daddy/Daughter, but also Grandma/Grandson, and other. This demonstrated our commitment to listening to the community and making simple adjustments to include more families.

I believe there are two key components of family and community engagement: Listening with Curiosity and Relationship. I aim to explore, learn about, and share insights on these aspects with all Washington State PTAs in my role as FACE Director over the next two years.

View Linda’s PTA Résumé

My name is Rachel Fitzgerald and I am running to serve in one of the two new Field Service Director positions for Washington State PTA.

On any given day, I try to balance my time between four main activities: 1) drinking tea, my favorite being the chai from my local boba café; 2) spending time with my kids – driving them to & from school, helping with homework, staying up late playing table top games on the weekends, or video calling with my eldest who lives out of state; 3) crocheting – and occasionally knitting when I’m feeling adventurous; and 4) volunteering with my local and council PTSAs.

I first became involved in PTA because I wanted to show my kids I was invested in their education. As a parent of children with disabilities, I knew they would face additional challenges, and I wanted to do everything in my power to advocate for them. This desire to support my children’s success is what motivated me to serve as a volunteer within their school communities for the past 15 years. For over half of that time, I’ve been in leadership roles, with the last 5 years including elected positions on my local council PTSA. Over the years I have done things such as coordinated volunteers, run Reflections and other programs, managed communications, been an advocacy chair, and served in president, vice president, and treasurer roles. These roles have not only allowed me to gain hands-on experience in nearly every aspect of PTA, but they’ve also fostered a passion for the work we do as PTA leaders.

I’ve seen firsthand the incredible work that our PTA leaders do, often behind the scenes, to make sure every child has a voice. I wholeheartedly believe in the PTA’s mission, and I know that our impact is only possible because of the dedication of local leaders who manage the over 830 PTAs across Washington state.

As a Field Service Director, my goal will be to work with the WSPTA board to create innovative ideas that better support local leaders and strengthen PTAs across our state. I understand the challenges our leaders face, and I am committed to finding new ways to ensure they have the tools and resources they need to succeed. I truly believe that by fostering a thriving PTA culture in every school, we can create stronger voices for students and ensure that every child’s needs are met.

Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve and support the PTAs of Washington state.

View Rachel’s PTA Résumé

I have enjoyed working in education most of my life, starting with caregiving and teaching, and adding parent and volunteer roles along the way. I’ve worked within PTA since my children were in Kindergarten, holding roles at the local, council, region, and state level. I have worked with many different leaders within many different regions, and know this state has incredible areas filled with dedicated and devoted people that are working to make sure each child has the very best childhood possible. One thing in common with nearly every PTA experience I’ve ever had is children learning and growing alongside adults that are also learning and growing. Helping children develop skills and discovering their passions have been some of the most important activities of my life. Supporting adults in their work to encourage and engage students is just as important!

One of the most impactful things I learned early in my PTA days was that Washington State PTA strives to maintain grassroots advocacy opportunities for members of any PTA. One of my favorite aspects of WSPTA is that anyone can bring an issue to our membership to be considered. I look forward to being able to support member advocacy in action by helping leaders and members continue to grow their PTA knowledge, whether they are beginning or continuing their own advocacy journey. I believe we can see great success through collaborative leadership and training, and enjoy supporting members as they work to uplift concerns and encourage our schools and communities to place student well-being, safety, health, and growth first when the toughest decisions are being made. I am excited to continue this work by connecting our leaders to pertinent information, training and resources as they in turn prepare their teams to advocate on behalf of our children. I enjoy collaborating to work through knowledge gap roadblocks that can reduce leader confidence, and am excited to be considered for the opportunity to continue this work as the Leadership Director. I know our organization is the most impactful when its leaders feel prepared and confident to raise their voices as loudly as necessary to make changes needed for every child to be able to realize their future dreams, and know that power to come from increased knowledge about our work, our organizations, and our advocacy.

In this role I would strive to support all Washington State PTA leaders as they continue working to understand and build each of their organizations to best support and uplift their communities. Adults are just grown-up kids, and I look forward to helping our leaders rediscover the passion and excitement of learning as they design and build their best PTA! I’m inspired by the incredible dedication I see to our children, families, and communities, and am honored to have been nominated to continue supporting that work as Leadership Director in the coming years.

View Jessica’s PTA Résumé

Hello my name is Dianna Bailey! I am deeply passionate about advocating for the needs of students, families, and educators, and I believe WSPTA provides a powerful platform to create meaningful change. My PTA involvement began nine years ago, when my four children were all in elementary school, and it has been a journey that has strengthened my commitment to the mission of advocating for every child. However, it was the first Washington State PTA convention I attended that truly sparked my passion for this work. That experience opened my eyes to the incredible impact we can have when we come together as a united voice. I was inspired by the conversations, the shared strategies, and the collective energy of those dedicated to improving education for all students.

Since then, I’ve been involved at the local, council, and region director levels, working alongside PTA leaders across the state. Through these roles, I’ve gained a deep understanding of the diverse needs of our schools and how essential it is to amplify our voices in advocating for effective change. I am especially passionate about ensuring that every child has access to the resources and support they need to succeed, whether through better funding, mental health resources, or inclusive policies that promote equity and diversity.

In my work at the local, council, and regional levels, I’ve focused on growing PTA membership, strengthening connections between families and schools, and empowering parents to take an active role in advocating for their children. The strength of the PTA lies in its membership, and by expanding that voice, we can drive lasting change. I am eager to bring my experience and energy to the WSPTA Board. When we come together as a collective, our voices are far more powerful than any individual’s. There is strength in numbers, and when thousands of families, educators, and community members unite behind a shared cause, we can advocate for the policies and resources that make a tangible difference in students’ lives. By building a strong, engaged membership, we not only amplify our collective voice but also create a network of support.

Together, we can ensure that all children in Washington have the opportunity to reach their full potential. I am excited to contribute to this transformative work and continue to build a stronger WSPTA.

View Dianna’s PTA Résumé

My name is Michelle Weinmaster and I am a nominee for the 2025-2027 Program Director. Thank you to the Nominating Committee for nominating me. I look forward to serving the PTAs and leaders of Washington State PTA.

I have served at the local, regional, and state level of PTA. I believe that schools that have strong PTAs are more successful. But our PTAs are struggling right now. Our volunteers and leaders are feeling burned out as the demands and needs for funding, volunteers and community involvement have increased. Due to these stressors, awarding and honoring the work of PTAs and the vital work of their volunteer leaders should be a top priority.

We know that PTAs and leaders that feel appreciated and honored will serve more enthusiastically and passionately. My motto will be “How Can We Celebrate You and Your PTA”.

Two areas of our Washington PTA’s Strategic Plan are outreach and inclusivity. For the past two years as the Leadership Service Award Committee Chair, my two main goals were to simplify the process to make it easier to apply and to get the word out to more people. To accomplish this, we have been able to get the program into our awards system and we are seeing more leaders apply. As Program Director, I would continue to look for any remaining barriers and encourage more people and PTAs to participate and be recognized for the work they are doing.

Teaching PTAs about state awards and programs like Reflections, Essays and Scholarship competitions is important for local PTAs to understand the opportunities Washington State PTA provides.

One last goal, I would work to find opportunities to recognize PTAs and leaders throughout the year not just at the end of year. Spotlighting and recognizing the great work of the PTAs but also sharing some of those ideas with other PTAs. No matter how small or large your PTA is or how small or large your role is on PTA, you make a difference in Washington State PTA.

I hope that you will vote for me to be the Program Director for the 2025-2027 term. Thank you for your dedication to the Washington State PTA and I hope that together we can celebrate you and the amazing work your PTA does.

View Michelle’s PTA Résumé