OUR TEAM
MICHAEL BROWN
Michael Brown (he/him) is the Chief Architect of Civic Commons, a new regional civic infrastructure of Seattle Foundation aimed at uniting more community voices in decision-making to advance racial and economic equity. Most recently, Michael served as the Foundation’s Vice President of Community Programs, where he oversaw the Foundation’s community impact efforts, strategic grantmaking initiatives, convening activities, and impact investing program.
Since beginning his tenure at the foundation in 2001, Michael has led efforts to elevate community voice and foster public-private partnerships, tackling complex challenges in the areas of affordable housing, economic and racial equity, policy, and advocacy. He led the development of the Seattle Foundation's Center for Community Partnerships, which focuses directly on targeted efforts to achieve greater racial and economic equity.
Read more about Michael here.
SOFIA ELLIS-CURRY
Sofia Ellis-Curry (she/her) is operations lead for Civic Commons. Sofia serves as the project manager, supports programmatic work, and refines the cohesion and efficiency of the Civic Commons team.
With an academic background in gender and sexuality studies, Sofia has more than a decade of experience working with diverse constituencies in the non-profit sector. Throughout her career, she has worked on public health and education initiatives in the U.S., Argentina, and Austria. She is energized by the opportunity to advance the impact-driven work of Civic Commons.
CAITLIN MORAN
Caitlin Moran (she/her) is the content and communications manager for Civic Commons. She has a background in journalism and 15+ years of experience bringing communities together through storytelling. Caitlin has worked for various news outlets as a reporter and editor; her most recent roles were leading community engagement efforts for The Seattle Times’ Education Lab project and directing The Evergrey. She’s excited to help further the mission of Civic Commons by connecting local leaders and elevating underrepresented voices.
FRANK NAM
Frank Nam (he/him) leads the belonging effort of Civic Commons through his role as the Project Director of We Belong Here. Bringing more than 20 years of experience in multiple sectors, he has worked for large and start-up technology companies, for-profit and nonprofit educational organizations and local government.
Frank brings strong experience in facilitation, coaching and community engagement, with a focus on equity. He has served on multiple nonprofit boards and is currently the Co-Chair of Leadership Tomorrow's Curriculum Committee.
MARTY KOOISTRA
Marty Kooistra (he/him) is the Network Weaver of the Black Home Initiative (BHI) network, a regional effort to address the systemic injustices in our housing system. Marty is a champion of coalition-based work at the intersection of community development, equity, and affordable housing. As executive director and board president of the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County, Marty formed several coalitions and networks, including Seattle for Everyone. His local, national, and global leadership roles with Habitat for Humanity include CEO of Habitat’s Seattle-King County affiliate. He currently co-chairs the University of Washington’s West Coast Poverty Center Housing Roundtable and serves on the board of Global Washington.