Our Leadership
Ruth Daugherty – Director of Financial Coaching
Ruth Daugherty joined Northwest Access Fund in March 2022. Ruth has worked within the disability community for over ten years as a Special Education Teacher and as a Community Service Provider for adults with disabilities. Ruth is passionate about providing education, resources, and support needed for people with disabilities to live joyful and fulfilling lives, and is excited to bring her teaching experience to the financial coaching program. Outside of work, Ruth enjoys reading, cooking, and playing outside with her husband and two young children.
Email: [email protected]
Kathy Gilman – Program Director
Kathy Gilman joined Northwest Access Fund in 2008 after serving on the Board and Loan Review Committee for almost three years. Kathy previously worked as a Business Development Specialist with Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) working on bringing microenterprise development programs to both urban and rural areas. Prior to joining MEDA she worked for more than seven years for Ventures (formerly Washington CASH), a community-based microenterprise development and peer lending organization in Western Washington. She was also a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching business in the Russian Far East. Kathy’s educational background includes an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago.
Email: [email protected]
Lisa Jones – Director of Outreach and Partnerships
Lisa (Zimmerman) Jones is new to the Pacific Northwest but no stranger to microlending and financial coaching. Joining NWAF in June 2022, Lisa brings over almost 2 decades of experience in asset development and program management. She has developed multiple programs to assist in poverty alleviation including a Women’s Business Center, Youth IDA program, and a public transportation system. Lisa has worked extensively in rural markets to develop Community Development Financial Institutions like NWAF, focusing on keeping rural communities and their residents thriving instead of just surviving. Lisa enjoys music festivals, karaoke, camping, floating, and fishing.
Email: [email protected]
Emerson Sekins – Chief Executive Officer
As the CEO of Northwest Access Fund, Emerson Sekins is dedicated to empowering people with disabilities and their families by providing affordable access to life-changing assistive technology financing and the support and resources needed to navigate financial barriers. With over 20 years of advocacy experience in the disability community, Emerson is deeply committed to addressing the systemic financial barriers faced by individuals with disabilities. These barriers include unaffordable medical and prescription costs, credit score impacts from medical debt and bankruptcies, and restrictions on assets and savings tied to public benefits. Emerson’s passion for the mission of Northwest Access Fund began in 2013 when he joined the organization as a program staff member working with low-income clients to access assistive technology. Since then, he has served as Asset Building Director and Deputy Director before assuming the role of Executive Director in 2017. A leader in the field of disability finance, Emerson serves as the Secretary of the Washington Community Investment Coalition and the Treasurer of the National Disability Finance Coalition. Emerson earned an MPA and a BA in Disability Studies from the University of Washington.
Email: [email protected]
Ellie Vainker – Chief Operating Officer
Ellie Vainker has been with Northwest Access Fund since 2017. She served as Director of Development and Outreach and Deputy Director before becoming Chief Operating Officer in 2024. Ellie first came to the Pacific Northwest as an international exchange student at the University of Washington in 2006 and loves getting to know more people and places across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho through her work here. She leads operations at NWAF, often focusing on improving how our systems and processes work for the communities we serve. Ellie brings a varied background to Northwest Access Fund: she has worked as a researcher on a number of documentary and film productions, as a manuscript editor and communications consultant, and as a classroom assistant working one-on-one with students with disabilities. She holds a Ph.D. in sociocultural anthropology from Rice University, where her research incorporated disability studies, anthropology of development, and nonprofit studies. She is an affiliate of the University of Washington’s Disability Studies Program.
Email: [email protected]