Dear Colleagues,

As we kick off the 2026-27 school year, I have been reflecting on the fast-changing workforce landscape that students are graduating into and what this means for our work. In August, our board members came together with education, industry, and community partners for an insightful panel and discussion on how we can best support students in an AI-shaped future. 

The takeaway was clear: students need opportunities to explore careers, gain hands-on experience, and build soft skills before they even leave high school. 

Now more than ever, our collaborative work across K-12, post-secondary, and industry is critical for creating early opportunities and multiple touchpoints for students to build their strengths and skills. At the same time, I heard resounding caution about the inequities AI risks perpetuating, and I saw the conscientiousness and care our school district partners are bringing as they consider AI policies and guardrails. 

I am looking forward to continued collaboration as we innovate and build programs that set all students up for success in an AI-shaped world. Thank you for being here with us and helping to create a future where every Washington student can thrive. 

In Partnership,

Over the last several months, an incredible group of more than a dozen Boeing employees rolled up their sleeves alongside WABS to design a brand-new STEM4Good curriculum exploring aviation and the history of flight. This process has been a true partnership built over multiple working sessions, with volunteers returning week after week to discuss how best to explain complex aviation concepts to young learners.

This incredible group tested parachutes with their own kids on weekends, then with young visitors during Boeing’s family day - iterating to design hands-on activities that feel fun, relevant, and motivating for students. We are so grateful for this team’s dedication to inspiring the next generation of aerospace engineers and explorers, and we can't wait for students to take flight with this new curriculum!

Thanks to partners like Boeing, STEM4Good brings real-world STEM learning and challenges to 55+ elementary classrooms each year. Our dedicated volunteers guide students through fun, hands-on activities that build STEM confidence and develop 21st-century skills like collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. 

Want to be a part of inspiring a student’s STEM journey? Join us! Our 2026-27 STEM4Good program officially kicks off in October, and we are looking for volunteers to mentor and lead workshops with students (no STEM or teaching experience required).

In the words of one of our incredible volunteers, “Great inventors show us that progress happens when STEM meets creativity and curiosity. That’s what we’re nurturing in these students.”

The Teach2Connect program kicked off in June with a brand new cohort of nearly 20 educators! Over the course of the 8-month program, teachers will work with their industry mentor to design a lesson plan that brings authentic, relevant workplace connections into their classroom. Through this collaborative process, educators build their knowledge of the careers their students are preparing to enter, and increase their skills and capacity to create powerful learning experiences connected to the world of work. 

In August, our cohort came together for in-person collaboration at Shoreline Community College. The day was full of reflection, planning, and exploration of equity-centered curriculum design and how AI is showing up in teaching. We concluded with educators sharing their progress and ideas for their mentor collaborations and projects, and getting real feedback to sharpen their thinking before the next step.

Every piece of the day fed directly into the new lessons our educators are building alongside their industry mentors. We’re excited to see these projects take shape!

For the 2026-27 school year, we are thrilled to be partnering with volunteer mentors from Amazon, Bassetti Architects, Boeing, City of Kent, Fred Hutch, Gesa Credit Union, Providence PACE Washington, Qualtrics, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Washington Clean Energy Testbeds, Washington Pulp and Paper Foundation, and Woodland Park Zoo.

Thanks to these partnerships, nearly 3,000 students will have the chance to experience the power of career-connected learning in their classrooms this year.

Earlier this year, WABS President & CEO Emily Yim was recognized as a Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) Community Leadership Award winner - a recognition given to community members and groups whose work has made an outstanding contribution to public education and student success across Washington state. This award celebrates the kind of work WABS was built to do: partner directly with school districts to help students discover their strengths and passions, and build real pathways to opportunity. 

This award ultimately belongs to everyone who has helped build WABS' work over the years - our school district and industry partners, student and family leaders, community partners, and our dedicated team members who open doors for students every day. This recognition reflects that shared effort and commitment to ensuring all students can pursue the future of their dreams. 

We're especially grateful to Dr. Alison Brynelson, Superintendent of Mukilteo School District, for her nomination!

We're thrilled to announce two outstanding new additions to the WABS Board of Directors: Linda Hapgood of The Boeing Company and Stephen Heard of King County Information Technology. 

Linda Hapgood leads Boeing Engineering for Germany, Poland, Türkiye, and Ukraine, directing Engineering Test & Technology's business strategy across those sites. Over her 27-year career at Boeing, she has led the company's Digital Transformation program and served as chief operating officer of Initium, a Boeing-Safran joint venture, while championing women in aerospace. 

Linda's career has been shaped by bringing diverse teams together to solve hard problems - a lens she brings naturally to WABS' work. “I was inspired to become a board member of WABS because I’ve had the privilege of seeing the difference this organization makes, first as a volunteer with the STEM4Good program many years ago and more recently with an expanded view of their impact through my company, Boeing,” she says. "I want every child in Washington to have the chance to dream big and to have access to inspiring role models.”

Stephen Heard is King County's Chief Information Officer and Director of the Department of Information Technology (IT), where he leads 475 technologists and a $377 million technology budget serving over 16,000 county employees. Since joining King County in 2007, he has held roles across software development, infrastructure, and enterprise leadership, and brings more than 25 years of technology experience spanning the private and public sectors.

Stephen brings a deep commitment to expanding high-demand career pathways for students. For Stephen, the opportunity comes down to matching students with what employers actually need. "I see so much talent and promise in our students, and I see the need in our workplaces," he shares. "Serving on the WABS board lets me help connect those dots so more young people find a clear path to a meaningful future."

We are so glad to have Linda’s and Stephen's leadership, expertise, and passion on our Board!

This fall, we’re spotlighting Kerry O’Connor, a dedicated Teach2Connect mentor and Career Tour host. Kerry first got involved with Teach2Connect in 2024 and has since mentored four teachers, helping them integrate career-connected learning in their classrooms on topics ranging from parks planning and marketing to noise mitigation strategies.

Kerry has also hosted Career Tours over the past four years, introducing students to careers available across multiple city departments. This work is rooted in a gap Kerry remembers from her own school years. "When I was in school, there were limited career paths laid out before me. I didn't know about all the amazing opportunities or the ways to get there," Kerry shares. "I want to share with students the ‘where’ and ‘how’ to look for careers they may have never thought of or been presented with before. And being able to give back to my community and help future co-workers is important to me."

That effort has made a real difference for students across Kent, according to Genevieve Meyer, WABS' Director of Work-Based Learning Programs. "Kerry's commitment to career-connected learning has opened doors for hundreds of Kent-area students to explore the range of careers within city offices and parks departments," Genevieve shares. "Students are often surprised to discover roles in marketing, horticulture, city planning, event management, and business operations." She adds, "I'm especially grateful for the number of staff and variety of roles Kerry brings together to show students what's possible."

We're so grateful for Kerry’s continued partnership, and for everyone in our community who shows up for students. 

Want to support students and educators the way Kerry has? Learn more about Teach2Connect and Career Tours and how you can get involved.

Washington Alliance for Better Schools

18560 1st Avenue NE
Shoreline, WA 98155 US

EIN: 91-1698851

Nonprofit 501(c)(3)

wabsalliance.org