Board of Directors

Chandler Lewis - Board President & Executive Director

Chandler (he/him) brings with him over 12 years’ experience in K-12 education, start-ups, non-profit management, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and management consulting. He has a long history of working with organizations that serve communities in need, specifically with work that focuses on homelessness, addiction and mental health. He is a small business owner and formerly owned a youth sports franchise with programming in over 60 local public and private schools in Washington State. He currently works as the Director of Equity and Inclusion for the Cross Cultural Health Care Program (CCHCP), is a nonprofit training and consulting organization that serves as a bridge between communities and health care organizations to advance access to quality health care that is culturally and linguistically appropriate.

Chandler has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Washington and a Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in public safety leadership from The Johns Hopkins University. He has served as the Outreach and Advocacy Manager and Executive Board Member for the National Youth Advisory Board for The National Domestic Violence Hotline and Loveisrespect as well as a CASA/GAL for King County Dependency CASA program. Chandler also continues to be a leader in the community through his continued involvement as the Executive Director for Circle of Friends for Mental Health, an organization that provides arts-based programming throughout the Puget Sound. Chandler also works extensively with the University of Washington and serves as a Mentor and Advisor for several programs including: UW CoMotion Advisory Services, UW CoMotion Labs, UW/NSF Innovation Corps, and the Masters of Science in Entrepreneurship Program at the Foster School of Business.

Chandler has served as the Executive Director since 2016 and has overseen the evolution of programming within the Puget Sound region. One of his most proud moments during his time overseeing Circle of Friends was making the organization 100% volunteer run, ensuring that all of the funds collected go directly to supporting programming in the community.

Daniel Cole- Board Member

Originally from the Midwest, Daniel came to Seattle ten years ago after having lived in Europe, New York, and several other international cities. Despite his nomadic lifestyle, he has a successful career leading and managing large and small tech projects with developers all over the world. Daniel’s focus has mainly been in games and other media; seeing hundreds of projects come to life from idea to release in various forms. Daniel is passionate about our work because he sees it as a creative outlet that provides meaningful connection with the local community. “I have been lucky to have worked with extremely talented people across many studios to deliver rock solid entertainment and educational experiences that are technically sound.”

Tanya Marceau- Board Member

"Okii, Niistoo Niitaniikoo Tanya Marceau" Hello! My name is Tanya Marceau. Tanya comes from the Blackfeet and Redlake Tribe. She received her Bachelors degree in Gender Studies with a minor in Art (with a focus on Native art) from Saint Michael's College in Vermont. Tanya then went on to earn her Masters Degree in Public Administration with the Tribal Government Cohort of 2018. She currently work for the Cowlitz Tribal Health as the Mental Health Referral Coordinator for all of King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. Tanya previously worked for the Chief Seattle Club as a Housing Case Manager. Tanya is passionate about mental health for a long time and personally identifies with the struggles of living with a mental illness. Her goal is to destigmitize conversations around mental health so that it becomes as normal as talking about the weather. Her contribution to our board has been significant, as she brings a unique perspective as both an individual that is living with a mental health condition, but also as an indigenous person, who is striving to expand education and awareness around the prevalance of mental health conditions within her own community.

SHIV SUBRAMANYAM- BOARD MEMBER

Shiv graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Physics from the University of Washington in with a minor in Japanese. Currently, Shiv is working on obtaining his translators license for Korean, French and Japanese, and plans on returning to graduate school in order to complete Masters of Science in Computational Linguistics. He has extensive experience as an educator, having been a Teaching Assistant for introductory college-level physics courses and a freelance tutor for high school students and college underclassmen. Shiv is passionate about our mission because he has always believed in the power art and free expression and its influence over the human condition. He hopes that his involvment with Circle of Friends will allow him to help provide a platform for the under-privileged to embrace and explore their artistic potential as a source of continued personal development.

Aaron Rosser- Board Member & UW Chapter President

Aaron was raised in the small town of Ellensburg, Washington and lived there for 18 years before moving to Seattle in 2018 when he began to pursue a Bachelor's degree at the University of Washington. He is currently pursuing a double major in Philosophy and Psychology with the goal of continuing his education in order to pursue a Ph.D in Clinical Therapy. Aaron has been working with Circle of Friends since his first quarter at the University of Washington, almost two years now and is also the UW Chapter President for Circle of Friends on UW Campus.

Aaron grew up in a household that very highly valued art and artistic pursuits. He has endeavored to engrain those same ideals into his own life by engaging in a variety of philanthropic opportunities. Aaron has always been deeply interested in seeking to understand mental health through a wholistic lens, and in his recent studies at the University of Washington, has saught to seek out opportunities to deepen his knowledge of both practical treatments as well as theraputic approaches to recovery through the arts. Aaron believes that, “Circle of Friends manages to engage the arts-based approaches to recovery that connects a unique approach towards recovery in a way that is often talked about, but rarely implemented.”

Trevor Slaney - Board Member

Aaron Jost- Board Member

Executive Advising Committee

Carolyn Hale - Founder & Former President

Carolyn received a BS in Early Childhood Education at the University of Maryland, and an MA in Education from the University of Washington. She is a vibrant teacher and entrepreneur, and was recently named Woman of the Year by the National Association of Professional Women in New York City for her years of dedicated service within the mental health field. She founded Circle of Friends for Mental Health in 2002, and has directed all projects and operations at Circle of Friends for the past 15 years. 

Tiffany Yang -  Former Executive Director & Board Member

Tiffany Yang graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Biochemistry. In 2012, she joined Circle of Friends as a volunteer art teacher. Then she became the committee leader for fundraising events such as Stampede Over Stigma 5K Walk/Run and the Washington State First Annual Mental Health Award Ceremony Dinner. In September 2014, she joined the Board as the Secretary. In June 2016, she took on the role of CoPresident for Circle of Friends. She later transitioned into the operation branch and had been the Executive Director for Circle of Friends from August 2016 to February 2017. 

Campus Chapter

Circle of Friend for Mental Health UW Chapter (COFUW) was founded in 2015 with the goal to bring awareness about mental health on campus, while creating a strong community for people living with mental illness.  COFUW  is a Registered Student Organization (RSO) on campus where students can get involved with our events by joining our club.