Board of Trustees

The Board at a glance

• 16 members
• 15 are parents of Billings alumni students
• 6 are parents of current Billings students
• 1 is a former teacher at Billings

Stephen Starling, Chair

Stephen serves as Chair of the Boars and has lead the Board Steering Committee and the Facilities Committee. He is the parent of two Billings alumnae (Ranleigh, class of 2005 and Abbey, class of 2011). With a degree in architecture from Montana State University, Stephen has been an architect for more than 20 years. He currently is a principal at Schreiber Starling and Lane Architects, a design firm with a primary focus on public sector architecture and a particular emphasis on higher education facilities. Stephen has served on the board of the Spruce Street School, where he chaired the Facilities Committee. Both of his daughters are Spruce Street alums. An avid baseball fan, Stephen says he sees design excellence in a well-thrown curve ball. He has been described as being able to "find his nirvana from his seats on the first base line, with a sausage in hand, and his beloved M’s on the field."

Nina Crocker, Vice Chair

Nina Crocker is past Advancement Vice-Chair, and previously served as co-chair of the Billings Parent Association. Nina and her husband Stephan Gillett two daughters, including Billings alumna Maya (2009). Nina has helped bring a new level of enthusiasm and structure to the organization. Under her leadership, many new social events and parent education evenings have been initiated. Nina is well acquainted with PNAIS schools. Her husband Stephen Gillett teaches at The Little School in Bellevue, where both of their daughters attended elementary school. Originally from California, Nina has a culinary background and is well-known for her felt-hat making. Nina and Stephen have graciously hosted Billings events at their home in Ravenna.

Patti Pearce, Treasurer

Patti Pearce serves as Treasurer, chairs the Finance Committee, and serves on the Advancement Committee. She is the parent of Billings alum Colin, class of 2008. Patti is a CPA with 20+ years of accounting experience in both for-profit and non-profit environments. She currently holds the position of Associate Director of Finance, Accounting Services for PATH. In this capacity, she leads PATH’s Domestic Accounting Services, International Accounting Services and Reporting & Analysis teams. Over her career, she has worked for several other non-profit organizations including Chief Financial Officer for the Northwest AIDS Foundation and Executive Director of Financial and Administrative Services for Cornish College of the Arts. She graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a B.A. in Accounting. Patti also volunteers for Page Ahead, a children’s literacy program that places new books into the hands of at-risk children.

Dee Dee Dahlen, Secretary

Dee Dee Dahlen followed in the footsteps of her parents and began her Career as a physician. She specialized in internal medecine, with a sub-specialty in hematology, after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and serving her residency at the UW School of Medicine. She has published more than half a dozen articles in medical journals such as Movement dicorders, Biological Chemistry, Leukemia Research andRaditation Research. 

Most recently Dee Dee has focused her energy on non-profit organiztion management. She serves on the board of the Northwest Children's Fund and is a task force member for the Sand Point Housing Capital Campaign. She is board chair of The Perkins School (early K through 5th grade) and previously served as their interim Admissions Director. Dee Dee and her husband Bob Fries have three children including a Billings alumna (Annaliese Fries, Class of 2010). At Billings, Dee Dee has been a consummate volunteer - serving in a variety of roles including Parent Association parent rep, Live Auction Presentation Chair for the 2008 and 2009 auctions, one of three Auction Co-Chairs for 2010 and 2011, Advancement Committee member, and frequent Handy Helping Hands volunteer.

Art Vertner, Immediate Past Chair

Art served as Chair of the Board from 2008 to 2011 and has served on the Facilities Committee. He is the parent of two Billings alumni: Anna, class of 2007, and Garrett, class of 2008. What Art brings to Billings is a passion to "work with people who are engaged in creating best-in-class environments, in this case, for educating our children."  He is an experienced McKinstry business executive, who understands real estate development, and has experience in architecture and engineering.

Lara Apgar

Lara Apgar has been a teacher for more than 10 years. She was a member of the faculty at Billings from 2002 to 2008, most recently as one of three teachers on the 7th grade iCLAST team (Integrated Class of Language Arts, Science and Technology). At Billings, Lara taught Language Arts and P.E., served as a student advisor, led international and local trips, developed curriculum, provided oversight for the library, and was a Design Week Co-Chair. “My days spent at Billings were energizing and always new,” Lara says. “I enjoy the energy, the excitement, the questioning, and yes, even the drama of this time in students’ lives.” Lara studied in Japan as a Fulbright Fellow in 2005 and also did an independent project on the history of Manga and Media. She was a participant in the National Council for Teaching about Asia in 2006. Lara is a member of the Washington Library Media Association and the National Association of Teachers of English. She has a B.S. in English from the University of Virginia and a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Long Island University. In 2008, Lara joined the Advancement Committee and served as the Annual Fund Chair for faculty and staff. Under her leadership, faculty/staff participation reached 100% for the first time. Lara is currently taking a break from teaching full-time, continuing to work on her novel, and spending more time with her two young children.

Carol Borgmann

Carol serves as Chair of the Major Gifts Committee and was a leader of the Building Billings Capital Campaign. She is the director of major and planned giving at Lakeside School, a position she’s held since February 2004. Prior to that, she served as director of development and communications at Music Works Northwest and as director of development at the Northwest AIDS Foundation. Her 28 years as a fundraising professional also include 12 years in the performing arts. Carol serves on the board for the Washington Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, where she is on the Communications Committee and the Mentorship Committee. Carol and her husband, Steve Sorensen, have one daughter, Lynn, Billings class of 2010. Steve organized the “Honey-Do” Dads as an auction item for the past three years, and is a frequent facilities volunteer at Billings. Carol is a key member of Billings Major Gifts and Advancement committees. She was part of the selection task force that recommended consultant Nan Garrison.

Peter Conard

Peter and his wife Laura Appell are the parents of Sam (2009) and Eli (2012). Peter has shared his experience and expertise as a key member of Billings Facilities Planning Committee since 2008. Peter Conard is a principal at Sullivan Conard Architects, an award-winning firm named one of the Top 50 Northwest Architectural firms by NW Home Magazine. The firm focuses on high-end residential and retreat homes, and takes pride in creating timeless, site-appropriate buildings that resonate with clients' values while supporting their way of life and practical needs. Their work has been described as a balance between innovation and tradition, with careful consideration of scale, proportion and detail. With a BA in Geology from Middlebury College and a Master in Architecture from the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts, Peter began his career in 1991 and has worked in Seattle for more than 15 years, except for 1996 to 1998 when he briefly returned to his New England roots and worked for an architectural firm in Burlington, Vermont.   His other community involvement work includes Habitat for Humanity and assistant coaching for the Seattle Junior Hockey Association.

Mark Foote

Mark serves on the Finance Committee and Advancement Committee. He is the parent of Billings alumna Mika, class of 2008, and Rowan, class of 2012. Since graduating with a Master of International Management degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Mark has accumulated 25 years of financial management, financial planning, and MIS project experience in both the public and private sectors, stateside and overseas. Mark also spent several years as a stay-at-home dad, performing work he describes as "specializing in diaper changes under extreme conditions." Currently he does budgeting, data modeling, and some IT project management for King County Department of Transportation. Mark has an interest in education with an international perspective that encompasses foreign language study, travel abroad, and awareness of current events beyond domestic borders.

Diane Osland

Diane serves on the Advancement and Major Gifts Committees. She is the parent of Billings alum Connor Atkinson, class of 2007. With a Liberal Arts degree from the University of Washington, she spent several years in the 1970’s developing and implementing program models that were instrumental in prison reform. After a career shift, Diane joined Russell Investments and became the director of Product Development, responsible for the development and management of investment products. She retired from Russell in 2003. Her interest in the people of other cultures and related travel was the catalyst for founding an import company that specializes in fine art. Following her retirement from Russell, Diane and two Seattle artists started a small gallery featuring the work of Northwest artisans. Diane is a long time community activist. She chaired the board of the Giddens School and has been involved in fundraising for multiple non-profit organizations.

Brian Wong

Brian re-joined the Board last year after first serving as a trustee when his son Will, (Class of 2002), attended Billings.

In the interim, Brian focused on his business, The Bedside Trust, where he is the CEO. The Bedside Trust has developed Patient Driven Leadership for healthcare organizations, using Dr. Wong’s expertise and background as a Medical Doctor as well as his Master’s Degree in Public Health. Patient Driven Leadership creates the conditions whereby healthcare executives, staff, nurses and physicians are able to build trust and solve problems together. This enables them to connect what matters most to patients to how they practice as leaders. Brian notes that he sees many similarities between his work and the work of the Board. He hopes to bring to the Board his experiences in the medical community of collaboration and role clarity. Brian also plans to focus on the ideas of “relational answers to operational problems” and “thinking big while staying small."

Although his son graduated from Billings many years ago, Brian still enjoys reminiscing about Will's experiences at Billings. Brian explains that when Will was in 7th grade, he took a culinary arts class at Billings that proved pivotal in his life. Will is a graduate of the culinary program at Seattle Central Community College. He now works at Elliot’s Oyster House on Pier 56 and plans to be a chef. "It's these kinds of opportunities for students that truly make Billings the great and amazing school that it is," Brian says. "I really appreciate the Billings philosophy of encouraging exploration and growth while offering a stable base of support so that students can make whatever they want to do work out." Brian explains that this philosophy is one of the reasons that he is "ecstatic to be an integral part of the Billings community again."