Dr. Harvey Karp has been a pediatrician and child development specialist for over 30 years. He is on the faculty of USC School of Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The popularity of Dr. Karp’s ideas has made him America’s most read baby doctor and his work is translated into over 20 languages. Praising his innovative concepts, the New York Times proclaimed, “Roll over Dr. Spock!”

Dr. Karp’s book/DVD, The Happiest Baby on the Block teaches simple techniques to quickly reduce crying (even most cases of colic) and boost an infant’s sleep. His book/DVD The Happiest Toddler on the Block presents novel and rapidly effective ways to build cooperation and patience and stop many tantrums in seconds. Over a million parents, from working moms to superstars like Madonna, Michelle Pfeiffer and Pierce Brosnan, have used Dr. Karp’s techniques for making their children happy.

Thousands of specially trained Happiest Baby educators lead classes teaching pregnant couples his baby calming/sleep promoting ideas in hospitals, military bases, clinics and teen parenting programs throughout the US and many other countries to help parents feel more confident and to prevent the terrible consequences of persistent infant crying and parental exhaustion (e.g. postpartum depression, breastfeeding failure, marital stress, child abuse, SIDS, etc). 

Dr. Karp is an advisor to Parents, Ser Padres and American Baby magazines.  He’s part of Barnes and Nobles’ Expert Circle and he’s a parenting coach for AOL. He has appeared numerous times on Good Morning America, The View, Larry King Live, Dr. Phil, etc.  And his work has been featured by the Associated Press, The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, People Magazine, and more.

In addition to his passion for teaching about the normal needs of young families, Dr. Karp is an outspoken advocate in the fight to stop environmental threats to children. Over the past 20 years, he has been a spokesman on environmental issues for the NRDC, PSR, EWG, AAP and the State of California.  He helped launch two of the nation’s premiere watchdog organizations on children’s environmental health. He is also an advisor to National Geographic’s “Green Guide” and editor and contributor to the critically acclaimed green-living guide, Healthy Child/Healthy World (Plume, 2009). Last year Dr. Karp’s work inspired the passage of a new federal law banning a toxic plastic — phthlates — from the toys of young children.

Dr. Karp and his wife reside in Los Angeles and his daughter is a student in New York City.

Katie Simons is the Executive Director at Talaris Institute. As Executive Director, Katie reports directly to the Board and leads the Talaris team. She directs all aspects of strategic planning, research, general operations, product development, distribution and evaluation.

Katie has a BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard’s School of Government. Prior to joining Talaris, she was Director of Brewed Coffee for Starbucks, where she had innovation and P&L responsibility for the brewed coffee business in Starbucks stores nationwide. Previously, she was a Project Leader for Boston Consulting Group in New York and Korea, where she led teams and provided strategic management consulting to Fortune 500 companies. Katie was also an Account Director for the online marketing company Avenue A Razorfish and was a Fulbright scholar in Africa.

Katie and her husband, Steve, have two young daughters ages 1 and 3.

Bruce and Jolene McCaw are co-chairs of the board of directors and principal benefactors for Talaris Institute. Inspired by their experiences as parents of three children, and the knowledge of tremendous gains in infant brain science and developmental research, the McCaws saw an opportunity to help parents with children 0-5, with trusted, research-based, easy-to-use parenting information.

The McCaws support organizations that focus on the healthy growth and development of children and the important role of families and other caring adults in children’s lives through the Apex Foundation, their family charitable private foundation.

In addition, Bruce and Jolene donate their time through board memberships. Jolene is on the board of the Washington Early Learning Fund, a public private non-profit organization committed to early learning and education in the state of Washington. She has served on the Pacific Northwest Ballet Advisory Board and worked closely with Swedish Hospital Foundation on special projects. Bruce is a current board member and past chair for the Museum of Flight, a trustee of St. Thomas School, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, the Seattle Opera and the 10-99 Foundation. He is a past trustee of CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) and Lakeside School.

Bruce, along with his brothers, was a co-founder and director of McCaw Cellular Communications, which was acquired by AT&T in 1994. The son of pioneers in the broadcast industry, Bruce began his business career in radio and television and moved shortly thereafter to the field of aviation, forming his own aviation insurance company, which later became Forbes Westar. He was also responsible for co-founding Horizon Air, which became one of the nation’s largest regional airlines prior to being sold to Alaska Airlines in 1986. Bruce also collects classic automobiles and racecars and, when time permits, competes in vintage racing events.

Carolyn Bardon is the Director of Finance and Operations at Talaris Institute, reporting to the Executive Director. As Director of Finance and Operations, Carolyn is responsible for business planning, financial oversight & reporting, operations support and team leadership.

Carolyn joined Talaris from the Global Development Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she recommended systems improvements, and implemented policies and procedures related to finance, financial planning & analysis, IT, HR and facilities. Previously, she was the Co-founder and CEO of a small business and Director of Business Planning for an internet start-up. She also has financial experience working at the investment bank Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and in private equity. Carolyn has a BS in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Carolyn and her husband Max are the proud parents of a two year old daughter named Ava. In addition to spending time with family, Carolyn’s interests include yoga, running, tennis and community service.

Mary Braseth joined Talaris in December of 2008 as the administrative assistant to Executive Director, Katie Simons.  As well as being an executive assistant, Mary is also responsible for office management, customer service and board communication.  

Most recently, Mary was the lead administrative assistant to the Vice President of Licensed Stores at Starbucks as well as the Vice President of Global Beverage.

 Mary enjoys horseback riding, reading, walking her dogs and spending time with her family. 

Craig Stewart is president and a trustee of the Apex Foundation, a private family foundation of Jolene and Bruce McCaw with a focus on children, families and education. He currently serves on the board of the 10-99 Foundation.

After military service and stints with the US Government and Standard Oil of Ohio, Craig began development work at Lewis University in Lockport, Illinois, where he worked in the late sixties and early seventies. He has served as development director at Regis University in Denver, Colorado and Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut. He was director of development at Lakeside School from 1986 to 1996. He continues to advise a number of nonprofit institutions, particularly in the areas of governance, development planning and major gift fundraising.

A graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont, he received his B.A. in political science, followed by an M.A. in ethnic studies from Governors State University in Illinois and an Ed.D. in higher education from Western Colorado.

Craig and his wife, Val, reside in Seattle and are the parents of two grown children.

Terry is Vice Chair of Talaris Institute. His experience includes leadership positions in non-profit organizations, foundations, and local government, working for both international and domestic causes. Terry helped establish the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from 1998 to 2001. Besides overseeing the development of the Foundation’s initial financial and administrative systems, he developed an initiative for international disaster relief and helped create a housing program to strengthen families in the Pacific Northwest. He served as Executive Vice President for the start up of the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust in Arizona, a regional foundation dedicated to early childhood development, youth, the elderly and the arts. Terry has been involved with Save the Children for almost two decades, initially as its director of refugee programs, later as executive vice president/COO, and recently on its Board of Directors. He has also served as Director of Central Staff for the Seattle City Council and venture fund program officer for The Pew Charitable Trusts. He has lived and worked internationally as an educator in Australia, Europe and Nepal and as a trainer in Southeast Asia refugee camps. Terry holds a master’s in business from the Yale University School of Organization and Management and master’s degree in humanities from the University of Chicago.

Janice Brinschwitz joined the Talaris team in February, 2010 and reports directly to the Director of Finance and Operations.  In addition to performing accounting and financial reporting duties, Janice works closely with the Dir. of Finance and Operations to develop and assure compliance with financial controls and systems. 

Janice’s experience includes her role as Controller at Envision Response, Inc., a Seattle based TV production and marketing company where she managed the Accounting and Human Resources department.  She became a QuickBooks expert as the founder of her own bookkeeping and consulting business,  JLB Bookkeeping, focusing on QB training and troubleshooting.  Janice also worked as an auditor for Arthur Andersen LLP, Seattle, after graduating magna cum laude from the University of Washington with a BA in Business Administration.

Having lived in Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia, Janice now calls beautiful Edmonds, WA her home, which she shares with husband Thomas, and daughters Katharina and Gabriela.  Janice loves reading and dancing Argentine Tango.

Kathleen Hebert recently left her position as a vice president and corporate officer for Microsoft Corporation. During her 14-year tenure at Microsoft, she played a key role in various product development and marketing efforts, including Microsoft Office. Most recently, she led Microsoft’s newly formed Business Solutions division. A former associate at the Boston Consulting Group, she has worked on strategic planning and development in a number of industries internationally. Kathleen earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Dartmouth College and a masters in business administration from Stanford University.

As a recent mother of twin girls, Kathleen balances her time between her family and her interest in early learning. She is a partner with Social Venture Partners in Seattle, focusing on early childhood development and parenting.

Roberta R. Katz is an executive officer and director of the Charles and Roberta Katz Family Foundation. She previously was one of the founders and the CEO of Flywheel Communications, Inc., a company specializing in the use of technology to manage rights-related transactions and dispute resolutions. Prior to joining Flywheel Communications, Inc., Ms. Katz was the President and CEO of the Technology Network (TechNet), a national bipartisan political network of technology industry executives. Ms. Katz had previously served for four years as the Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel of Netscape Communications Corporation. Prior to her post at Netscape, she was the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc. (now AT&T Wireless) and its subsidiary, LIN Broadcasting Corporation. Ms. Katz was also a lawyer in private practice, specializing in corporate law. She was a partner with the firm of Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe, resident in the firm’s Seattle office.

Before becoming an attorney, Ms. Katz was a cultural anthropologist. She holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University, where she specialized in issues of social and cultural change. As a result of her continuing interests in the effects of technological and social change, she conducted a study, under the auspices of the Discovery Institute, of the effects of the Information Age on the American civil justice system. The results of her study were published in 1997 in a book entitled Justice Matters: Rescuing the Legal System for the 21st Century.

Ms. Katz is a member of several Boards of Directors and several Advisory Boards. She was named one of “The Fifty Most Influential Women Lawyers in America” by the National Law Journal and one of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in California” by the Daily Journal, and she has been a frequent public speaker on Internet law and policy issues, legal system issues, social change issues, and technology-workplace issues.

Ms. Katz received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, law degree from University of Washington Law School, and Ph.D. from Columbia University. She is married and has two children.

For the past ten years, Mr. Nielsen has concentrated his activities in the field of public education. He traveled the country for two years studying America’s public education system and subsequently ran for and was elected to the Board of the Seattle Public Schools. He served on the board for eight years and was President of the Board in 2001. Mr. Nielsen’s goal has been and continues to be to help transform an urban school system in order to create a template to transform America’s schools.

Mr. Nielsen has also co-founded and provided the initial capital for TeachFirst, Inc., where he currently serves as the company’s chairman. The company films America’s greatest teachers in every grade and every subject and makes those teaching practices available to all teachers via the Internet. The company now serves 55 school districts in 24 states.

Mr. Nielsen currently serves as Director of Washington Services, Inc. and Mobility, Inc. (Flexcar). In his spare time he also serves on the Board of the Alliance for Education, IslandWood, KCTS Public Television and the National Eating Disorders Association. He is also active in the Young Presidents’ Organization Alumni.

He is a graduate of the University of Washington where he received a bachelor’s degree in Business in 1960. In his senior year at the University of Washington he was elected student body president. In 1963, he received a master’s in business administration degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

For over 20 years Chris Rogers has been helping organizations, business leaders and families clarify their key objectives, evaluate them against internal and external influences, and build adaptable strategic and tactical plans to achieve their aims. As Vice President-Financial Consultant at RBC Wealth Management, he provides comprehensive financial advisory and wealth management services to private clients, small businesses, and charitable foundations. Previous to RBC Chris served as Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Business Unit Manager, and a member of the Executive Committee for WRQ where he was recruited to lead the restructuring and repositioning of a strategic business unit for the privately-held enterprise software company.

Chris’s interest in early learning and parent support began in a state of personal fear and wonder when he and Heidi welcomed their first child in 2000. Since that time, Chris has been a community volunteer working to bring the knowledge of science to the practice of parenting through his membership and a variety of advisory roles with Social Venture Partners and Thrive by Five of Washington, among other organizations. Chris received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Washington. His favorite and most valuable education is earned daily with his wife under the patient tutelage of their two young children.

As President Emeritus of Washington State University (WSU) and chair of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges Board of Directors for 2000, Sam brings to Talaris a world of experience and many contacts in the field of education.

Sam Smith has enjoyed a distinguished career in higher education, first on the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley, then at Pennsylvania State University. He served 15 years (July 1, 1985 – June 8, 2000) as president of WSU, the eighth leader of the institution in its 110-year history.

Under his leadership, WSU grew in size and stature. Its teaching, research, and public service activities received worldwide recognition. Strengthening undergraduate and graduate education, placing an international imprint on programs, and increasing opportunities for women and minorities were among his presidential priorities.

In the state of Washington, Sam is well known for establishing WSU branch campuses in Spokane, the Tri-Cities, and Vancouver to serve place-bound and job-bound students. Learning centers and award-winning Extended Degree Programs have further expanded access to WSU. More than one-third of all WSU graduates — since the University’s first commencement in 1897 — had their academic degrees granted by him.

Under his leadership, Campaign WSU, the University’s first comprehensive fund-raising effort, attracted $275.4 million in private support, substantially over its $250 million goal. The campaign transformed WSU’s ability to serve students and the state of Washington by supporting scholarships, faculty recruitment and retention, learning technology, and statewide education.

His recognition as a national leader in distance education is reflected by his service as a member of the Board of Trustees of Western Governor’s University, of which WSU is a founding member.

In addition to chairing the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) Board of Directors, his leadership positions with the Association have included serving as chair of both the NASULGC Council of Presidents and its Commission on Information Technologies. NASULGC is the nation’s oldest higher education association.

Sam also served on the Kellogg Commission on the Future of the State and Land-Grant Universities. Created by NASULGC, the commission planned for change and improvement of state universities and land-grant colleges for this century.

In 1998, he was honored at the NASULGC annual meeting as the Justin Smith Morrill Memorial lecturer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and NASULGC give the lectureship award once every three years. It honors outstanding contemporary leadership in teaching and significant contributions as an educator in promoting the land-grant tradition of the “liberal and practical education of all people.”

Sam’s background includes serving as chair of the Executive Committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He became active in the NCAA when he was elected as the Division I representative to the President’s Commission. He later was elected chair of the commission and then was elected chair of the Executive Committee, the NCAA’s newly formed primary governing body, and served in that capacity until completion of his term.

He has been honored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District VIII with its Leadership Award for “qualities beyond leadership” that enabled WSU to “dramatically change course, chart a new vision, and exceed even its own expectations” in serving students.

Before his association with WSU, Dr. Smith served 16 years at Penn State, initially as a faculty member, then department head, and finally, Dean of the College of Agriculture and director of both the Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station.

A native of Salinas, California, he holds bachelor and doctoral degrees in plant pathology from the University of California at Berkeley and honorary doctoral degrees from Nihon University in Tokyo, Japan, Western Governors University  and Far Eastern State University in Vladivostok, Russia.

Richard N. Brandon, Ph.D. is Senior Research Fellow at the Evans School of Public Affairs, and directs the University of Washington’s Human Services Policy Center (HSPC). Before joining the UW in 1989, Dr. Brandon served 15 years as professional staff member and staff director of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee. Prior to that he directed systems analysis and budgeting for the New York City Department of Mental Health. He also has been a consultant on a variety of human service and financing issues, to state and local governments, the American Association for Retired Persons and the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology and Government.

Major HSPC projects under Dr. Brandon’s direction include: Financing Universal Access to Early Care and Education (ECE) for America’s Children, which developed a computerized policy simulation model, and has been helping leaders in several states explore different methods of providing financial access to high quality ECE for all families; the Education Finance Modeling Project, which is helping state educational leaders to explore the costs of alternative approaches to providing all children effective education from preschool through high school; Washington Kids Count, which works to improve policies for children and families by analyzing data on the well-being of children and stimulating communities to develop local action agendas.

Dr. Robin E. Cole has been practicing medicine at the Seattle Women’s Clinic since 1987. Robin received a masters degree in genetics before completing medical school and an OB/GYN residency at the University of Washington. She was named one of Seattle’s Best Doctors in 2000, and has a special interest in high-risk obstetrics, adolescent medicine and menopause.

Robin balances time between her private practice and teaching in the University of Washington’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is a member and past president of the Seattle Gynecology Society, and frequently speaks to students and local media on women’s health issues. As a board member of the Kodiak Club and gynecology consultant with the Woodland Park Zoo, Robin’s professional experience also includes the delivery of a baby gorilla.

Jack Faris, Ph.D.  is a consultant to the Rural Development Institute, Swedish Hospital and other clients.

Dr. Faris earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He was an associate professor with tenure at Towson University in Maryland until returning to Seattle in 1985 to join the advertising agency Cole & Weber in 1985. He was team leader for the Boeing advertising account for 12 years and was executive vice president and general manager of the agency. In 1999 he became director of community strategies for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and participated in the launch of the foundation’s global health initiatives. In 2000 Dr. Faris was appointed vice president for University Relations at the University of Washington. He served as president of the Washington Biotechnologg and Biomedical Association from 2005 to 2008.

Dr. Faris also serves on the advisory board of the Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the steering committee of Foster Promise, a consotrium working to improve the quality of foster care across the state.

Dr. Faris has served on the Talaris advisory board since 2005. He counsels Talaris on issues related to marketing and advertising, literacy and creating a culture of learning.

Dr. Danette Swanson Glassy is a primary care pediatrician working and living on Mercer Island, Washington. Danette attended the University of Washington School of Medicine, and completed her residency at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. She has been practicing medicine in the Seattle area for 14 years.

Danette is a dedicated advocate for children’s issues, locally and nationally. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Early Childhood, Adoption, and Dependent Care, and the chair of the AAP’s Special Interest Group in Child Care. She previously served as the president of the Washington Chapter of the AAP, and is currently the AAP’s key contact for early care and education.

Joyce Taylor, an Emmy-award winning anchor with an extensive career in television is among the most recognized news anchors in the Northwest. In May 2002, Joyce returned to the Home Team to co-anchor the station’s top-rated KING 5 Morning News and KING 5 News at Noon with Brad Goode and Rich Marriott. Joyce also co-anchors Seattle Live on KONG 6/16, the local morning news and entertainment show which launched in August 2004.

She began her career as a weathercaster at KING-TV’s sister station, KREM 2 News in Spokane, Wash., right after college. She then headed east to WFMY-TV in Greensboro, N.C., to work as a reporter and weathercaster and was later promoted to anchor the station’s No. 1 weekend newscast.

Joyce returned home to the Northwest and the KING-TV family in 1988 to anchor KING 5 Weekend News. She later would anchor KING 5 morning news and launch KING 5 News at Noon with anchor Dennis Bounds. In 1993, Joyce moved to Seattle’s KIRO-TV anchoring various newscasts including the 6:30 p.m. news, 7-LIVE with Joyce Taylor and then moved on to anchor KIRO’s weekday morning news and noon newscasts.

Throughout her career, Joyce has been recognized for her excellence in broadcasting. She received a regional Emmy in 1998 for Best News Anchor for her live reporting from London of Princess Diana’s tragic death.

Joyce has a twin sister who is an elementary school principal in California and is one of five children. She grew up in Tacoma where her parents still reside and is a graduate of Wilson High School and Western Washington University in Bellingham, which recently named her one of the college’s “100 Outstanding Alumni of the Century.”

Locally, she lends her talents to a number of causes. She is an active WWU alum and spent six years on the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. She is also a long-time member of a fund-raising committee for Seattle Emergency Housing Service.

Joyce is an avid runner and recently completed her first triathlon and the Seattle Half-Marathon. She lives in Bellevue with her husband and two children.

Paula Smith has been head of school at the University Child Development School in Seattle for the past seven years. In her 15 years with the University Child Development School, Paula has taught at the elementary level, developed curriculum, and served as director of admissions and the assistant head of school.

Paula received her master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Washington. She currently sits on the board of the Washington Federation of Independent Schools, and serves on the public engagement task force sponsored by the Seattle Public Schools and the Alliance for Education.

Joan Lombardi is one of the leading experts on early childhood development and child and family policy. She is the director of The Children’s Project LLC. Through The Children’s Project, she serves as an advisor to a number of foundations and policy initiatives and helps create innovative projects with a wide variety of national and international organizations. Joan served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the first Director of the Child Care Bureau. She is the author of Time to Care: Redesigning Child Care to Promote Education, Support Families and Build Communities (Temple University Press, 2003) and co-editor of A Beacon of Hope: The Promise of Early Head Start for America’s Youngest Children (Zero To Three Press, 2004).

In 2004, Joan launched the Global Leaders for Young Children program in partnership with The World Forum Foundation, which has provided leadership support to 19 early education leaders from 8 countries. In addition, in 2004 she served as a Senior Fellow with The Global Fund for Children in Washington D.C. Joan serves on the Education Leadership Council of Save the Children, and participates in the US Chapter of the Global Campaign for Education and Global Action for Children.