Staff

Liz Vivian
Executive Director
liz@wfalliance.org
Liz has more than sixteen years of community leadership experience in the private, nonprofit and public sectors. Prior to joining WFA as the executive director, Liz worked as a consultant to nonprofits and philanthropic organizations, including NPower and PONCHO, and led Global Corporate Citizenship in the northwest region for The Boeing Company. Before joining Boeing, she served as Executive Director of 2V/ACT (originally known as Seattle Youth Involvement Network) and National Field Director for Rock the Vote. She also held positions with the Washington Women’s Foundation and the City of Seattle Human Services Department and served as Interim Executive Director of Aradia Women’s Health Center.
Liz is a member of the Board of Directors for the Alliance of Education and currently serves as Chair-Elect and a member of the Executive Committee. In 2008, she was appointed by Governor Gregoire to the Washington Commission for National and Community Service where she served for two years. In 2006, Liz served on the Seattle Public Schools Community Advisory Committee on School Facilities and Programs (a.k.a., “the school closure committee”). Liz is a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow and served on the Leadership Tomorrow Curriculum Committee for six years. In 2003, Liz was honored as one of the region’s “40 Under Forty” by the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Liz holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Redlands and a Certificate for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Trinity College London. She was born in New York City and raised in Seattle where she currently lives with her husband and daughter.
Sara Reyerson
Director of Grant Programs
sara@wfalliance.org
As an avid supporter of women and girls reaching their full potential, Sara is honored to be part of the Women’s Funding Alliance team. She brings with her over fourteen years of professional and volunteer experience focused on building communities and increasing the leadership, self-expression and safety of women and girls. Since becoming a staff member in 2005, Sara has supported both our fundraising and programmatic activities. Currently, she serves as the Director of Grant Programs and oversees all of the foundation's grant-making initiatives. Sara graduated from Moorhead State University with a BA in Sociology focused on Women’s Studies and Criminology and is a graduate of Bridge Builders, a leadership development program of the Women’s Funding Network. When Sara’s not in the office collaborating with her team, she enjoys connecting amazing women by facilitating a year-long community service group and volunteering for fabulously fun organizations like Girls on the Run of Puget Sound.
Kristen Spangler
Finance and Administration Director
kristen@wfalliance.org
Kristen is a specialist in non-profit and small business management. Her passion is helping great organizations get systems in place to make their work and impact even greater. She came to the Women's Funding Alliance from the Business Development Center at UW Bothell where she provided consultation to small business owners and linked business students with consulting projects. Before she moved to the West Coast, Kristen worked as a Project Director for the Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development, which provides consulting and training services to community-based non-profits. She managed several government and foundation grants, including an initiative to examine capacity building in Native American communities and the development of curricula for leadership and community development. Kristen spent the prior three years working as a volunteer with the Peace Corps, where she headed up a number of initiatives in a small Nicaraguan community. Kristen's educational background includes an MBA from University of Washington and degrees in Environmental Science and Spanish from Middlebury College, VT. When she’s not at WFA, Kristen can be found running around with her husband and two young kids in West Seattle.
Jovana Jovanovic-Thornton
Office Administrator
jovana.thornton@wfalliance.org
Jovana joined the staff of Women’s Funding Alliance in October 2012. As the Office Administrator she handles the day-to-day office duties, maintains organizational records and assists with financial management. Jovana is studying Political Science and Human Rights at the University of Washington. Her goal is to continue her studies at the UW School of Law focusing on International Humanitarian Law. She is passionate about the protection of women and children during times of armed conflict and would like to start a nonprofit in her home country of Bosnia. In her spare time she enjoys yoga, hiking, reading about art, and planning her next trip.
Leslie Wallace
Development Operations Coordinator
leslie@wfalliance.org
Leslie joined the staff of Women’s Funding Alliance in 2006 and plays a vital leadership role in WFA’s development and communications activities. As the Development Operations Coordinator she manages the database, donor acknowledgements, assists with special events, author's key reports, and coordinates mass communication pieces. She has been a volunteer and advocate for a handful of agencies in the Puget Sound region focused on youth and family issues. Before coming to WFA, Leslie worked for Social Justice Fund Northwest as a Development Assistant. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Washington and has earned her Fundraising Management Certificate from University of Washington Extension Program. When she is not in the office, Leslie enjoys swimming, bowling, and consignment shopping in Ballard.

Justice, health and opportunity for women and girls.

Staff