Seattle Public Schools Foundation Leadership and Board Of Directors

Phil worked for the Seattle Public Schools for 30 years, beginning his career in education as a math teacher and coach at Rainier Beach High School. Phil advanced through his career as a middle and high school principal, including becoming the Ballard High School Principal in 2004. Phil also held the position of Interim High School Director, Executive Director of Schools, and Executive
Director of PK-12 School Operations.

In 2013, Phil became the Superintendent of the Sedro-Woolley School District and, after 38 years in the world of education, retired in 2021. In addition, Phil was active in the state school associations serving in leadership positions as well as non-profits such as the United Way.

Phil, a 1976 graduate of Ballard High School, grew up in Ballard and has four brothers that graduated from Ballard High. There have been 12 family members who have graduated from Ballard, with the most recent in 2020. Phil’s parents, Frank and Elenore, were well known
in the Ballard community, and his very active 93-year young mother, still lives in the family home. Phil has been married for 39 years to his beautiful bride Tamera and has two daughters, Tera and Jill, and two grandkids, Izaiah and Lauren.

For the past few years, Phil has served as co-president in support of programs for the Ballard High School Foundation.

Suzanne Dale Estey has over 30 years of experience delivering results in economic development, business development, intergovernmental relations, public policy, public affairs, strategic communications, non-profit leadership and fundraising. Suzanne is Principal of Dale Estey Partnerships, Strategy & Results, a public affairs consulting firm and among other clients, serves as the Executive Director of Washington Economic Development Association (WEDA).  

Suzanne previously served as the President & CEO of the Economic Development Council of Seattle & King County from 2013-2016. At the EDC, Suzanne fostered partnerships to expand and create more than 6,500 King County jobs at 75 companies, and generate over $750 million in new investment, helping drop county unemployment to historic lows. Her prior positions include: Economic Development Director for the City of Renton; Vice President of Government & Industry Relations for Washington Mutual; State & Federal Government Relations Manager for the King County Executive; State Lobbyist for the City of Seattle; Federal Legislative Analyst for the Governor of Washington; and Associate Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at The White House. During two periods of her career, Suzanne worked as Pacific Northwest & Texas Program Director for The Junior State of America, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, civics education program for high school student leaders.  

Suzanne serves and has served on multiple boards and she is currently President of the Ballard High School Athletic Booster Club board. Suzanne is also a member of the University of Washington’s Business Advisory Council, the Dean’s Council for the University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, the Puget Sound Business Journal’s Leadership Trust, and the International Women’s Forum. She is a Past President of the University of Washington Alumni Association board and previously served on the boards of the Aerospace Futures Alliance, Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County, Washington Technology Industry Association, the Seattle and Renton Chambers of Commerce, the regional PSRC/Economic Development District, CityClub of Seattle, The Junior Statesmen Foundation, Seattle United Soccer Club, Seattle Colleges Advisory Council and the Renton Technical College Advisory Council, which she chaired.  

Suzanne received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology & Politics from Whitman College, and a Master’s in Public Administration from the Daniel J. Evans School at the University of Washington. A native of Seattle and K-12 graduate of Seattle Public Schools, Suzanne grew up playing multiple sports and played soccer for Roosevelt High School (Metro champs!) and Whitman College. Suzanne is still an avid runner, hiker, skier and traveler. She and her husband, Mike, are the parents of two active teenage boys who have been multi-sport athletes through the years and played Basketball and Soccer for Ballard High School; their oldest son is now studying Sports Management in college.

Richard Best is Seattle Public Schools’ Executive Director of Capital Projects, Planning, and Facilities Operations, a role that includes development and oversight for the district’s multi-million-dollar capital levies. He emphasizes creating schools that are contextually appropriate and respectful of their surrounding neighborhood and incorporate energy conservation measures through the implementation of passive strategies and then active systems — while remaining laser-focused on the district’s mission to position all students for academic success.

Under Richard’s leadership, the district has completed more than 30 new or modernized schools including the A4LE James McConnell award-winning James Baldwin Elementary School and Hazel Wolf K-8 and Kimball Elementary School, nominated for the same award; the renovation of five landmarked schools, Daniel Bagley, Magnolia and Montlake Elementary Schools, Lincoln High School and Van Asselt School; and the replacement of Rainier Beach High School, which is currently under construction. In Spring of 2024, he was invited by the Biden-Harris Administration to speak at the first White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 Schools Building and Grounds.

Richard has served in his role at Seattle Public Schools since 2014 and held similar positions at both the Central Kitsap and Bainbridge Island school districts. Prior to his work with school districts, he was involved with relocation of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to southeast Lake Union and Harborview Medical Center’s Long Range Capital Improvement Project. He earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Western Washington University.

As both an athlete and advocate, Tara Davis has set a precedent in Seattle athletics that have stood since the mid-1980s. As an athlete, she dominated the scene, propelling her teams to victory on the soccer field, basketball court and track. From the moment she entered Rainier Beach High School in 1986, Davis became a leader to the school community as a three sport All-Metro student-athlete and team captain. Davis earned both state records and titles in basketball and track and league honors in soccer.

Davis continued her athletic achievements at the University of Washington. To the surprise of no one, she exceled earning All-American honors on the basketball court in 1994 and the track and field team in 1995. As a fifth-year senior she won a Pac-10 title in the long jump and took third place in triple jump as well and broke the school record with a jump of 41’ 7 3/4”.

Professionally, Davis is a part of Seattle history. She played for the first women’s professional basketball franchise (ABL) in the city, the Seattle Reign in 1996. Tara was elected to the Professional Leadership Committee, established to provide ABL athletes with a seat at the leadership table. She then continued her basketball career internationally in Jerusalem, Israel
before returning to Seattle to start a family in 2000. Developing a new lens to athletics, Tara
earned her M. Ed in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership from the University of Washington in 2012.

She currently serves in the role of the Director of Athletics for Seattle Public Schools, is a Board Member of McERA (Multicultural Education Rights Alliance), and on the Executive Board for the WIAA, as well as serving on many WIAA committees.

Davis has been integral in developing Seattle School District’s Unified program, even coaching her women’s basketball team to a silver medal in 2018 Summer Special Olympic Games. She continues to be a pioneer and advocate for women in sports and lead the school district (Seattle Public Schools) to partner with the Seattle Seahawks to establish one of the first high school girls flag football program. Across the 22 middle schools and 11 high schools in Washington’s largest school district, Davis’s liveliness is a pillar of positivity and equity for student-athletes and their families. Current and former colleagues within Seattle Public Schools point to her humility, integrity, and unselfishness as crucial components for her success as a strong role model for female athletes and athletic directors alike, who always prioritizes student-athletes’ wellbeing above all else.