PROTEC17 is governed by our members via the Regional Executive Committee who are guided by our constitution and a common mission to improve the lives of our families and communities. The PROTEC17 Executive Board is the equivalent of a board of directors, with a President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, and three Trustees. The Board meets monthly to make policy decisions between REC meetings and exercises financial oversight of our operations. Each board member is elected by a membership-wide vote and serves a three-year term. The day-to-day administrative and financial operations of PROTEC17 are the responsibility of the Executive Director, who reports to the Executive Board. The Executive Director hires and supervises PROTEC17 staff and serves as an official representative of PROTEC17 in labor relations and business matters. PROTEC 17 staff are experts in their fields. From labor relations and labor law professionals, to communications, research, financial and political specialists, PROTEC17 staff help the organization achieve its goals. And many staff members are PROTEC17 members themselves!
Executive Board
Rachael Brooks (she/her)President
Renee Thompson (she/her)Vice-President
Jessica GarciaSecretary-Treasurer
Mason Emrys (they/them)Trustee
Jennell Hicks (she/her)Trustee
Emily Tabachnick (she/her)Trustee
Rachael Brooks (she/her)President
Rachael Brooks is a Dam Safety Engineer for the City of Seattle in the City Light department. She works with her team to ensure that City Light’s hydroelectric dams are well maintained and safe. Rachael has been a proud PROTEC17 member since 2016 and has served as an REC Delegate, shop steward, bargaining team member, and President of the Executive Board for the last 3 years. As a Puget Sound native, Rachael spends most of her free time mountaineering, backpacking, and snowboarding or out on the water fishing with her family.
Renee Thompson (she/her)Vice-President
Renee Thompson is an Engineering Tech IV with the City of Tacoma where she’s worked since 1996. Born into a union household, Renee is passionate about working for the greater good. As a 25-year PROTEC17 member, she has served as a Steward and on the contract negotiations team. On the Executive Board, she is committed to making sure that all members feel heard and empowered to take action to make their workplaces and their lives better. She is a proud mom of two grown children and enjoys spending time with her friends and family (which includes several cats and dogs).
Jessica GarciaSecretary-Treasurer
Jessica Garcia is a Public Health Educator at the Benton-Franklin Health District (BHFD). She collaborates with partnering agencies and community members to improve the health and well being of those residing in Benton and Franklin County. Jessica been a proud Union member since 2010 and has led in a variety of ways: she has participated in the last three contract negotiations for BHFD, served as an REC Delegate, Chapter Steward, and a trustee on the Executive Board. Currently, Jessica is the PROTEC17 Executive Board Secretary-Treasurer and the President for the BFHD Chapter. Jessica is an eastern Washington native residing in the Tri-Cities who enjoys traveling with her two children and being a soccer/basketball mom.
Mason Emrys (they/them)Trustee
Mason Emrys is a Licensing Services Representative at the Washington Department of Licensing. They work out of the Redmond office, where they help the general public navigate Washington’s laws and requirements to obtain IDs, Driver Licenses, and Enhanced credentials. They have been a proud member of PROTEC17 since 2021 when they started working at the DOL and also serve as a Union Steward. Mason is a PNW transplant, originally growing up between South Carolina and a beautiful horse ranch in northern Idaho. They pursued degrees in Psychology, Physics, Diversity, and Linguistics; and as “lifelong students,” they & their husband spend most of their time either watching free online lectures together or playing MMOs.
Jennell Hicks (she/her)Trustee
Jennell Hicks
Emily Tabachnick (she/her)Trustee
Emily Tabachnick is an IT Analyst for the City of Portland’s Bureau of Technology Services (BTS). She provides remote technical support for all of her fellow City of Portland employees. She also serves as the co-chair of the BTS Labor Management Committee. Emily has worked for the City of Portland and has been a proud union member since 2008. She became an REC delegate in 2018 and joined the Executive Board in 2020. Emily has a background in the fine arts, loves all dogs, and can frequently be found at Star Trek conventions. Her goals are always geared towards collaboration and she hopes to help all PROTEC17 members live long and prosper.
Staff
Click on the photo to find more details and contact information.
Karen EsteveninExecutive Director
Anthony DavidsonOperations Director
Youssef El HamawiUnion Representative
Laura EliaMembership Administrator
Louis GarciaExternal Organizer
Deidre GirardCommunications Director
Alisha Gregory-DavisUnion Representative
Brandon HerseyPolitical Director
Alex IlUnion Representative
Elliot LevinResearch Director and Legislative Advocate
Sarah LorenziniUnion Representative
Kaite MarkUnion Representative
Paul MarvyGeneral Counsel
Regan McBrideUnion Representative
Valentina MontecinosDirector of Finance
Jacky NakamuraDigital Communications Manager
Jessica OlivasOrganizing Director
Steven PrayUnion Representative
Suzie SaundersUnion Representative
Brenna StroupMembership Organizing Coordinator
Brent WagarUnion Representative
Mark WatsonUnion Representative
Rachel WhitesideUnion Representative
Alexis YoungUnion Representative
Karen EsteveninExecutive Director
(she/her) | 800-783-0017 ext. 101
Anthony DavidsonOperations Director
(he/him) | 800-783-0017 ext. 121
Youssef El HamawiUnion Representative
(he/him)
Youssef represents members at King County in DNRP/DDES/DOT Permitting (17A), Airport (17M), Managers (17X), Public Health, EMS, Public Health Environmental Health Senior, Public Health Involuntary Commitment Professionals, Public Health Professional & Technical, Superior Court (17B), and Transit P&T (17D).
| 800-783-0017 ext. 120
Laura EliaMembership Administrator
(she/her) | 800-783-0017 ext. 123
Louis GarciaExternal Organizer
(he/him)
Louis Garcia is an External Organizer for PROTEC17 who supports workers as they form a union in their workplaces.
Alisha Gregory-Davis represents members at the City of Seattle in Arts & Cultural Affairs, Economic Development, Ethics & Elections, Finance and Admin Services (FAS), Parks, Retirement, and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), not including Contact Center and Supervisors.
| 800-783-0017 ext. 116
Brandon HerseyPolitical Director
(he/him) | 800-783-0017 ext. 112
Alex IlUnion Representative
(he/him)
Alex represents King County members at DES/DNRP (17A), Supervisors (17F), Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Transit Superintendents, Public Health Administrators, and Environmental Health (non-supervisors).
| 800-783-0017 ext. 118
Elliot LevinResearch Director and Legislative Advocate
(he/him)
Elliot conducts internal and external research for union-wide and contract-specific issues, and advocates for worker-friendly policies in the Oregon Legislature on behalf of our Portland Chapter members.
| 800-783-0017 ext. 128
Sarah LorenziniUnion Representative
(she/her)
Sarah Lorenzini represents members at the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT): Ferries, Headquarters, NW Region, Olympic Region. She also represents members at the Port of Seattle.
| 800-783-0017 ext. 110
Kaite MarkUnion Representative
(she/they)
Kaite represents members at the City of Seattle in the Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI), Human Services Department (HSD), Immigrant & Refugee Affairs, Legislative Analysts, Neighborhoods, Office of Civil Rights (OCR), Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Office of Labor Standards (OLS), and Seattle Center.
| 800-783-0017 ext. 127
Paul MarvyGeneral Counsel
(he/him) | 800-783-0017 ext. 109
Regan McBrideUnion Representative
(she/her)
Regan represents members at King County members at DCHS (Non-Supervisors), DCHS Finance, IT, Roads Planners and Professionals (17M), Transit Administrators, Transit Chiefs, and King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA).
| 800-783-0017 ext. 107
Valentina MontecinosDirector of Finance
(she/her)
Valentina Montecinos is our Director of Finance.
| 800-783-0017 ext. 106
Jacky NakamuraDigital Communications Manager
(she/they) | 800-783-0017 ext. 104
Jessica OlivasOrganizing Director
(she/her) | 800-783-0017 ext. 122
Steven PrayUnion Representative
(he/him)
Steven Pray represents members at the City of Seattle (City Light, Office of Housing, IT, Municipal Court, Neighborhoods, SPU Contact Center) and the Snohomish Health District.
| 800-783-0017 ext. 105
Suzie SaundersUnion Representative
(she/her)
Suzie Saunders represents members in Washington State at the Department of Licensing (East) Pro-Rate & Fuel Tax Auditors (DOL-PRFTA) and Licensing Service Reps (DOL-LSR). She also represents the Department of Transportation – Eastern Region, Public Health Districts (Benton-Franklin, Spokane Regional, and Yakima Health), Spokane County, and the Washington State Patrol (District 3 SE & District 4 NE) Communication Officers (CO/ITD) and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers (CVEO/CVO/VIN Officers).
| 800-783-0017, ext. 115
Brenna StroupMembership Organizing Coordinator
(she/her) | 800-783-0017 ext. 129
Brent WagarUnion Representative
(he/him)
Brent Wagar represents members at City of Tacoma, Pierce County, Kitsap County, Chelan-Douglas County and the Southwest Washington region for Washington State Department of Licensing (WSDOL), Washington State Patrol (WSP), and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
| 800-783-0017 ext. 131
Mark WatsonUnion Representative
(he/him)
Mark Watson represents members at the City of Seattle in the Community Police Commission, Community Safety & Community Center, Department of Education & Early Learning (DEEL), Fire, Law, Office of Planning & Community Development (OPCD), Office of Sustainability and Environment, Police, SDHR/TES, and Transportation (SDOT).
| 800-783-0017 ext. 133
Rachel WhitesideUnion Representative
(she/her)
Rachel Whiteside represents members at the City of Portland and Clark County.
| 800-783-0017 ext. 113
Alexis YoungUnion Representative
(she/her)
Alexis Young represents members at the Washington State Department of Licensing – West (including Pro-Rate & Fuel Tax Auditors (DOL-PRFTA) and Licensing Service Reps (DOL-LSR)), The Department of Transportation (WSDOT) – North Central and South Central Regions, Washington State Patrol – Districts 2, 5, 6, and 7 ( including Communication Officers (CO/ITD),Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers (CVEO/CVO/VIN Officers)), Skagit County (Emergency Management GIS/Building Health Planners), and Whatcom County Health.
