Meet our Leadership Team at Vadis

Chris

Chief Executive Officer

Chris has been working in the field of employment and people with disabilities for over 46 years, 42 of which have been with Vadis.  He has seen thousands of changes at Vadis over the years.  All in the effort to create a successful service delivery platform for people. Chris has effective skills in organizational change and management. Chris has built and managed strong leadership teams and mentored many other organizations in their journeys. Chris also has expertise in fund development and housing service acquisition and management. Chris has also expanded organizational services geographically and programmatically many times.  He is passionate about people experiencing inclusivity in their lives and crafting high quality support systems. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and hanging out with his grandchildren.

Stephanie

Administrative Services Manager

Stephanie has worked in the nonprofit world for over 20 years, serving in financial, HR, and director roles. She has also enjoyed serving on numerous boards throughout the Puget Sound area. She has a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Her love of nonprofit work stems from her desire to serve a greater good and help others achieve their goals. Joining Vadis in 2020, Stephanie loves leading a team that supports coworkers on the frontlines, helping them to do their best work in the community.

Valerie

Program Manager - Pierce

Valerie was born and raised in Southern California and moved to the Pacific Northwest for the second time in 2009. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Paralegal Studies, Valerie is proud to have graduated Summa Cum Laude status. After school, Valerie became a civilian Law Enforcement Officer and then joined the military shortly after 911 to continue her career as a military Law Enforcement Officer in the U.S. Navy.  Valerie came to Vadis in 2016 and was promoted to a Program Manager in 2019. Valerie now manages the Individual Employment and School to Work programs in Pierce County. Being the mother of a son with an intellectual disability, Valerie enjoys being able to share her own experience with other parents who are new to Vadis. Her 16 years in law enforcement and her 30 years as a mom has provided her with excellent understanding and knowledge of individuals with disabilities as well as working with a diverse population. 

Shauna

Program Manager - Kitsap

Shauna has been fulfilling her lifelong passion for advocating for individuals with disabilities in the field of employment since 2010. As the 4th of 5 generations of a Kitsap family she has deep ties to her community. Shauna joined our Vadis team in 2016 and works as Program Manager for the Kitsap County office. Currently, Shauna oversees the following programs: Individual Employment, Community Inclusion, School to Work/Foundations, Competitive Employment, and Foundational Community Supports. Shauna is also heavily involved in Vadis’ partnership with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and earned a Highline Employment Professional Certification. Shauna loves seeing the successes of her team and clients, and she is proud to see the growth of our programs in her county.

Katie

Program Manager - King & Snohomish 

Katie started out her career in supported employment as a work study student Job Coach with WISE in 2012. She worked with young adults in the north Seattle and Shoreline areas supporting people on the job. In 2013 Katie started assisting the Seattle Children’s Project SEARCH program and fell in love with working with transition aged youth. Katie graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a Bachelors of the Arts in English Creative Writing and Special Education studies in 2016 and started working for Vadis full time immediately after.  Katie now manages the North King County region for Vadis and represents Vadis in the Seattle Children’s Project SEARCH collaboration. Katie is incredibly passionate about young adults with disabilities having meaningful work and career path experiences. She believes that all people deserve the opportunity to prosper in their communities.

Laura

Program Manager - King

Laura was born and raised in the Seattle area and studied psychology and social sciences at Washington State University. After years working in recruiting and project management, she decided to change career paths and joined Vadis as an employment consultant. At Vadis, Laura discovered a new passion in creating job opportunities for individuals facing unique challenges in the workplace and assisting them throughout their employment journey. At the end of 2022, Laura became a program manager at Vadis, allowing her to support a team of employment consultants and their clients. She enjoys promoting and providing inclusive environments.

Bonnie

Associate Director

Bonnie has worked in the field of supported employment for over 22 years and has been with Vadis since 2005. She has had the opportunity to provide employment supports in an array of programs and has seen significant transformation in the field of supported employment in the past two decades. Bonnie is committed to diversity and equal opportunities for all.  She is skilled in staff and program development as well as teachings others how to create meaningful work opportunities for people with disabilities. Bonnie has a psychology degree from Washington State University. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and dogs and being outside appreciating the beauty of the PNW.

Mary

Vice President of Housing

Mary Bushnell is the Vice President of Housing with over 40 years of experience providing services for adults with disabilities. Mary started working in this field as a care provider in a group home before transitioning to direct service in Vadis’ sheltered workshop.  Mary also managed Group Supported Employment for several years before expanding into community based Individual Employment. Over the last 20 years, Mary has overseen Vadis’ AbilityOne contract, safety committee and maintenance program for all offices. In 2012, she used her innovated skills to administer to write grants, purchase houses and remodel them to fit the needs of our tenants with disabilities.  Mary has two sons that she is very proud of and that have grown up supporting people with disabilities throughout their school and their work.

Julia

Program Manager - Pierce

Julia came to Vadis in 2017 started out as an Employment Consultant in the King County office. She has a bachelor’s degree in Children Studies with minors in Sociology and Special Education from Eastern Washington University. Julia also has a master’s degree in Family and Child Life from Central Washington University. She had just finished school and was looking for her “big kid” job and found the job posting and immediately applied. She fell in love with the field right away and knew this was the place to for her be. Julia was promoted to a Program Manager in May 2019. Julia manages the Transition Services and Individual Employment programs in Pierce County.

Amanda

Program Manager - Thurston & Mason

Amanda Parker was raised around Mason County. In, 2020 she graduated from Grand Canyon University magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. She has worked within the school setting for the last 10 years with those who have disabilities from pre-school age to high school. She always knew that she wanted to help those who have a disability be included within the everyday community.  While working with Vadis in the school setting, Amanda wanted to make a career change and be a part of the Vadis team. Amanda was able to make the switch over to Vadis and is now the Program Manager for the office that serves Thurston and Mason counties.

Ben

Program Manager - King

Ben Geisen is a born and raised Washingtonian. He graduated from Auburn Riverside High School before packing his car and moving to Arizona for college. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Grand Canyon University with a bachelor’s degree in counseling. Ben married his high school sweetheart Dakoda just before moving back to Washington and joining Vadis in 2021. His extensive work with underrepresented populations during college internships inspired him to continue advocating through his new role at Vadis.

Bailey

Program Manager - King

Bailey was born and raised in Eastern Washington before making the move to the Western side of the state for college. She received her bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Western Washington University in 2020. During her undergrad years, Bailey studied leadership and social justice which makes her passionate about the work we do at Vadis. In 2020, Bailey was able to combine her passion for equity and desire to work in the non-profit sector by working at Vadis. When Bailey is not working, you can find her laughing and spending quality time with her loved ones, including her many nieces and nephews.