PSCCN Team
- Christian Granlund
- Dinda Davis
- Hailey Karcher
- Leila Crist
- Marisa Herrera
- Mercy Daramola
- Mollee Shultz
- Naveed Badri
- Rachel Collins
Christian Granlund
Name: Christian Granlund
Role: Puget Sound College and Career Network Manager
Background: Christian was born in Massachusetts but grew up in Seattle and currently resides in West Seattle.
What do you do at PSESD: Christian manages various projects that support alignment between K-12 systems and postsecondary institutions, with a specific focus on Pierce County. He also works to support new initiatives around improving college placement practices.
Prior Experience: Christian’s experience has been centered around college outreach and access. Before PSESD, he held numerous roles at South Seattle College, including Assistant Director of New Student Services, in which he led outreach and communications efforts to K-12 populations, as well as systems-level strategic development for the intake and onboarding experience for new students. He was also heavily involved in numerous campus-wide initiatives that supported equity and inclusion, specifically concerning professional development and hiring practices.
Education: Christian earned a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Ethnic Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management at Washington State University. Go Cougs!
How do you spend your free time: Christian spends he free time staying active, enjoying quality time with his family and friends, and taking his dog, Roni, to the dog park.
Favorite quote: "If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” -Antoine de Ste. Exupery
Dinda Davis
Name: Dinda Davis
Role: Puget Sound College Access Network Coordinator
Background: Dinda was born and raised in Lusaka Zambia before relocating to the United States.
What do you do at PSESD: Dinda is the lead on partner engagement & smooth team operations. She provides leadership on PSCCN’s Financial Aid communications & PSCCN’s communications via the newsletter and website.
Prior Experience: Dinda worked in the healthcare industry while attending college and the obstacles she encounters while pursuing her degree were ultimately what drove her to this work.
Education: Dinda earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication with a major in Public Relations and a minor in Entrepreneurship at the University of Washington. #GoDawgs.
She is currently working on a master's degree in Business Administration at Western Governors University. (WGU) #GoOwls
How do you spend your free time: When she is not doing her Christian volunteer work, she loves to spend time with her family and friends. Dinda also enjoys listening to music, concerts or an occasional movie.
Favorite quote: “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas A. Edison
Hailey Karcher
Name: Hailey Karcher
Role: Ph.D. Research Fellow, Puget Sound College and Career Network
Background: Hailey originally hails from New Jersey but has lived in Seattle for over three years..
What do you do at PSESD: She works mainly on King County Promise doing research and providing technical assistance with the various moving pieces of the project.
Prior Experience: Hailey has several years of experience in education, having taught middle-school English and writing curriculum for several years.
Education: She earned her M.Ed. from the University of Washington in the College of Education. She is currently a doctoral student in the Education Policy, Organizations, and Leadership program. Her research interests include the racial politics of schools, including how housing and education policies interact and the implications for racial equity.
How do you spend your free time: Hailey enjoys spending time outside, ideally on the water. She also enjoys reading and handing out with her two dogs.
Favorite quote: “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." -- Lilla Watson, Aboriginal rights activist
Leila Crist
Name: Leila Crist
Role: Program Coordinator for PSCCN and CINRE
Background: Leila is originally from Southern California, but considers Kansas City, MO her hometown after living there for many years. She now lives in Puyallup with her husband and children.
What do you do at PSESD: Leila works with two different teams at PSESD helping to coordinate projects, budgets, events and support the work PSESD does with students, families, and the community.
Prior Experience: Leila has previously worked in multiple community colleges in both Continuing Education and Student Engagement and Leadership. In addition, she has also worked in public and university libraries in Kansas and Washington.
Education: Leila has a graduate certificate in Community College Leadership from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, a Masters of Fine Arts in Poetry from San Diego State University, and a Bachelor's Degree in English with a Creative Writing minor from the University of California, Riverside.
How do you spend your free time: Leila spends her free time hanging out with her family and friends, reading, baking, thrift store shopping, and spending time outdoors.
Favorite quote: “Be curious, not judgmental.” – possibly Walt Whitman, definitely Ted Lasso
Marisa Herrera
Name: Marisa Herrera
Role: Director of Programs (Interim), Puget Sound College Access Network
Background: Marisa was born in Chicago, but grew up in Arizona and has called Washington home for the last 12 years.
What do you do at PSESD: Her primary project is working to support the management of the King County Promise as well as support regional collective action around college and career readiness through technical assistance, project management, and stakeholder coordination.
Prior Experience: 25 years of experience working in college and career access programs, cultural centers, admissions and with specific expertise in the implementation research regarding college promise programs. Marisa has worked at UCLA, USC, Stanford University, UW and most recently as the inaugural Vice President of Students, Equity & Success at Shoreline Community College.
Education: Doctor of Education, Higher Education Administration, University of Southern California. Marisa earned her Master of Science in Business Management from NAU and Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness from ASU.
Favorite quote: "Tell me who you walk with and I will tell you who you are.” – unknown
Mercy Daramola
Name: Mercy Daramola
Role: Lead Director, Puget Sound College Access Network
Background: An LA native, Mercy has called Washington home for the last 7 years
What do you do at PSESD: Mercy supports regional collective action around college and career readiness through technical assistance, project management, and stakeholder coordination. Her primary project is managing the King County Promise Refinement Phase.
Prior Experience: Mercy’s experience spans the education pipeline from early learning to postsecondary. Before the ESD, Mercy worked as Director of Programs at College Access Now, a Seattle based nonprofit providing college access and success support to students in high school and college from low-income backgrounds across Seattle and South King County. Mercy has also worked at various higher education institutions across the US, from small private liberal arts colleges to private research universities, to large public universities and more, and also served as a board member at Launch, a Seattle-based early learning program.
Education: Mercy earned her master's in Higher Education and Student Affairs from New York University and her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
How do you spend your free time: You can find Mercy flexing her creative and/or community building muscles – traveling with friends, practicing stand-up comedy, at a dance class, and more!
Favorite quote: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style” Maya Angelou
Mollee Shultz
Name: Mollee Shultz
Role: Director of Postsecondary Data and Impact
Background: Mollee was born in China, grew up in Washington, and lived for significant periods of time in California and Michigan.
What do you do at PSESD: She works to gather postsecondary data and facilitate its access and use among community partners. Her initial focus is collecting data on and evaluating the impact of the King County Promise.
Prior Experience: Mollee taught and tutored math at the K-12 and postsecondary level for several years. She then worked as a research assistant in mathematics education for 5 years for a lab at the University of Michigan, and spent 2 years as a postdoctoral researcher for the STEM Equity project at Texas State.
Education: She earned her B.A. in math at Whitman College, her M.S. in math at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo, and her Ph.D. in math education at the University of Michigan.
How do you spend your free time: Mollee loves exploring new places with her partner Michael and kids Ben and Charlie. Whenever she gets the chance, she likes to run with good friends or good music.
Favorite quote: "The only person you should try to impress is your 5-yr-old self and your 85-yr-old self." - Unknown
Naveed Badri
Name: Naveed Badri
Role: Puget Sound College and Career Network Manager
Background: Naveed grew up in South King County and currently lives in Tacoma.
What do you do at PSESD: Naveed works to embed youth leadership and continuous improvement in PSCCN, build regional capacity, and increase collective action around equitable postsecondary opportunities for students across the PSESD region.
Prior Experience: Naveed has a background in community public health, college access, and youth leadership. He has worked at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) where he led health equity efforts in COVID-19 community engagement, participatory budgeting & planning, and youth leadership/advocacy. Prior to his work at TPCHD, Naveed worked at The College Success Foundation-Tacoma as a College Prep Advisor supporting 11th and 12th grade students, as well as admin with college and career planning support.
Education: Naveed earned his Bachelor or Science in Microbiology and Master of Public Health in Community-Oriented Public Health Practice from UW-Seattle.
How do you spend your free time: Naveed enjoys cooking/grilling, biking, and playing guitar.
Favorite quote: “Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.” -W. Edwards Deming
Rachel Collins
Name: Rachel Collins
Role: Puget Sound College and Career Network Interim Manager
Background: Rachel was born and raised in the Central District of Seattle and currently resides in Tacoma.
Prior Experience: Rachel has over a decade of experience working with students and families K-16 both within a the schools, and at the district level, and specializes in bridging the gap between underserved communities and higher education attainment.
Education: Rachel earned a Bachelor of Arts in History at Washington State University. Go Cougs!
How do you spend your free time: Rachel spend a majority of her free time with her daughter Nina Rae, cooking and gardening.
Favorite quote: “ How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” George Washington Carver