The year 2020 brought the retirement of four longtime members of Seattle Foundation’s PAC. A new slate of advisors joined in 2021.
By Allison Parker, managing director, philanthropy strategies
We count professional advisors among Seattle Foundation’s closest partners. Professional advisors such as attorneys, accountants, and wealth advisors provide expert counsel to their clients for lifetime and legacy giving in a similar way that Seattle Foundation’s philanthropic advisors guide our philanthropists’ strategic grantmaking and family philanthropy. Through our partnership, Seattle Foundation helps professional advisors identify the best solutions for clients, from establishing a Family Foundation or Community Philanthropy Fund, to providing strategic counsel or back office support to private foundations, to integrating philanthropy into an estate plan.
The Professional Advisors Council (PAC) is a group of professional advisors who have committed themselves to advising Seattle Foundation’s philanthropic services staff and serving as ambassadors on behalf of the Foundation. The PAC meets regularly throughout the year to exchange charitable giving ideas, share new issues in philanthropy, and establish relationships with other advisors.
Over the years, Seattle Foundation has been fortunate with many dedicated and expert professional advisors who have served on the PAC as effective counsel and wise partners. It is with the utmost gratitude that we salute those who have retired from the PAC in 2020: Judy Courshon, Cynthia Petrie, Frank Minton, and Tammy Miller.
Judy Courshon and Cynthia Petrie both joined the PAC in 2002. Judy was President of Wellspring Group, a CPA and advisory firm she founded in 2000, and later joined Bader Martin where she is principal emeritus of the tax practice. Cynthia is the firm ambassador for Hellam Varon, a Bellevue-based CPA firm. Cynthia and Judy helped expand and deepen Seattle Foundation’s relationships within the CPA field in our region.
Frank Minton is a thoroughly accomplished planned giving expert. He has been a consistent presence at Seattle Foundation since the 1990s, serving on our Board’s Development Committee, providing expert gift planning services through his firm Planned Giving Services (later PG Calc), and most recently as a member of the PAC. Frank was generous in sharing his knowledge with the professional advisor community, having developed and presented numerous continuing education seminars for Seattle Foundation over the years. I am honored to call him a mentor and friend.
Tammy Miller retired as a Wealth Advisor from Wells Fargo Private Bank. She is now Executive Director of Aldarra Foundation. During her decade on the PAC, Tammy was a thought partner for family philanthropy and other philanthropic services.
Thank you, Judy, Cynthia, Frank, and Tammy!
We are excited to welcome new members in 2021: Alex Hurt, Viren Kamdar, Jamie Lanier, Liberty Upton, and Matthew Widmyer.
Alex Hurt is an associate at K&L Gates. Alex’s practice focuses on estate planning and trust and estate administration, including tax planning, wealth succession and preservation strategies, multigenerational wealth transfer, asset protection, charitable giving, and general business and business succession planning.
Viren Kamdar serves as Managing Director and team leader managing Pathstone’s Seattle office. Viren is responsible for advising families on a variety of wealth management issues, including risk and cash flow management, tax, trust and estate planning, investment management, philanthropic and multi-generational family planning.
Jamie Lanier is an associate at Lane Powell PC. Jamie focuses her practice on estate planning, probate and trust administration for high net worth individuals and families. She also works with fiduciaries and beneficiaries regarding non-judicial resolution of trust and estate disputes.
Liberty Upton is an estate planning and probate attorney at Carney Badley Spellman, PS. Liberty’s practice encompasses estate planning, probate, trust administration, business succession planning, and taxation.
Matthew Widmyer is a trusts and estates attorney at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. Matthew advises clients on tax planning for closely held businesses and assists clients in areas of sophisticated estate planning and administration, business succession planning, probate litigation, and multi-generational planning. Matthew also advises tax-exempt organizations and assists clients with charitable trusts and foundations.
Welcome Alex, Viren, Jamie, Liberty, and Matthew!
Our recruitment efforts are focused on CPAs and professional advisors on the Eastside and South King County. To learn more about Seattle Foundation’s PAC, please contact Jen Lee, senior advisor, gift planning at 206.515.2136.