Heather Andersen is a passionate philanthropist, business owner and mom. She lives in Woodinville, WA with her husband Phillip and three children. She grew up in upstate New York in a family of school teachers which has inspired her passion for early childhood development and the power even small investments in children鈥檚 stability can have for their future.
Heather holds a degree in Business Administration from University of New Hampshire and spent the first decade of her Career as an accountant at Bausch & Lomb and later as finance leader for start-ups and small businesses in Bay Area. Heather transitioned to her second career with the arrival of her second child and has since focused on raising her family and volunteering her talents to nonprofits including the Seattle Children鈥檚 Museum, the PTSA, her community HOA and more. As of 2022 she became a small business owner when she and her husband purchased a rental property that she now runs with plans to expand with more properties.
Education has been a passion for Heather and the need for greater equality has become her focus in the last 5 years. She knows personally the power a helping hand can have in elevating the potential of kids. That experience led her to see the power and potential of the CIS when first introduced to the organization in 2022. At the time Heather was looking to direct her families giving to an organization doing high impact, practical work to bridge the gaps of inequality in the public school system. CISWA quickly became their primary philanthropic beneficiary. Now that all her kids are in school full time, Heather is excited to give more of her time and leadership skills to the organization as well.
Beyond her business background, Heather brings a diverse set of non-profit experience to the organization. She was the interim finance director for the Seattle Children鈥檚 Museum as they turned the organization around in 2016-17. She is a leader in the PTSA at the local public elementary school where she leads the Welcoming Committee and a broad set of special projects while volunteering weekly in the classroom. She has been independently leading and executing a giving tree effort for as many as 10 families in her community annually. She is also on the Executive Committee of her neighborhood HOA and leads the CCR committee. Previously she spent two years reviving the community culture with inclusive events as the social committee chair post COVID.