Leadership
The MDC Board of Directors is composed of leaders in business, social services, non-profit organizations, and government. Their expertise helps establish our direction, assess our impact, and drive our vision of human beings exiting poverty.
The MDC programs are supported by grants from federal, state, and local government, and by contributions from private foundations, businesses, and individuals.
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Board of Directors
As an former instructor in the school of social work at Pacific Lutheran University, Connie has been on MDC’s board for the past three years. Her experience as a Tacoma City Council Member, State Legislator and Pierce County Council Member strengthens her vision for MDC as a leader in human services. Connie is inspired by MDC’s commitment to those in need. When not volunteering, Connie loves spending time with her sprawling family, enjoying her cabin by Mayfield Lake and playing golf.
Georgia has always worked in HealthCare to provide access to services that help improve patient outcomes and provide quality of care. She engaged with MDC to work with an organization that provides programs designed to help members of the community with resources and hope. Georgia is most proud of the expanded resources provided this year and MDC’s commitment to better serve the community.
Cynthia has been an integral part of the MDC family since October 2020. After a collaborative effort with the League of Women Voters and the University of Washington, Cynthia believes in lifting the burden of poverty in our community and beyond. Now retired, Cynthia’s days are filled with volunteering, reading and traveling. She is honored to contribute to the impact MDC has in the community for those living with less.
Edward (Ed) Hill is a Tacoma native and the youngest of eleven children. Born to Charlie E. Hill Sr. and Eleanor Hill, Ed chose to root himself in the same community where his father settled after retiring from the Army at Fort Lewis in 1952.
With over 20 years in the financial industry, Ed holds the designation of Fraternal Insurance Counselor (FIC) and is licensed in life, health, and disability insurance. His passion for his work stems from a commitment to make a meaningful impact on his community. Ed is currently the founder and CEO of Urban Hills Group LLC.
A board member since 2022, Alexa believes in servant leadership and fulfills that through her involvement with MDC. As a Tacoma native, she is drawn to MDC for its reputation of unwavering service and dedication to Pierce County and is truly proud to serve alongside fellow community members. Alexa is currently a Business, Paralegal & Technology Pathway Specialist at Tacoma Community College, with nearly 15 years of higher education experience.
Kim has lived in Tacoma WA for 48 years attending elementary through high school at Tacoma Public Schools where she raised three sons as a single parent, experiencing poverty and relying on community agencies such as MDC.
Kim obtained a bachelor’s degree in science and psychology with Pacific Lutheran University, a master’s in education, through Concordia Lutheran of Portland.
She has worked and served children and families for over 10 years in various settings including, behavioral health, early learning programs, a child welfare social worker and supervisor and currently as a parent representative social worker for Washington State Office of Public Defense.
A financial advisor by profession, Elwis has been with MDC since January 2020. Throughout his career in banking, he was driven to make a positive impact on society, and MDC provided the perfect platform to do so. Elwis is constantly inspired by the community he serves, leading with empathy and an open heart no matter the task. When he’s not volunteering with MDC, Elwis can be found coaching youth sports or barbecuing for his family and friends.
CC was raised in a proud Mexican family with eleven children and nurtured in an environment that taught the importance of family and service to others. She is a licensed Substance Use Disorder Professional, and recently retired after working in the field of substance use disorders and mental health for over 30 years. For the last 7 years, her employment focused on securing housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. She enjoys traveling, gardening, meditation, water aerobics, and spending time with friends and family.
Senior Leadership
Scott Schubert was previously the Executive Director of Housing and Homeless Services at the YMCA of Greater Seattle – the largest housing provider for young adults in Washington State. Scott joins MDC with strong ties to the Pierce and King County area with a background in strategy, innovation, compliance and service delivery.
Scott began his social services career as a Program Coordinator and has since held roles at all levels in medium to large direct service non-profits. Scott believes in the power of collective action to improve the health and well-being of people experiencing poverty and is excited to lead MDC to greater impact.
Care with compassion is my motto as the Director of Housing & Care Management. I have been with MDC since 2000. I started as an on-call Licensed Practical Nurse, while working in the Withdrawal Management Center (Tacoma Detoxification Center). I held this position for several years, moving from on-call to Lead nurse to Program Manager in 2013. In 2017 I accepted the position of Director of Care Management and later adding the Housing Division. I am a firm believer that Housing is Healthcare and you cannot have one without the other, if we hope to end homelessness. I am a Wife, a Mother, a Grandmother, a Veteran and Master in Taekwondo. My personal satisfaction comes when others succeed.
Elaine Tuisila has over 15 years of experience advancing education and workforce development in Pierce County. She leads a comprehensive portfolio of programs focused on academic support, career readiness, and employment services. Her multidisciplinary background—holding degrees in Computer Science and Social Services Mental Health with a focus on Nonprofit Leadership—enables her to blend technical expertise with human-centered service delivery and strategic problem-solving. Through her leadership, MDC’s TRIO programs, digital literacy initiatives, and workforce readiness services have empowered countless individuals to pursue sustainable career and educational success.
Denise Wells has served her community through MDC since 2014. She graduated from UW-Tacoma in 2005 with her Bachelor of Business Administration – Accounting and has worked in the Accounting and Finance field since 2005. Prior to this, Denise was a member of the United States Army for 8 years and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant who served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm before her exit in 1998. Denise transitioned to the Director of Compliance role mid-year 2023. Her lifelong objective has been and is to serve others and make their lives just a little bit better.
Melissa Fenswick’s previous position was at Kitsap Humane Society as their Director of Finance and Human Resources from 2018-2023. Prior to the Humane Society Melissa worked as the Accounting and Human Resource Manager/Director for several different nonprofit nursing homes and assisted livings in Hawaii and Washington state. Melissa started her career in accounting in California during the Silicon Valley boom supporting several different tech R&D companies.
Nonprofits has always been her passion especially human services and within weeks of deciding to make the leap back into human services the Controller position at MDC became available. Melissa wants to be part of MDC’s mission to help support individuals towards life changing growth, through MDC’s myriad of programs. She is grateful for the opportunity to be part of this amazing agency’s legacy.
Kurt believes in the power of technology to better serve our community. He began his career at MDC in 2001, providing direct service to participants, and has since served in multiple management and leadership roles. He later transitioned to IT and has been in his current role for over 10 years. In addition to overseeing information and computer systems, Kurt contributes to project management, business analysis, process improvement, and organizational compliance. He enjoys continuous learning and growth, regularly taking online classes and in-progress on multiple books. To keep centered and balanced, he enjoys meditation and in 2023 became a certified Mindfulness Meditation teacher.
With ten years of fundraising experience, Timm is committed to philanthropy and stewarding relationships that create sustainable and positive impact in the Puget Sound community.
Fascinated by the power of communication, his personal mission is to unite people behind issues that move us forward together. Whether it’s promoting independent and creative passions, engaging philanthropic stakeholders, or crafting strategic mission narratives, Timm strives to bring out the best in organizations and people. He believes the non-profit sector is a vehicle in which communities can exercise self-reliance efficiently and effectively.