Board of Directors

Terry Barnett, Esq. President
Terry is a lawyer in the Tacoma firm of Rumbaugh, Rideout & Barnett. For several years he has served on the Ethics Advisory Committee for the Veterans Administration Medical Center (Seattle and American Lake). Previously, he was a member of ethics committees at Allenmore Medical Center (Tacoma), Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound (Seattle and Tacoma), and Western State Hospital. He authored Living Wills and More, a comprehensive guide for planning to avoid unwanted life-sustaining medical treatment, published by John Wiley & Sons, NY (1993). He has counseled and otherwise represented many clients in legal matters involving withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. In 2001, the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association presented Terry with its Public Justice Award, in recognition of his outstanding efforts to secure increased compensation for disabled workers and their families. He received the 2002 Leadership Award from the Lambda Legal Society for his precedent-setting legal work to secure property rights for same-sex partners in Washington. He has been a member of C&C's board since 1997.

Joanne Brekke
Joanne attended the University of Washington, receiving a B.A. in Sociology and later a Masters in Public Administration. She was elected to the Washington State Legislature in 1978, representing the 32nd District for 15 years. During her legislative career her personal interest lay with the social services, ensuring support was available for individuals of all ages including the poor, the vulnerable, and senior citizens. Joanne also served on the Board of Senior Services of Seattle-King County for six years, advocating on behalf of older adults in King County. More recently, she has been active volunteering with a number of organizations including C&C. Joanne currently serves on the Washington State Council on Aging.

Sheila B. Cook
Sheila was a founding board member of the Hemlock Society of Washington State in the late 1980s. In 1991 she was a full-time volunteer coordinator for the Washington Death with Dignity campaign (I-119). In 1993 she was one of eleven founders of Compassion in Dying. Since that time, Sheila has been a case manager and board member, currently serving as Case Management Coordinator and chairing Case Management Team meetings. For 25 years, she owned and operated a Secretarial Services business.

Dee Elliott, RN, CHPN
Ms. Elliott has over 40 years' experience in the health care field as a registered nurse, certified addiction counselor, community educator, hospital administrator, and nursing home administrator. She is an active community volunteer and spokesperson for hospice providers, AIDS service organizations, and alcohol/drug treatment programs. She has served on various community boards and task forces to provide strategic planning sessions for community agencies involved in health care. Since 1996, she has worked as Clinical Triage and Visit Nurse for Providence Hospice of Seattle. She is also now a case manager for C&C.

Alberta Golden, MLS
A retired community college librarian, Alberta served for six years on the board of CRONE, an organization for older women. Her interest in and support of C&C began in 1996 when she assisted with registration for a C&C program at the University of Washington. Alberta has a special interest in end-of-life decisions and leads classes in Advance Directives.

Judith Gordon, PhD
Dr. Gordon is a licensed psychologist with a psychotherapy practice in Seattle. She is also clinical professor of psychology at the University of Washington where she does clinical research and supervises graduate students. For many years she conducted research, wrote, and trained mental health professionals in developing strategies for helping people change health risk behaviors. Her current focus is on research and policy regarding end-of-life decision-making. She chairs the Washington State Psychological Association End-of-Life Task Force.

Arline Hinckley, ACSW, Secretary
Arline has long had an interest in issues of personal freedom, choice, and end-of-life. Her work as a social worker was in Public Health (high risk pregnant women and infants) and at the University of Missouri Medical Center (hematology/oncology team) where she also instructed medical students in the needs of dying patients and their families. She was a longtime Hemlock Society/End-of-Life Choices of Washington State Board member and joined the Compassion & Choices Board at the time of the merger. Arline now volunteers for a local hospice and is a case manager for C&C.

Soojin E. Kim, Esq.
Our newest board member, Soojin joined the board in 2007. Soojin is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law and is an attorney with the Everett City Attorney's Office. She began her legal career at the Washington State House of Representatives, and then went to work as an assistant attorney general in the Washington Attorney General's Office. From 2001 to 2005, she worked with the firm Graham & Dunn in Seattle. Soojin has volunteered her time and expertise in a variety of legal programs and activities, providing pro bono services for King County Dependency CASA program, the Thurston County Volunteer Legal Clinic, and the King County Bar Association's Volunteer Legal Services. In 2005, Soojin received the Washington Young Lawyers Division Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award, and Washington Law & Politics magazine named her one of its rising stars.

Midge Levy, ACSW, Vice President
Midge is a social worker who recently retired from Group Health Cooperative after 26 years of working in their Home Health and Hospice Program and with the HIV Team. While a student in London, she was involved with the English Exit Society, and became increasingly aware of right-to-die issues following the self-intentioned death of her grandmother who could no longer endure uncontrolled pain from metastatic cancer. She co-founded the Hemlock Society of Washington State (HSWS) in 1989. The following year Midge resigned from her management position at Group Health to work for the Death with Dignity Campaign (I-119). She served on the Board of Directors of national Hemlock Society from 1990 - 2000, became Secretary and later Vice President. In 1993, Midge became President of HSWS and continued in that position until the unification with Compassion In Dying of Washington in 2005. She is also active with the Washington State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), served on their Board and Executive Committee, and was a consultant for the NASW Policy on End-of-Life Decisions in 1993. Midge received the "Social Worker of the Year" award in 2000 for her legislative activities and continues to be an active member of the Legislative Action Committee.

Catherine L. Longhi
Catherine joined the Board in 2000. She has been involved in medical ethics and issues of personal choice for many years. Over 20 years' experience as a health care administrator and personal experience with the needs of terminally ill people and their families have strengthened her commitment to C&C's principles.

Bruce Parker, DMin
Bruce is a retired United Methodist Minister, having worked at congregations across Washington State. He became involved in the Initiative 119 campaign through his position as a minister, and introduced a resolution of support for the Initiative to the Pacific Northwest Conference of the Church. He served on the state board of the Hemlock Society/End-of-Life Choices from 1992 until 2004. In 2005, he began serving on C&C's Advisory Committee, and has now switched roles to serve on our board of directors.

Thomas Preston, MD
Tom is a retired cardiologist, but continues teaching as a Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington. For three decades, he practiced and taught cardiology, first at the University of Michigan and then at the University of Washington. He is active at the forefront of the bioethical debate on assisted dying, and regularly corresponds with philosophers and bioethicists around the country. Tom is the author of Final Victory, a book about taking control at the end of life, and Patient-Directed Dying: A Call For Legalized Aid In Dying For The Terminally Ill. He is a board member and also serves as a Case Manager and Medical Advisor. He has appeared as a medical expert on numerous national television programs, including 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, CBS Morning News, NBC Nightly News, ABC Evening News, McNeil/Lehrer Report, Face The Nation, Nova, and a PBS special on health. His articles about medicine have appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Newsweek, Atlantic Monthly, Washington Post, and Reader's Digest.

B. Kirk Robinson, Treasurer
Kirk joined the Washington Board in 1995 and is on the C&C National board. He comes to this post with a long-standing interest in the issue of death with dignity. Kirk served as president of Washington Citizens for Death With Dignity during the 1991 initiative campaign in Washington State and was the chief spokesperson during that political campaign. He is owner and CEO of The Robinson Company, a construction management firm.

Thomas Smith, MD
Dr. Smith has been practicing medicine for 22 years and has provided care for those with HIV since the inception of the epidemic in the early 1980s when he was just beginning his career. He is a former member of the original board of the Northwest AIDS Foundation and has been involved with the planning committee in the various AIDS housing options which have developed over the years. His diverse community involvement and his extensive experience in dealing with end-of-life issues are strengths that he brings to the board.