Our Board

Lynnette Scheidt

President

Lynnette has been involved in giving back to this community since 1973. She is proudly the current President of the Eastside Neighborhood Council of Tacoma (ENACT). Lynnette is an environmental land steward of McKinley Park which is 27 acres of natural open space. Lynnette is the Co-director of McKinley Hill Street Fair since 2015, President of Dometop Neighbors since 2008, volunteered with the Tacoma Police Department from 2006 to 2020, and created the Dometop Community Garden in 2012. She is the co-coordinator of the de-pave project in the McKinley Business District and in 2012 won the Washington Recreation and Parks Association (WRPA) Environmental Award. Lynnette is the recipient of the 2012 City of Destiny Award and the 2014 Tacoma Police Department Volunteer of the Year award. She received the City of Tacoma ROAR Award and won the 2016 City of Destiny group award as the Dometop Neighbors. In 2018 she was honored with the Governor’s Volunteer Family of the Year in Washington State. Lynnette is on many committees for a wide range of focuses across Pierce County. She attended the Tacoma Police Department’s Citizen’s Academy for two sessions to help connect community to resources that are continuously changing. Lynnette’s dream is to leave this earth better than she found it and she looks forward to lifting up Tacoma with you soon.

 

Tara Scheidt

Vice President

Tara Scheidt is a lifelong resident of Tacoma and cares passionately about East Tacoma. She works closely with City of Tacoma leadership to directly connect community issues with direct solutions. Tara has been an integral part of steering committees advocating for resources for the unhoused in the community including the formation of the Stability Site and Arlington Drive Youth Campus. In her quest to find direct solutions and resources she volunteered as a Tacoma Police Department volunteer since 2006 and attended the TPD Citizens Academy in 2022. Tara is an environmental land steward at McKinley Park since 2009. She is also the co-director of the McKinley Hill Street Fair since 2015 and the project coordinator of the McKinley Business District De-pave that removed 10,000 square feet of asphalt replacing it with 6,000 plants and trees. Tara founded 7 murals in East Tacoma that have incredibly transformed their locations. Alongside her family, Tara received the Washington State Governor’s award for Volunteer Family of the year in 2018. She is a board member of the Eastern Washington University Parent Council and works closely with many Northwest Tribes on environmental projects. Tara is ready to assist you with your ideas, issues, or projects. Let’s make your vision happen.

 

 

Jesse Hart Jr

Secretary

Jesse retired from the US Air Force in 1967 with 20 years of service then worked as an Army civilian at Fort Lewis. He graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a degree in business then worked for the Boeing Company as a computer programmer/analyst. Jesse joined the Eastside Neighborhood Council Board in October 1995 after retiring from Boeing. He has served on the Eastside Neighborhood Council board as treasurer, secretary, vice president, and president. He has also served on the Community Council of Tacoma as secretary and treasurer. Jesse was on the PACT (Police and Community Together) committee, Safe Street’s Weed & Seed committee, police hiring board, racial profiling task force, Tacoma Environmental Services Commission, and attended the Tacoma Police Department’s Citizens Academy class # 29. Jesse was awarded the key to the city by Tacoma City Council and Mayor in 2019.

 

 

Brian Humphreys

Brian grew up in the NE Tacoma/Federal Way, West Hill region. Brian’s training is in nonprofit leadership and community economic development and has worked and lived overseas for a few years before coming back to Tacoma. Brian has spent the past 12 years serving here in many capacities, and he has been an Eastside homeowner and parent for 10 years. Examples of his work in Tacoma include: he created the Tacoma Tide Flats Certificate for TPS that equips credit-deficient high school students for Port of Tacoma maritime jobs, he built and led the financial coaching program for Sound Outreach and Harborstone Credit Union, he negotiated the contracts for the first five United Way Center for Strong Families locations including the THA unit at Salishan, and he created a nonprofit that builds community among Tacoma fathers and connects them with high impact services which won the Poverty to Possibilities award in 2019. In addition to his community projects, he is also a full-time faculty member at Northwest University’s School of Global Studies and an elder at Trinity Presbyterian on the Hilltop. Brian has three children in our schools and his wife teaches English for refugees and immigrants at TCH. Brian is deeply invested in the present and future state of the Eastside, so it is a pleasure to serve on this board. 

 

 

Lester L. Burkes

Dean | Educational Strategist | Skilled Trades Advocate

As an accomplished Dean and visionary leader in education, Lester specializes in driving innovation and organizational transformation within technical and vocational institutions. With years of experience in higher education, he is passionate about aligning academic programs with workforce demands to create impactful, future-focused opportunities for students and communities. Lester is the founder of LearnSkilledTrades.com, a platform dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations in the skilled trades sector. Lester’s expertise lies in designing and implementing strategic initiatives that enhance institutional performance, improve student outcomes, and elevate the reputation of technical colleges. A committed professional with a collaborative leadership style, he thrives on mentoring teams, driving student success, and fostering partnerships that promote diversity and inclusion. Lester’s work is driven by a strong belief in the transformative power of education to change lives and communities.

 

 

Bobby Ocasio

Bobby is a lifelong resident of Tacoma. His family has lived in East Tacoma since the mid 1970s after immigrating from Mexico. Bobby is a US Air Force Security Forces veteran and served 5 years on active duty stationed in North Dakota, Germany, England, and a tour in Iraq from 2006-2007. Bobby earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Washington-Tacoma in 2011 and has worked in housing and homelessness nearly his entire career. Bobby looks forward to continuing to serve the community as a member of the Eastside Neighborhood Council board.

 

 

Juli Murphy

Juli and her family have been proud Tacoma residents since 2018. She lives on the Eastside of Tacoma with her husband and two dogs. Juli works at PABCO Roofing in the Port of Tacoma. She brings her professional expertise and community spirit to her role as a board member for the Eastside Neighborhood Council.

 

 

Rick Slater

Rick graduated High School in 1972. In 1973 he went to Denver Automotive Repair Trade College. In 1973 he move to Burien, Washington and met his wife Jan in 1974. We were married in 1976 and have two children, Ryan and Shannon. They lived on Vashon Island for 42 years before moving to Tacoma. Rick bought an Automotive Repair shop on McKinley Avenue in 2018 and employs three people. Rick has been involved in the Eastside since meeting Lynnette in 2019. He picks up trash while walking his dog Dexter each morning. He looks forward to being involve in the Eastside for many years to come. Rick looks forward to helping make this community a safer place to live by serving on the Eastside Neighborhood Council.

 

 

Lindsay Wills

Lindsay moved to Tacoma in 2019 and quickly fell in love with the Eastside. She is a member of the McKinley Hill Planning steering committee and helped with many of its outreach and community events. You can usually find her cleaning up litter around her neighborhood. Lindsay is passionate about supporting local businesses & creating a better Tacoma for her daughter to grow up in.