Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is a passionate and dedicated group of community members who work closely with the administration and faculty bodies to support ECS’s mission and work toward its long-term vision.
The Board’s goal is to support the conclusion of ECS’s current growth phase, which includes long-term stability in finances, facilities, and grounds to support a well-resourced campus enabled to deliver an innovative and full Waldorf program to as many children as possible far into the future.
Griffith Owen, President
Grif Owen is the President and one of the founding members of the ECS Board of Directors. Grif’s goal as a parent is to develop his child’s gifts with a foundation of free-thinking. He contributes his time and energy to support ECS’s contemporary Waldorf-inspired curriculum, which is in alignment with his goals and observations of child development.
Grif watched his son blossom and flourish at ECS through the grades program, graduating from grade 8 in 2024. ECS strongly developed free-thinking, making it a foundational part of who he is and is evidenced daily (even in a non-Waldorf educational environment).
Outside of ECS, Grif is the CEO and founder of CampusPoint Corporation, a niche recruiter that partners with companies of all sizes to facilitate access to, and efficiently hire, recent college graduates for early-career jobs.
Thejaswini Somasundaram, Vice President
Thejaswini serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors at Eastside Community School. A dedicated advocate of Waldorf principles and Steiner’s education philosophy, she has seen firsthand the positive impact of ECS’s nurturing environment on her own children. With a wealth of experience spanning global enterprises, non-profits, and startups, Thejaswini excels in establishing processes, defining charters, and executing strategic plans.
When not at Microsoft or supporting ECS, she cherishes spending time with her husband, two children, and their dogs.
Anneliese Johnson, Secretary
Anneliese is one of the Board’s founding Directors and has been a part of this community since the fall of 2016. Having watched her daughter thrive first in Kindergarten and then in the ECS grades program, Anneliese has been impressed by the school faculty and approach to education, which she believes is unique among Waldorf or Waldorf-inspired schools. The integration of language and fine arts coupled with the rigorous quest for understanding and appreciation of the natural world and a child’s innate potential is what makes ECS so special and is what inspires Anneliese to serve the school.
When she is not practicing law at Inslee Best in Bellevue or working on behalf of ECS, Anneliese enjoys sailing with her husband and young daughter, gardening, practicing yoga and singing with Choral Arts Northwest.
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Dan Holsclaw, Treasurer
Dan has been a member of the ECS community from the time his daughter started in the Early Childhood program and continued into the Grades. Dan has 30 years of finance experience evenly split between Fortune 500 Enterprises and small to medium-sized technology start-ups in the Seattle area.
Dan is passionate about helping organizations of various sizes construct and develop their operating and financial platforms to support their core mission.
Shrutee Sharma, Member
Shrutee has been soaking in the Waldorf magic since 2016 through the educational experiences of her two children and her own life enrichment facilitated by the school’s thriving community. She doesn’t miss an opportunity to sing, side by side with other parents at festivals and has forged friendships while building play-sets, painting classrooms and showing up as a community leader during various stages of the school’s journey.
Shrutee runs a private healthcare practice in Redmond as a chronic pain specialist and nervous system expert. She is the creator of several mind-body wellness programs and has spent over a decade helping her clients return to their life’s passions without injuries and pain!
As a director at the ECS board, Shrutee brings a wealth of entrepreneurial and marketing experience to grow the ECS community with care, compassion and inspired action. In her free time, Shrutee can be found skiing down snow-clad mountains or hiking up one with her family and golden retriever.