2025–2026 KCBA Board of Trustees Nominated Candidates
The King County Bar Association’s Leadership Development & Nominations Committee is pleased to announce the following slate of KCBA members for open positions on the Board of Trustees, effective July 1, 2025. Additional candidates may run for any of these offices through the petition process prescribed in the bylaws. If no petitions are received by April 10, the slate will be deemed elected. For more information, contact KCBA Executive Director Kathleen Jensen by email (kathleenj@kcba.org) or phone (206.267.7053). Further details are online at www.kcba.org/board. The King County Bar Association expresses its gratitude to the 2024–2025 Leadership Development & Nominations Committee for its work in recruiting this slate of candidates: Jennifer Payseno, Chair (McKinley Irvin), Yvonne Chin (Sexual Violence Law Center), Stew Cogan (Stew Cogan Arbitrator - Mediator), Robert Flennaugh II (The Law Office of Robert Flennaugh II, PLLC), Hon. Paris Kallas, Ret. (Judicial Dispute Resolution), Eric Lansverk (Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson P. S.), Shashi Vijay (VJ Law Firm). Thomas Tobin (Perkins Coie), and Lawrence Ward (Dorsey + Whitney LLP).
SIDNEY TRIBE / Candidate for President - Carney Badley Spellman
I am thrilled and humbled to be nominated to be a member of the leadership team of the KCBA Board of Trustees. Good stewardship of this organization is critical to members, employees and volunteers, those who benefit from its public services and public policy advocacy, and the broader legal community.
I was admitted to practice in 2003. I had the good fortune to serve as a law clerk for the Honorable William Baker at Division One of the Washington Court of Appeals, and since then I have been a civil-side appellate advocate in private practice, first as an associate and later as a partner at Talmadge/Fitzpatrick, and most recently as a shareholder with Carney Badley Spellman’s Appellate Group. I have had the privilege of serving KCBA in numerous capacities, including as a Trustee, as Chair of the Appellate Practice Section, and as Chair of the Leadership Development & Nominations Committee. I have also served on Member Services and the Executive Director Search Committee. Last but not least, for the last decade I have co-chaired (along with currently serving Trustee and fellow appellate advocate Cynthia Jones) the KCBA Appellate Practice Section’s Annual Reception with Division One. KCBA is one of the best organizations of its kind in the country. I thank each and every member, donor, volunteer, staff member, and citizen who supports and advances its excellent work.
MARY S.W. SAKAGUCHI / Candidate for First Vice-President - Sakaguchi Felbeck Story & Reese, PLLC
I am honored to be nominated as First Vice-President of KCBA Board of Trustees. I am a partner in a boutique family law firm located in downtown Kirkland, focusing my practice primarily on non-litigated pathways to resolving conflict. I also live in east King County and am passionate about access to justice, equity and inclusion, and supporting new attorneys.
For over a decade, I served the public through various volunteer opportunities supporting victims of domestic violence, and low-income clients. I am an active volunteer and current Board member of Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP), and I annually support the King County Bar Foundation by attending the Breakfast with Champions and ELAP through its annual Breakfast for Justice. I am active in our legal community as well, as a former KCBA Trustee (2013–2016), representing east King County, current chair of KCBA Anti-Racism and Equity Committee, past co-chair of the KCBA Collaborative Law Section, and past member of the KCBA Membership Committee. I am proud to be a member of KCBA, where public service is a major cornerstone of its mission. I am inspired and excited by the work that the Anti-Racism and Equity Committee undertakes to proactively address systemic inequality and achieve a profession that is inclusive. I invite you to share your ideas — let’s talk about how this bar association can be a critical part of your practice.
CYNTHIA JONES / Candidate for Second Vice - President Jones Legal Group
This KCBA of ours, founded in 1886 in response to attorney involvement in a mob effort to deport Chinese citizens, an organization where 117 members gave up their practices to serve in World War I, where in 1941 the first woman officer was elected, and in 1970, it passed a resolution that no bar meetings be held in any “male-only” rule establishments, where in 1972 Betty Fletcher became the first female president, it is a great honor and delight to be nominated to serve the KCBA, to endeavor to further and foster its long-standing commitment to fairness, access to justice and the rule of law.
At Jones Legal Group, I concentrate my practice on civil and criminal appeals in federal and state courts and handle matters at the trial level in both federal and state courts. I began my career clerking at the Washington Supreme Court for Justice Charles W. Johnson. Currently, I serve as an appointee to the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the Ninth Circuit and Western District of Washington and served as past chair of the KCBA Appellate Practice Section. I currently serve as Chair of the Ninth Circuit’s Lawyer Representative Coordinating Committee and serve as liaison to the Conference Executive Committee of the Ninth Circuit.
JOHANNA COOLBAUGH / Candidate for Trustee/Secretary - Central Stokes Lawrence, P.S.
I am honored to be nominated to serve on the KCBA Board of Trustees. I have a deep commitment to the work being done by the KCBA. In the past (many, many years ago) I served as the Chair of the Young Lawyers Division (now known as the New Lawyers Division). In 2024, I served as Chair of the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Section. I have also served on the KCBA Public Policy Committee. My other relevant board experience includes serving for six years on the board (two as Secretary) of EarthCorps, a Seattle-based environmental nonprofit organization, and my tenure as the Chair of the Annual Seminar for the Seattle Estate Planning Council. For the last sixteen years, my law practice has been focused on estate planning and probate administration (previously at Karr Tuttle Campbell and now at Stokes Lawrence, P.S.). I look forward to further supporting the KCBA’s mission.
LINDSEY PFLUGRATH/ Candidate for Trustee - Central Clenera
I am honored to be nominated for a Trustee position on the KCBA Board of Directors. I became licensed in Washington State, and a member of the King County Bar Association, in 2005. I spent the first eighteen years of my legal career in private practice as a construction litigator. I had the great privilege of working with talented colleagues at Skellenger Bender, P.S., both as an Associate and a Shareholder, and then as a Partner at Cairncross & Hempelmann. Two years ago, I accepted a position as Senior Corporate Counsel at Clenera, an alternative energy company, where I support the company’s efforts to develop large scale clean energy projects. I have many years of experience serving as a Board Member for various non-profit organizations, as well as professional membership organizations like the KCBA, and spent several years as a volunteer for the Housing Justice Project, a KCBA initiative. I have deep respect for the support the KCBA provides to its members, as well as its commitment to ensuring equitable access to legal services. I have been inspired on many occasions by the KCBA’s dedication to diversity and inclusion. I am excited to have the opportunity to give back to the KCBA and to utilize my experience to help steward the organization.
PETER A. TALEVICH / Candidate for Trustee - Central K&L Gates
As a longtime supporter of King County Bar Association, I am honored to be considered to serve on its Board of Trustees. I am a litigation partner at K&L Gates. Early in my legal career, I joined KCBA and was selected trustee of the New Lawyers Division. I served as NLD Chair, regularly reporting to the KCBA Board, and served on a special ethics committee of the KCBA Board that was awarded the President’s Award. I was a longtime Housing Justice Project volunteer and have served as a KCBA Committee Chair. I am also a past recipient of the Outstanding New Lawyer Award and a nominee for NLD’s Mentor of the Year Award. I recently completed two years as President of the Campaign for Equal Justice, which among other things works with the King County Bar Foundation on a joint law firm campaign to fund legal aid in King County. My ties to KCBA are deep and longstanding. I deeply admire its values — what it stands for — and look forward to helping to lead it.
NEETA SARAN/ Candidate for Trustee - Eastside Microsoft Corporation
I am honored to be nominated to the KCBA Board of Trustees. I’ve been a Senior Corporate Counsel for Microsoft Corporation, based in Redmond, for 15 years. Over this time, my practice has focused on counseling our product engineers developing cutting edge AI products for consumers and enterprises. My practice has largely focused on emerging regulations and counseling on developing products that respect privacy, security and responsible AI and ethics. I also live in King County, residing in Kirkland.
I am passionate about access to justice and have served the public by participating in a variety of pro bono and other community volunteer opportunities. For nearly a decade, I served as a Board member of the Eastside Legal Assistance Program (ELAP), which provides support for survivors of domestic violence and low-income clients. I also served as a board member for several years on the Mother Attorney Mentoring Association of Seattle (MAMAS). I routinely provide support to the community through participation in fund raisers such as attending ELAP’s annual Breakfast for Justice and other events such as the MLK Luncheon. I am excited for the opportunity to serve on the KCBA Board of Trustees and am looking forward to exploring and participating in KCBA’s important initiatives and committees such as those focused on public policy, pro bono services and support for new attorneys.
