Our team is committed to helping Washington students succeed in school and get prepared for their careers.
Board Members
- Dean Allen (Board Chair), CEO, McKinstry Co. LLC
- Bradford L. Smith, Vice Chair & President, Microsoft Corporation
- Jeff Vincent, President & CEO, Retired, Laird Norton Company
- Kerri Schroeder, Pacific Northwest Regional Chair & Region Manager – Middle Market Banking, JPMorganChase
- Rachel Smith, President, Washington Roundtable & Partnership for Learning
Staff
Rachel Smith
President
Rachel Smith serves as president of the Washington Roundtable and its education foundation Partnership for Learning, a role she assumed in October 2025 after leading the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce for nearly five years. At the Chamber, she grew membership, collaborated with local governments on major initiatives focused on regional recovery, transportation, and housing, and championed small and minority-owned businesses. She also launched The Index, a now-essential resource to understand where business and voters’ views align.
Smith brings more than two decades of experience in government affairs, policy, operations, and advocacy, including 13 years in local and regional government. She served as deputy county executive and chief of staff to King County Executive Dow Constantine, in key positions at Sound Transit, and in the administration of former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.
She currently also serves on the boards of the Seattle Convention Center, United Way of King County and the Seattle Aquarium.
Brian Jeffries
Policy Director
brian@partnership4learning.org
Brian brings more than 25 years of experience in education practice and policy to Partnership for Learning. Prior to joining PFL, Brian was a State Assessment Program Director for Data Recognition Corporation, providing project management and government relations/policy work and analysis. He spent nearly 10 years at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) serving as a senior advisor on numerous issues, specifically high school graduation, dual enrollment, state assessment and career and technical education. In the middle of two stints with OSPI, Brian was the Staff Coordinator to the state Senate Early Learning, K-12, and Higher Education Committee during the 2005 session, then worked as a policy consultant to The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on college and career readiness, high school reform and redesign and workforce education. He began his career in education as a high school special education teacher. When not reveling in his role as an unabashed policy wonk, Brian enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons, camping and backpacking, and serving his low and slow smoked barbecue to family and friends.
Ingrid Stegemoeller
Industry Engagement Director
ingrid@partnership4learning.org
Ingrid is a communications and public policy professional with a passion for ensuring all of Washington’s students have access to a high-quality education. Prior to joining the Partnership for Learning, Ingrid served as a communications director in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C. She also led state-level advocacy campaigns to improve early childhood policy during her time working at The Pew Charitable Trusts. Ingrid got her professional start as a journalist at the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick. She received her bachelor’s degree at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, and her master’s degree in public policy at Georgetown University.
Rita Walker
Communications Director
rita@partnership4learning.org
Rita brings to her role at Partnership for Learning (PFL) more than a decade’s experience in public affairs, policy, and public relations/communications. Before joining PFL, Rita held various roles, including Senior Political Researcher at the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, D.C, supporting work streams such as congressional research and relations, think tank relations, and managing delegations. Rita has worked in the United Arab Emirates, where she led internal communications at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Before that, she worked at Edelman, where she managed public relations and corporate communications for various governmental and quasi-governmental organizations and private firms. Rita holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and a bachelor’s degree in Global Studies from the University of Washington.
Kim Martinez
Operations Manager
kim@partnership4learning.org
