Renton, WA – January 5th, 2026 – This fall, Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) held elections for six of the nine seats on the PSESD board. Today, PSESD is excited to announce the results of the 2025 Board of Directors election and to introduce its new and re-elected board members, all of whom will be sworn into office at the board meeting on January 21, 2026.

Two new community members will join the PSESD board in January 2026, as PSESD welcomes Angela Phan, who will represent District 3, and Robyn Mulenga, who will represent District 6. Additionally, PSESD welcomes back Peter Maier (representing District 1), Mehret Tekle-Awarun (representing District 5), Barbara L. Peterson (representing District 7), and Stanley Holland (representing District 9), all of whom won their elections and will retain their seats on the board.

"Our board guides PSESD in co-creating just and humanizing educational communities where every student thrives and succeeds," said John Welch, PSESD Superintendent. "I'm confident our new and re-elected board members will help us to continue making progress toward this important goal."

Educational Service Districts (ESDs) are governed by a board of directors consisting of seven or nine citizens who are accountable to and elected by the school board members in the region's public school districts. The board members represent geographic director districts based on U.S. Census Bureau data, and the ESD boards provide direction to their superintendent, who is advised by local school district superintendents.

New Board Members:

Angela Phan (she/her) District 3—Seattle (part), Mercer Island, Bellevue, Issaquah

Angela Phan is a community leader, facilitator, and advocate who is deeply committed to advancing equity, belonging, and opportunity for children, youth, and families. Guided by a lifelong belief in the power of collective care, Angela's work centers on relationship-building, listening, and partnering with communities most impacted by systemic inequities to co-create solutions that are grounded in lived experience.

Across education, youth development, mental health, and human services spaces, Angela brings people together across sectors—community members, service providers, policymakers, and funders—to foster shared understanding and collective action. She is especially passionate about elevating youth voices, supporting BIPOC leadership, and addressing the structural barriers that limit access to opportunity. Her approach recognizes that many of the challenges facing young people and families are adaptive in nature, requiring trust, collaboration, and long-term commitment rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.

Angela is known for creating brave and welcoming spaces for dialogue, reflection, and learning. Whether facilitating community conversations, moderating panels, supporting advisory bodies, or designing inclusive engagement processes, she leads with humility, clarity, and a strong equity lens. Her work bridges strategy and heart—balancing systems-level thinking with deep care for individual and community well-being.

At the core of Angela's leadership is a belief that communities already hold the wisdom needed for transformation. Her role is to help surface that wisdom, strengthen connections, and ensure that those most often left out of decision-making are meaningfully included. She remains committed to continuous learning, accountability, and building a future where all young people can thrive.

Robyn Mulenga (she/her) District 6—Auburn, Dieringer, Enumclaw, Puyallup (part), Snoqualmie Valley, Sumner-Bonney Lake, Tahoma

Robyn Mulenga has called Auburn home for over 20 years and has served her community as a school board member for Auburn School District (2016–2019) and city council member (2020–2023). During her time on the school board, she was influential in advancing a voter-approved bond measure that funded two new elementary schools and six replacement schools. She was also instrumental in shaping the district's strategic plan to prioritize the goal of ensuring that all students graduate. In addition to her work on the school board, Robyn served on the Cities and Schools Forum, where she focused on advancing career pathways that connect students to living wage jobs. She brings to her work a passion for education and a commitment to providing innovative and effective educational practices that help to eliminate the opportunity gap for all students.

Re-elected Board Members:

Peter Maier (he/him) District 1—Northshore (part), Seattle (part), Shoreline

Peter Maier grew up in North Seattle, where he still lives, and he has been involved in education policy for many years. Peter served on the State Board of Education from 2013–2021 (and served as Chair from 2019–21), and he was an elected member of the Seattle School Board from 2008–2011. He has long fought for full funding of public schools through both ballot measures and legislation and chaired the Seattle Public Schools levy campaigns in 2004 and 2007.

Peter started off this work as a PTA Dad when his children attended Seattle Public Schools.  Peter was an attorney in private practice in downtown Seattle for 39 years, where he represented individual consumers, small businesses, and nonprofits until his retirement in 2020. Peter lives in Ballard with his wife, Liz, and his cat, Jackson. Peter graduated from Seattle Public Schools, Oberlin College and Harvard Law School.

Mehret Tekle-Awarun (she/her) District 5—Kent, Renton, Seattle (part)

Mehret Tekle-Awarun is the Executive Director of Building Changes, a statewide organization that advances equitable responses to homelessness across Washington by developing community-driven strategies, advocating for systems change, and partnering across sectors to ensure children, youth, and families can thrive. In her role, Mehret leads with a blend of strategic vision, fiscal stewardship, systems-level problem solving, and relational leadership. She is known for strengthening cross-sector partnerships, guiding organizational transformation, and championing community-centered, equitable solutions.

With more than a decade of experience working in school districts and the nonprofit sector across South King County, Mehret is an equity-driven and deeply rooted community leader. She has a strong track record of leading collaborative initiatives, elevating family and student voices, and advancing strategies that improve outcomes for historically marginalized communities.

She is grateful to have grown up in the culturally rich and connected community of Southeast Seattle, where her upbringing profoundly shaped her commitment to justice, belonging, and community partnership. She is dedicated to culturally responsive solutions that honor the expertise, strengths, and lived experiences of families and students. As an Eritrean American, Mehret works in authentic partnership with communities historically excluded from decision-making to ensure that they are fully engaged in the process and supported in achieving education justice.

Mehret currently resides in Renton with her husband and their two school-aged children.

Barbara Peterson (she/her) District 7—Federal Way, Fife, Highline, Puyallup (part), Tukwila

Barbara Peterson, a Highline district resident for forty years, graduated from Mt. Rainier High School, as did her children, Leo and Annie O'Donnell. She received bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees from the University of Washington. She is currently the Executive Director of Altera, an educational nonprofit that partners with rural low-income districts that have many emerging language learners , providing programming for family engagement and home literacy, after-school enrichment, and postsecondary outreach programs.

Barbara undertook her doctoral studies to infuse her nonprofit work and PSESD Board service with a solid basis of educational research and best practice in order to better support education in Washington State, with a focus on King and Pierce County.  She is a published author on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in rural schools and on equitable access to rigorous coursework in rural high schools.

Stanley Holland (he/him) District 9 – Steilacoom, Orting, Clover Park, Franklin Pierce, Bethel, Eatonville, Carbonado, White River, Puyallup (part)

Stanley Holland is a graduate of Seattle Public Schools, where both of his parents were educators who instilled in him the importance of public schools and a love of education that grew into a lifelong passion. Stanley’s strong belief in the advantages and opportunities of a public education, and its ability to afford students a strong foundation for the rest of their lives, led him to serve on the Orting School Board for eight years—seven of those years as President.

Stanley moved to Orting, Washington back when it was only farmland with just a few residents. There, he found an avenue to express his dedication to public service and was elected to the Orting City Council, where he chaired the Public Safety Committee and served as Deputy Mayor for 13 years. His work on the council focused on community planning and preparing the town for growth. When he opted not to rerun for another term, Stanley was approached by citizens of Orting who asked him to bring his experience to the school board. Having watched his own children walk the school halls and attend classes in Orting schools, he knew immediately that was where he wanted to be.

Now, Stanley brings his experience to PSESD and is vested in planning and preparing for the futures of students from Steilacoom, Orting, Clover Park, Franklin Pierce, Bethel, Eatonville, Carbonado and White River School Districts.

Stanley is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University with a degree in Business Administration who currently works as a Senior Facility Manager in the healthcare industry with MultiCare. He is a father, a grandfather, and a University of Washington Alumni Dad. When not serving the community, Stanley enjoys fishing, nature walks, and riding his motorcycle around the Passes during the summer, appreciating all the nature Washington has to offer.

About PSESD

PSESD is one of nine educational service districts serving school districts and state-approved charter and private schools in Washington. ESDs improve the quality, equity, and efficiency of educational programs through partnerships with K-12 programs, early learning, higher education, and private organizations. PSESD provides these programs and services to 35 school districts, 267 private schools, two tribal compact schools, and ten charter schools in King and Pierce counties and Bainbridge Island.