Wider Horizons is led by a 12-member Board of Directors and an Executive Director. An active and involved membership serves on task forces and committees and generates and carries out specific program activities.
Executive Director – Denise Klein
A resident of Seattle for the past 44 years, Denise Klein is known for her blend of visionary leadership and ability to generate practical solutions to complex human and organizational problems. Denise’s professional experience includes:
- Executive Director of Wider Horizons: Central Seattle’s Village for Life
- CEO of Senior Services [now Sound Generations] for 10 years
- Member and officer of national, state, and local Boards of Directors of numerous non-profit organizations
- Consulting nationally for 13 years
- Led the King County Area Agency on Aging for 12 years
- Recipient of the American Society on Aging’s Leadership Award in 1994
- Selected as the first Distinguished Area Agency Director by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging in 1985
Board Members
| Ann Lawrence, MA |  | President | Active WH member,; clinical psychologist & adoptions specialist | Term 3 (of 3); Elected in 2016, Ends 2021 |
| Charles Heaney, Ph.D. |  | Vice President | Active WH member; Retired health care administrator | Term 3 (of 3); Elected in 2016, Ends 2021 |
| Elizabeth Ohlson, Ed.D. |  | Secretary | Active WH member,; Retired educator | Term 3 (of 3); Elected in 2016; Ends 2021 |
| Bob Anderson, MPA |  | Director | Active WH member and founder, retired CEO of Horizon House | Term 1 (of 2); Elected 2021; Ends 2026 |
| Susan Adler |  | Director | Active WH member; retired Nonprofit Executive Director | Term 1 (of 2); Elected 2020,; Ends 2025 |
| Nancy Hooyman, PhD |  | Director | Active WH member; gerontologist; Professor and Dean Emeritus, School of Social Work, UW | Term 1 (of 2); Elected 2021, ends 2026 |
| Sue Lerner, MEd |  | Immediate Past President | Active WH member; retired K-12 teacher & administrator | Elected 2015; Ends 2020 |
| Denise Lishner, MSW |  | Director | Active WH member, medical researcher, retired from UW | Term 1 (of 2) Elected 2020, ends 2025 |
| John Rochford |  | Director | Active WH member; Specialist in aging and transportation; administrator for King County Metro | Term 1 (of 2); Elected 2021; Ends 2026 |
| Nancy Robb. MPA |  | Director | Active WH member; administrator, retired from Seattle City Light | Term 1 (of 2); Elected 2020, ends 2025 |
| Donna Sunkel |  | Director | Active WH member; retired from career in finance at UW | Term 2 (of 3); Elected 2018, ends 2023 |
| Jeanne Marie Thomas, MSW |  | Treasurer | Active WH member; aging specialist; former Executive Director of NEST Village | Term 1 (of 2); Elected 2021, ends 2026 |