Meet the Alumni Board

Jessica DiStefano (’95) – Alumni Board President

Back in 2020, Jessica received a call from Bill “Army” Armstrong asking her to join him for lunch. Despite feeling like a student who got into trouble, she followed through and was asked to join the Alumni Board. What Jessica loves most about being on the board is connecting with alumni from all classes and hearing about how Overlake has impacted their lives.

Jessica remembers her own experience at Overlake as one deeply rooted in community. The respectful relationships between students, teachers, and staff, a shared thirst for learning and trailblazing new adventures, and a curriculum that taught all-important self-advocacy and communication skills. “Self-advocacy helps me stay in the driver’s seat in my own life,” shares Jessica.

Today, Jessica enjoys seeing the school through both her Alumni Board President lens and the lens of a parent to current 6th grader, Henry. “We could win the award for the family who lives furthest from school, so sending my son to Overlake took a lot of consideration” she shares, adding “Overlake is the full package, academics, sports, arts, community. It was just best choice for him. He’s living his best life as an Overlaker!”

When she’s not busy on or en route to Overlake, Jessica owns and runs Hobart Farms Nursery, a garden center in Maple Valley, as well as a small farm where she grows a specialty items like organic produce. The DiStefano crew also work as actors and can often be found on local film or commercial sets.

Ryan AuYeung (’09) - Alumni Board Member

Ryan graduated from Overlake in 2009 as a “lifer” who spent a good amount of his 8 years at Overlake up in the sound technician’s box. Heavily involved in the theater group, Ryan managed the theater tech in 2009 as a senior. After graduating from Overlake, Ryan attended Purdue University in West Lafeyette, Indiana, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management, staying to earn his Master of Science in Operations Management. During the pandemic Ryan elected to take a career break to earn his MBA at Cornell University. 

Ryan’s passion for aviation has been long-standing. One of his fondest memories of Overlake was a project week where he worked for Portland International Airport, an experience which ultimately converted into an internship for three consecutive summers, jumpstarting his aviation career at 18. In college I Ryan earned his pilot’s license and since then he’s held numerous jobs in aviation ranging from flight test and manufacturing engineering on the 747 Jumbo Jet with Boeing as well as working in network planning and commercial strategy for both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. Today, Ryan is a senior strategy manager within the corporate real estate group United Airlines, responsible for monitoring the progress and execution of the company's annual $1B annual construction project portfolio.

When he’s not on airplanes commuting back and forth between Seattle and Chicago, Ryan is an avid hobbyist home cook, and he collects cookbooks (in fact his collection currently stands at 106 cookbooks). Ryan also loves to read, particularly about history and public policy. When he’s not cooking or reading, he loves to hike, ski, and travel, traveling to over 45 countries and the continent of Antarctica. 

Matt Bellamy (’04) – Alumni Board Member

Matt joined our Alumni Board in 2023 to give back to an organization that gave him so much. “Overlake taught me how to think, not what to think, and to always remain rooted as a positive uplifting contributor to society,” he shares, adding, “I am forever grateful that Overlake instilled a sense of natural curiosity in me.” Matt’s favorite memories from his time at Overlake include spending time between classes with four of his best friends and classmates from the Class of 2004, all of whom lived on the same street. Gabe, Paul, Bridge, and Chandler are still Matt’s closest circle of friends to this day.

Like many Overlake Alumni, Matt moved into the tech industry right out of undergrad, starting as a backend engineer and growing to a team leader after grad school. He currently holds 21 patents – clearly, he’s still curious! When he’s not busy working in tech, Matt enjoys watching football, working out, and then to keep everything in balance, eating indulgent foods. “I have the same palate that I did when I was six,” he shares, “my favorite foods are cereal and fair food – do the Puyallup!” Find Matt at your local elephant ear, funnel cake, cotton candy, or corndog stand.

Kate Berry (’08) – Alumni Board Member; Board of Trustees Member

Kate joined the Alumni Board several years ago and served as the Alumni Board President as well, volunteering her time and talent to help the Alumni Program grow. “I feel so much gratitude to Overlake,” shares Kate, further adding, “Overlake was a transformational experience, so I am on the Alumni Board to help carry forward that flame through the decades.”

Kate’s favorite memories from Overlake include her service-learning project week trip to Cambodia, her relationships with special teachers such as Dot Boyack, Dave Bennett, Ellen Zarter, Marian Sugano, Greg Bamford, Gretchen Davis, Sarah Gallagher, Emma Allenduff, and Ben Goldstein. Reflecting back, Kate shares that “Overlake gave students a lot of autonomy, challenged us academically, and created a safe space for us to thrive and grow. I learned to be a global citizen, to have empathy and compassion for others, to be curious, to ask for help, and to write, all skills that underpin my career path.” As a human rights attorney at Microsoft, Kate focuses on the intersection of technology and human rights.

When she’s not busy serving on the Alumni Board or the Board of Trustees, Kate loves to garden and play with her son. As a family, they spend lots of time at wandering the zoo, relaxing at breweries, and walking around Green Lake.

Chis Faulkner (‘10) – Alumni Board Member

Chris entered Overlake as a 7th grader where he played soccer, sang in the choir, and made a group of lifelong friends that became known as “the bros,” and who remain his closest friends today. Even though it’s now been 15 years since he graduated, he has “always been drawn to Overlake because it felt like home” he shares. “I still credit the Overlake experience and the friendships I made there as key pieces to who I am today, and I feel a strong need to pay that forward and help ensure others are able to experience the Overlake that I was fortunate to experience.

Chris started his college experience at UCLA before transferring to Dartmouth as a sophomore. Chris now works at a tech startup that provides AI training data to LLM developers that are building tools and products to compete with ChatGPT. In fact, he still spends his days connecting with close Overlake friends turned colleagues, Scott Heiner (’10) and his older brother Nick Heiner (’08) who are key leaders of the company. Chris is energized about the work the company is doing in the field of AI and enjoys what he does as an engagement manager on the business side, though he says he spent his younger college and working years worrying because he never got a “calling”. “What I learned is that I have translatable skills that I can take anywhere that root back to the curiosity I developed at Overlake. That’s both an asset and a challenge. Tools change quickly and if you get too attached to any one identity in your profession too long, you’re going to get stuck. You have to keep a growth mindset.” After further reflection, he adds “A big lesson I’ve learned post-graduation is that you don’t pick a north star and just engineer your life toward that goal. You need to be more prepared to roll with the punches,” sage advice for any young Overlaker to embrace.

When he’s not busy building a cutting-edge AI business and doling out career advice, Chris enjoys staying active, particularly through weightlifting and soccer. He still plays soccer on a team that includes a half dozen Overlakers from a variety of class years, including Overlake current staff member Colton Umberger (’14).

Jimena Sanchez Gallego (’12) – Alumni Board Member

Jimena currently lives in New York City. A few years ago, after attending an alumni happy hour event where she was able to catch up with one of her all-time favorite teachers, Lisa Orenstein, Jimena decided to reconnect with the community that provided a rich educational experience. Joining Overlake in 9th grade after moving to Seattle from Mexico City, Jimena hated Overlake at first. But, “Overlake changed everything” she shares. “It was a pivotal part of shaping who I am today because I had the chance to play sports I’d never heard of (like lacrosse), learned a third language (French), and tried her hand at improv which led to her winning the Mr. and Mrs. Overlake Competition her senior year. “Moving at 14 was exceptionally hard, but Overlake became my second home.”

After Overlake, Jimena attended Tufts University where she triple-majored in International Relations, Public Health, and French. She started her professional career at Endeavor, a nonprofit focused on building global entrepreneurial ecosystems, before moving to a health-tech startup called Flatiron Health where she joined the Strategic Operations Team. Jimena currently works at a startup in the dental-tech space where she’s the Chief of Staff to the COO. What Jimena loves most about her career path in the broader world of tech is the fast-paced environment that pushes her to constantly learn, problem-solve, and collaborate.

When she’s not busy working, Jimena loves to travel, especially exploring new places, learning about different cultures, and trying new cuisines. Last year, Jimena visited the Taj Mahal with her family and was engaged on a special 30th birthday trip to Madrid!

Samantha Hillyer (’01) – Alumni Board Member

Sam joined the Alumni Board after returning home to the Seattle area post-med school. Feeling immense gratitude to Overlake for preparing her for success in college and graduate school, she was eager to see how she could give back to the school and our students. Sam now calls Overlake her employer too. As the Director of Health and Wellness, Sam feels joy coming to work on Overlake’s beautiful campus each day. She was hired during the COVID lockdown to help find a way for the school to reopen for in-person learning and to manage the pandemic, but her role has now broadened to overseeing daily health on campus, leading the Health and Wellness Department, and guiding the school’s well-being pillar of the strategic plan. Though she was nicknamed “Dr. Chan” when she was a student because she was so determined to pursue a career in medicine, she’s living the reality of that moniker.

When Sam thinks back to her Overlake days, she recalls the relationships she made with the most fondness. The small school atmosphere helped her form tight bonds not only with her classmates but with her teachers, too. She credits Overlake with helping to foster her career path as well, sharing “not only did the science classes inspire me, but my senior project also provided a springboard to determine if this path is right for me through an internship at a hospital’s pathology department.” The rest, as they say, is history.

Kirsten Parris (‘12) – Alumni Board Member

Kirsten graduated as a lifer from Overlake in 2012, attending from 5th-12th grades. Heavily involved in athletics, Kirsten was a three-sport athlete, playing on the school basketball, volleyball, and golf teams. Kirsten is thankful for the strong emphasis that Overlake placed on lifelong learning, which instilled not only an academic drive within her, but also an understanding of the importance of independence and personal accountability.

These lessons allowed Kirsten the opportunity to attend the University of San Diego where she double majored in political science and communications. After graduating from USD, she attended the University of Washington School of Law and now practices labor and employment law at an international law firm. Because of her passion for bettering the community and her gratefulness for all that Overlake taught her, Kirsten joined the Alumni Board in 2021 to give back. She has enjoyed her time on the Alumni board and looks forward to continuing to support the community which gave her so much as a student.

Anshuman Srivastava (’00) – Alumni Board Member

Overlake produces many students who enter the tech industry and Anshuman Srivastava (’00) is one such alum, currently serving as the Senior Director of Software Engineering at Axon Enterprises, a leading public safety tech company. At Axon, Anshuman spearheads software engineering teams to build products for various markets. His passion for problem-solving and teamwork roots back to his Overlake days, where his curiosity and communication skills were nurtured.

Anshuman’s work involves developing high-quality software solutions, often for life-or-death situations, such as TASER weapons and body-worn cameras. He credits Overlake's humanities courses for honing his written and verbal communication skills, vital in his role as an engineering leader.

Living in London for the past two years and now back in Seattle, Anshuman enjoys reading, playing video games, and spending time with his family. His daughter Ananya just started 6th grade at Overlake. Reflecting on his time at Overlake, Anshuman cherishes the simple moments of connecting with friends during free blocks in the library, a testament to the enduring community spirit of the school and the power of student choice during flex times in the daily schedule.

Sarah Tompkins (’05) – Alumni Board Member

“Your voice is valid, and you can change lives,” shares Sarah Tompkins (’05), a full-time Rare Disease Advocate. Diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in 2011, Sarah fights for policy changes and serves on the board of two nonprofits to improve the visibility, access to treatment, diagnosis processes, medical care, and accessibility and equity within the community for members of the rare disease community. “About the time you get tired of telling your story is the time that people start listening,” she notes.

Sarah first experienced symptoms as a student at Overlake, but due to the uniqueness of rare diseases, it took nine years to reach a diagnosis. Sarah’s advocacy has led to the establishment of Rare Disease Day on February 28th and her annual participation in Rare Disease Week in Washington, DC.

Because of her work, Sarah was named as the 2024-25 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient by the Overlake Alumni Board. She presented her story and work at the Distinguished Alumni Assemblies and was honored at an Alumni reception in November of 2024.

Reflecting on her time at Overlake, Sarah says her education has been invaluable in her daily life. “Overlake helped me adapt my schedule around my mobility issues and treatment.” Serving on the Alumni Board has strengthened her sense of belonging and self-confidence. “I know I can enter any room and speak to anyone,” and she uses that voice to help guide the Alumni Board in making equitable decisions for all alumni, giving passionately to the school she loved so much as a student.