Here are the 2021-2022 PTA Board of Directors:
The PTA Board members each wanted to share an introduction - and let you know that you can contact any of them at any time with question / comments / suggestions.
Karen Mitchell Smith (President)
My name is Karen Smith. I was born in Buffalo, NY, but spent most of my life living in North Carolina. I have recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest and am proud to have a grandson attending Canyon Creek Elementary, entering the 4th grade this year. Both as a grandparent and the site director and talent acquisition for the Champions before and after school care program, I have had the opportunity to grow to love and cherish Canyon Creek Elementary School. I am excited to be working with a community with such diversity and commitment. Whichever direction we choose to take in this upcoming year, I will be there to support you and help facilitate the evolution of our school, community, and organization.
I first came to visit the Pacific Northwest with my fiancée, who grew up in the area, in 2015. The moment my plane banked, and I saw the Puget Sound, with the Olympic Mountains in the background, I knew this was where I wanted to live. In 2018 we finally relocated to Bothell and have absolutely loved our time here. In over 20 years as a childcare director, I have had the pleasure of watching children learn and grow. I have even had the children of those who I cared for come under my care. During this time, I have learned a lot about how to create a warm and nurturing environment for children, and work with their families to ensure all their needs are being taken care of. In 2016, I earned my Master's degree in early childhood education, furthering my commitment to our next generations. I followed this up with an MBA in 2020 to help round out my knowledge.
Outside of the PTA, I love reading, playing games, cinema and theater, gardening, and spending time with my grandchildren. I love animals and am the proud mother of two dogs, numerous tropical fish and a bearded dragon. Before putting down roots in Bothell, I had the chance to travel, living in Warsaw, Poland for two years and visiting England, France and Germany while there. Many of our travel plans were put on hold during the past year, so now I am looking forward to taking more trips but will always return to the Evergreen State.
This year will be a tremendous year of healing and recovery. Last year we faced unprecedented challenges and yet we overcame. I look forward to meeting you and will take all your concerns and feedback into consideration. Canyon Creek is a fantastic school, but together we can make it even better. The more parents become involved in their children's education, the better off they will be. Please feel free to reach out to me with any initiatives you would like to see get started. Our community is what makes us successful, and we need every parent, teacher, and student to be heard if we want to make the most of this upcoming year.
Suzanne Subbarao (Vice President: Programs)
Hi! My name is Suzanne Subbarao, and my family has lived in Bothell for four years.
I grew up in Indiana, and met my husband at Purdue University. We have two sons. My older son is in 6th grade at Canyon Park Middle School. This is my younger son's first year at Canyon Creek. He is in second grade.
I love being outdoors, gardening, crafting, and reading. As a family, we love spending time together by camping, playing games, and traveling.
I believe that a school community is very important to our children's well being and I'm looking forward to helping out!
Jennifer Snyder (Vice President: Communications)
Hi! I’m Jennifer (Jenn) Snyder and this is my 12th year as a Canyon Creek parent. My youngest child will be entering 5th grade in the fall. Over years I have seen many changes at Canyon Creek as our school has grown. The one constant has been how much we love being a part of the Canyon Creek family.
I have three children attending Northshore School District schools. In addition to my soon to be 5th grader, I have 2 kids in high school.
I have served in various roles with Canyon Creek PTA. I have been Advocacy Chair, Membership Chair, Nominating Committee member, Summer Fun Playdate Chair, and enjoy helping where I am needed. I am currently the VP of Communications.
Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, I worked in the field of social services. My passion has always been helping others, which makes PTA a good fit for me. My husband and I have called Bothell home for the last 15 years. Before moving to Bothell, we lived in Southern California.
If you ever have any questions or just want to say hi, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Priya Patel (Secretary)
My name is Priya Patel and my family and I have lived in the Bothell Canyon Creek area for the past 5 years. I have 2 amazing daughters and this coming fall I will have a 4th grader (Maya) and a kindergartner (Misha). We are super excited to get back into the routine of going to school.
We moved from the Kenmore area where we had been living for 6 years. Even though I consider myself blessed to have lived all over the world, I’m a PNW girl through and through. Hence, a little bit of rain doesn’t bother me! We absolutely love the Bothell area and could not have chosen a better place to call home.
My interests include traveling, exercise and yoga, supporting local businesses and networking but most of all showing my daughters how to be kind and compassionate humans.
Mumtaz Zimbalist (Assistant Treasurer)
Nancy Tangen (Membership Co-Chair)
Hello! My name is Nancy Tangen and I have been a Canyon Creek parent for the past five years. My husband, Mike, and I have two boys – our oldest is in 6th grade at Skyview and our youngest is in 4th grade at Canyon Creek.
I have loved our time at Canyon Creek! It is such a fabulous community with wonderful teachers, families, and students. We have been so lucky to have had remarkable teachers to partner with on our boys’ education.
For the 2021-2022 school year I will be the Membership chair, but I am also responsible for updating the reader board in front of the school, and Popcorn Fridays. In the past, I have also done staff appreciation, read weekly with kids in class, been an art docent, and volunteered for everything from Bingo Night to the Welcome Back event in the summer.
I love seeing the joy on kids’ faces with they experience reading switching from being really hard to being really fun, when they get to dance the night away with their friends at the Glow Dance, when they learn about an art form or artist that they were unfamiliar with, or when they get freshly popped popcorn during recess one Friday a month. Elementary school is a magical time and Canyon Creek is a phenomenal school.
In addition to my volunteer work for Canyon Creek and Skyview, I work outside the home for Pivotal Ventures where we are striving to advance social progress in the United States. I feel lucky to get to volunteer for a school and work for a company – both with very lofty goals.
I encourage all parents and family members to get involved in schools. Schools are amazing places where amazing things happen every day.
Please reach out if you have any questions at all!
Megan Madsen (Membership Co-Chair)
Hi, my name is Megan Madsen. I am a mom of 4 kids, I have a daughter that is a Freshman in college that is attending Seattle University, a daughter that is a Junior at North Creek High School, a son that is an 8th grader at Skyview and my youngest is in 5th grade at Canyon Creek Elementary. I have been at Canyon Creek for 11 years and am excited to serve on the PTA board this year. Melanie McKenzie (Advocacy)
Four years into my PTA adventures and I am still learning every day. I started my PTA adventures with absolutely NO PTA experience- hence my thousands of mistakes I have made and embrace! Learning every day is my passion- not just for me but for all those around me. It has become a tremendous drive in my PTA adventures and I look forward to bringing my experience and skill set to our PTA this year.
Some fun facts about me:
