Economic Opportunity Institute Staff
aaron@opportunityinstitute.org
Aaron Keating joined EOI as Communications Director in 2007 and is now the Managing Director — managing the organization’s budget/finance, IT, and human resources functions. He also oversees a policy portfolio covering retirement security, and state economy and budget research. He holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, and a B.A. in Music from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR. Before joining EOI, Aaron worked as Communications and Technology Manager for Port Jobs, Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Environmental Law and Policy, and Program Director at the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties.
carolyn@opportunityinstitute.org
Carolyn Brotherton holds a BS in Chemistry from Yale University and a PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from Harvard University. Before joining EOI, she worked as the Government Relations Specialist for AFT Washington. Carolyn got into advocacy while helping to organize a union and negotiate a first contract for fellow postdoctoral researchers at the University of Washington. She interned with the Washington State Labor Council during the 2019 Legislative Session. Carolyn believes every billionaire is a policy failure.
Andrea@opportunityinstitute.org | 206-529-6360
Prior to EOI, Andrea worked in philanthropy, supporting communities in developing and implementing inclusive economic growth strategies in underinvested neighborhoods in California. Previously, she provided technical assistance and helped build capacity for community health worker coalitions across Washington state. She also served as a Program Fellow/Community Organizer for the American Friends Service Committee, addressing systemic barriers that impact communities of color in King County, focusing on the prison industrial complex and racial equity.
emnet@opportunityinstitute.org | 206-529-6353
Emnet Getahun holds a BA with an emphasis in Political Economy from The Evergreen State College. Prior to joining EOI, Emnet worked on the LELO Relicensing Programs helping workers regain access to their driver’s licenses and rejoin the workforce; as the Communications Lead for the Prison Doula Project Collective, providing prenatal and labor support to incarcerated pregnant people and as Administrative and Operations Coordinator at Wedgwood Montessori.
gabriela@opportunityinstitute.org | 206-529-6361
Gabriela earned a Masters of Social Work from Boston University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Washington. Prior to joining EOI, Gabriela managed her own consulting business where she worked on social and racial justice issues such as the panhandling ordinance in Seattle, the voting restoration rights bill in Olympia as well as on some statewide initiatives such as the domestic partnership and the anti-liquor privatization initiatives.
Hanna@opportunityinstitute.org
Hanna Brooks Olsen is a writer and former journalist. Her reporting work has appeared in The Nation, the Atlantic, Pacific Standard, Fast Company, NPR, Bust Magazine, and the New York Daily News. As a digital communications professional, she works with organizations, individuals, and campaigns to reach new audiences.
Jayanthi@opportunityinstitute.org
Jayanthi holds a BS in Political Science from Santa Clara University. Before joining EOI, she served as the Development and Communications Manager at WestSide Baby helping to provide diapers and other essential items to families throughout Western King County and supporting policy to address diaper need in Washington. Previously, Jayanthi worked at Catholic Community Services supporting youth tutoring programs in public housing communities and an addiction recovery program serving those experiencing homelessness. She also interned at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities promoting and advocating for the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and free tax help.
sam@opportunityinstitute.org | 206-529-6375
Sam Hatzenbeler holds a master’s of public health from the Community Oriented Public Health Practice program at the University of Washington. Sam started her work with the Economic Opportunity Institute in 2014 as a graduate policy intern focusing on women’s economic security and now manages EOI’s health policy portfolio. Sam also co-chairs the Health Care is a Human Right policy committee and serves on the Health Equity Technical Advisory Committee as well as the Cascade Care Workgroup for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. Prior to joining the EOI team, Sam managed an abortion clinic in downtown Seattle, worked as a community organizer at Real Change Homeless Empowerment Project, and spent four years as a women and children’s advocate in the movement to end domestic violence. Sam has a faculty appointment with the Department of Health Services, University of Washington, as a clinical instructor in the School of Public Health.
Traci@opportunityinstitute.org
Traci Underwood holds a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Washington where she focused on public policy and nonprofit administration, and has been working for economic justice for Washingtonians since 2001. She comes to EOI after over 20 years in the movement to end domestic violence, 15 of which were spent at the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV). There Traci coordinated their Economic Justice Project which aims to promote financial security and dignity for survivors by monitoring policy and practice pertaining to public benefits, labor, and housing; collaborating with anti-poverty groups; and supporting the economic stability of survivors through community partnerships and action.
Rian joined the EOI team as Executive Director in 2024. He previously served as the Executive Director of The Urbanist, a Seattle-based advocacy journalism organization; as a Strategy Lead for International Large-Scale Change for Community Solutions, a national homelessness nonprofit; and as a Senior Analyst for Abt Global, a public policy research firm. Outside of EOI, Rian serves on the board of Futurewise, a statewide land use organization, and on the implementation board of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. He lives in Capitol Hill.
Board of Directors
