The Community Foundation of NCW welcomes three new members to its Board of Trustees: Kevin Rieke, Rick Wray and Colleen Frei.

The Board of Trustees are responsible for oversight of the Foundation and ensuring the region’s charitable endowment is well-managed and protected for generations to come. Trustees agree to serve three 3-year terms and participate on committees such as grants, scholarships, investments, and governance.

New CFNCW Board of Trustee Members

Rick Wray

Rick brings over 25 years of diverse experience in education, serving both K-12 students and teachers in Washington State and Utah. He began his education career in Salt Lake City as a co-founder and Executive Director of Higher Ground Learning (HGL), a tutoring and mentoring center focused on reaching students through personalized learning models. While at Higher Ground, Rick realized the dynamic instructional nature of the media arts and digital storytelling.

In 1999, Rick passed on the reins of HGL and founded Utah’s only not-for-profit youth media center, Spy Hop Productions. In 2010 after serving over 10,000 Utah youth with innovative audio, video and interactive programming as Spy Hop Productions’ Executive Director, Rick Wray stepped down to launch SHIFT Workshops in Washington State, a teacher-training organization focused on integrating filmmaking and digital storytelling into classroom instruction. Rick served as the Executive Director of SHIFT through 2015, and after training over 3,000 educators, the organization merged with the Utah Film Center where Rick served as both their Director of Education and lead education programs consultant. Currently, Rick is a co-owner and manager of the two Mercantile CoWorking spaces located in downtown Wenatchee.

Rick’s education work and the organizations he has founded have been recognized both locally and nationally, receiving awards such as the 2003 Salt Lake City Mayor’s Service to the Arts Award, a finalist for the 2010 Ernst and Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year award, and Spy Hop Productions’ receipt of the National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Award in 2015 by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Colleen Frei

Since moving to the Wenatchee Valley in 2005, Colleen Frei has immersed herself in the local community. She spent 18 years as a partner at Jeffers, Danielson, Sonn & Aylward, P.S., focusing on agriculture, water rights, business and real estate law, estate and succession planning.

Colleen has served numerous local and statewide committees and boards, bringing with her extensive nonprofit leadership. She also worked with 501 Consultants Inc., where she provided management, operational, and consulting services to nonprofits, including serving as Executive Director of the Washington Winegrowers Association. Colleen is passionate about supporting nonprofit missions that help develop and strengthen communities.

Kevin Rieke

Kevin is a second-generation retail business owner in downtown Leavenworth. He and his wife, Teddy, own and operate The Hat Shop and The Wood Shop. Kevin feels incredibly fortunate to have grown up in North Central Washington and raise three now-adult children in Leavenworth.

A former public-school teacher for 13 years, Kevin took over the family businesses in 2007. He has served in numerous volunteer coaching positions over the years and is deeply involved in the local community. He currently serves on the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce (since 2008), the City of Leavenworth Design Review Board, and the Downtown Steering Committee. He is also a past board member of the Leavenworth Winter Sports Club.

Kevin enjoys outdoor activities year-round, especially Nordic skiing, mountain biking, and hiking. He also has a passion for Leavenworth’s German tourist theme.  He loves donning his Bavarian clothes and playing the alphorn with the Leavenworth Alphorn Association, where he also serves on their board.

Outgoing CFNCW Board of Trustee Members

The Foundation is grateful for and appreciates our outgoing board members: Betsy Cushman and Karen Wade who have dedicated many years of their time and talents to the Community Foundation of NCW. They have helped the Foundation stay firm in its mission and vision and contributed to their communities in more ways than can be counted.

For more information, visit www.cfncw.org.