- Executive Director
- Board Members
Executive Director - Lee Drechsel:
Lee
has a passion for the field of domestic violence and is a seasoned leader
with over 25 years of executive level experience. Lee had been serving as
the interim Executive Director during the search when she decided to come
out of retirement to be considered for the permanent position in 2007.
Lee retired from Camp Fire USA Central Puget Sound Council in March 2005, where she served as the Chief Executive Officer for 14 years. In her role as CEO of the Camp Fire's Central Puget Sound Council, Lee led the largest council in the nation offering group, outdoor and specialty programming in a three-county area to nearly 19,000 youth members and 6,000 adult members. During her tenure at Camp Fire, Lee also led the largest and most successful Capital Campaign in the 95 year history of Camp Fire Councils in the USA.
Prior to coming to her work with Camp Fire, Lee was the Founder and
Executive Director of the Eastside Domestic Violence Program where she
served from 1981 to 1991. Under her leadership, EDVP won national
recognition for its innovative approach to solving the problem of domestic
violence through a model of community collaboration. Lee holds a Bachelor of
Arts degree in Sociology from Denison University in Ohio and a Master of
Counseling from Seattle University. She is a Certified Mental Health
Counselor and also a Certified Fundraising Executive.
In her career as a non-profit Executive Director, Lee has received
numerous awards including the National Amos H. Dudley Professional
Leadership Award from Camp Fire USA in 1999; the 1998 “Women of the Year
Award” from the Bellevue Business and Professional Women; the "Women of
Distinction Award” from the Lake Washington Soroptimist Club in 1991; and
the Kirkland Business and Professional Women's Club's “Women in the
Spotlight” award in 1991. She also received a one time award for”
Exceptional Contribution” from the King County Coalition Against Domestic
Violence in 1990.
Lee's vast experience includes being featured as an expert in the field of domestic violence on KOMO TV’s Town Meeting in Seattle; providing expert testimony before the National Attorney General’s Task Force on Domestic Violence; and providing multiple workshops at the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Conventions, as well as teaching classes in domestic violence at Bellevue Community College.
DAWN's Board of Directors guide and participate in the work we do. They include survivors of domestic violence, men and women, and reflect and uphold DAWN's values. They are:
24-Hour Crisis Hotline
(425) 656-7867
