KIC Board
Gabriela Pinto, Acting President
Gabriela Pinto is a career Development professional with a passion for programs focused on breaking down barriers of access for children and families. She has spent the last decade fundraising millions of dollars and coalition building for nonprofit organizations in the United States, Guatemala and Brazil in the areas of education, food access and nutrition.
Gabriela credits her mother and stepfather, who are working musicians and music teachers in her home country of Brazil, for teaching her the power that music has to build self-confidence, and create a shared language that brings individuals from different experiences together in deeper connections.
Gabriela is excited to use her expertise in the areas of fundraising, community development and communications to support the future growth of KIC’s programs and outreach.
Sue Somers, Vice President
Sue has had a life-long relationship with music. Growing up, she studied the piano, clarinet and voice, eventually receiving a Bachelor of Arts in music. As an adult, Sue had a marketing career in the financial world, encompassing both retail and wholesale banking, as well as a Pacific Northwest shared ATM network.
Leaving finance after more than 20 years of experience, she and her husband embarked on a new small business together, a local travel agency specializing in cruises. After more than another 20 years of cruising and helping others plan their special vacations, she retired to become a full-time mother to twin boys.
Now an empty nester, she has returned to her love of music through KIC and is excited to contribute to the important mission and vision of this organization.
Ellen Briggs, Treasurer
Ellen Briggs is a CPA with a passion for music. Music has been a part of Ellen’s life she can remember. Knowing first hand the difference music makes in a child’s life, Ellen is dedicated to helping Kids In Concert build a strong program. A Board Member since 2015, Ellen is currently the Treasurer. She works for Health Systems Informatics as their Financial Controller. Ellen loves traveling and coming home to her favorite place, the Kitsap Peninsula.
Pam BergLundh, Secretary
Pam is a KIC parent who recently retired from 27 years at Adobe as a Learning Strategist for Sales Teams. Her work was creating fun, engaging, and highly effective enablement experiences to give everyone the opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in their role. In her retirement Pam is getting back into her art practice, sharing her graphics skills with the Village Green Community Center in Kingston, and starting a booster team called KIC CREW to rally families and friends of KIC to help support this amazing organization.
Pam became a KIC board member because she sees the important work being done at KIC and the impact it has on every family that engages with it. She loves the people at KIC and wants to make sure they are supported however she can. As a member of the board, Pam wants to ensure KIC realizes their mission, is recognized by the community and beyond, and is seen as the model for other kid-centered organizations.
In her free time, Pam enjoys attempting creative projects in the studio, laughing with family and friends, and hiking with her dog, Lula.
Nigel Lawrence
Nigel is the father of three kids (two are KIC mentors!), grandfather of one and a husband to his Homie For Life for almost 27 years. He’s a Suquamish Tribal Member, born and raised in the Suquamish area. Nigel has been participating in the annual Tribal Canoe Journeys for more than 30 years, initially as a paddler and now as a skipper of the Suquamish Youth Canoe, where he passes on the traditions of paddling through his ancestral highways.
Nigel teaches at UW and WWU, and has a masters in education from UW Tacoma. He is a trainer of trainers with the Healing of the Canoe Training Center, where he teaches people from tribes all over the US and Canada how to adapt the Healing of the Canoe curriculum to their own tribal culture and teach it in their communities.
Nigel is grateful to Kids in Concert for giving kids in Suquamish a chance to fall in love with classical music and instruments. He brings his 20 years of experience being on various boards and the Suquamish Tribal Council to the Kids in Concert Board because he believes in their mission to provide services to all children with a focus on Black, Indigenous and People of Color, at no cost to their families.
Ellie Mansfield
As an Early Childhood Educator for 15 years in the Seattle area, Ellie developed a love of child- centered and hands-on education. Her child has attended KIC for a few years now and the way the educators and mentors support children embodies everything Ellie loves about education. She appreciates how educators and mentors at KIC put children’s needs first and results second.
Ellie currently works as a dispatcher at a local towing company. She enjoys assisting members of the community even on their worst days (when their car breaks down). Previously, Ellie worked as an Early Childhood Educator in Reggio Emilia Programs for 15 years. Ellie has served on the boards of several education-focused nonprofits over the years.
Ellie joined the KIC board to support KIC in a meaningful way. She hopes to grow support and knowledge about KIC within our local community and beyond. As a founding member of the KIC Crew, Ellie continues to make connections with KIC families and community members and hopes to continue supporting KIC’s effort to make community connections and facilitate relationships between KIC staff, mentors, students, and families.
In her spare time, Ellie enjoys volunteering at her child’s school, helping facilitate KIC Booster Club events, and sewing and handywoman projects.
Sydney Erickson
Sydney is an actor, singer, writer, filmmaker, and enrolled member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. She grew up in Poulsbo, WA and is located in Kitsap County. She graduated from Central Washington University in 2022 with degrees in English Writing and Liberal Studies with a focus in Communications, and interned with the Cowlitz Tribe’s Grant Department, where she won a grant for the Cowlitz Tribe Elder Symposium.
She currently serves as Vice Chair on the Cowlitz Tribe’s Since Time Immemorial Curriculum Committee, where she works on developing curriculum that will teach students in over 30 school districts located on Cowlitz ancestral land about the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s past, present, and future. She is also the Community Coordinator for Liberty Bay Books, working with Kitsap organizations and schools to spread the joy and healing power of reading.
Sydney is a creative first and foremost. She is a co-founder of the film production company Cosmic Coyote Media, dedicated to telling stories about Queer and Indigenous people that aren’t centered around the trauma of being the identity, but rather the love and connection we all share. She spends her free time both consuming and creating, whether that be through movies, TV shows, theater, books, etc.
She decided to join the KIC Board because she was inspired by their mission to serve every child, with an emphasis on BIPOC students, regardless of income status. She understands personally how hard it is to access the arts without financial support, and knows that music education and youth development goes a long way to make both the student and the rest of the community more empathetic and positive. She hopes to use her experience in tribal organizations and other arts programs to benefit KIC and the Board as a whole.