Stipends and Grants
Established in 1950 to Provide Funds for Research
The Arc of Washington Trust Fund was established in 1950 to provide funds for research into intellectual and other developmental disabilities. It has grown to also include annual student stipends.
In keeping with our Vision, the Arc of Washington Trust Fund invests in the careers of students interested in working with, and benefiting the lives of, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Student Stipends).
We also support interdisciplinary training programs for graduate and professional level practitioners who will be providing services and advocacy for the I/DD community (Program Grants). And we continue to support early research focused on identifying issues affecting the I/DD community and projects to benefit that community (Research Grants).
Past Projects
The first project funded by the Arc of Washington Trust Fund was a documentary called Children Limited in 1951. The video is 28 minutes long. Many thanks to Larry Jones for providing a copy of this film.
In 1950, The Children’s Benevolent Society, now The Arc of Washington, was a national leader in gaining state support for facilities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Now the Arc of Washington Trust Fund promotes and supports a vision where individuals with I/DD are an integral and valued component of their local communities.
Research Grants
For a summary of grants awarded since 1985: “Summary of Grant Awards”.
We further envision these communities prepared to accommodate, recognize, and appreciate the unique contributions of individuals with disabilities.
Board of Administrative Trustees
Setting Strategic Direction
Appointed and Elected
Supporting Research, Training, and Education
The Arc of Washington Trust Fund is administered by a Board of Administrative Trustees, of which some members are appointed by the Board of The Arc of Washington State and others are elected by the Trust Fund Board from throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Board of trustees
Thomas Schulte — President
Eugene Aisenberg – Vice President
James Russell – Treasurer
Lance Evans – Secretary
Terry Price – Board Member
Mendy Minjarez – Board Member
Deborah Thorsos – Board Member
Amy Meredith – Board Member
Brad Evans – Board Member
President
Thomas Schulte and his wife, Martha, have been advocates for the intellectually and developmentally disabled since the birth of their severely challenged son, Nathan, in North Carolina in 1981. In 1988 they were named Parent/Volunteers of the year by The Arc of North Carolina.
Dr. Schulte is retired from a 30 year career as a senior executive developing medical devices, particularly in the infectious disease diagnostics area. He holds a B.A. in Biochemistry from the Univ. of Wisconsin, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Univ. Colorado Medical Center, and was a post-doctoral fellow in Pathology at the Yale University School of Medicine.
Dr. Schulte is currently serving as President of The Arc of Washington Trust Fund.
VICE PRESIDENT
Dr. Gino Aisenberg is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work where he has made significant contributions for the past sixteen years.
For the past five years, he has provided leadership as Associate Dean for Diversity and Student Affairs in the Graduate School. Dr. Aisenberg is also the founder and co-Director of the Latino Center for Health, an interdisciplinary research center promoting the health and well-being of Latinx communities. He is a proud father of a daughter who has Down’s Syndrome.
Treasurer
Jim Russell and wife Kasey are the proud parents of a 25 year son who has Down Syndrome and a 23 year old daughter who graduated this year from the University of Washington.
Jim grew up in Seattle, graduated from the University of Washington and served in the US Navy specializing in aviation electronics. He owned a local CPA firm for thirty years. Jim’s past volunteer work included fundraising for the United Way as a Loaned Executive and Board service for Child Strive, a non-profit providing early intervention services.
Presently, Jim is the head swim coach for a local Special Olympics Swim Team and Treasurer for the Arc of Washington Trust Fund.
Secretary
Lance Evans and his wife, Kathy, have been advocates for the intellectually and developmentally disabled since the birth of their severely challenged son, Bradley, in Florida in 1983. Unfortunately, their special angel passed away in October 2017 after 34 years with them.
Dr. Evans is retired from a 38-year career as an electrical engineer and executive manager developing avionics products, of particular note the air-to-air collision avoidance system, TCAS. He holds a B.S., M.S. and D.E. in Electrical Engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans
Board Member
Brad Evans is the father of a 36-year old young man, Chris, who has Fragile-X Syndrome, a genetic condition that results in autistic behavior, mental retardation, and developmental delays. In the process of raising Chris, Brad and his wife Dianne became involved with The Arc of Tri-Cities in eastern Washington State, and they both serve on the Arc of Washington Board as well.
Brad is also the Nuclear & Criticality Safety Manager at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington with a BS and MS in Nuclear Engineering from the University of New Mexico. He has more than 30 years’ experience in operational nuclear safety and radiological controls at PNNL, Hanford, Rocky Flats, and at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
Brad, Dianne, and Chris live together in Kennewick, Washington, and enjoy hiking, camping near the ocean, and traveling together. .
Board Member
Amy Meredith is a Clinical Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Washington State University in Spokane for the department of Speech and Hearing Sciences in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.
Amy is an experienced speech language pathologist who has worked in the university clinic, public school, hospital, and private practice settings. Her primary clinical and research interest is in children with motor speech disorders and she has published and presented her research on childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) at national and international conferences.
She has worked with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) since 1986 and co-authored a manuscript, “Building Bridges”, on how communities of faith can be more inclusive of individuals with disabilities in 1989.
She has been on the Spokane I/DD Champions committee in since 2017 and has been partnering with the Spokane Arc Community Center, where her students do service learning projects to increase the Arc members’ participation and relationships, since 2012.
She holds a PhD in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of Washington. Dr. Meredith is serving as a board member for The Arc of Washington Trust Fund.
Board Member
Mendy Minjarez, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who specializes in assessment, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. She is currently the Clinical Director of the Seattle Children’s Autism Center, the Program Director of the Applied Behavior Analysis Early Intervention Program at Seattle Children’s, and an associate professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington.
Dr. Minjarez completed her doctoral degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara and her clinical internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center. Her current clinical activities and research are focused on early intervention for children with autism, specifically, Applied Behavior Analysis, Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions, and parent-mediated interventions.
Board Member
Terry J. Price is the Executive Director of the University of Washington School of Law Asian Law Center and Center for Law, Science and Global Health. He has a Masters of Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work and a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law.
He teaches Family Law, Legal Issues at the Beginning of Life and Mental Health and Law, in addition to his administrative work. Prior to joining the law school, He was Senior Policy Counsel to the Washington House of Representatives Democratic Caucus, where he advised members of the House Judiciary, Public Safety and Early Learning and Children’s Services committees.
Board Member
Artist, Crafts Advocate and Wife
I have a family background in autism. My late father had ASD. I have central auditory processing deficit.
I served on several boards including Autism Society of Washington and Washington State Development Disabilities Council. I partake in nature and study natural health and the bible.
Appointed and Elected
Supporting Research, Training, and Education
The Arc of Washington Trust Fund is administered by a Board of Administrative Trustees, of which some members are appointed by the Board of The Arc of Washington State and others are elected by the Trust Fund Board from throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Current Board 2019
Thomas Schulte — President
Eugene Aisenberg – Vice President
James Russell – Treasurer
Lance Evans – Secretary
Terry Price – Board Member
Mendy Minjarez – Board Member
Deborah Thorsos – Board Member
Amy Meredith – Board Member
President
Thomas Schulte and his wife, Martha, have been advocates for the intellectually and developmentally disabled since the birth of their severely challenged son, Nathan, in North Carolina in 1981. In 1988 they were named Parent/Volunteers of the year by The Arc of North Carolina.
Dr. Schulte is retired from a 30 year career as a senior executive developing medical devices, particularly in the infectious disease diagnostics area. He holds a B.A. in Biochemistry from the Univ. of Wisconsin, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Univ. Colorado Medical Center, and was a post-doctoral fellow in Pathology at the Yale University School of Medicine.
Dr. Schulte is currently serving as President of The Arc of Washington Trust Fund.
Vice President
Dr. Gino Aisenberg is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work where he has made significant contributions for the past sixteen years.
For the past five years, he has provided leadership as Associate Dean for Diversity and Student Affairs in the Graduate School. Dr. Aisenberg is also the founder and co-Director of the Latino Center for Health, an interdisciplinary research center promoting the health and well-being of Latinx communities. He is a proud father of a daughter who has Down’s Syndrome.
Treasurer
Jim Russell and wife Kasey are the proud parents of a 25 year son who has Down Syndrome and a 23 year old daughter who graduated this year from the University of Washington.
Jim grew up in Seattle, graduated from the University of Washington and served in the US Navy specializing in aviation electronics. He owned a local CPA firm for thirty years. Jim’s past volunteer work included fundraising for the United Way as a Loaned Executive and Board service for Child Strive, a non-profit providing early intervention services.
Presently, Jim is the head swim coach for a local Special Olympics Swim Team and Treasurer for the Arc of Washington Trust Fund.
Secretary
Lance Evans and his wife, Kathy, have been advocates for the intellectually and developmentally disabled since the birth of their severely challenged son, Bradley, in Florida in 1983. Unfortunately, their special angel passed away in October 2017 after 34 years with them.
Dr. Evans is retired from a 38-year career as an electrical engineer and executive manager developing avionics products, of particular note the air-to-air collision avoidance system, TCAS. He holds a B.S., M.S. and D.E. in Electrical Engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans.
Board Member
Amy Meredith is a Clinical Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Washington State University in Spokane for the department of Speech and Hearing Sciences in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine.
Amy is an experienced speech language pathologist who has worked in the university clinic, public school, hospital, and private practice settings. Her primary clinical and research interest is in children with motor speech disorders and she has published and presented her research on childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) at national and international conferences.
She has worked with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) since 1986 and co-authored a manuscript, “Building Bridges”, on how communities of faith can be more inclusive of individuals with disabilities in 1989.
She has been on the Spokane I/DD Champions committee in since 2017 and has been partnering with the Spokane Arc Community Center, where her students do service learning projects to increase the Arc members’ participation and relationships, since 2012.
She holds a PhD in Speech and Hearing Sciences from the University of Washington. Dr. Meredith is serving as a board member for The Arc of Washington Trust Fund.
Board Member
Mendy Minjarez, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who specializes in assessment, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. She is currently the Clinical Director of the Seattle Children’s Autism Center, the Program Director of the Applied Behavior Analysis Early Intervention Program at Seattle Children’s, and an associate professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington.
Dr. Minjarez completed her doctoral degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara and her clinical internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center. Her current clinical activities and research are focused on early intervention for children with autism, specifically, Applied Behavior Analysis, Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions, and parent-mediated interventions.
Board Member
Terry J. Price is the Executive Director of the University of Washington School of Law Asian Law Center and Center for Law, Science and Global Health. He has a Masters of Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work and a J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law.
He teaches Family Law, Legal Issues at the Beginning of Life and Mental Health and Law, in addition to his administrative work. Prior to joining the law school, He was Senior Policy Counsel to the Washington House of Representatives Democratic Caucus, where he advised members of the House Judiciary, Public Safety and Early Learning and Children’s Services committees.
Board Member
Artist, Crafts Advocate and Wife
I have a family background in autism. My late father had ASD. I have central auditory processing deficit.
I served on several boards including Autism Society of Washington and Washington State Development Disabilities Council. I partake in nature and study natural health and the bible.