We are very happy to welcome the newest additions to the 4Culture Board of Directors – nominated by the King County Executive and confirmed by the King County Council! Thanks to Alka, Alan & Kirstin for your willingness to serve our communities in this important capacity. We look forward to working with you.
Alka Badshah – Bellevue – King County District 6
Alka trained as an architect and went on to pursue a career in IT, building and managing User Interface Design. She worked with various high tech companies for over 20 years, most recently as a Group Manager of a User Experience team at Microsoft. She has a deep interest in using the knowledge of human behavior in improving our spaces – whether they be virtual spaces on a computer screen or physical environments in our cities and neighborhoods.
Since Microsoft, Alka has been involved in various endeavors, including angel and other investing, being active in philanthropy serving on the board of directors of Tateuchi Center, A.K. Guy Award Committee and Advisory Board of the South Asia Center at UW. As a Director of Tateuchi Center, Alka initiated a campaign to raise a million dollars from the South Asian Indian community in support of the Center. Alka has also been involved with furthering education in the field of math, science and business by coaching and judging for organizations like DECA & FPS (Future Problem Solving.) She is a graduate of MIT’s media lab and has an undergraduate degree in Architecture.
Alka and her husband Akhtar live in Bellevue. They have 3 amazing sons, youngest of them being in high school. She enjoys interacting with artists and talking to them about their thinking process.
Alan Cornell – Kent – King County District 7
Alan is Senior Vice President at Nitze-Stagen, providing guidance, oversight and decision making for the firm’s investment, property management and development activities. He is a Real Estate Developer and his background includes corporate strategic planning, market research, business development and consulting. He has over 30 years of commercial and industrial real estate experience, has developed several suburban business parks as well as urban centers such as the Union Station Campus. Alan has a Masters Degree from the University of Nebraska in Economics and holds a Washington State Real Estate License.
He has been active in Pioneer Square and International District Communities for over two decades and is interested in community revitalization and urban spaces. Currently a member of the Seattle Goodwill Board of Directors, he serves on several of their committees including the Executive, Nominating, Compensation and Site Development Committee. He is also Chairman of the Seattle Chinatown International District Public Development Authority (SCIDpda) Real Estate Committee and, in past years, has served on several other area Boards and Committees.
Kirstin Haugen – Bothell – King County District 1
Kirstin Haugen is a resident of Bothell where she chairs the Cascadia Community College Board of Trustees. She is a past member of the Northshore Performing Arts Center Foundation Board and the King County Charter Review Commission.
Kirstin was formerly the account executive at the public affairs firm The Mercury Group, and Chief of Staff to King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson.
