Board
PERICLES P. DEAVILA (CHAIRPERSON)
DANIEL GANDARA, ESQ.
Mr. Gandara joined the Vandeberg Johnson & Gandara law firm as a founding member in 1993; he worked as an outside general counsel for clients and managed business transactions (including international), real estate, and extensive commercial litigation. Before that time, he was a partner at Lane Powell Moss & Miller and Graham & Dunn in Seattle. Mr. Gandara was a member of the California and Washington bars from 1974 to 1978. He received a degree in Economics from UCLA and a law degree from Harvard Law School. Mr. Gandara is now retired from the practice of law. Mr. Gandara has been involved in numerous professional activities, including, among others, as President of the King County Bar Association, President of the King County Bar Foundation, Member of the American Bar Association House of Delegates, Member of the Board of Trustees for the Hispanic National Bar Association, and the Board of Trustees for the Legal Foundation of Washington. He also served on the Board of Visitors at Seattle University School of Law and the University of Washington Law School.
MARLA D. MELLIES
Ms. Mellies served as Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Puget Sound Energy. Ms. Mellies led a corporate shared services organization that includes human resources, facilities, safety, security, business continuity, and fleet services. Prior to joining Puget Sound Energy in 2005, Ms. Mellies was general manager of Human Resources for Microsoft Corporation’s Server and Tools Business in Redmond, Washington.
MARGARET F. HOPKINS
Ms. Hopkins served as Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Puget Sound Energy, where she spearheaded its information technology efforts and identified and enabled business process improvements. Prior to leading Puget Sound Energy’s large-scale delivery programs, Margaret held the title of director of IT infrastructure at Puget Sound Energy, where she was responsible for the design, delivery, and support of enterprise-wide infrastructure and technology solutions.
RICHARD SYBERT, ESQ.
Mr. Sybert is a senior partner and Co-chair of the Intellectual Property practice group of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP. He has a national and international practice representing and counseling major U.S. and foreign businesses in complex litigation and arbitration in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. His expertise includes all aspects of intellectual property, including trademarks, patents, copyrights, and trade secrets; unfair competition, including antitrust and trade secrets; and complex commercial litigation, including franchise and contracts. Prior to joining Gordon & Rees in 2001, Mr. Sybert served as General Counsel and Vice President of Lanard Toys, a Hong Kong-based, U.S.-owned toy company with global operations, where he was responsible for the company’s legal affairs worldwide as well as business management of its U.S. operations. He is admitted to practice law in California, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Oregon, and Washington.