Our Staff

Larry Ehl, Executive Director

Larry is a seasoned communicator with more than 24 years of experience in strategic advocacy and government relations. As the Partnership’s executive director, he works with elected officials, parents, educators and community leaders and represents a coalition of the largest state corporations.

 

Most recently, Larry worked as the Washington State Department of Transportation's government relations director, where he established effective relationships with legislators and the Governor's office, assisted in developing department advocacy and communication strategies, and helped elected officials and the public better understand good transportation policy. He also represented Washington's transportation interests to Congress as a federal relations manager and secured funding for transportation projects that were important to communities.

Larry served six years on the Edmonds School Board, which was named under his tenure as the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) School Board of the Year and given the WSSDA Diversity Award for outstanding efforts to promote diversity and multiculturalism. He also served as a past executive director of the University of Washington's Experimental College.

 

In his spare time, Larry enjoys cultivating his music collection (he has nearly 20,000 songs in his iTunes library), going to concerts in the summer and spending time with his wife and three daughters who attend Edmonds Public Schools. Contact Larry at larry@partnership4learning.org.

 

Kathleen Costello, Office Manager

Kathleen’s interest in education policy was sparked after her experience as a summer school teacher in rural Mississippi where she became aware of inequities in the education system. In her role as office manager, Kathleen supports the daily administrative operations of the Partnership. Born and raised in Seattle, she can tell you what it was like to live in the Ballard neighborhood before it was “cool” and graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in sociology and a minor in dance.

 

In addition to working at the Partnership, Kathleen is a full-time student working towards a master’s degree in public administration at Seattle University. When she has a free moment, which is rare, Kathleen enjoys spending time with her fiancé and working in her yard. Contact Kathleen at kathleen@partnership4learning.org.

 

Maureen Trantham, Communications Manager

A native Washingtonian, Maureen began her career as an international journalist and has worked at newspapers in both Thailand and China. She has traveled to over 20 countries and graduated from the University of Washington with dueling degrees in journalism and the comparative history of ideas. Never quite content at doing just one thing, Maureen has worked in communications for Starbucks Coffee, Owen Media (a Seattle-based technology agency) and University of Washington Department of Media Relations. While working in such diverse environments, she gradually found that education policy and youth trends were what she loved to write about most.

 

At the Partnership, Maureen writes about education to her heart’s content on the Hall Monitor Blog, develops web strategies for education reform and draws from her diverse print design background to create brochures and reports. And, when not planning her next attempt at expatriation, Maureen loves to bike, dine beyond her means and support Seattle independent music. Contact Maureen at maureen@partnership4learning.org.