Meet Your 2026-2027 Board of Governors

Kari Petrasek

President
2026-2027

Kari Petrasek was elected to the Board of Governors in 2022 and reelected in 2025. She served as 2024-2025 WSBA treasurer and was elected by the Board as 2025-2026 president-elect. She is a graduate of Seattle University School of Law. She is a solo attorney, having started her own firm, Petrasek Law, in Mukilteo in January 2015. In the 13 years prior to starting her own firm, she worked in several small firms in Everett. She is a civil litigator with significant experience in the areas of juvenile law, guardianships, estate planning, elder law, and family law. Petrasek is also a dedicated advocate for children, having served as a volunteer and attorney guardian ad litem for dependent children. She has been one of the Snohomish County CASA Program attorneys for over 15 years. In addition, Petrasek has served as a judge and commissioner pro tempore for Snohomish County Superior Court since 2010. She is a past-chair of the WSBA Solo & Small Practice Section, a past-treasurer of Washington Women Lawyers, a past-president and past-treasurer of the Snohomish County Bar Association, a member of Washington State CASA, and a leader in the ABA GPSolo and Judicial Divisions. In her free time, Petrasek enjoys skiing, golfing, and watching football and baseball.

LEARN MORE > Read a Q&A with President Petrasek here.

Francis Adewale

Immediate Past-President

2026-2027

Francis A. Adewale served as the 2025-2026 WSBA president. He was elected to the Board of Governors in 2021 and elected by the Board as treasurer in 2022 and president-elect in 2024. Adewale is one of the attorneys who helped establish Spokane Community Court, and his commitment to community and movement lawyering is epitomized by his work on several community-based boards and activities in Eastern Washington. Adewale is former chair of the Access to Justice Board (ATJ) and a former member of the Washington Supreme Court’s Interpreter and Language Access Commission. He is currently a board member of Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP). He is also board president of Multi-Ethnic Business Association-AHANA and an adjunct faculty member of both Whitworth University and Gonzaga University School of Law. He is a founding member of the Washington Statewide Reentry Council, having been reappointed three times by former Gov. Jay Inslee. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of Spokane City Credit Union, Adewale and his wife also own and run a small business in Spokane.

Nam Nguyen

President-Elect

2026-2027

Nam Nguyen was elected to the Board of Governors in 2022 and reelected in 2025. The Board also elected him to serve as 2025-2026 WSBA treasurer and as 2026-2027 president-elect. Nguyen is an assistant attorney general in the Sexually Violent Predators Unit in Tumwater. Prior to this position, Nguyen served as the executive director of the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. Immediately after law school, he volunteered in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, for AmeriCorps’ BP oil spill relief program. Nguyen also serves on the board and as treasurer for the Judicial Institute, an organization that provides a comprehensive clinic, other introductory programs, and mentors to develop the skills and connections necessary to seek appointment or election to the bench. Nguyen was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and grew up in the South Seattle suburbs. He graduated from the University of Washington and Boston University School of Law, and he has a master’s degree in foreign policy from the University of Michigan. Nguyen resides in Seattle and enjoys running, reading, cooking, and spending time with his dog, Dog Vader.

Parvin Price

District 1 Governor

2024-2027

Parvin Price was elected to the Board of Governors in 2024. At 15, in a small rural town, he decided to become a lawyer. Following college at the University of Evansville and law school at the University of Louisville, he was admitted to practice law in Indiana. He began his legal career with state government, first as a deputy attorney general and then as the director of a state agency. At 35, he opened a solo practice. At 39, he was invited to join a midsize firm to build a practice group focused on utilities. At 64, he was invited to join a large firm, Barnes & Thornburg, where his practice continued to focus on litigation, funding, and permitting for various utilities. During his private practice years, Price was involved in numerous community activities including, among others, being elected as a member and president of his local school board. In 2021, he became a member of the Washington Bar with the sponsorship of his oldest daughter. In 2022, he was appointed to the WSBA’s Pro Bono and Public Service Committee (PBPSC). In 2023, he was appointed co-chair of the PBPSC. Price and his wife of 50 years are residents of Bothell.

Min Kang

District 2 Governor

2026-2028

Min Kang was appointed to the Board of Governors in 2026. An experienced legal analyst, advisor, and litigator, Min focuses on advising clients on risk management, insurance coverage, contract disputes, and appellate matters. She represents a broad range of clients, from large-scale national corporations to small local businesses to private individuals. Min is adept in various areas, including business litigation, appellate, class action, transportation, trucking, aviation, cannabis, and e-commerce matters. She is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional. A respected leader within the legal community, Min previously served as president of the Korean American Bar Association of Washington, with which she remains on the Advisory Board. She has also served as a civil legal advisor for the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Seattle and a prior representative for the Washington State Joint Asian Judicial Evaluations Committee. She is currently an active member of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Asian Bar Association of Washington, and the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Washington. She is also a member of her law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee.

Allison Widney

District 3 Governor

2026-2029

Allison Widney was elected to the Board of Governors in 2023. She graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2011. Before that, she earned a criminal justice bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University. After law school, she worked as a public defender in Clark County. In 2017, she moved into civil law and currently works as a civil defense attorney. Allison grew up in Yakima, Washington. She enjoys running, her dogs, and traveling.

Mary M. Rathbone

District 4 Governor

2024-2027

Mary M. Rathbone was elected to the Board of Governors in 2022 and reelected in 2024. A partner at Moberg Law Group, P.S., she has focused her practice on civil defense litigation for seven years, representing clients in tort and contract disputes. Rathbone took a less traditional route to law, earning her license through the Washington State Bar Association’s APR 6 Law Clerk Program. Studying under her longtime law partner instilled an appreciation for mentorship and a mission to broaden access to the profession. Before law, she earned a B.A. in business administration, with an emphasis in international business, from Washington State University. Raised in a rural community, she saw how distance, limited resources, and a shortage of local counsel can turn legal problems into hardships. That experience shaped her commitment to addressing “legal desert” issues. Rathbone is an active member of the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers and writes its quarterly column, “The Jury Box: Observations from an Eastern Washington Lawyer.” Outside the office, she enjoys time with her two children and tending her garden, which earned a 2025 County Fair blue ribbon.

Emily K. Arneson

District 5 Governor

2024-2027

Emily K. Arneson was appointed to the Board of Governors in 2024. She is a privacy and consumer protection attorney with extensive experience working with state and local government agencies on a variety of matters, including data privacy, civil rights compliance, legislative analysis, public records, and stakeholder relations. A proud graduate of Whitman College, Arneson earned her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law and her master’s degree in public administration from Eastern Washington University. She is honored to have received the WYLC Public Service & Leadership Award, Spokane Journal of Business Rising Stars, Inland Business Catalyst Magazine Top 20 under 40 Award, and the WSBA’s APEX Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.

Todd A. Bloom

District 6 Governor

2026-2029

Todd A. Bloom was elected to the Board of Governors in 2023 and reelected in 2026. He is a sole practitioner with over two decades of experience in providing professional services to private and publicly held companies, high-net-worth families, executives, and private business owners. Bloom’s prior experience includes over a decade as a tax attorney and senior manager in Big Four accounting, as well as in-house counsel. Recalled to the Navy after 9/11 and having served over a decade, Bloom retired as a Lieutenant Commander in 2018. Bloom earned his B.A. from Simpson College. He received M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from Tulane University, an M.A. from the Naval War College, an LL.M. from the University of Washington, and a diploma from the College of Naval Command and Staff. Originally from the Midwest, Cmdr. and Mrs. Bloom and their two sons came to the Pacific Northwest by way of New Orleans, Louisiana, where Bloom was first admitted to the Bar.

Norma Linda Ureña

District 7-North Governor

2026-2029

Norma Linda Ureña was elected to the Board of Governors in 2026. A family law attorney with more than 32 years of practice, she has dedicated her career to serving underrepresented individuals, families, and communities. Raised in a farmworker family in southern Idaho, she worked alongside her family in the fields, an experience she credits with shaping her strong work ethic and commitment to justice. Ureña earned her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from Seattle University. She has served as president of the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington, legal advisor to the Mexican Consulate in Seattle on cross-border civil matters, and a volunteer leader with numerous community organizations. Her service has been recognized by the King County Bar Association, which honored her as Volunteer of the Month and Attorney of the Year. She currently serves as King County Superior Court Commissioner Pro Tempore.

Alain Villeneuve 

District 7-South Governor

2024-2027

WSBA Treasurer

2026-2027

Alain Villeneuve is the 2026-2027 WSBA treasurer. He was elected to the Board of Governors in 2024. He is senior vice president, general counsel, secretary, and part owner of TRX(R), a leading U.S. fitness company. He has spent more than a decade as the company’s lead intellectual property prosecutor, litigator, and enforcer. He has practiced law for more than 20 years as an IP expert. Villeneuve is admitted in both state and federal courts of Washington and Illinois, before the U.K. Law Society, and with the U.S. Patent Office and U.K. Trademark Office. Before pivoting to law, he worked in Europe as a mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineer and site manager. Villeneuve holds a bachelor’s degree from Polytechnique of Montréal, a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law, and portions of an executive MBA from McGill University. He is a dedicated runner and cyclist, winning gold at the 2009 OutGames in Denmark and silver at the 2013 3,000-mile Race Across America road cycling race, and the Abbott World Marathon Majors 6-marathon medal. He recently completed authoring the sci-fi series Sophie—The Attractor Trilogy on Amazon and other platforms.

Qian “Sophie” Ying

District 8 Governor

2026-2027

Qian (Sophie) Ying was appointed to the Board of Governors in 2026. A corporate and business attorney, she is the founding partner of Future Discovery Law Group, serving the Eastside economy—from AI startups to local artists—since 2016. Previously, she was in-house counsel and an EPC attorney managing power plant projects and M&A. As founder and past president of the Seattle Chinese Bar Association, she built a nonprofit of 130-plus members. She earned LL.M.s from the University of Washington (health law) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (civil and commercial law). A self-described “non-retiring artist of life,” Ying blends her legal career with mindful living. She is an ACE Certified Health Coach and completed Harvard Medical School’s CHEF Coaching program. Having traveled to over a dozen countries, she considers the Seattle area her favorite home. Currently writing a healthy family cookbook, she resides in Sammamish with her husband and two daughters, enjoying art, cooking, and nature.

Kevin Fay

District 9 Governor

2025-2028

Kevin Fay was elected to the Board of Governors in 2022 and reelected in 2025. Prior to serving on the Board, he served on the Executive Committee of the WSBA Corporate Counsel Section, the Washington Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, and the Washington Chapter of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals. He retired after decades of service as in-house counsel for VMware, Inc., PACCAR Inc, and Microsoft Corporation. Prior to going in-house, he was in private practice at Mudge Rose and Shearman & Sterling in New York City, and Bogle & Gates in Seattle. Originally from Seattle, he earned undergraduate degrees in political science and history from the University of Washington, a J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School. When not governing, he plays clarinet in the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, saxophone in the Washington Wind Symphony and the MachOne Jazz Orchestra, and spectacularly poor golf on courses throughout Western Washington.

Christopher Takashi Bhang

At-Large Governor

2025-2028

Christopher Takashi Bhang was appointed to the Board of Governors in early 2025 as an at-large member, filling a late-term vacancy, and reelected for a three-year term in June 2025. Bhang started his legal career as an immigration attorney, providing low and pro bono services thanks to a grant from Seattle University School of Law’s incubator program. He currently works for King County Metro, leading civil rights programs in service to Metro’s 6,000 employees and millions of customers and riders. Previously, he was a full-time community volunteer, high school science teacher, bass guitar player, and a student volunteer at the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality. He is a graduate of the University of Washington (B.S. in Microbiology), Eastern University (M.A. in Community Development), and Seattle University (J.D., cum laude). He loves speculative fiction, puzzles, and lives in Renton with his wife and son.

Jordan L. Couch

At-Large Governor

2024-2027

Jordan Couch was elected to the Board of Governors in 2021 and reelected in 2024 to represent new and young lawyers in an at-large position. Couch is a partner at Palace Law, practicing workers’ compensation and personal injury. In his spare time, he is an avid outdoorsman—probably stemming from his childhood spent between an island in Alaska and the Bighorn River valley in Montana. Prior to joining the Board of Governors, Couch served as a trustee for the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, chair of the Access to Justice Board’s Technology Committee, and chair of the Washington Young Lawyers Committee (now Washington New Members Committee), and has held various leadership roles on the WSBA Solo & Small Practice Section’s Executive Committee. Couch is passionate about increasing access to justice by helping lawyers build better, more client-centric practices, and never gets tired of talking about how to improve our profession (or fishing).

Tom Ahearne

At-Large Governor

2026-2029

Tom Ahearne chose this photo of himself to illustrate why inclusion is important to him. An Air Force brat who grew up all across our country, he’s been a Seattle litigator since 1986. For most of his life, he never felt like the outsider in a group. Or discriminated against. Or excluded. But a 2014 snowboarding accident reversed that by imprisoning him in a wheelchair—where he often feels unwelcome, discriminated against, and excluded. He therefore ran for a seat on the Board of Governors to focus on the WSBA’s equity and justice for all efforts—“for all” because he believes our country is better off if every person has a realistic opportunity to become the best that they can be.  Ahearne believes diversity does not replace merit—it releases it.  His other activities have included serving on the boards of the NAACP Alaska/Oregon/Washington Conference, Washington Defense Trial Lawyers, King County Bar’s Appellate Section, and Washington Council of School Attorneys. His nonwork activities include using an arm pedal tricycle in bicycle races like the Seattle To Portland (STP), Mount Rainier RAMROD, Mt. Baker Hillclimb, and Ride the Hurricane race. Ahearne’s ultimate goal is to be a sheep instead of a goat. (Matthew 25:31-46.)