Board of Directors

Terry Barnett, Esq., President, is retired after 30 years practicing law. His legal work included matters related to death and dying; service on ethics committees for the VA Medical Center (Seattle and American Lake), Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound (Seattle and Tacoma),  Allenmore Medical Center (Tacoma), and Western State Hospital; advocacy on behalf of patient-clients and families on matters related to withholding and withdrawing life sustaining medical treatment; and authorship of the book, “Living Wills and More,” a comprehensive guide for planning to avoid unwanted life-sustaining medical treatment. In 2002 he received the Leadership Award from the Lambda Legal Society for precedent-setting legal work to secure property rights for same-sex partners in Washington. He has been a member of C&C’s board since 1997.

Joanne Brekke-Selk, MPA, attended the University of Washington, receiving a B.A. in Sociology and later a Masters in Public Administration. She was elected to the Washington State Legislature in 1978, representing the 32nd District for 15 years. During her legislative career her personal interest lay with the social services, ensuring support was available for individuals of all ages including the poor, the vulnerable, and senior citizens. Joanne also served on the Board of Senior Services of Seattle-King County for six years, advocating on behalf of older adults in King County. More recently, she has been active volunteering with a number of organizations including C&C.

Sheila B. Cook served as a board member of the Hemlock Society of Washington State in the late 1980s. In 1991, she was  the full-time volunteer coordinator for the Washington Citizens for Death With Dignity campaign (Initiative 119). In 1993, she was one of eleven founders of Compassion In Dying. Since that time, Sheila was a Client Support Volunteer and served as C&C’s Client Support Team Coordinator for 15 years. For 25 years, she owned and operated a secretarial services business.

Gretchen DeRoche became a full-time volunteer in 1986, facilitating support groups for people with AIDS and care-giving those who were alone. In 1992 she received the Jefferson Award, a national award honoring community and public service. When the AIDS crisis abated in 1997, Gretchen added volunteering for C&C to her schedule. She is now one of C&C’s longest-serving client support volunteers. Gretchen became the Client Support Team Coordinator in 2008.

Robert Free, Esq., served on C&C’s Advisory Committee for many years before joining the Board of Directors this year. Bob and other lawyers from his firm, MacDonald, Hoague & Bayless, generously provided many pro bono hours authoring seven amicus briefs on behalf of survivors of C&C’s former clients. These briefs described for the courts the differing realities of what happens to families when a competent, terminally ill person is granted, or forbidden, the choice of aid in dying. They were presented to the Washington and United States Supreme Courts as well as various lower federal courts. Bob retired after 35 years practicing law and enjoys teaching immigration law, his specialty, at the University of Washington.

Richard Gibson, MDiv, retired following 30 years of ministry as the pastor of Terrace View Presbyterian Church in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. He is active with Peace Action, a grassroots organization opposed to war and violence. Dick is a board member of the Snohomish County Food Bank Coalition and founded the Mountlake Terrace food bank. In his spare time, he teaches classes on religion, archaeology, and the Bible at different churches and the Creative Retirement Institute of Edmonds Community College.

Judith Gordon, PhD - Dr. Gordon is a licensed psychologist with a psychotherapy practice in Seattle and Clinical Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington. For many years she conducted research, wrote, and trained mental health professionals regarding changing health risk behaviors. She has focused on policy and research in end-of-life decision-making since 1996. She chaired the Washington State Psychological Association (WSPA) End-of-Life Task Force from 1997-2010 and received the WSPA Social Issues Award in 1999 and 2007 for her work related to end-of-life issues.

Pamela J. Hanlon, RN, Esq., is a health care attorney and critical care nurse. She has seen firsthand how the lack of understanding and access to information about end-of-life choices affects terminally ill patients and their loved ones. At law school she studied under Compassion & Choices’ National Director of Legal Affairs, Kathryn Tucker, Esq. Since that time she has worked with various hospital and health care organizations implementing hospice and palliative care programs. More recently, she published an article in Bar News, the journal of the Washington State Bar Association, explaining how the Death With Dignity Act benefits the citizens of Washington. As a member of the Washington End of Life Consensus Coalition, she advocates for informed end-of-life choices through education and public outreach.

Arline Hinckley, ACSW, ICSW, Secretary, has long had an interest in the areas of personal freedom, choice, and end-of-life issues. Arline was a Public Health Social Worker for high-risk pregnant women and infants. She also worked with the hematology/oncology team at the University of Missouri Medical Center, where she instructed medical students in the needs of dying patients and their families. She joined the board in 1990. Arline now volunteers for a local hospice and is a Client Support Volunteer for C&C.

Midge Levy, ACSW, Vice President, is a retired social worker with extensive experience in hospice. She has been involved in the right-to-die movement since her student days as a member of the Exit Society in the UK. She was a founding member of the Hemlock Society of Washington State, and served as its president from 1993-2005. Midge was Co-President of C&C’s board from 2005-2006 and is C&C’s Outreach Coordinator. She is also active with the Washington State Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), served on their board and Executive Committee, and was a consultant for the NASW Policy on End-of-Life Decisions in 1993. Midge received the “Social Worker of the Year” award in 2000 for her legislative activities and continues to be an active member of the NASW. She also served on the leadership team of the Initiative 1000 (Washington Death With Dignity) campaign in 2008.

Catherine L. Longhi, MPA, Treasurer, joined the C&C Board in 2000, and served as president or co-president from 2005 until June 2008. She has been involved in medical ethics and issues of personal choice for many years. Over 20 years’ experience as a health care administrator and personal experience with the needs of terminally ill people and their families have strengthened her commitment to C&C’s principles.

B. Kirk Robinson joined the C&C board in 1995 and also served on the C&C National board. He comes to this post with a long-standing interest in the issue of death with dignity. Kirk served as president of Washington Citizens for Death With Dignity during the 1991 Initiative 119 campaign and was the campaign’s chief spokesperson. He also served on the leadership team of the Initiative 1000 campaign in 2008. He is owner and CEO of The Robinson Company, a construction management firm.

Patricia Simpson, MDiv, is the Seattle District Superintendent of the Pacific Northwest United Methodist Conference and oversees 50 congregations, five ethnic fellowships, and 65 clergy in King County. Her pastoring experience has taken her all over western Washington, from very small towns to downtown Seattle, where she was the pastor at a church for homeless and formerly homeless women. Her community leadership includes participation on the Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness, Real Change Advisory Board, Community Action for Homeless Women, Task Force on Children and Poverty, Atlantic Street Center, Healing Care Fund, Church Women United, and the Faith Trust Institute.

Thomas Smith, MD, has been practicing medicine for 22 years and has provided care for those with HIV since the inception of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s when he was just beginning his career. He was a member of the original board of the Northwest AIDS Foundation (now the Lifelong AIDS Association) and has been involved with the planning committees in the various AIDS housing options which have developed over the years. His diverse community involvement and his extensive experience in dealing with end-of-life issues are strengths that he brings to the board.