The Burlington Healthy Community Coalition is growing!
Interested in becoming a member? Please contact Käaren Flint at Kaaren.Flint@UnitedGeneral.org
BHCC’s Executive Team (2023-2024)
President
TESSA MCILRAITH, MS, BSN, RN
District Nurse for
Burlington-Edison School District
Tessa McIlraith, MS, BSN, RN
BHCC President
Tessa McIlraith is the District Nurse for Burlington-Edison School District and has worked in the district for ten years!
Tessa has created and presented a program for youth athletic teams to support mental health and wellness called Beyond The Grind. Her passion is to support youth in developing their communication skills around personal advocacy and mental wellness.
In collaboration with the National Association of School Nurses and the CDC, Tessa also created a professional development course on the impact of substance use and mental health on youth and the school nurse’s role on school mental health teams. She has also been a guest speaker on podcasts, including Antidotes: Stories in Medicine, Character Strong, and the Relentless School Nurse blog.
In her spare time, she follows her two daughters’ around, enjoying adventures surrounding sports, college, and life.
Vice-President
Rich Wesen
Burlington-Edison School Board
Civic/Volunteer Sector Rep
Rich Wesen
BHCC Vice-President
I am a lifelong member of the Burlington-Edison community and part-owner of our local family dairy farm. Over the past 40 years, I have been very active in BHCC, the B-E School District Board, B-E Kiwanis, and B.E.C.K. (the back-to-school fair committee).
Secretary
JACKIE CRESS
Burlington Senior Center
Coordinator
Jackie Cress
BHCC Secretary
Hello! My name is Jackie Cress and I work for Skagit County Public Health. My position is with senior services as the Coordinator for Burlington Senior Center. It is the best job in the entire world. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. I have the honor of coordinating our volunteer program as well as our social activities and everything in between. We have a fantastic Advisory Board and volunteer base that keeps our doors open and our center running in full speed. One of the wonderful aspects of my job is our partnership with The City of Burlington. The senior center is very connected to The Parks and Recreation. Burlington is a wonderfully vibrant community and I love to be embedded in the diverse landscape of generations between working with seniors and being intertwined in the community through The Burlington Healthy Communities Coalition. I have served on The Burlington Little School Board, The Children’s Museum of Skagit County Board, The Skagit Hospital Foundation, Burlington Kiwanis Board and am a current Burlington Edison Kiwanian. I am a 2018 Leadership Skagit Graduate and have enjoyed volunteering in various ways throughout our county.
I have 2 adult kids and a teen age child and our family will welcome our first grandchild this summer. As a mother, a soon to be grandmother and community member, it is important to me that we create safe spaces within Burlington and beyond. I am honored to help out with the Burlington Healthy Communities Coalition.
Treasurer
Taryn Dillon
Teacher
Skagit Adventist Academy
Taryn Dillon
BHCC Treasurer
More about Taryn soon!
Member-at-Large
Christopher Kennedy
Student Intervention Specialist
Burlington-Edison High School
Christopher Kennedy
Member-at-Large
More about Chris soon!
Member-at-Large
Isabel Mejia
Isabel Mejia
Member-at-Large
Isabel is enrolled at Burlington-Edison High School in 12th grade and has been working alongside the coalition since she was in 10th grade. Isabel attended the CADCA conference in Washington, D.C., and upon her return, presented to the B-ESD School Board about what she learned. She is an ASB member and Vice-President of our youth coalition, Tiger CLAWS. Isabel also serves on the BHCC Executive Team as a Member-at-Large and is a Youth Sector Representative. As a member of BHCC, she is excited to learn how she can be more involved with her community and help bring students (her peers) together with pro-social events.
Past President
JENNY COLE
Assistant Library Director at
Burlington Public Library
Jenny Cole
BHCC Past President
After earning a Bachelor of Arts in French and Cultural Anthropology from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, Jenny Cole started her public service career as an AmeriCorps National Service Volunteer in Austin, Texas, followed by a move across the globe to become an English teacher in Seoul, South Korea. After realizing a love for public libraries and the role they play in engaging communities in lifelong learning and discovery, Jenny completed a Master of Library and Information Science degree at the University of Pittsburgh. She returned to Washington State to accept a Librarian position at the Burlington Public Library, where she has worked for seven years. Jenny is passionate about providing open access to information and strives to make all members of the community feel safe and included, both in the library and outside its walls. As a member of BHCC she has the privilege of working with a group of committed community members toward a healthy future for Burlington where all people can feel a sense of belonging.
