With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day quickly approaching, meet some of the wonderful parents in our community…
David Alexander 
WORK.
I am the chief marketing officer at Everbridge, where I am responsible for creating world-class digital experiences for our customers. Additionally, I serve remotely as an executive professor at the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Currently, I teach “Marketing in Technology,” which is designed to provide real-world insights for students that seek future careers in technology. I am also a board member of the charitable organization Love Takes Root, which currently supports and enables the children at the LaConcorde orphanage in Jacmel, Haiti.
FAMILY.
I’ve been married to my wonderful wife, Carley, for 22 years. We have three amazing sons: Collin (19, freshman at Texas A&M), Ryan (16), Evan (14) and Rudy the dog (4). We are proud native Texans but have lived in the Wisteria Park neighborhood of Issaquah Highlands for the last 18 years. Carley and I both went to Texas A&M University and are super exited to have Collin there, and for me to now be part of the faculty. Gig ‘em Aggies!
BALANCE.
Balancing family and work can be challenging, and for me, it’s a real blessing to work from home when not traveling. I think that people tend to spend their time and energy on the things that they are most passionate about. Since I’m passionate about both my family and my work, things tend to naturally balance themselves out. My wife is also an amazing mom and partner, and frankly, she is the real “secret sauce” that makes all of this work.
CHERISHED MEMORIES.
Being a dad is the greatest gift I ever could have asked for. My boys (all 3 of them) are my favorite people in the world. I loved being their dad when they were babies and have loved every phase since. Our current phase, the “entering adulthood” phase of parenting, is bringing many new parenting surprises but also a lot of joy as we see our kids thriving and becoming young adults.
FATHER’S DAY RECOLLECTIONS.
Most of my Father’s Days have been spent enjoying “bleacher time” while the kids were involved in some combination of sports – mostly baseball and basketball. However, I think my favorite Father’s Day in recent memory was a couple of years ago (during COVID) when we went to New Mexico. We spent Father’s Day at White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns, mostly hiking/sledding in the desert and exploring underground.
Kelly Su
WORK.
I think I was born loving fashion. At the age of 3, rather than playing with dolls, I preferred to sketch my own and dressed them up with my own designs. I didn’t stop at that. When I received my first Barbie doll at the age of 6, I began making my own clothes for her with whatever I could find around the house. After graduating from design school at The Art Institute of Seattle, I landed the opportunity to serve as an assistant designer at Nordstrom and soon after got promoted to lingerie designer. It opened my eyes to an entirely new world that I had only dreamed of as a little girl. Now, I design and make beautiful women’s apparel at camiandtank.com as well
as teach fashion sewing to kids and adults at ksschoolofdesign.com.
FAMILY.
I married my best friend, Wayne Su, and we have two beautiful kids. Kaitlyn, 14, is in ninth grade and Caleb, 10, is in fifth grade. We have lived in Issaquah Highlands for 18 years.
BALANCE.
My decision to leave the corporate world/Nordstrom was to raise my kids and make my family a priority. I work during the day when kids are at school and I try to leave my office right when my kids get home from school. I truly am blessed to do what I love doing every day.
CHERISHED MEMORIES.
It’s the simple things: making breakfast with the kids in the morning, packing their school lunch, and giving and receiving little hugs and kisses from my kids.
MOTHER’S DAY REFLECTIONS.
My favorite Mother’s Day was back when my kids were 4 and 8 years old. Both kids and their dad surprised me with morning breakfast, flowers and my favorite chocolate in bed. I will always remember the look on my kids’ faces with complete excitement, love and joy of surprising me.
Charlie Herb
WORK.
My day job focuses on technology sales for Solidigm. Outside of work, I’ve volunteered with Highlands Fiber Network for nearly 20 years. I served as vice president for six years, followed by president for the last three years. I also serve in a number of different roles with Sacred Heart Parish and Sacred Heart School. My desire and inspiration to volunteer comes from my faith which is the foundation of my life, marriage and family.
FAMILY.
I married my wife in July 2002 and we moved to the Sorrento neighborhood of Issaquah Highlands one year later. We have four children: Anne (15), Daniel (13), Catherine
(11) and Luke (9). We moved to the Pinecrest neighborhood in 2015. We celebrate our 20th anniversary of living in Issaquah Highlands this July!
BALANCE.
Prayer, exercise and an amazing wife help me to balance work, volunteering and family. We go over our calendar each week as a family to ensure we can get everyone where they
need to be. We also frequently carpool with another family in the community, which is a huge blessing.
CHERISHED MEMORIES.
My favorite part about being a dad is watching my children grow in their faith and serve the community. All four of our children volunteer
regularly with their schools and church, and our two oldest have both participated in summer mission trips. This spring break my oldest daughter and I will travel to New Orleans with Shirts Across America to build houses for a week.
FATHER’S DAY RECOLLECTIONS.
My favorite Father’s Day memory was when my oldest daughter was around 4 years old. She made me a special breakfast, which consisted of a bowl of cereal with cheese on top. I managed to eat every bite. I also have many fond memories of Father’s Day hikes and bike rides with the whole family.
Katie Weaver
WORK.
I specialize in lively acrylic paintings inspired by the natural world. The great thing about acrylics is that they dry quickly, so you can make many layers, and there’s always room for change. This is so liberating to a recovering perfectionist like me! I love how art can make you feel connected to something bigger than yourself. It’s also a way to inspire and connect with people authentically.
FAMILY.
I’m married with two boys, ages 11 and 12. We’ve lived in the Daphne Park neighborhood of the Highlands since 2012. I love being close to the lakes and mountains.
BALANCE.
Honestly, balancing work and family is kind of a fluid process. Sometimes, I spend more time on art and business. Other times, family things take priority. Flexibility and scheduling are key! Outside of events, most of my work is done while the kids are in school. I always wanted to be at home with my kids, but I also love having something that’s just for me! There are endless learning opportunities for both endeavors.
CHERISHED MEMORIES.
I think kids teach you to be more present and in the moment, and they have such thoughtful observations. I love sharing simple pleasures with my boys, like going to Lake Sammamish in the summer as well as reading and baking together. They have connected us with so many wonderful people, too. I love that we have this community of families around us.
MOTHER’S DAY RECOLLECTIONS.
I always loved the little Mother’s Day art projects my kids would make at school when they were younger. They just tugged at my heartstrings!
Bertan Aygun
WORK.
I have been working at Microsoft more than 15 years now. My current position is principal software engineer on “Visual Studio” products. I’ve also volunteered at various levels with the IHCA over the years, including involvement on the Architectural Review Committee (ARC), Finance Committee and IHCA Board of Directors. Occasionally, I mentor college students studying computer science to answer their questions about the software industry.
FAMILY.
My wife, Sevgi, and I moved to Seattle after we graduated from University of Pennsylvania. We moved from Klahanie to the Ashland Park neighborhood in 2013. We have one son, Deniz (6), who goes to kindergarten at Grand Ridge Elementary. We love the central position of Ashland Park, where it’s walking distance to both school and the retail area.
BALANCE.
I count myself lucky being part of a team at work that understands parenthood and the need for flexibility, which was a great help with work/life balance. Since COVID, I also transitioned to working remotely full-time. Living within walking distance to Grand Ridge also means that I can participate in school activities during the day.
CHERISHED MEMORIES.
My favorite part of being a dad is seeing Deniz grow up and interact at a different level each passing year, especially since he is at the age where every year is very different.
FATHER’S DAY RECOLLECTIONS.
My favorite Father’s Day was last year. We were in Turkey visiting family, so we got to celebrate the day with all the dads in the family.
Lisa Callan
WORK.
I was sworn into office as a Washington State Representative in January 2019. Prior to that, I served on the Issaquah School Board from 2013-2019. My favorite part of the job is helping people get what they need. This includes unemployment checks, childcare, affordable housing and healthcare, welcoming and safe schools, safe drinking water, resilient communities, safe roads, support for small business, and career and job access…the list goes on and on. These needs are different for each of us, and the challenges and barriers that get in the way can be very different as well. I love turning the tumblers until the pieces fall into place, and in the end, life is better for constituents, our communities, our schools, our businesses and Washingtonians across the state.
FAMILY.
I have one son who is a senior this year. Our family has lived in Issaquah Highlands since 2003. Our house is at the north end of the community, near Grand View Park.
BALANCE.
Clearly, during the pandemic, life was very different for all of us. And it reminded me how precious and fragile we all are. If I could, I would definitely slow the world down a
pinch. It feels more important than ever to appreciate those around us. However, I know the tables are turning—my son’s schedule is just accelerating and he has little time to just hang. It’s a bittersweet feeling as the time flies by way too fast.
CHERISHED MEMORIES.
I love watching this amazing human turn into such a wonderful person, especially those special moments when my son wants to talk about something that is on his mind.
MOTHER’S DAY RECOLLECTIONS.
When I think back on the 17 Mother’s Days I’ve had so far, it’s all about the giant hug, getting to say I love you and just getting to be part of this incredible being’s life through his joys and tears, bumps and bruises, and adventures.
