Submitted by Olympia Federal Savings
Olympia Federal Savings (OlyFed) is pleased to announce the addition of Parfait Bassalé and Genevieve Canceko Chan to the bank’s Board of Directors.
A gifted communicator and out of the box thinker, Bassalé is a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultant that specializes in personal and organizational transformation, healing, and restoration. In his role as a consultant, Bassalè leads private, public and nonprofit sector clients through workshops, coaching sessions and keynote addresses that leverage the virtues of storytelling, music and reflective inquiry. Bassalé is passionate about building relational bridges and creating cultures and systems that foster belonging and equitable outcomes.
Prior to starting his consulting firm, Bassalé was Executive Diversity Officer with South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC). For the 10 years leading up to his role at SPSCC, Bassalé worked as a Client Relations and Portfolio Manager with Atlas, an organization that oversees, support and coaches K-12 schools with the implementation of curriculum documentation and review processes.
Bassalé has a bachelor’s degree in both general management and information systems from Portland State University (PSU) and he also has a master’s degree in conflict resolution from PSU. In addition, Bassalé holds certificates in design thinking and mediation facilitation.
Bassalé has dedicated more than 15 years of his life to being a volunteer with the Rubicon Educational Foundation, which helps build community and connections between educators engaged in service learning. A member of the board of directors with the Olympia School District Education Foundation, Bassalé is also a Commissioner on the City of Olympia’s Social Justice and Equity Commission.
“We are thrilled to have Parfait joining our board as he brings a strong business acumen along with the passion and expertise related to social governance, which will help us continue to improve both as a corporate citizen and as a local mutual bank looking to further our impact in the community,” Josh Deck, President & CEO said. “We’ve had the opportunity to work with Parfait for years, and our entire team is impressed by the human-centered design of his trainings that have helped us better live out our organizational values.”
With more than 20 years of professional experience in marketing, communications, and public relations, Canceko Chan brings a wealth of expertise in strategic planning, advocacy, economic development, and social and digital media initiatives to the OlyFed board. Canceko Chan has worked collaboratively with private, public, and nonprofit sector leaders to develop and execute community-wide outreach and education projects.
Canceko Chan has served in leadership positions with Beacon Press, the American Bar Association, the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, and the Hands on Children’s Museum. Most recently Canceko Chan served as Vice President of Marketing and Communications with Saint Martin’s University (SMU) in Lacey for 10 years. She currently works as a freelance writer and editor.
Canceko Chan has a bachelor’s degree in English from Stanford University, a Master of Fine Arts in English from the University of Michigan, and a certificate from the Radcliffe Publishing Program at Harvard University. A 2009-10 graduate of Leadership Thurston County, Canceko Chan has served on the board of directors with South Sound Reading Foundation and is also a Commissioner on the City of Olympia’s Social Justice and Equity Commission.
“Genevieve is a well-respected community leader that has helped advance many important local issues and organizations, which have and continue to improve the quality of life for our region,” Deck said. “Astute when it comes to public affairs and community engagement, Genevieve will play a key role in helping OlyFed better deliver on its products, services and principles with both new and existing customers. Genevieve’s experience and wealth of knowledge with both brand and project management will be a key asset as we look to grow the bank.”
“We are truly fortunate to have professionals of Parfait’s and Genevieve’s caliber joining our board,” Deck continued. “We are truly poised to continue to have a positive influence on the health of our local economy and in the lives of our customers.”
In addition to Bassalé and Canceko Chan being elected to the bank’s board, both Mary Gentry and Lori Drummond were also elected to new terms.
