Hello! My name is Amanda Russert and I'm the co-director at Helen House. I moved to Ellensburg towards the beginning of the pandemic, which very fortunately, allowed me to go back to school to pursue a career of passion, a long-time dream of mine. I'm currently a transfer student at CWU to become a History and Social Studies High School Teacher, with a minor in Theatre (and maybe Spanish ;p). I grew up on the westside in Seattle, graduating from Highline High School in '09, always playing sports. I love being outdoors (in the warmth), coaching kids sports camps in the summer, spending time with my wife, our 3 bearded ladies (dogs), my chosen family, laughing and just having a good time.

Hi there! I’m Parker, an autistic queer artist, and Media Specialist here at Helen House. I specialize in website design, digital design, and digital marketing. I also run all of our social media pages. I have lived in Ellensburg my whole life. My interests span far and wide from astronomy, physics, and space to Spider-Man, prop making, sitcoms, and Taylor Swift. After work you can find me watching sitcoms or cartoons, or talking to my friends about space and Spider-Man. I really like hiking as well. This is my first job after high school and it has given me the privilege to be the mentor I wanted as a kid. Since it is my first job after high school, I'm using almost all my earnings here to save up for college and hopefully get my PhD in astrophysics. I eventually want to study black holes and other celestial objects while in space.

Tylene has been a Pacific Northwest resident in Oregon and Washington for most of her life and has called Ellensburg home since 2001. She is a founding board member of Central Washington Justice For Our Neighbors and founder of Helen House. She is a small-town, old-school country loving, social media challenged, parent and Grandma, enjoys traveling and loves her family and friends.