Pam Kil is a highly accomplished attorney with comprehensive in-house background and focus on commercial and transactional agreements.

Pam has outstanding experience in contract negotiation and drafting with attention to detail, independently motivated, and the confidence and ability to interface with clients and co-workers in a professional, approachable, and positive manner. Pam has both personal and professional experience advocating for individuals with disabilities in Washington State. As a parent, Pam has learned how to advocate for her own child and has gained extensive knowledge on how to effectively handle disagreements with the IEP team and insurance companies. Pam first joined WAA in 2019 as a volunteer with the WAA health law team.

Huma is the Special Education Attorney at WAA. She is a lifelong social justice advocate with a background in health policy and social work.

Huma is an active member of the community serving on the board of Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation, Open Doors for Multicultural Families, and as a Commissioner on the King County Immigrant and Refugee Commission. Huma graduated from University of California, Hastings College of the Law with a concentration in Health Law and obtained both her Bachelor of Social Welfare and Master of Social Work from the University of Washington, School of Social Work. Huma is excited to help students with disabilities access the education they are legally entitled to.

Kathy Sheppard has both personal and professional experience advocating for students with special needs in the public school system.

As a senior legal assistant, Kathy assists our staff attorneys in legal research, initial drafting of correspondence, and other general legal support for the special education cases we take on. Kathy is bilingual in Spanish and English. As a parent, Kathy has learned how to advocate for her own child and has gained extensive knowledge on how to effectively handle disagreements with the IEP team. She provides non-legal support to families such as helping parents problem solve and communicate more effectively with the IEP team.

Ms. Forough brings over 20 years of experience in training and development to her position, including leadership development, government relations and non-profit management.

In 2007 she founded Washington Autism Alliance and Advocacy, developed the “Autism IEP supplement: Best Practice Guidelines for educating students with autism”. Her IEP supplement as well as guidelines for training teachers was legally adopted by the Washington State legislature in 2008 and became the requirement for all teachers working with learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders statewide.

Arzu introduced Shayan’s Law, Autism Insurance Parity to the Washington State legislature, petitioned the state Health technology Assessment of evidence based treatment of autism and ignited multiple legal actions that have clarified state and federal laws mandating insurance benefits for those with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Arzu designs, implements and manages local, statewide and national projects as well as provides technical assistance to agencies, providers and families on current insurance, education and social service practices and strategies.

Bev is the first point of contact for individuals and families in need of resource information, family navigation, or insurance navigation to improve access to evidenced based healthcare services, effective services in schools, and supportive community based resources. 

Her lived experiences as a parent of teen on the autism spectrum, paired with compassion, objectivity and her excellent attention to detail makes Bev a valued member of WAA team.