Board of Directors

Dar Khalighi, co-Founder & President

Dar grew up playing Soccer and Tennis in Tehran, Iran. Dar was introduced to Squash only after graduating from college and moving to Seattle from Austin, Texas. His interest in WESA stems from his firm belief that children who experience success in a sport tend to become more successful in their future academic, professional, and personal lives. He believes that WESA is uniquely equipped to fulfill its mission of helping underprivileged children to have a better chance to succeed in life.

Anne-Marie, Co-Founder & Vice-President

Anne-Marie is director at Les Enfants and Los Ninos de Seattle – an emergent French and Spanish bilingual preschool in Madrona neighborhood of Seattle. She moved to Seattle in 1996 from Paris, France and has worked with children during most of her career in the US as a French language teacher. Anne-Marie has numerous close friends in the Squash playing community and is passionate about the educational programs of the organization.

Bill Loughrin, Treasurer

Raised in Edmonds, WA, Bill now has a CPA firm there, which his father started in 1972. He Graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in business with a concentration in Accounting. Outside of his work as a CPA, Bill spends much of his time volunteering for a variety of organizations, all of which work to better the lives of youth, by helping them to grow and reach their fullest potential. Bill brings his love of squash, extensive work on nonprofit boards, and his financial expertise to WESA.

Alan cantlin

Alan grew up playing squash in Portland, Oregon.  He became passionate about the game at an early age and played competitively throughout high school and college.  He was a member of the US National Junior Team in high school and a 3-time All American in college.  Alan has experienced firsthand the personal and academic benefits of playing squash competitively and believes that WESA can help provide underprivileged kids the same benefits from the game that he experienced.

Karim Ders

Karim was born and raised in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and picked up the love for the game of squash at an early age. He played competitively in national leagues and tournaments throughout his college days in Amsterdam. Now being a father takes up much of the time previously dedicated to squash, as it does for many! Karim is passionate about the game and understands firsthand the positive influence the squash community and environment had in his early development and is excited to be part of supporting and building the WESA program.

Mark Leonard

Mark comes from the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York. He graduated Bachelor of Arts in 1983 from Nyack College and moved to Seattle in 1987 where he worked in the technology field. Because of his acquaintance with Naveen Garg, Mark became aware of the WESA program from its very inception and he continues to support the organization because of its tangible, positive impact upon the children of underserved communities.

Wibe wagemans, co-founder

After 4 years serving on the WESA (then SUS) Board of Directors, Wibe has stepped down from this position. He remains involved in the organization in an informal, but invaluable capacity.

Naveen Garg, Co-Founder & Secretary

Naveen has decades of computer software industry experience with Texas Instruments, OpenText Gupta Europe, Microsoft and now to his own startup NLPCORE. He has worked in India, Europe and the USA over the years, played Squash in many more places, and has been passionate about this game ever since he picked up the racket for the first time in his first year at college.

Nicol David

Born in Penang, she’s considered the greatest squash player of all time. Recently retired from the competitive world, she holds records such as: World No.1 for 112 months, the longest reigning World no.1 squash player, and 8 times World Champion.

Her next mission is to give back and be an inspiration to grow women in sports. She’s a motivational speaker encouraging women and youth and is in the process of setting up her own foundation in Malaysia called the Nicol David Foundation to empower boys and girls to reach their full potential through sport. 

Ross Elkin

Ross is a recreational squash player who, despite limited ability, loves the game. He came to Seattle from New England where he was actively involved as a member of SquashBusters’ Lawrence, MA leadership council. Having seen the life-changing effect of urban squash, Ross is committed to helping WESA build its program, serve more students, and become an official member of the national Squash & Education Alliance.

We are interested in expanding our Board of Directors. If you are interested in joining us and making a big impact for our scholars, send an email to Naveen Garg, Board Secretary, at naveen.garg@WESAcademy.org.