STAFF
Open Position(s): none at this time
Juliet Sinisterra, CEO, jsinisterra@spokaneudistrict.org, 509 255 8093
As the CEO of the University District Development Association and the University District Public Development Authority since 2021, Juliet brings over 25 years of experience in urban design, master planning, project management, community engagement, and sustainable community development from her work in both the Seattle and Spokane areas. Juliet has served as Economic Development Manager for the Downtown Spokane Partnership, where she led the development of support services for downtown Spokane businesses and startups through strategic planning, urban projects, public art, and partnership development. Juliet also oversaw the community vision development and management of the Riverfront Park Master Plan, which led to the successful voter approval of a $64.3 million bond. In the past few years, Juliet served as Building Platform Product Manager for intellectual property for Katerra around a Mass Timber speculative office building, and most recently, has supported various community development initiatives in Spokane, including a Spokane Culture Corridor for downtown, the integration of public art into the Spokane Transit Authority’s City Line project; and the support of a strategic action plan for the Spokane County Food Security Coalition. Juliet holds a professional Bachelor of Architecture degree and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from Washington State University. Juliet also holds certificates in urban design from Syracuse University, Florence, Italy, and in Transition Towns.
Jeffrey Samson, Director of Finance & Grants Administration, jsamson@spokaneudistrict.org, 509 255 8038
Jeffrey Samson is the University District's new Director of Finance and Grants Administration. Jeffrey brings over 20 years of experience in financial management of public funds and grants and contracts administration working for various non-profit and government organizations in the Los Angeles and Spokane area. Jeffrey brings significant skills in managing day-to-day financial operations, driving team efficiency, accuracy, and timeliness in reporting, cash flow management, budgeting and financial modeling, risk management, financial systems implementation, procurement and contract management, and grants compliance and management. In his previous roles, Jeffrey served as Deputy Chief of Finance and Administration at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority overseeing a budget of over $850M in public funding and contracts and had a record of having a clean audit, clearing out audit findings on financial statements and internal control deficiencies before leaving the organization in April 2024. Jeffrey considers himself an innovative and forward-thinking leader, leveraging current technology to improve workflows and the efficiency of the team. Jeffrey oversaw the implementation of accounting and financial systems from manual to cloud-based applications to promote value-added activities for staff to spend more time analyzing transactions and financial data over manual data entry. Jeffrey holds a bachelor's Degree in Accountancy from Polytechnic University of the Philippines and believes in hard work, dedication, and being of service. He is a proponent of team development through continuous education, staff training, team-building exercises, and networking with his peers and industry experts.
OFFICE ADDRESS: Ignite NW Building, 120 N Pine St, Ste 252, Spokane, WA 99202. O: 509 255 8038. Email: info@spokaneudistrict.org.
OFFICE HOURS and HOLIDAYS: The University District office is open 8:30 AM - 5 PM Monday-Friday and closed on the following 2024 and 2025 holidays:
- Christmas Day 12/25
- New Year's Day observed 1/1
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 1/20
- President's Day 2/17
- Memorial Day 5/26
- Juneteenth 6/19
- Independence Day 7/4
- Labor Day 9/1
- Veteran's Day 11/11
- Thanksgiving Day 11/27
- Day after Thanksgiving 11/28
- Christmas Holiday 12/25
