Meet the Alliance Staff
The Washington Economic Justice Alliance is led by a team of dreamers and doers that know meaningful change happens when communities and government work together. Meet the individuals behind the scenes that create the connective tissue for state and tribal leaders, experts with experience, community organizers and legislators to advance well-being for all Washingtonians.
Lori Pfingst
Executive Director
Dr. Lori Pfingst is a national expert on health and well-being, policy entrepreneur, research nerd and lifelong change-maker. Lori’s work lives at the intersection of economic, health and environmental well-being and has contributed to increases in minimum wage, progressive taxes and revenue, human services reform and advances in co-governance and participatory decision-making. Her team coordinates the multisector, interagency collaboration to implement the 10-Year Plan to Dismantle Poverty in Washington state. She is a published author and storyteller, weaving the power of data with the wisdom of experts with experience to advance public policies that support the well-being of children, families and communities.
Lori is a recipient of the Aspen Institute’s prestigious Ascend Fellowship, an American Public Human Services Association Racial Equity Champion and a recent nominee for the MLK Beloved Community Award and Governor’s Distinguished Manager Award. Prior to joining DSHS, Lori served in leadership roles in non-profits, academia, and county government.
In the wild, Lori loves biking, cooking, watching her daughter play softball, and hanging out with family, friends and fur-babies.
Lindsay Morgan Tracy
Director, Innovation & Outreach
Lindsay Morgan Tracy is the Director of Innovation & Outreach for the WA Economic Justice Alliance. She is a staunch advocate of shifting organizational structures from transactional to transformational with an emphasis on continuous learning, relationships and stories.
Lindsay has expertise in systemic tracking, building capacity and creating cultures of program improvement for better qualitative and quantitative outcome measures. The work in Washington State centers those who stand to benefit the most from systems-level policy and program shifts to foster short-, medium- and long-term solutions for children, families, and communities throughout the state. She has recently been named one of eight global well-being fellows by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Lindsay is a busy mom of two teenage boys. Her family lives on Vashon Island where she is involved in the community, is the oldest team member on her co-ed and ladies league softball teams, and drinks copious amounts of coffee.
Babs Roberts
Senior Advisor, Policy & Programs
Babs Roberts is currently a Senior Advisor with the Washington Economic Justice Alliance, which works to eliminate poverty and injustice in Washington in alignment with the state’s 10-year strategic plan. She has served as the Director for the Community Services Division (CSD) within the Department of Social and Health Services where she had primary responsibility for the policy development and implementation of public assistance programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), Aged/Blind/Disabled (ABD) and Pregnant Women’s Assistance (PWA) as well as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Food Assistance for Legal Immigrants (FAP).
Babs has more than 33 years of experience with Washington State government spanning both administrative (finance, budgeting, and contracts) as well as program and policy development and direct service delivery. She currently services as the Immediate Past-Chair of APHSA’s National Association of State TANF Administrators.
Babs is the mother of three adult children and one stepson, and proud grandmother of two grandchildren. She lives in rural Mason County with her husband of 34 years and four very large and rowdy dogs. The most recent addition to that pack is a very energetic Great Dane puppy named Leroy! She enjoys gardening, reading, and playing with the grandkids and dogs!
Gwen Teok
Senior Analyst, Research & Policy
As a Senior Research and Policy Analyst at the Washington Economic Justice Alliance, Gwen brings a strategic, data-informed approach to advancing equity and economic justice. Gwen leads critical analysis and evaluation initiatives, including the implementation of the 10-Year Plan to Dismantle Poverty and Being Well in Washington dashboard. She manages the development of data tools like interactive Power BI dashboards that provide accessible insights to policymakers, agency leaders, community organizations, and the public.
Prior to this role, Gwen held research and evaluation positions in the education field, where she focused on applying data equity principles, creating accessible high-quality visualizations, and driving impact.
Outside of work, Gwen enjoys hosting dinners for friends and families and embracing classic Pacific Northwest activities like hiking, biking, and running.
Livey Beha
Assistant Director, Operations & Aligned Initiatives
Livey Beha is the Assistant Director for Operations & Aligned Initiatives with the WA Economic Justice Alliance. Livey’s experience growing up in a high-poverty region of Washington state drove her to devote her career driving large-scale, cross-sector strategies to dismantle poverty and build systems rooted in equity and justice—from scaling partnerships at the global health organization Muso, to shaping national climate justice campaigns in partnership with the Sunrise Movement. Livey is passionate about building transformative alliances between governments and community-based organizations, translating bold ideas into actionable policy, and elevating community-driven solutions. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Oxford and a MicroMasters in Data, Economics, and Development Policy from MIT.
In her spare time, Livey can be found on her couch playing early 2000s video games and snuggling with her dog, Gus.