Make-A-Wish's Husky connection Make-A-Wish's Husky connection Make-A-Wish's Husky connection

Mention the Make-A-Wish Foundation to anyone and it will make them melt on the spot. The organization exists only to grant wishes to critically ill children. What could be better than that?

Now in its 40th year of granting wishes, the Washington-Alaska Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation has long been renowned for its soul-affirming work, its corps of exuberant volunteers—and the fact that every CEO has been a University of Washington graduate.

Barry McConnell, ’81, the first CEO, was in charge for 27 years (1991 to 2018). Melissa Arias, ’97, was CEO from 2018 to 2024. And Trina Cottingham, ’96, the current CEO, spent 25 on staff before being selected for the top job in late 2025. Talk about a legacy of longevity.

“I’ve said this for years,” says Cottingham, who worked her way up from wish coordinator to vice president of wishes to CEO when Arias left recently to join the Make-A-Wish national office. “I love our mission. People who work here want to make an impact. Same for our volunteers and donors. You get to see the good in our community.”

Here’s how much good: Last year, the Seattle-based chapter granted 350 wishes. “The new target is 500 wishes,” says McConnell, who counts 300 active volunteers in the organization. Volunteers don’t do ordinary volunteer work at Make-A-Wish; a team of two volunteers is assigned to meet with every family, ask the child for a dream wish and call it in to the staff for a brainstorming session. After the staff approves a wish, volunteers plan and deliver the wish to the family. “Volunteers are our main liaison with families,” says McConnell, “not staff.”

The local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation has had only had three CEOs in its 40 years. Joining former leaders Melissa Arias (right) and Barry McConnell (left) is current CEO Trina Cottingham.

Arias’ connections to the UW run deep and paid off handsomely in her Make-A-Wish career. Her great grandfather, grandfather and mom are UW alumni, and while the Bellevue native considered going away to college, she ultimately chose the UW. What a good call that was; she met her husband here and had her wedding photos taken on campus. As an undergrad majoring in political science and economics, she had an internship at Fred Hutch Cancer Center and loved it. That’s where she found her calling to work in the social-service non-profit world.

Before joining the Make-A-Wish Foundation, “I’d worked at organizations with multi-pronged mission statements,” says Arias, who also worked as a lawyer. “But we have such a dear focus, and it so exciting to see everyone behind you. I have loved every role I’ve ever had working with people who experience homelessness, environmental policy but there is something magical about focusing on children and community.”

Arias also spent 10 years as UW Bothell’s chief advancement officer, raising money to open three buildings on the Bothell campus and providing students with critical services.

The Washington-Alaska chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation has demonstrably grown since its founding four decades ago. It started with one employee and was entirely volunteer-run, granting six wishes in its first year. McConnell brought in the first paid staff staff and turned the office into a fundraising machine that brought in millions of dollars to serve the needs of children and families in distress. Today, Cottingham has a staff of 36. (By contrast, the Wyoming Make-A-Wish Foundation has a staff of three.)

And many of them work there a long, long time.

As for why this heartfelt organization has been led exclusively by UW graduates, Arias points out, “You get an excellent education at the UW. And graduates stay close to home. [As students], we knew wanted to give back to our community. And at the UW, you get an education that teaches you to solve problems.”

Of course, the Make-A Wish Foundation couldn’t do its work without its extensive network of partnerships. Thousands of volunteers, donors and medical professionals in the community help deliver on the Make-A-Wish mission to more than 9,200 local children between the ages of 2½ and 17. Wishes range from trips to Disney amusement parks to wanting to meet a mermaid in Hawaii to meeting kids’ favorite celebrities and athletes.
“All three of us [CEOs] wanted to make an impact,” says Cottingham. “It drives everything. My trajectory at the UW got me where I wanted to go.”