Allison Bay: Microsoft, Software Tester

Allison works for Microsoft as a Software Tester.  She was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but has lived most of her life in the Seattle area.  She has a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Washington.  After working for a few years after college she went back to school and received a Certificate in Programming from North Seattle Community College and started at Microsoft right after finishing her certificate.

Allison has participated in a few student exchanges to Germany - one in high school near Cologne, and a second in college to Tübingen.  While in Tuebingen she met her husband who is from Stuttgart.  They now live in Seattle with their two sons, who they are raising to be bilingual (German and English).  She is looking forward to expanding her German connections into her professional life.

In her free time she enjoys sewing, traveling and playing with her two sons.

Gregory McClure: Zeeks, Director of Business Admin.

Greg is a native of Colorado, and moved up to Seattle to attend the University of Washington.  He majored in German language and literature, and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study abroad.  He spent one quarter in Vienna Austria, then one year at the Justus-Liebig University in Germany.  After graduation, he worked in Heidelberg as a project manager intern for a technical translating company.  In 2000 Greg returned to Seattle to his current employer, Zeeks Pizza.  He helped my brother open the first store in 1993, worked in the kitchens through college, and came back from Germany when the opportunity came to lead Zeeks at a different capacity.  Zeeks currently has 150 employees, and as director of business administration, Greg oversees human resources, call center operations, distribution, payroll, vendor management, etc., and works closely with others in developing new stores and future growth. 

Greg is also still involved with the UW Germanics as a member of the advisory board to the department. 

His hobbies are skiing, snowboarding, traveling, playing hockey, spending time with my wife and two dogs, and cooking- they love great food and wine, and spend a lot of time together in the kitchen.

Kimberly Wilson: Aerojet, Program Manager

Kim lives in Seattle and is a Program Manager of Rocket Engine  technology development programs at Aerojet in Redmond, Washington. In  this capacity she is responsible for leading engineering teams on  various in-space propulsion technology research and development  programs. Kim grew up in Spokane and moved to Seattle to study  Chemistry at the University of Washington. After graduation, she took  a job at Rocket Research Company in Redmond where she devoted 3-years  to liquid and solid propellant chemistry research and development. As  her career developed, she leveraged her strengths in engineering  towards developing solid propellant based inflation and deployment  devices, fast activating fire suppression systems, and most recently,  bi-propellant rocket engine technology development.

Kim aspires to have a balanced life, by complimenting her love for  engineering with outdoor activities. Living in Seattle allows her to  pursue her passion for both the mountains and the ocean. She is an  avid snowboarder and mountain biker. She bike-commutes 20 miles to  work several times a week along the Burke-Gilman Trail and enters  local triathlon and running races throughout the year. More recently  Kim has taken up surfing and claims that it is the most challenging  activity that she has tried.

She loves to travel, and is looking forward to getting to know and  experience the people and country of Bavaria.
 

Susan Zimmerman: US Government Accounting Office, Senior Analyst

Susan is currently a senior analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, where she evaluates federal programs and policies – currently, in the transportation arena – for Congress.  Susan grew up in Hattiesburg, MS, and moved to the Seattle area three years ago.  Prior to making a move to the Northwest, Susan received a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Chicago in 2002 and a degree in International Studies from the University of North Carolina in 2000.

Susan has visited Germany a few times, and although her International Studies degree required numerous German language classes, she is anxious to refresh her German skills prior to embarking upon the trip to Bavaria. 

In her free time, Susan volunteers at Harborview Medical Center as a patient/family liaison.  She also enjoys running, baking, and traveling.

Jennifer is a native of Washington, and earned her BA in Business Administration from the University of Washington in 2001.

 

When not staying busy with school, Jennifer enjoys scrapbooking and traveling.  She also volunteers throughout the community and serves on the board of directors for both her homeowners’ association, as well as the Heart of Bellevue Toastmasters.