2024 Women in Leadership Panelists

Megan Gluth-Bohan

Owner and Chief Executive Officer 
Catalynt

As the owner and CEO of Catalynt, a US-based chemical distributor headquartered near Seattle, Washington, and one of the largest woman-owned suppliers of raw materials and ingredients in North America, Meg is an energetic leader who crafts and implements a creative vision for her companies futures.

Her background as an attorney makes her pragmatic and effective in decision making and leadership. Passionate about people and commerce development, Meg challenges her teams to be excellent and rigorous. Meg serves as the Vice Chairman of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD). She is an Executive Advisor on the Board of Women in Chemicals, a past NACD Director at Large and the former Treasurer of the Chemical Education Foundation. She has served as a member of several industry committees and is deeply committed to the strength of American enterprise. Meg was named an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023, a Women’s Presidents Organization (WPO) "Woman to Watch," and National Association of Chemical Distributors "Distributor of the Year" award in 2022, as well as being named a Puget Sound Business Journal "40 Under 40" Honoree. 

Meg earned her BA from the University of Minnesota and her law degree from the University of St. Thomas School of Law. She is licensed to practice in Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington. She lives with her wife and two daughters near Seattle.

Lynne K. Varner
Chief Executive Officer
Washington STEM

Lynne K. Varner is the Chief Executive Officer for Washington STEM. She is an education leader and award-winning journalist recognized for her groundbreaking stories and commentary on race relations and public education.

As a first-generation college graduate, Varner brings a lifelong commitment to broadening access to education for students in Washington. Prior to her work at Washington STEM, Lynne served in leadership roles at Washington State University, where she led initiatives to increase college enrollment and public-private partnerships in underserved communities. Her strategic conversations with education and community leaders were vital to campus expansion and student engagement efforts at the Everett campus.

Varner received a Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of Maryland and earned a certificate in specialized media training on education policy from Columbia University School of Journalism. She has served on several boards and is known for her leadership in media relations, public affairs, and DEI leadership strategy. In her spare time, Lynne enjoys soaking up the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Grace Yoo
Executive Director
Washington State Women's Commission

Appointed by Governor Jay Inslee in May 2023, Grace Yoo currently serves as Executive Director of the Washington State Women's Commission. Prior to joining the Governor's cabinet, Grace worked for Starbucks, leading the company's efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its retail stores. Her team was recognized by President Biden's administration as part of the Federal Buy Clean initiative.

Grace has served as a diplomat with the U.S. Foreign Service, where she covered topics such as human rights and labor issues at American embassies in China, Korea, and Germany. In her overseas consular assignments, Grace advocated for the rights of Americans incarcerated in foreign countries and assisted victims of assault returning home to the United States. She also served in several roles at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., including as an advisor to the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.

Grace received a bachelor's degree in East Asian studies from UCLA and a master's degree in international and intercultural communications from American University. She speaks fluent written and spoken Korean and has intermediate proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.