Ian McDermott is Founder and Chief Executive of International Teaching Seminars

Stephanie Ellis-Smith is the CEO and founder of Phīla Engaged Giving, a philanthropic advisory firm founded in 2017 that works with donors who are ready to activate their assets for social change. As an advisor and social impact specialist, she works toward a world where philanthropy is a nurturing and equity-centered practice that connects wealth to the people and communities who need it most.

Stephanie is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) and has extensive experience in advising high-impact individuals and companies. She believes strongly in being a compassionate and generous member of society and brings nearly 30 years of her professional and personal life experience in governance, family wealth, and nonprofit leadership to the social sector.

In the wake of the racial uprisings of 2020, she co-founded Giving Gap, an online database of Black-founded and led organizations as a means to help donors find and support them in their communities. Having served in a variety of professional capacities—non-profit CEO, social enterprise COO, foundation and non-profit trustee, and corporate board member—her diverse experience and deep knowledge makes her uniquely well-positioned to be a trusted advisor to the world’s most generous families and institutions.

Stephanie’s expertise in navigating wealth, impactful generosity, and civic engagement is frequently sought by leading philanthropic institutions and mainstream publications, and as a keynote speaker of major social sector convenings. She has been appointed by multiple Seattle mayors and Former Washington Governor Gary Locke to serve on a variety of boards and public commissions. She currently serves on the Seattle Art Museum’s Museum Development Authority Board and is on the board of the National Center for Family Philanthropy. She was appointed a Dean of Philanthropy in 2022 by The Purposeful Planning Institute.

Stephanie has a BA from UCLA in English Literature and Biochemistry. Given her keen interest in science, her post-graduate years were spent in university labs working on stem cell and AIDS-related research. She has two adult children and lives in Seattle with her husband, Douglas Smith.

Michael Blacksburg is a senior estate planning attorney with a diverse background in estate, business and wealth advisory. Michael Blacksburg started practicing law in San Francisco in 2001, beginning his career as a tenants’ rights attorney. In 2005, Michael discovered his passion for estate planning when he was asked by the AIDS Legal Referral Panel to be available for deathbed Wills. It turned out to be the most moving experience of his legal career. Beyond the gratification of helping others to preserve the life they love and maintain a legacy beyond their death, he learned so much about what is truly important to people as they near that passage.

In 2014, Michael closed his neighborhood law practice in the Castro to work with a Private Bank, helping his clients with complicated wealth and family structures develop and communicate their wealth and estate plans. Michael led a team of subject matter experts to deliver comprehensive wealth management and advice to his clients. In that role, Michael brought his neighborhood sensibilities to these complexities and focused on a values-centered approach to planning, management and communication.  In 2018, Michael joined Continuity Family Business Consulting as its West Coast family consultant.  He obtained his certificate in leadership coaching from Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership and later earned his coaching credentialization through the International Coaching Federation.  In his role as family business consultant, Michael worked as part of a multi-disciplinary team supporting family business operations and succession planning.  He coached rising gen leaders as well as senior gen transition in both family and business spheres.  

In 2019, Michael re-established his law practice with the intent to bring the skills learned through his professional hiatus back to Main Street.  In so doing, he has taken leadership positions in his personal and professional communities to support a more thoughtful process to estate planning.   

Michael is a rare find in today’s legal world: a knowledgeable generalist who can be your family attorney and counselor. With a background in law and wealth management, Michael brings extensive experience to his current practice, transcending the mechanics of document preparation by becoming connected to what really matters most in his clients’ lives. It’s this passion for estate planning combined with Michael’s integrity and discretion that make him the top-rated lawyer on Yelp.com with over 150 five-star reviews.

Drawing on his experience as a small business owner, husband, father, world traveler, Eagle Scout, and member of the Burning Man community, Michael has a friendly, approachable, and accommodating style to law and life in general.