Majority of Committee is People of Color & Women
Seattle (Nov. 13) – Seattle Mayor-elect Jenny A. Durkan unveiled her full transition committee, a diverse and inclusive group of more than 60 community leaders and experts. The committee includes housing and homelessness advocates, social justice activists, transportation advocates, environmentalists, labor, and business leaders.
“Our transition team reflects the best of Seattle. To solve our affordability, housing, and homelessness crisis, we need urgent action and innovative ideas. These community leaders and policy experts from all parts of Seattle will develop key achievable policy recommendations to make differences not just in the short term, but which help build a progressive, innovative and inclusive city for the next generation,” said Mayor-elect Jenny Durkan.
The transition committee will further develop short-term policy solutions focused on housing, homelessness, affordability, and many others. The committee will coalesce with final recommendations around the following: Environment and Transportation; Education, Economic Opportunity, Jobs and Innovation; Social Justice, Equity, and Healthy Communities; Good Government; Civil Rights and Criminal Justice Reform; and Affordability, Displacement, Housing and Homelessness.
“We are facing unprecedented challenges as a city, and we want to have a myriad of voices at the table to ensure we are making decisions that will have the most impact and provide immediate relief within our communities,” Durkan concluded. Every member themselves will be reaching out to bring an even greater range of ideas to the table.
Last week, Durkan selected former Deputy Secretary of the US Department of HUD and King County Executive Ron Sims, Transportation Choices Coalition Executive Director, Shefali Ranganathan, and Plymouth Housing Executive Director Paul Lambros as Co-Chairs of her transition committee.
The committee will have three meetings, including its first meeting on Thursday, November 16, a second meeting on Monday, November 27, and a third meeting in December.
Transition Committee Members:
Adrian Z. Diaz
Lieutenant, Seattle Police Department
Angela Stowell
United Way, Campaign Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Stowell Restaurants
Anne Lee
TeamChild, Executive Director
Asha Mohamed
Women’s Advocacy Center, Co-Founder
Behnaz Nelson
PTE Local 17, Executive Director
Bill Hallerman
Catholic Community Services of King County, Agency Director
Brianna Ishihara
Community Member
Caleb Banta-Green
University of Washington, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, Principal Research Scientist
Charlene Strong
Washington State Human Rights Commission, Chair
Charles Royer
Former Mayor of Seattle
Cherry Cayabyab
Community Activist
Colleen Echohawk
Chief Seattle Club, Executive Director
Dave Gering
Manufacturing Industrial Council, Executive Director
Dave Stewart
Vulcan, Executive Vice President and General Counsel
David Della
Former Seattle City Councilmember
David Rolf
SEIU 775, President
Diane Sosne
SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, President
Eileen Sullivan
Amazon, Senior Manager, U.S. State Public Policy
Eileen V. Quigley
Clean Energy Transition, Director
Emilio Garza
The Washington Bus, Executive Director
Ezra Teshome
Community Leader
Gordon McHenry, Jr.
Solid Ground, President & CEO
Helen Howell
Building Changes, Executive Director
Jan Drago
Former Seattle City Councilmember
Jerry Everard
Capitol Hill and Belltown Business Owner
Jordan Royer
Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, VP for External Affairs, Manufacturing Industrial Council Board Member, and Washington CeaseFire Board Member
Jorge L. Barón
NW Immigrant Rights Project, Executive Director
Juan Cotto
El Centro de la Raza, President of the Board, and Board Member of Sound Mental Health
Kathleen Taylor
ACLU – Washington, Executive Director
Lauren McGowan
United Way, Sr. Director, Ending Homelessness & Poverty
The Honorable Leonard Forsman
The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, President and Suquamish Tribe, Chair
Leonard Smith
Teamsters 117, Director of Organizing & Strategic Campaigns
Linda Di Lello Morton
Greater Seattle Business Association, Board Member, and Terra Plata, Owner
Lisa Daugaard
Public Defender Association, Director
Louise Chernin
Greater Seattle Business Association, President & CEO
Lt. Kenny Stuart
Seattle Fire Fighters Union, IAFF Local 27, President
Marcos Martinez
Casa Latina, Executive Director
Mariko Lockhart
National Coordinator, 100,000 Opportunities Initiative – Demonstration Cities, The Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions
Martha Kongsgaard
Kongsgaard-Goldman Foundation, President
Marty Hartman
Mary’s Place, Executive Director
Mary Jean Ryan
Community Center for Education Results, Executive Director
Maud Daudon
Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, President & CEO
Mohamed Sheikh Hassan
East African Community Leader
Monisha Harrell
Equal Rights Washington, Chair
Monty Anderson
Seattle Building and Construction Trades Council, Executive Secretary
Nicole Grant
M. L. King County Labor Council, Executive Secretary Treasurer
Norm Rice
Former Mayor of Seattle
Ollie Garrett
Tabor 100, President
Patrice Thomas
Rainier Beach Action Coalition, Strategist
Paul Lambros
Plymouth Housing, Executive Director
Riall Johnson
De-Escalate Washington, Campaign Manager
Ron Sims
Former King County Executive and Former Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
Roxana Norouzi
OneAmerica, Deputy Director
Ruthann Kurose
Community Leader
Ryan Calo
University of Washington School of Law, Lane Powell and D. Wayne Gittinger Associate Professor
Shefali Ranganathan
Transportation Choices Coalition, Executive Director
Sheila Edwards Lange, Ph.D
Seattle Central College, President
Stephan Blanford
Education Researcher
Taylor Hoang
Ethnic Business Coalition, Executive Director
Thatcher Bailey
Seattle Parks Foundation, President and CEO
Trish Millines Dziko
TAF, Executive Director