Mayor-Elect Bruce Harrell Announces Transition Team and Structure

Harrell assembles 12 committees with nearly 150 Seattle leaders representing the diversity of our city to help set the agenda and drive solutions on critical issues facing the Emerald City

Seattle – Today, Seattle Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell announced members of his transition team and the team’s overall structure, as he seeks experienced leadership and community voices to define his administration. The transition effort, built around 12 topically-oriented committees, will be chaired by former United States Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Equal Opportunity Schools Interim CEO Eddie Lincoln, Uwajimaya President and CEO Denise Moriguchi, and Sea Mar founder and CEO Rogelio Riojas, along with twenty-three co-team leads, and nearly 150 overall members.

“We are building a one-of-a-kind, diverse, and skilled team, filled with the energy and expertise needed to ensure our administration hits the ground running,” said Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell. “With this transition team in place, we have the opportunity in front of us to thoughtfully develop the urgent and forward-looking agenda that will restore our City and propel Seattle forward. I look forward to taking this team’s input and recommendations and putting them into action as we determine our 100 Day and Year One agenda, rebuild trust in City government, and chart Seattle’s future.”

Delivering on his pledge to center and unite the City around progress and shared values, Harrell has assembled a robust and comprehensive team of local civic, business, conservation, youth advocacy, philanthropy, labor, and community leaders to shape and define his agenda. Broken up into twelve issue-specific groups, nearly 150 members make up the most racially and ideologically diverse mayoral transition team in Seattle history. Each group will meet several times over the next two months to discuss and define priorities and focuses for the incoming administration.

The twelve groups are organized around the following focus areas: Arts, Culture, and Nightlife; Climate and Environment; Education and Youth; Government Operations; Housing and Homelessness; Labor and Workforce; Philanthropy; Public Health; Safety and Justice; Small and Local Business; Transportation and Land Use; and Sports and Mentorship.

Team leaders from each of those individual groups will meet as a committee led by Jewell, Lincoln, Moriguchi, and Riojas, identifying mutual priorities, overlapping policy goals, and interconnected opportunities; considering recommendations; and developing frameworks for the Mayor-elect to adopt.

“In this transition team, the Mayor-elect is setting the tone for an administration that is inclusive, dynamic, and diligent,” said former United States Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. “The members of this team are policy experts and government leaders, CEOs and workers, Seattleites with real lived and professional experience addressing the issues facing our City. The structure Mayor-elect Harrell has put in place allows these team members to discuss and originate policy, then collaborate and build consensus to best address the needs and intersections of the challenges facing Seattle, from housing and homelessness to public safety and climate action. I’m eager to help guide this work as a transition chair.”

“I know the Mayor-elect called together this team with the values of representation and equity at the forefront and as defining features,” said Eddie Lincoln, interim CEO of Equal Opportunity Schools. “Having leadership at the top that accurately reflects our communities is what is needed to ensure all voices are heard and the best outcomes are reached. Additionally, the Mayor-elect’s specific focus on mentorship, youth, and education demonstrates an important and thorough focus on developing an agenda for not just the challenges of today, but also the opportunities of tomorrow. It’s my honor to help lead and organize this effort.”

“I’m excited Mayor-elect Harrell has made Seattle’s small businesses and working families core to this transition effort,” said Uwajimaya President and CEO Denise Moriguchi. “As we work to exit the pandemic, those local perspectives are integral to constructing a plan that ensures economic recovery and future growth. I’m looking forward to serving as a transition chair and working with this team and the Mayor-elect to set the groundwork for the City of Seattle as a key partner in creating jobs, connecting residents to career opportunities, supporting new and developing businesses, and giving workers the support they need to succeed and thrive.”

“Whether expanding health care access to all Seattleites or addressing the homelessness crisis with urgency and compassion, Mayor-elect Harrell has put forward bold policy proposals to help those most in need and create change,” said Sea Mar Founder and CEO Rogelio Riojas. “With this transition plan in place, the Mayor-elect is taking the necessary steps to make these programs and policies real, to elevate additional needed ideas, and to ensure his administration uplifts marginalized and underrepresented communities in planning and in action. I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this effort and serve alongside so many impressive local leaders.”

“After a very long – and, at times, very divisive – campaign season, the most important thing we can do to get off on the right foot is demonstrate our commitment to bringing our City together,” said Harrell. “We cannot accomplish the big ideas or lead the innovations I envision without guidance from a wide array of community members and stakeholders. By calling together this roster of leaders to help define our administration’s priorities, I am making clear my intention for everyone to have a seat at the table.”

See the current list of team members below (italics indicates team lead, organizations listed for identifying purposes only, and names subject to change):

Transition Team Chairs

Sally Jewell, Former United States Secretary of the Interior

Eddie Lincoln, Interim CEO, Equal Opportunity Schools

Denise Moriguchi, President and CEO, Uwajimaya

Rogelio Riojas, Founder and CEO, Sea Mar

Arts, Culture, and Nightlife

Kate Becker, Creative Economy & Recovery Director, King County

Sung Yang, Former Deputy Executive, King County

Royal Alley-Barnes, Interim Director, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture

Manny Cawaling, CEO, Inspire Washington

Duff McKagan, Musician

Dr. Quentin Morris, Musician and Associate Professor, Seattle University

Constance Rice, Civic Leader

Climate and Environment

Jessyn Farrell, Former State Representative

Ken Lederman, Environmental Attorney; Washington Conservation Voters Board

Joanna Grist, Environmental Advocate

Jessica Finn Coven, Former Director, Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment

Sally Jewell, Former United States Secretary of the Interior

Joyce Kelly, Former Executive Staff, Region 10 EPA

Hamdi Mohamed, Port Commissioner-Elect

Eric Salathé, Associate Professor and Climate Scientist, University of Washington

Paula Sardinas, Consultant

Clifford Traisman, Environmental Advocate

Education and Youth

Alexes Harris, Professor of Sociology, University of Washington

Eddie Lincoln, Interim CEO, Equal Opportunity Schools

Janie White, Vice President, Washington Education Association

Sally Clark, Former City Councilmember, City of Seattle

Tracy Flynn, School Inclusion Consultant

Brandon Hersey, School Board Member, Seattle School Board

Dr. Brent Jones, Superintendent, Seattle Public Schools

Dr. Shouan Pan, Chancellor, Seattle Colleges

Margaret Shepherd, University of Washington Administration

Vivian Song Maritz, School Board Member-Elect, Seattle School Board

Sharon Tomiko Santos, State Representative

Government Operations

Tim Ceis, Former Deputy Mayor, City of Seattle

Hyeok Kim, Former Deputy Mayor, City of Seattle

Mike Fong, Former Deputy Mayor, City of Seattle

Calvin Goings, Director, City of Seattle Finance and Administrative Services

Kimberly Loving, Director, City of Seattle Department of Human Resources

Robert Nellams, Director, Seattle Center

George Northcroft, Retired Regional Administrator, US General Services Administration

Housing and Homelessness

Marco Lowe, Housing and Education Leader

Nicole Macri, State Representative

Marc Dones, CEO, Regional Homelessness Authority

Angela Dunleavy, CEO, Farestart

Leo Flor, Director, King County Department of Community and Human Services

Lindsey Grad, SEIU 1199NW

Paul Lambros, CEO, Plymouth Housing

Patience Malaba, Director of Government Relations and Policy, Housing Development Consortium

Daniel Malone, Executive Director, Downtown Emergency Service Center

Barb Oliver, Director of Operations, Sound Foundations NW

George Scarola, Former Director of Homelessness, City of Seattle

Leslie Smith, Vulcan

Anthony Wright, Chief Operating Officer, Pioneer Human Services

Labor and Workforce

Katie Garrow, King County Labor Council

Kenny Stuart, IAFF 27

Monty Anderson, Seattle-King County Building Trades

Marsha Botzer, Pride at Work

Karen Estevenin, Protec17

Samantha Grad, UFCW 21

Zenia Javalera, SEIU 6

Steve Kovac, IBEW Local 77

Chris Lampkin, SEIU 1199NW

David Rolf, SEIU 725 (former)

John Searcey, Teamsters 117

Mark Watson, Washington State Council of County and City Employees

Philanthropy

Katherine Cheng, Sustainability, Social Impact, and Philanthropy Leader

Andi Smith, Executive Director, Ballmer Group

Connie Ballmer, Co-Founder, Ballmer Group

David Bley, CEO, Seattle Foundation

Gordon McHenry, President and CEO, United Way King County

Darrell Powell, Chief Finance Officer, YMCA of Greater Seattle

Dennis Quirin, Executive Director, Raikes Foundation

Alice Shobe, Global Director, Amazon in the Community

Neal Myrick, Vice President Social Impact, Tableau (Salesforce)

Public Health

Rogelio Riojas, Founder and CEO, Sea Mar

Dr. Ben Danielson, UW Medicine

David Frockt, State Senator

Libby Gates-McPhee, Behavioral Health Leader

Hilary Godwin, Dean, University of Washington School of Public Health

Sterling Harders, SEIU 775

Teresa Mosqueda, City Councilmember, City of Seattle

Dr. Paul Ramsey, CEO, UW Medicine

Mary Ellen Stone, Executive Director, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center

Fred Swanson, Executive Director, Gay City

Dennis Worsham, Interim Director, Public Health – Seattle & King County

Safety and Justice

Kim Bogucki, Seattle PD Detective and Co-Founder, The IF Project

Hon. Bonnie Glenn

Monica Alexander, Interim Executive Director, Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center

DeVitta Briscoe, Executive Director, Not This Time

Tim Burgess, Former Mayor and City Councilmember, City of Seattle

Mo Classen, Former Prosecutor, King County

Gabe Galanda, Attorney

Erin Goodman, SODO BIA

Darrah Hinton, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, King County

Renée Hopkins, Alliance for Gun Responsibility

Aleksa Manila, Drag Queen and Behavioral Health Counselor

David Perez, Attorney

Harold Scoggins, Fire Chief, Seattle Fire Department

Small and Local Business

Ollie Garrett, President and CEO, Tabor 100

Rachel Smith, CEO, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce

Rita Brogan, Founder, PRR

Louise Chernin, Former President and CEO, GSBA

Joe Fugere, Small Business Owner, Tutta Bella

Shelley Gaddie, Founder and President, ProjectCorps

Taylor Hoang, Amazon

Carmen Mayo, President, The Links Seattle

Nate Miles, Civic and Business Leader

Denise Moriguchi, President and CEO, Uwajimaya

Linda Di Lello Morton, Small Business Owner, Terra Plata

Tom Norwalk, Visit Seattle

Kylie Rolf, Downtown Seattle Association

Peter Schrappen, Northwest Marine Trade Association

Brad Silverberg, Business Leader

Barb Wilson, Microsoft

Transportation and Land Use

Genesee Adkins, WSP

Rob Johnson, Former City Councilmember, City of Seattle

Derrick Belgarde, Executive Director, Chief Seattle Club

Adiam Emery, Division Director, Seattle Department of Transportation

Chris Gregorich, Seattle Department of Transportation

Ada Healey, Vulcan

Ben Maritz, Housing Leader

Chris Thomas, Lyft

Javier Valdez, State Representative

Terry White, General Manager, King County Metro

James Wong, CEO, Vibrant Cities

Sports and Mentorship

Gerald Hankerson, President, Alaska, Oregon and Washington State Area Conference of the NAACP

Dawn Trudeau, Seattle Storm

Laurie Black, President and CEO, Boys and Girls Clubs of King County

Beth Knox, President, Seattle Sports Commission

Peter Lukevich, Attorney and Sports Field Advocate

Maya Mendoza-Extrom, Seattle Sounders FC

Eric Pettigrew, Former State Representative

Fred Rivera, Seattle Mariners

Wally Walker, Former Player and Executive, Seattle SuperSonics