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