National Women's Political Caucus of Washington

PIERCE COUNTY 

Robin Farris
Puyallup City Council, Pos. 1

Robin Farris is a Navy veteran who served for twenty-three years in different locations around the world, including Japan, Iceland, California, and the UK, but is also a Puyallup native who is passionate about her community. Since her retirement from the Navy, Farris has worked as a learning and development specialist with insurance companies, and also as a small business manager.

She has always had a passion for civic matters, but she realized her passion for engagement when she headed the recall initiative for former Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam, which significantly impacted the following election and voter education. If elected, she wants to directly address issues of infrastructure, public safety, and budget processes and ensure government cooperation and understanding of the community they are serving.

KING COUNTY 

Rebecca Saldana
37th Legislative District, Senate

Rebecca Saldana

Manka Dhingra
45th Legislative District, Senate

Manka Dhingra

Patty Kuderer
48th Legislative District, Senate

Senator Patty Kuderer was appointed tin January to the Washington State Senate to represent the 48th District (Bellevue, Redmond, Clyde Hill) and is running for reelection. She wants to run to continue to advocate for full funding of education, gender pay equity, reproductive freedom, and more. She believes in the social, economic, and political equality of women.

Patty is also a member of the Financial Institutions & Insurance and State Government Committees where she has worked on legislation to expand voting rights with same day registration and to strengthen consumer protection in financial transactions. She has over 30 years of experience as a trial attorney in both public and private practice. She has specialized in representing clients who faced employment discrimination, and people injured by drunk or negligent drivers. She also volunteers in her community for her local PTA and for numerous nonprofits.

Vandana Slatter
48th Legislative District, Representative Pos. 1

Dr. Vandana Slatter is a community leader, public school parent, and biotech and health professional. A Doctor of Pharmacy (UW), Vandana has worked for the past twenty-five years in the biotech industry bringing multiple parties together, making sense of complex information, and achieving safe and efficient solutions to best serve patients.

In addition, Vandana has served on the Overlake Hospital Foundation’s Board of Trustees and has helped raise funds supporting the Cancer Center at Overlake and mental health programs on the Eastside. Vandana earned an Executive MPA Intern to U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, and was appointed to the Washington State Board of Pharmacy (now the Pharmacy Assurance Commission) by Governor Christine Gregoire in 2007. She has also served on the Foundation Board of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington where she advocated for medically accurate health education in schools.

Karol Brown
Bellevue City Council, Pos. 4

Karol Brown was born and raised in Federal Way, Washington. After earning Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and International Studies from the University of Washington, she graduated from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government with a Master’s degree in Public Policy, and then went on to Yale Law School for her Law degree. In 2012, Brown started World One Law Group, a thriving immigration law practice in South Bellevue, where she helps businesses and families navigate complex immigration issues, and manages a growing team of immigration law professionals. Prior to starting her own firm, she clerked for Judge Thomas Zilly of the Western District Court of Washington, worked as an associate at a large local law firm, and served as the Policy and Advocacy Director at OneAmerica. She went on to join the adjunct faculty at University of Washington School of Law, and worked in Microsoft’s Law and Corporate Affairs group.

Karol has been an Eastgate resident for more than 15 years, and dedicated her career to serving families looking for a better life. She looks forward to continuing that service at a community level and bring the voices of those too often unheard to the City Council.

Lynne Robinson
Bellevue City Council, Pos. 6

Marlla Mhoon was first elected to the Covington City Council in 2005, then was elected in 2006 after teaching in the Tahoma School District in Maple Valley for 25 years and with a strong record of engagement in educational advocacy, environmental conservation, and leadership development. She represents the City of Covington on several regional committees with the Suburban Cities Association, the King County Flood Control District Committee, and is Co-Chair of the Water Resource Inventory Area Green Duwamish Ecosystem Forum. Council Member Mhoon is committed to developing a plan for long-term growth for the City of Covington.

Janice Zahn
Bellevue City Council, Pos. 5

Janice was born in Hong Kong and moved to the United States over 40 years ago. Janice has a double Masters in Structural Engineering and in Public Administration from the University of Washington, has been leading Construction Management for the Port of Seattle for nearly a decade. In that role, she oversees the Port’s Major Public Works construction with over 50 employees and consultants and a construction budget of over $250 million in 2017. She has served on the City of Bellevue Transportation Commission since 2013, where she helped shape the Commission’s review and recommendations regarding the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan, Vision Zero policy updates, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Implementation Initiative and Multi-modal level of service. She is also a graduate of Advance Bellevue (a legacy program of Leadership Eastside) and is currently in the Leadership Tomorrow program.

Janice believes strongly in helping others, to see them engage, grow and prosper. A mother of two daughters, Megan (18) and Leah (16), Janice has been engaged in many ways with the city of Bellevue and the Eastside. She has been a leader with the PTA, first at Puesta del Sol Elementary and currently at the International School where she serves as the Legislative Chair. She has also served as a Girl Scout leader for over 10 years, led PEPs groups for new parents, and volunteered with local organizations committed to children and families, homelessness and food insecurity. Janice Zahn lives in the Greenwich Crest neighborhood with her husband of 27 years, Dwain, and their daughters.

Amy Ockerlander
Duvall Mayor

Amy Ockerlander is a two-term Duvall City council member elected in 2009 and 2013. She currently serves as Mayor Pro Tem and is a candidate for Mayor in the November 2017 election. She holds a bachelors of Interdisciplinary Studies from Eastern Washington University.

From 2004 through 2013 Amy held many positions in politics and government including managing legislative races in the 45 th district, serving as a legislative assistant in Olympia and at the executive management level in county government working on constituent issues, legislation and policy, emergency public information and strategic advising.

Amy serves on a number of regional and statewide committees representing the council and assisting with policy formation at the county, state, and federal levels. She also holds a Certificate of Advanced Municipal Leadership through the Association of Washington Cities, Bronze Level Certification through the National League of Cities Leadership Training Instituted and is a 2013 graduate of both Leadership Eastside and Leadership Eastside Executive Insight. She is a strong advocate for women who will work to ensure equal pay, access to full-reproductive healthcare and paid parental leave.

Susan Honda
Federal Way Mayor

Susan was elected to the City Council in 2011. Served as chair of the Parks, Rec., Human Services & Public Safety Committee (PRHSPS) for 4 years. She served on the Land Use & Transportation Committee (LUTC) and is currently on the Finance, Economic Development & Regional Affairs Committee (FEDRAC). An advocate for volunteer community organizations, Susan attends and supports many events. Serving as President; Soroptimists International are women at their best helping other women to be their best!

As incoming Co-President; the Kiwanis Club annually hosts the Salmon Bake to raise funds supporting college scholarships, various clubs in the Federal Way school district and other community service clubs throughout the local area. Susan also serves as Advisor to the Federal Way High School Key Club. Susan has trained at the Association of Washington Cities and earned the Certificate of Municipal Leadership. She feels that it is an honor to serve the citizens of Federal Way and is always available to listen to concerns and issues of the citizens and business owners in the city.

Satwinder Kaur
Kent City Council, Pos. 2

Former city employee, Satwinder Kaur is running for Kent City Council to be the voice of all residents of Kent. She is very active as a volunteer and community leader in the city. She works on finding ways to bring communities together as a chair for Kent Cultural Communities board. She worked for Kent city council when she was getting her MBA from University of Washington.

Satwinder and her son regularly volunteer in the Kent Parks removing invasive blackberries and planting natives. She helps organize Kent International Festival, is on the board for Greater Kent Historical Society and is an executive member of PTA. She raised her son as a single parent, while working 2 jobs and attending school. She works tirelessly to improve the lives of those around her, and she plans to continue to do so as a Kent City Councilmember.

Tye Whitfield
Kent City Council, Pos. 4

Tye Whitfield

Elizabeth Albertson
Kent Mayor
Dual Endorsement

Elizabeth Albertson

Dana Ralph
Kent Mayor
Dual Endorsement

Dana Ralph

Karli Jorgensen
Kent Municipal Court, Pos. 1

Karli Jorgensen

Denice Carnahan
King County Council, Pos. 9

Denice Carnahan

Mitzi Johanknecht
King County Sheriff

A 32-year veteran of the King County Sheriff’s Office, Mitzi Johanknecht has served King County at nearly every rank and is currently a Major commanding the Southwest Precinct. Mitzi was the first woman to command TAC-30, the King County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, and has served in leadership roles in every division and location in the Sheriff’s Office. As a deputy, she was the first to work with a multi-disciplinary team in King County housing projects. She collaborated with other agencies, community groups and residents to build relationships and trust, promoting public safety. Mitzi is a member of the Board of Directors of Companis, a local non-profit that fills staffing gaps of nonprofit agencies with volunteer professionals these groups may not otherwise be able to afford.

Her volunteer work fulfills a broader personal goal to advance social justice causes. She’s an associate member of the Seattle Women’s / Seattle Men’s Choruses (Flying House Productions) where she works on the production team during show runs. An experienced law enforcement leader with a track record of success, Johanknecht is running for Sheriff because she believes the people of King County and the employees of the Sheriff’s Office deserve a progressive law enforcement leader who will restore honor and integrity to the office and focus on the business of public safety.Mitzi is married to Maureen, her partner and wife of sixteen years and the couple live in West Seattle. Their adult daughter, Sydni, lives with her husband Scott in Brooklyn, New York.

Uzma Butte
Kirkland City Council, Pos. 7

Uzma Butte is an educator and an activist who advocates progressive values and social justice. She is a candidate for Kirkland City Council. She is seeking to engage in city government to ensure that Kirkland is a place where all families can live, and small businesses can thrive. She will advocate for more affordable housing, improved senior centers, better parks, effective transit, and balanced growth. She is proud supporter of public school education. She has been a member of the PTSA at both her children’s schools. Her affiliations with Kirkland Rotary Club and East Shore Universalists enable her to bring people together to help with women's and children’s issues and bring awareness to causes concerning social justice She believes in building private-public collaborations , when tackling issues, and wants to bring more transparency and fiscal responsibility to City government.

If elected, Uzma would be the only immigrant woman of color on the Kirkland City Council, and will actively work to advocate hiring of qualified women and promoting them to supervisory positions in all City Departments. She sees herself as a role model for women and girls of color; diversity is important to ensuring that we maintain a welcoming community where we call can thrive.

Amy Walen
Kirkland City Council, Pos. 5

Amy is currently serving as Mayor of the City of Kirkland. She holds degrees in Law and Political Science and works as CFO of auto dealerships. Amy cares deeply about representing women and families, especially those note participating in the prosperity of our region. Amy believes that every person is essential, and that our society only works when it works for all of us. Equal pay for equal work, paid parental leave and working conditions that allow Moms to take care of their families are values that Amy advocates for.

Stephanie Bowman
Port of Seattle, Pos. 3

Stephanie Bowman

Claudia Kauffman
Port of Seattle, Pos. 1
Dual Endorsement

Claudia Kauffman

Bea Querido-Rico
Port of Seattle, Pos. 1
Dual Endorsement

Bea manages the department of Strategic Planning for the Port of Seattle and is a currently a World Affairs Council fellow. She spent more than half a decade at The Boeing Company, and held position at the White House, Lockheed Martin, and California State Senator Betty Karnette. She also volunteers her time at St. James Cathedral of Seattle, serving as a lector for her parish and actively contributes to the local Filipino community in Puget Sound. She’s created the Filipinos at Boeing club and a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Airports Council International, and the American Association of Airport Executives. Bea served as an active member of Women in Aviation and Women in Aerospace promoting education, mentorship, and professional growth for young girls and female professionals. She received a business degree at the George Washington University and an engineering degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Universidad de Zaragoza International Logistics & Supply Chain Program. She also completed advanced studies at Stanford University in Advanced Project Management.

Preeti Shridhar
Port of Seattle, Pos. 4

Preeti Shridahr

Jeralee Anderson
Redmond City Council, Pos. 6

Jeralee Anderson

Ruth Perez
Renton City Council, Pos. 6

Born and raised in Mexico City, she majored in Communications in college and landed a prestigious job as a TV reporter for the largest Spanish-speaking network in the world: Televisa. As a journalist in Mexico, she founded three magazines which dealt with the culture, issues and events which were captivating the public’s interest. Ruth owns and operates her own consulting business, and formerly worked for the Mexico Consulate in Seattle for over 10 years. During her tenure at the Consulate’s office, Ruth traveled all over Washington state bringing educational programs to diverse school districts and developing strategic plans to reduce the educational achievement gap among Spanish speaking students. She also implemented the first educational programs offered to the Spanish-speaking population at the Federal Detention Center. This program provided inmates with an opportunity to spend their leisure time in focused, constructive activities. Ruth moved to Seattle in 1997, studying English as a second language at the University of Washington and then finishing her Master’s Degree in 2000. Before graduation, however, she became involved in Washington’s dynamic economic development potential. In 1998, Ruth became the cultural liaison for Governor Gary Locke’s Department of Trade and Economic Development helping the Governor plan his first trade mission to Mexico. Governor Locke was accompanied by over 100 key business and education leaders from throughout the State, and it was Ruth’s job to arrange press conferences, interviews, and press coverage as well as provide support and advice to the Washington delegation and Governor Locke.

Melanie Curtright
Sammamish City Council, Pos. 7

Melanie Curtright is a Senior Program and Project Management Consultant, working at many local multi- national companies. She has managed large, global, cross cultural teams with multi-million dollar budgets over the course of her 30 year career. During that time, she has helped form programs for women in the workplace, providing guidance, education and mentorship to women at all levels of her employers. In addition to her work in the tech industry, she has served as an advocate for adoptive families, a Precinct Committee Officer in the 45 th Legislative District, and a board member of Cambodia Tomorrow, an organization that educates children at a rural Cambodian orphanage. She has volunteered with her sons at Little Bit, PAWS, and EarthCorps As an elected official, Melanie will be hyper focused on ensuring that she advocates for equality for women in the workplace and support for women and children in need.

Minal Ghassemieh
Sammamish City Council, Pos. 3

Minal Ghassemieh grew up in Kenmore, Washington and began community organizing as an eastside representative on King County’s Youth Council. It was during these years that she began advocating on behalf of young people on issues such as truancy, the importance of prevention programs and access to mental health care services. She was invited to attend the Surgeon General’s Conference on Mental Health Care in Washington DC where she assisted in drafting recommendations on behalf of young people around the nation.

While in college she continued community organizing both locally and internationally. She interned at The Northwest Labor and Employment Law Office where I worked on public relations work for plaintiffs involved in Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio, a case concerning employment discrimination in the Alaskan Canning Industry. She was also the youngest member of the Everywoman’s Delegation, where she studied human rights with a diverse group of women and attended an International Women’s Conference in Havana, Cuba. She also interned with Congressman Jim McDermott and spent two years as advisor to the Indian Association of Western Washington’s Youth Board.

During Law School Minal lead the Multicultural Law Caucus. She spent my summers interning with the King County Prosecutor’s Office, the Federal Public Defender’s Office and World Relief. She has spent the last 9 years practicing immigration law, and providing pro bono services to low-income clients through the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. More recently, she also joined other immigration attorneys in Washington State by providing pro bono legal services to individuals in need through OneAmerica and The City of Seattle’s Office Of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. She is Board Chair of API Chaya, a Seattle-based agency that provides services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, and is also a childhood survivor of domestic violence and very vocal in sharing her experiences with the hope of helping others protect themselves from violence. She is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and South Asian Bar Association of Washington.

Karen Howe
Sammamish City Countil, Pos. 3

Karen Howe has lived in Sammamish for 25 years and is a seasoned business leader with more than 20 years of senior management experience. As a former CEO, she understands how to maintain a strong culture with tight financial controls. Karen has also been a Vice President at AOL and was recruited to bring new products to market from within Microsoft Research. She’s currently a marketing and business development consultant.

Her first involvement in the fight for women’s rights was when she was a speaker during the legislative battle over the ERA amendment in Olympia in 1972. Since then she went on to break ground as one of few female CEO’s when she ran Singingfish, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Technicolor in 2004. She also helped grow girl’s lacrosse on the Eastside as an assistant coach and board member. More recently she’s helped lead the Sammamish Huddle in managing their progressive agenda.

In addition to logging hundreds of volunteer hours, Karen has held board-level positions with Cancer Lifeline, PTSA, Eastside Eagles Girls Lacrosse, and her HOA. A strong voice for vulnerable populations, she is a CASA, a court appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children.

Rituja Indapure
Sammamish City Council, Pos. 5

Rituja is a public school parent, tech industry professional and community volunteer. Raised in India, Rituja moved to the United States to pursue her American Dream over 20 years ago. Initially trained as a lawyer, Rituja and her husband moved to Sammamish to raise their family and pursue a career in the tech industry. Rituja has always believed in the value of giving back to her community and has dedicated herself to giving everyone in her community equal access to opportunity. That’s why she got involved her kids’ school first as a Treasurer at Challenger Elementary and then as co-president of the Beaver Lake PTSA. She has volunteered to support homeless youth and with the non-profit Tasveer, has worked to promote arts and culture throughout King County – particularly in underrepresented and diverse communities.

In addition to her active community work, Rituja has worked as a software engineer with local high tech companies, and currently is at Costco as a Senior Analyst.Rituja serves on the board of The Seattle Globalist, is on the Speakers Bureau of Humanities Washington and volunteers with United Way. Rituja is passionate about equal opportunities at work for women, equal pay, paid sick and maternity leave and has supported services that help victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Karen Moran
Sammamish City Council, Pos. 3

Karen Moran

Teresa Mosqueda
Seattle City Council, Pos. 8
Dual Endorsement

Teresa Mosqueda is a longtime advocate with a proven track record fighting for healthy kids, working families, and equitable communities. At the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Teresa has worked to advance immigrant and refugee rights, protect workplace safety, and chaired the state’s largest health care advocacy coalition–the Healthy Washington Coalition. As legislative director of the Children’s Alliance, Teresa advocated for the successful implementation of the state’s Apple Health for Kids program, including the Cover All Kids law which provided care for low-income children across Washington regardless of citizenship status.

With an extensive background in health policy, Teresa was appointed by former Governor Gregoire and current Governor Inslee to serve two terms on Washington’s Exchange Board—the governing body for the Affordable Care Act, now under threat by President-elect Trump and Congressional Republicans.

Teresa has a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Washington and spent a year at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. She later earned her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Evergreen State College. She is a renter in the Queen Anne neighborhood where she lives with her fiancé.

Sara Nelson
Seattle City Council, Pos. 8
Dual Endorsement

Sara Nelson

Sheley Seacrest
Seattle City Council, Pos. 8 
Dual Endorsement

Sheley Seacrest

Charlene Strong
Seattle City Council, Pos. 8
Dual Endorsement

Charlene Strong is civil rights advocate best known for her fight to expand rights and protections for LGBT couples.  A nationally-respected advocate for social justice and civil right issues, Strong is a widely published writer and sought after speaker. Strong has spent the last ten years advocating on behalf of families and the most vulnerable in our society. She has laid out a vision for representing all of Seattle.

Specifically, Strong has promised to fight to make Seattle more affordable, to advocate for small businesses, and to tackle the issue of homelessness, addiction and mental illness.  As a small business owner of an entirely woman-run business with more than 20 years of experience in business management, Strong vows to advocate for small business owners in our city and to ensure that women are able to thrive in business and are provided the support they need to take care of their family. Strong is currently the Chair of the Washington State Human Rights Commission where she leads the Commission’s important work of protecting and expand equality to all Washingtonians.

Lorena Gonzalez
Seattle City Council, Pos. 9

Lorena González has served on theSeattle City Council since her election in 2015. She is an attorney and civil rights leader. She has recently served as a senior advisor and legal counsel to Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. Lorena has helped implement historic minimum wage and worker protections alongside the mayor, unions and progressive leaders. Before working for the Murray administration, Lorena represented women, older workers, low-wage workers and people of color in employment, wage theft, and gender discrimination cases.

Lorena developed a community-private partnership to organize a free monthly bilingual legal clinic, which has served more than 2,000 low-income Seattle residents. She is also the president emeritus of OneAmerica, the state’s largest immigrant and civil rights organization. As well, she served on the Seattle Police Accountability Review Panel and the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission.

Lorena is a past president of the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington’s Board of Directors and was a board member from 2003–2008. In 2009, the Hispanic National Bar Association recognized her as one of seven Top Lawyers Under 40 in the country. Washington Law & Politics recognized Lorena as a Rising Star in Employment Law from 2010-2014.

Jenny Durkan
Seattle Mayor
Dual Endorsement

Jenny Durkan is a first time candidate with a long history in politics in Washington state. After graduating from college she moved to a remote Yupik fishing village in Alaska where she taught English, coached girls’ basketball, and worked as a baggage handler for Wein Air Alaska. She was a dues-paying Teamster and that union job helped her pay for law school. As a lawyer, she represented victims in the worst of circumstances - like the families of four firefighters who died in the Pang warehouse fire and a woman denied the right to see her partner in the hospital after a flash flood took her life. Outside of work, Jenny was a founding Board member for the Center for Women and Democracy, and travelled with the center to Morocco to train women candidates in advance of their historical elections. Jenny was the first Citizen Observer on the Seattle Police Department's Firearms Review Board. She worked for Governor Lowry as his Executive Counsel, and also led the legal team in the 2004 recount that successfully ensured Chris Gregoire became Governor.

In 2009, Jenny became the first openly gay U.S. Attorney in our country’s history. As a U.S. Attorney, Jenny worked with community groups - the ACLU, El Centro, One America, Mothers for Police Accountability, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project - to finally reform the SEattle Police Department. Jenny created a civil rights unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office to focus on housing discrimination, job discrimination and the rights of returning veterans. She also championed state and federal drug courts and a mental health court in King County to provide an alternative to incarceration. Jenny is currently a partner at the law firm of Quinn Emanuel in their Seattle office.

Jessyn Farrell 
Seattle Mayor
Dual Endorsement

Jessyn Farrell joined the race for mayor because she has the bold ideas and the track record of progressive leadership to tackle the urgent challenges our city faces: issues facing renters, young families, and the elderly.

She was born and raised in Lake Forest Park and the Lake City neighborhood, and went on to play the saxophone in the UW Husky Marching Band. After graduating from the University of Washington, she received a JD from Boston College Law School. She was Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition, where she led efforts that resulted in $25 billion in bus, rail, bike and pedestrian investments in Washington State. She continued to advocate for smart investment in public transportation across our region as a Strategic Advisor at Pierce Transit.

Most recently, she represented the 46th Legislative District, which includes Kenmore, Lake Forest Park and parts of North Seattle. As Vice Chair of the House Transportation Committee, she led on the 2015 Connect Washington transportation package and the 2016 legislative authorization of Sound Transit 3 with landmark requirements for affordable housing, secured $500 million for housing and education in Seattle, and passed bills that are making our roads and rail system safer.

As the Chair of the Working Families Caucus in the Legislature, she’s championed the rights of workers, living wages, and mass transit. She crafted legislation raising the minimum wage, expanding paid family and medical leave, and providing accommodations for pregnant working women. She’s also a mom, with two young children already in Seattle Public Schools and another who will be starting there soon. As someone raising a family in the city, she is passionate about investing in schools, parks, playgrounds, and the future for our children.

Cary Moon
Seattle Mayor
Dual Endorsement

Cary Moon is a civic leader and policy expert who has helped develop solutions to some of Seattle’s biggest challenges. Cary received The Stranger's “Political Genius” award​, was named “Citizen of the Year”​ by the Municipal League of King County, was honored as “Change Agent of the Year”​ by Real Change and was recognized as one of “Seattle's Most Influential People” by Seattle Magazine. Cary Moon has decades of experience working on systemic solutions to urban problems. She is a member of (but currently on a leave of absence from) the Board of Directors of the Progress Alliance and the One Center City Advisory Board. Cary was the Co-Founder and Director of the People's Waterfront Coalition, which led the advocacy effort for a highway-free waterfront, and transit-based urban transportation solution, to replace the Seattle Viaduct.

Growing up, Cary Moon was part of her family's small manufacturing business that was partly owned by its 100 employees. She worked as an engineer in manufacturing companies and at the US Department of Labor. Cary holds a BS in Engineering and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Pike Place Market neighborhood with her husband and two children.

Nikkita Oliver
Seattle Mayor
Dual Endorsement

Nikkita Oliver is an educator, attorney, artist, and community advocate. She received her J.D. and Masters of Education concurrently from the University of Washington. She currently serves with Creative Justice, and arts based alternative to incarceration, and Writers in the Schools, where she teachers social practice art and creative writing. She also provides pro-bono legal services and consulting for community members who need legal support but cannot afford it.

As a queer black mixed woman she knows first-hand what it means to live an intersectional life. She has served alongside numerous organizations and coalitions including the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, the No New Youth Jail Coalition, Black Lives Matter, and the National Lawyers Guild. These are organizations and community-based coalitions with whom she has fought to protect the rights and opportunities of systemically disenfranchised communities including the human rights of women, girls and gender non-conforming peoples.

Susan Chang
Shoreline City Council, Pos. 5

Susan Chang supervises the geotechnical engineering review group for the City of Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections. She is a licensed civil engineer in Washington and California, and she obtained her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering from UC Berkeley. She currently serves on the City of Shoreline Planning Commission and previously served on the Board of the Richmond Beach Community Association. If elected, she plans to bring her experience as a woman in a male-dominated field, her training in race and social justice concepts and implementation, and her experience mentoring interns and young professionals from underrepresented groups to advocate for women.