Nordic Innovation Summit: Arctic 360

Speakers

• 

  Lāth Carlson

  CEO/Executive Director
  National Nordic Museum
  

  Lāth Carlson

  CEO/Executive Director
  National Nordic Museum

  Throughout his career, Carlson has been at the forefront of innovation, technology, and museum practice, most recently as the founding Executive Director of The Museum of the Future in Dubai and as the first Executive Director of the Living Computers Museum + Labs here in Seattle.

  LinkedIn(Opens an external site)

  
  

  Previous to becoming the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer at the National Nordic Museum, Lāth as the founding Executive Director of the Museum of The Future in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, He was responsible for the opening of the museum and ensuring that all aspects of MOTF came together to enable guests to learn, explore, and actively participate in building a better future. With tickets sold out since opening In February of 2022, MOTF has welcomed over 1.2 million guests a year from 182 countries, making it one of the most successful new museum ever built.

  At the University of New Mexico’s Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, Lāth created exhibitions while completing his degree in Cultural Anthropology. From there, his interest in interactive design and engineering led him to becoming an exhibit designer and project manager at the Please Touch Children’s Museum in Philadelphia, as well as the Franklin Institute Science Museum.

  Lāth’s experience in the private sector includes 11 years in roles developing interactive and media-based experience for museums and corporate installations of all kinds. He completed innovative projects across North America while at Lynch Exhibits and Art Guild Inc., in New Jersey. He rose to Vice President for Museums and Environments at Art Guild and led the overall operations of the company.

  From 2012 to 2015, Lāth held the position of Vice President of Exhibits and Content Development, at The Tech Museum of Innovation in Silicon Valley. Under his leadership The Tech was revitalized under a $60M capital campaign that refreshed the building and replaced all core exhibitions. In 2015, The Tech was awarded the highest honor an American museum can achieve: a National Medal for Museum and Library Service.

  Before his directorship at the Museum of the Future, he was a Founding Executive Director of Living Computers: Museum + Labs in Seattle, Washington, a project initiated by Microsoft Co-Founder Paul G. Allen. Within a year of reopening, LCM+L was at the forefront of open access policies and use of artifacts, making it the highest rated museum in Seattle on Google. Carlson led the creation of 12,000 sf of hands-on contemporary technology exhibits, opened four co-created temporary exhibits, and developed numerous community-driven programs.

  Lāth has served on the board of the National Association for Museum Exhibition (NAME), Future Oriented Museum Synergies (FORMS) and is a Noyce Leadership Institute Fellow. He has lectured in graduate programs at the University of Washington and the University of the Arts, where he occupied a Senior Lecturer post. He has also contributed to three books on museums and was a keynote panelist on Technology at the 2022 International Council of Museums triannual conference in Prague.

  As a student he competed in the United States Skills Olympics in Precision Machining, is a former Master’s National Mountain Bike champion, and RYA licensed sailing skipper. Lāth lives on Vashon Island with his wife Liz, a former Team USA Track Cyclist, their two daughters, and Portuguese Water Dog.

• 

  Amanda Fisher

  Director of International Relations and Protocol
  Office of Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson
  

  Amanda Fisher

  Director of International Relations and Protocol
  Office of Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson

  Amanda Fisher joined Governor Ferguson’s team as Director of International Relations and Protocol in September of 2025. In her position, she serves at the primary point of contact representing Washington State to foreign governments, coordinating international trade and study missions, managing Washington State’s Sister-State relationships, and guiding the development and implementation of bilateral cooperative instruments to further Washington’s economic and cultural partnerships. Additionally, she manages Washington State flag protocol, proclamations, and other ceremonial duties. She also serves as the lead developer of the Washington State International Engagement Strategic Plan and as the Acting Outreach Team Supervisor.

  Previously, she served for 21 years on active duty in the United States Coast Guard, completing her service at the rank of Commander, as the Chief of External Affairs for the Coast Guard Pacific Northwest District in Seattle, Washington.

  Amanda also served as a liaison to the State Department’s Office of Marine Conservation and to NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, and as a detailee to Senator Bill Nelson on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and the Coast Guard, where she assisted legislative and policy development.

  Amanda served aboard four Coast Guard cutters, including as Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Steelhead, Commanding Officer of the Southeast Regional Fisheries Training Center, and Executive Officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless. A certified federal maritime law enforcement officer, she conducted fisheries compliance and counter narcotics operations in the Eastern Pacific, Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and the Middle East. She graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Marine and Environmental Science and holds a Master of Arts in Marine Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Washington’s School of Marine Affairs. Additionally, she holds certificates in International Development from the University of Washington’s Jackson School of International Studies and Joint Military Operations from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, and is a graduate of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Foreign Policy Fellowship program. She is also a graduate of the Women’s Media Center’s Progressive Women’s Voices Media and Leadership training program in Washington, D.C.

  Amanda is a designated Coast Guard Cutterman and her military awards include the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Coast Guard Achievement Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and other awards and decorations. She lives with her spouse in Seattle and their two cats, Mitscher and Lola. In her free time she enjoys hiking, sailing, kayaking, scuba diving, flying and flight simulation, theater and film, and board games.

• 

  Rufus Gifford

  Former U.S. Chief of Protocol and Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark
  

  Rufus Gifford

  Former U.S. Chief of Protocol and Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark

  Rufus Gifford is a respected American diplomat and leading campaign strategist. As U.S. Ambassador to Denmark and later Chief of Protocol of the United States, he strengthened America’s global standing through people-first diplomacy and genuine engagement.

  LinkedIn(Opens an external site)

  
  

  He has raised record-breaking funds and advised on strategy for six U.S. presidential campaigns, including Obama 2012, Biden 2020, and the Harris bid in 2024. An architect of modern campaign finance, he shows audiences how authentic storytelling and relationship-building can win trust—and votes—in a polarised era.

  While serving in Copenhagen, Gifford modernised transatlantic relations by championing youth outreach, digital diplomacy and unprecedented openness—captured in Denmark’s hit documentary series I Am the Ambassador. For his service, he was awarded Denmark’s Order of the Dannebrog, highlighting his talent for turning soft power into lasting partnerships.

  A passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, Gifford brings candour, warmth and insight to conversations about leadership, public service and inclusion. In 2025, he embarks on his “Hope on the Hill?” speaking tour across Denmark, offering reflections on bridging divides in a turbulent political climate. From decoding Washington to inspiring teams worldwide, he helps audiences lead with trust, resilience and purpose.

• 

  Denny Heck

  Lieutenant Governor of Washington
  

  Denny Heck

  Lieutenant Governor of Washington

  Denny Heck is humbled to serve as Washington’s 17th Lieutenant Governor. First elected in 2020, Lieutenant Governor Heck brings to the office a lifetime of experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

  Office of Washington Lieutenant Governor

  
  

  As Lieutenant Governor, he is the President of the Washington State Senate and Chair of the Senate Rules Committee. He also serves as Acting Governor whenever Governor Ferguson is out of the state. In addition to these constitutional duties, the Lieutenant Governor is designated other duties in state law. Lieutenant Governor Heck previously served as a member of the Export Import Bank of the United States’ Advisory Committee and is a member of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors.

  Lieutenant Governor Heck previously served as the first United States Representative from Washington’s 10th Congressional District. While in Congress, he served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Financial Services Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee.

  Prior to his service in Congress, Lieutenant Governor Heck successfully grew several small businesses in Washington State. One of those small businesses, which specializes in workplace education, started in Olympia with only two employees and grew to more than 300 people throughout the United States. Lieutenant Governor Heck was also an original investor in Real Networks, the digital entertainment company that pioneered streaming media on the Internet.

  A strong advocate of open government, in 1993 Lieutenant Governor Heck cofounded TVW to provide the people of Washington State greater accessibility to their state government. TVW has grown into the nation’s preeminent statewide public affairs network. While at TVW, the Lieutenant Governor hosted the renowned public affairs program Inside Olympia and won an Emmy for a documentary he wrote, produced, and directed.

  Early in his career, Lieutenant Governor Heck served his community in the State House of Representatives. Elected to five terms, he was chosen by his colleagues to serve as House Majority Leader before retiring in 1986. While in the State House, Lieutenant Governor Heck was one of the prime authors of the state’s historic Basic Education Act. After his time in the Legislature, he served as Chief of Staff to Governor Booth Gardner during his second term.

  Lieutenant Governor Heck was born in Vancouver, Washington and graduated from The Evergreen State College in 1973. He has been married since 1976 to Paula Fruci Heck, an educator who began her career as a teacher and retired as principal at Jefferson Middle School in Olympia. He and Paula have lived in Olympia since 1985. They have two sons, Bob and Trey, and are grandparents to Maleah and Kal, and Cameron Grace.

• 

  Petra Hilleberg

   CEO of Hilleberg the Tentmaker & Honorary Consul of Sweden
  

  Petra Hilleberg

   CEO of Hilleberg the Tentmaker & Honorary Consul of Sweden

  Petra Hilleberg is the President and CEO of Hilleberg the Tentmaker. Growing up in northern Sweden and alongside the eponymous family company her parents started 51 years ago gave her both a big passion for the outdoors and a fascination for business. When she was 12 she told her father that she would one day sell tents in the US, and, after graduating from Seattle University in 2000, she did just that: she started the US side of the well-recognized Hilleberg tent company two days after graduation and sold her first tent one day later. She is now the President of Hilleberg, Inc, the US office, President of Hilleberg AB, the Swedish office, as well as the CEO of the Hilleberg Group, where she oversees the operations in Sweden, the US and the factory in Estonia.

  In 2012 Miss Hilleberg was named an honoree of two prestigious 40 Under 40 awards: the 2012 SGB (Sporting Goods Business) 40 Under 40 Awards by the SportsOneSource Group and the 2012 Puget Sound Business Journal 40 Under 40 Awards. These awards honor outstanding leaders under the age of 40 within the sporting goods industry and in the Puget Sound community, respectively.

  In 2022, Miss Hilleberg was awarded the “Female Shooting Star” prize by Ernst & Young at the Entrepreneur of the Year gala for Northern Sweden.

  The Governor of Washington State, Jay Inslee, recognized Miss Hilleberg as the “Washingtonian of the Day” on September 16, 2022.

  In 2019 Miss Hilleberg was appointed as Honorary Consul of Sweden to Washington and Oregon. She is very active in the vibrant Nordic community in the Northwest where she served as President of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce in Seattle for many years. Since its inception in 2018, she has been part of the core steering committee for the Nordic Innovation Summit hosted by the National Nordic Museum. She is an Honorary Trustee on the board of Directors for the National Nordic Museum, Member of the Consular Associations of both Washington and Oregon, Board member of AFUU, American Friends of Uppsala University, and she serves on the jury for the Queen Silvia Award for Nursing at the University of Washington.

  In addition, when time allows, she teaches both Alpine- and Telemark skiing for Snow Performance, a high end ski coaching business, and she is a former Divisional Clinic Leader for Telemark for the Northwest division of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA-NW). When not in the outdoors, working or skiing, she trains and competes in dressage with her horses Boogie Woogie and Vilano. In 2018, she was the National Amateur Champion at Intermediare II and in 2019 the Regional Amateur Grand Prix Champion with Boogie Woogie.

• 

  Kristiina Hiukka

  Honorary Consul of Finland for Washington State
  

  Kristiina Hiukka

  Honorary Consul of Finland for Washington State

  Kristiina Hiukka has served as The Honorary Consul of Finland for Washington State since 2009. In 2021 she was awarded the Knight of the Order of the White Rose by the President of Finland for her continued service for the Republic of Finland.

  Consular Association of Washington

  
  

  Her international leadership coaching and team facilitation career combined with teaching at the University of Washington Bothell School of Business has allowed her to bear witness to the inspiring resilience of the human spirit.

  Kristiina’s B.A. and M.A. are from University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Native of Finland, she moved to Seattle after 3,5 years in Dublin, Ireland, in 1994.

  She is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Consular Association of Washington. She has board leadership experience from the Rainier Club, National Nordic Museum, UW Scandinavian Studies Department and the Finnish School of Seattle.

  Kristiina founded and led two innovation summits (Women in Innovation Summit and Converge@Seattle Pacific Northwest Innovation Summit) which convened business leaders, legislators, innovators, entrepreneurs and experts to explore opportunities to transform the ways we live and work. She has also participated in the leadership of the annual Nordic Innovation Summits. She has authored two books.

  Kristiina’s motto in life and leadership is “Live and Lead Fascinated!”

• 

  Pramila Jayapal

  Member of US House of Representatives
  Washington District 7
  

  Pramila Jayapal

  Member of US House of Representatives
  Washington District 7

  Elected in 2016, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is now serving her fifth term in Congress representing Washington’s 7th District, which encompasses most of Seattle and its surrounding areas including Shoreline, Vashon Island, Lake Forest Park, and parts of Burien and Normandy Park. She is the first South Asian American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and one of only two dozen naturalized citizens currently serving in the United States Congress.

  Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

  
  

  Congresswoman Jayapal is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, where she serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement. She also serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she serves on the Subcommittee on Africa and the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia. Additionally, she serves on the House Budget Committee. She is a Chair Emerita of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which represents nearly 50% of the entire Democratic caucus; the Chair of the Immigration Task Force for the Congressional Asian Pacific Asian Caucus; and a Vice Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus where she is the co-chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force.

  In Congress, Representative Jayapal has been a leader on immigration, including fighting the Trump Administration’s inhumane policies of separating children from their parents and crafting legislation to create a fair and humane immigration system. She has also championed legislation to address income inequality, such as the $15 minimum wage and expanded collective bargaining rights for workers. She has worked extensively on health care issues as the lead sponsor of the Medicare for All bill in the House, and she is the author of the College for All Act, which would ensure every American has access to higher education. She has authored other landmark pieces of progressive legislation including the Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act, Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, the Housing is a Human Right Act, and the National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. She has also helped to introduce the THRIVE Act and other legislation to transition our economy to 100% clean energy and address the crisis of climate justice.

  Prior to serving in elected office, Congresswoman Jayapal spent twenty years working internationally and domestically in global public health and development and as an award-winning national advocate for women’s, immigrant, civil, and human rights. She spent almost a decade working on global health and development for the international nonprofit organization, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), and spent 12 years as the founder and Executive Director of OneAmerica, the largest immigrant advocacy organization in Washington State and one of the largest in the country.

  Representative Jayapal was born in India, grew up in India, Indonesia and Singapore, and came to the United States by herself at the age of 16 to attend college at Georgetown University. She later received her MBA from Northwestern University, worked in a number of industries in both the public and private sectors, and published her first book in 2000, Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland. She has since published a second book, Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman’s Guide to Politics and Political Change.

• 

  Brendan Kelly

  Chief Scientist
  International Arctic Research Center
  

  Brendan Kelly

  Chief Scientist
  International Arctic Research Center

  Brendan P. Kelly is the Executive Director of the Study of Environmental Arctic Change and Professor of Marine Biology at the International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks. He also serves as a Senior Fellow with the Center for the Blue Economy at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. 

  International Arctic Research Center

  
  

  A marine ecologist with a focus on sea ice environments, he has participated in and led collaborative research in the North Pacific Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Sea of Okhotsk, Baltic Sea, and Antarctica. He has served as Deputy Director for Arctic Sciences, National Science Foundation; Assistant Director for Polar Science in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and as a science adviser to indigenous organizations in Alaska. Currently, he serves on the National Academy of Sciences’ Polar Research Board and as a member of the Positions Statement Committee of the American Geophysical Union. Dr. Kelly received degrees in Biology from the University of California Santa Cruz (B.A.), the University of Alaska Fairbanks (M.S.), and Purdue University (Ph.D.).

  Brendan is also the Chair of the ArcticNet Board of Directors.

• 

  Michelle Koutnik

  Research Associate Professor
  College of the Environment, University of Washington
  
  

  Michelle Koutnik

  Research Associate Professor
  College of the Environment, University of Washington
  

  Michelle Koutnik is a glaciologist whose research interests include the dynamics of glacier change, the evolution of glaciers and ice sheets over time, and the history of climate and ice on Mars. 

  College of the Environment, Univeristy of Washington

  
  

  As part of the UW Department of Earth and Space Sciences’ glaciology group, Michelle explores the how glaciers and ice sheets evolve in response to climate change. She has collected data at multiple field locations, including Greenland and Antarctica, and uses that data to better understand and model the processes that affect ice flow. Previously, Michelle was a research associate and graduate research assistant at the UW and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Copenhagen.

• 

  Marko Liias

  Senator, Washington State
  

  Marko Liias

  Senator, Washington State

  Senator Marko Liias is a lifelong Washingtonian born and raised in the neighborhoods he now serves. He represents the communities of the 21st Legislative District, which includes neighborhoods in Edmonds, Everett, Bothell, Lynnwood, and Mukilteo.   

  Senator Marko Liias

  
  

  Marko was appointed to the House of Representatives in 2008 and won reelection three times. He was appointed to the Senate in 2014 and is currently serving his third term as a senator.  
  

  Throughout his service in the Legislature, Marko has prioritized policies to increase access to public transportation across Washington, provide educational and career opportunities for students, make the state safer and more inclusive for LGBTQ+ youth, and build an economy that works for everyone.     

  As chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, Marko has focused on building a sustainable transportation system that is safe and reliable for all users. In 2022, he championed the Move Ahead Washington transportation package, which invests nearly $17 billion in transportation resources across the state over the next 16 years while creating quality, family-wage jobs. The package prioritizes Washington’s future by investing in a sustainable transportation sector that addresses the climate crisis. Marko has also focused on making our roads safer for everyone. He’s championed bills to reduce speeding in work zones, near parks, schools, hospitals, and made it easier for folks to access critical driver safety training.  

  Marko has led the effort to protect LGBTQ+ youth and communities across the state. He has championed bills to ban health insurers from denying or limiting medically necessary gender-affirming treatment, increase access to HIV medication, and ban so-called conversion therapy. In 2023, he also championed legislation to protect transgender youth in crises and make sure they have access to safe, stable shelter.  

  Making Washington a more affordable place to live for everyone is one of Marko’s top concerns. He has focused on building an economy that works for everyone in the state. He’s proud to have supported expanding the Working Families Tax Credit to put more money back into the wallets of Washingtonians, expanding the Senior Citizen Property Tax Program to help more folks stay in their homes, and capping the cost of insulin at $35 while reducing the cost for other necessary medications like inhalers and epinephrine. 

  An advocate for his community, Marko committed to supporting commonsense policies to reduce gun violence following a 2016 shooting in Mukilteo. Through his tenure in the Legislature, he has sponsored multiple bills to reduce gun violence, including banning high-capacity magazines commonly used in mass shootings and requiring permits to purchase firearms.  

  Marko has received numerous awards and recognition for his 18 years of legislative work, including:  

  • 2025 Knight First Class – Order of the Lion of Finland 

  • 2025 Washington State Safe System Award – Washington Traffic Safety Commission  

  • 2025 Scott White Leadership Award – Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce 

  • 2023 Behavioral Health Champion – National Alliance on Mental Illness, Washington Chapter 

  • 2023 Champion of Innovation – TechNet 

  • 2023 Getting It Done Award – AFT Washington 

  • 2023 and 2019 Champion of Housing – Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties 

  • 2022 Transportation Hall of Fame Honoree – Transportation Choices Coalition 

  • 2022 Doug Walker Achievement Award – Cascade Bicycle Club  

  • 2022 Long-Term Care Champion of the Year – SEIU 775 

  • 2022 Legislator of the Year – Mothers Against Drunk Driving  

  • 2022 Legislator of the Year – Washington Association of Sewer and Water Districts 

  • 2021 Citizen of the year – Snohomish County-Camano Association of REALTORS  

  • 2019 Legislator of the year – Washington Student Association 

  • 2015 Legislator of the year – Washington State Transit Association 

  In addition to his service in the Legislature, Marko is an adjunct college professor and Senior Advisor for the Snohomish County Office of Recovery and Resilience.  

• 

  Leena-Kaisa Mikkola

  Ambassador of Finland to the United States
  

  Leena-Kaisa Mikkola

  Ambassador of Finland to the United States

  Leena-Kaisa Mikkola is the Ambassador of Finland to the United States. She started in her role in September 2024. Prior to that, she served as the Ambassador of Finland to the People's Republic of China from 2021 to 2024.

  Embassy of Finland, Washington

  
  

  Ambassador Mikkola is a career diplomat, and she joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland in 1992. She has worked with Middle Eastern and African Affairs, most recently as Finland's Ambassador to Israel (2011–2016) and as the Director General for Africa and the Middle East (2017–2021). She has also worked at the diplomatic missions in Brussels, Canberra, Athens and Budapest.

  Ambassador Mikkola is originally from Kaustinen, Finland. She holds a Master's degree in Law from the University of Helsinki. Ambassador Mikkola has two grown-up sons, and she likes to read and enjoy the outdoors on her free time.

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  Nate Moulton

  U.S. Government Affairs Lead
  IQM Quantum Computers
  

  Nate Moulton

  U.S. Government Affairs Lead
  IQM Quantum Computers

  Nate Moulton leads government affairs for IQM Quantum Computers in North America, promoting policy solutions to accelerate quantum computing deployment and to grow regional innovation ecosystems. He also leads IQM’s engagement in the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), the Quantum Industry Coalition (QIC), and the Partnership for U.S. Leadership in Supercomputing, AI, and Quantum (PULS AIQ).  

  Most recently, Nate worked as the Quantum and Photonics Industry Specialist in the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, where he contributed industry insights to interagency policymaking processes, including for executive actions.  

  Before diving into quantum, Nate primarily worked in trade policy and government affairs in both the public and private sectors, including in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). Nate studied trade and digital policy at Georgetown University, where he earned his MA and BS in the School of Foreign Service.

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  Per Norén

  CEO
  Ovzon
  

  Per Norén

  CEO
  Ovzon

  Nationality: Swedish and American.
  Education: Economics, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg. Swedish Military Academy. Executive Education, Harvard Business School.
  Other engagements: Board member of Swedish Security and Defence Industry Association, Swedish American Chamber of Commerce – SACC-USA and National Nordic Museum, Seattle, WA.
  Previous engagements/experience: President, Anuvu 2017-2021. Vice President, The Boeing Company 2007-2017. CEO Carmen Systems AB 1998-2007.

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  Brian Surratt

  Deputy Mayor
  City of Seattle
  

  Brian Surratt

  Deputy Mayor
  City of Seattle

  The Deputy Mayor is responsible for building public will for the Mayor’s key policy priorities.

  Brian is a multi-sector executive with 25 years of experience driving economic development and cultivating partnerships across private and public sectors and diverse communities. Previously, Brian was the CEO of Greater Seattle Partners, a private/public partnership focused on attracting new business, promoting international trade, and growing our major industries for the region. He was also previously the Director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development, where he oversaw small business, workforce, key industry, foreign-direct investment, and anti- displacement programs and strategies, and negotiated the city’s $1.2 billion development agreement to build Climate Pledge Arena. During his time in the Mayor’s Office of Policy and Innovation, Brian served as the policy lead in Seattle’s effort to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour.