Mayor announces interim SDOT director, other appointments including West Seattleite as chief public-safety officer

Just in from Mayor Bruce Harrell‘s office, an announcement of multiple cabinet appointments, including an interim SDOT director, plus a West Seattleite as chief public-safety officer.

(WSB photo, Adiam Emery at RapidRide H Line launch in White Center, March 2023)

First – deputy mayor Adiam Emery is promoted to interim SDOT director as of February 4, succeeding Greg Spotts, who is leaving to return to Southern California. The mayor is quoted as saying, “Over the last three years working in our office – and nearly 30 years at SDOT from intern to division director – Adiam Emery has proved to be one of the Seattle’s most effective advocates for transportation safety.” Here’s further background from the announcement:

Originally from Ethiopia, Emery came to the United States as part of the African Diaspora to pursue an education. After earning a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Washington, she began her career with the City as an engineering intern. Over the years, she has risen through the ranks at SDOT, serving as a transportation engineer, manager of the Transportation Operations Center, and division director for Transportation Operations.

We asked a followup question about whether the interim appointment is a stepping stone to permanence; mayor’s office spokesperson Callie Craighead tells WSB, “Later this year, after she has an opportunity to become established as interim director, we will decide whether to seek Council confirmation or launch a national search.”

Following Emery as deputy mayor will be Jessyn Farrell, who’s been leading the Office of Sustainability and Environment; as deputy mayor, the announcement says, Farrell will be “overseeing a portfolio that includes transportation, parks, and climate action.”

(WSB photo, Natalie Walton-Anderson at Alki public-safety forum, June 2024)

Among the others announced with a new role is West Seattleite Natalie Walton-Anderson, the mayor’s Director of Public Safety, who “will become Chief Public Safety Officer, a member of the mayor’s Executive Team and the portfolio manager overseeing the Seattle Police Department, Community Assisted Response and Engagement Department, and the Office of Emergency Management, effective immediately.” Here’s the summary of her background:

Walton-Anderson previously served as a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington Criminal Division, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Criminal Division, and Criminal Division Chief for the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, she is a champion for keeping people safe, including supporting survivors and victims of crimes such as domestic violence and sexual assault, holding offenders accountable, and designing and implementing diversion strategies. Walton-Anderson has a Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington.

Other appointments include waterfront office director Angela Brady adding the title of Sound Transit Designated Representative for the mayor – see the full list here.

6 Replies to "Mayor announces interim SDOT director, other appointments including West Seattleite as chief public-safety officer"

  • k January 23, 2025 (4:08 pm)

    What is Emery’s stance on Curby?

    • WSB January 23, 2025 (4:15 pm)

      I’m still waiting for the “Curby” project status from SDOT, let alone anybody’s opinion on it.

  • Joan January 23, 2025 (4:30 pm)

    Great to see women making it to the top! Congrats.

  • Josh January 23, 2025 (5:28 pm)

    The irony of having a picture of the immigrant deputy mayor turned SDOT director at the Rapid Ride H celebration, the very Rapid Ride Rob Saka plans to degrade in order to ‘protect’ immigrants from barriers that supposedly remind them of their journey here (or as we all know to get back at SDOT for stopping him from making illegal and unsafe left hand turns across Delridge). Leave Curby alone. I hope the West Seattle based Adian uses her position as SDOT director to let Rob know how degrading and pathetic it was to invoke the immigrant experience to justify his vendetta and refuses to implement his wasteful personal pork project. 

  • AF12 January 23, 2025 (10:03 pm)

    Great to see an engineer in charge of SDOT!

  • Realist January 24, 2025 (5:51 am)

    Reserving opinion. The key is to watch what they actually do and not what they say they’ll do. 

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