(WSB photo, last week)
When Mayor-Elect Katie Wilson gave her first post-election speech last Thursday (WSB coverage here), she said transition details would be forthcoming this week. The announcement of her transition-team leadership just arrived, and two West Seattleites are in leadership roles. Here’s the announcement in its entirety:
Mayor-Elect Katie Wilson today announced the local leaders who will guide her transition.
Transition Director Andrés Mantilla and Transition Co-Chairs Karen Estevenin, Tiffani McCoy, Quynh Pham, and Brian Surratt will contribute their extensive knowledge of government, business, labor, housing, and community development to help ensure the new administration is set up for success immediately upon taking office. They will also convene a larger transition team to gather feedback, identify priorities, and help equip Mayor-Elect Wilson with the tools and relationships she needs to execute her vision as the next mayor of Seattle.
“I ran for mayor on the vision that we can tackle big challenges, address our affordability crisis, and make our city a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Now it’s time to get to work,” said Mayor-Elect Wilson. “I’m so grateful to the Transition Director and Co-Chairs who have stepped up to lend their deep expertise in government, business, labor, housing, and community development, and help me put that vision into action.”
The Transition Director and Co-Chairs will engage community members to identify short, medium, and long-term priorities to advance the Mayor-Elect’s vision. The full list of transition committee members will be announced in the coming weeks and available on the transition webpage.
Transition Director:
Andrés Mantilla
Uncommon Bridges
Andrés brings over 20 years of experience in facilitation, public policy, economic development, and engaging diverse stakeholders and communities. His extensive experience working closely with policymakers and elected officials includes work supporting the administrations of Seattle Mayors Greg Nickels and Jenny Durkan, as well as serving as Director of the Department of Neighborhoods, where he led community engagement initiatives for the City across transportation, housing, and homelessness initiatives. Andrés has directed projects focused on homelessness policy development, engagement, and grant distributions. He serves on the Board of Directors for Bellwether Housing.“Successful leadership is about building consensus and working across diverse groups to turn a bold vision into concrete outcomes. I look forward to helping shape a transition that supports the Mayor-Elect in achieving her vision of an affordable, accessible, and innovative city.”
Transition Co-Chair:
Karen Estevenin
Executive Director, PROTEC17
Karen has proudly served as the Executive Director of PROTEC17—a labor union representing more than 10,000 public-sector workers across Washington and Oregon—since May 2019. Together with talented staff, committed member-leaders, and community and labor partners, she advances collective action to ensure social and economic justice in workplaces and communities. Over the past two decades, she has dedicated her career to the labor movement, working with CWA/WashTech, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) 3000, and Teamsters 117. In her current role, Karen leads the union’s vision, strategic direction, and day-to-day operations. She serves on the Board of the Seattle Social Housing Developer as Labor liaison, and is a Trustee for MLK Labor.“Effective governance begins with a supported, equipped, and engaged workforce. I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this important moment of change, and I deeply appreciate the trust placed in me throughout the process. Together, I’m confident we can lay the foundation for a stronger, more collaborative future.”
Transition Co-Chair:
Tiffani McCoy
Co-Executive Director, House Our Neighbors
Tiffani is the Co-Executive Director and Co-Founder of House Our Neighbors, which advocates for social housing, climate action and connected communities. She served as campaign manager for the Yes on I-135 campaign, which established the first social housing developer in the United States, and for the Yes on Prop 1A campaign, which secured funding for the Seattle Social Housing Developer. Before co-creating HON, she worked at Real Change as the organization’s Advocacy Director. She currently serves as the Board President of Washingtonians for Public Banking.“Seattle’s residents deserve access to stable, affordable homes. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help guide a transition that takes a more coordinated approach to addressing the city’s housing needs by prioritizing affordability, housing production, concrete progress on homelessness, and a commitment to social housing.”
Transition Co-Chair:
Quynh Pham
Executive Director, Friends of Little Saigon
Quynh is the Executive Director of Friends of Little Saigon (FLS), a community development organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing Little Saigon’s cultural, economic, and historical vitality. Coming from a small business family, Quynh is passionate about supporting small immigrant- and refugee-owned businesses and fostering community-driven solutions for health, safety, and well-being. Her 14 years of nonprofit development experience have shaped local policy, advanced opportunities for Southeast Asian artists and cultural practitioners, and increased investments in BIPOC initiatives around equitable development and small business resiliency. Quynh currently serves on the boards of Historic South Downtown, Crescent Collaborative, and the Race and Social Equity Taskforce. She is also the mother of two toddlers, who continue to fuel her drive to ensure they grow up in a culturally rich, accessible, and diverse community.“Our neighborhood business districts are the backbone of Seattle’s local economy and community identity. I’m excited to support a transition that uplifts small businesses, strengthens local communities, and ensures every part of the city benefits when our economy grows.”
Transition Co-Chair:
Brian Surratt
President and CEO, Greater Seattle Partners
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. Currently, Brian is 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. Previously, Brian was 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.“Seattle’s long-term stability relies on an economic strategy that lifts workers and supports small businesses and our leading industries. I’m honored to support a transition committed to transparent governance, economic justice and opportunity, and high-growth workforce pathways that anchor prosperity across the city.”
When transition director Andrés Mantilla led the Department of Neighborhoods during the Jenny Durkan administration, we identified him in coverage as a West Seattle resident, so we asked her spokesperson today if he still is, and they said yes, adding that Surratt is a West Seattleite too.
P.S. The transition website mentioned above includes this announcement as well as an email link if you’re interested in working for the new administration and a form link if you have a request for the mayor-elect.
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