Bernie Griffin is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   Every time 5th Avenue Theatre Managing Director Bernie Griffin pursued her professional ambitions around the country, she always returned to Seattle for an encore performance. The nonprofit arts executive will make one final curtain call at the end of the current…

Travonna Thompson-Wiley is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   Family matters. It certainly does to Seattle activist Travonna Thompson-Wiley. She is the oldest of six on her mother’s side and one of 10 children on her father’s. Yet, she insists her family is much larger.  “I don’t define family as…

Ryan Metzger is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential     Ridwell began as a father/son project in 2018 when would-be founder Ryan Metzger and 6-year-old son Owen recycled and reused everyday household products. Ever the entrepreneur, the elder Metzger urged young Owen to gather reusables and recyclables from neighbors.  The…

James Wong is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   James Wong grew up across the street from Beacon Hill Elementary School with blue-collar parents. His father was a cook at iconic Chinatown International District restaurants Ocean City and House of Hong. His mother was a seamstress.  Instead of simply crossing…

Pearl Jam is among Seattle’s 25 most influential changemakers reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   The Vitalogy Foundation, Pearl Jam’s charitable arm, has an organic approach to giving, with all band members supporting their chosen projects as well as collectively deciding which organizations and causes to fund.  So, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a woman’s right…