Most Influential People
Most Influential, Politics: Sam Cho
Port official is already making his mark. He's just getting started
Sam Cho is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential When King County voters elected Sam Cho to the Seattle Port Commission at age 29, he became the youngest commissioner in the Port’s 111-year history. Now 32, he is poised to become the youngest and first ever commissioner of color selected…
Most Influential, Business: Maritza Lopez
Entrepreneur uses her experience to aid others
Maritza Lopez is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential What began as a kind gesture to share her knowledge of cosmetology has blossomed into a flourishing business for Maritza Lopez. Along the way, Lopez has mentored dozens of young women in need of guidance and career opportunities in the midst…
Most Influential, Arts: Bernie Griffin
The arts executive left Seattle several times. She couldn’t stay away.
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…
Most Influential, Equity: Travonna Thompson-Wiley
Difficult childhood shapes activist's social justice focus
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…
Most Influential, Business: Ryan Metzger
Recycling company Ridwell began as a family affair
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…
Most Influential, Arts: E.J. Koh
The talented Seattle writer E.J. Koh is carving her own niche in the literary world
E.J. Koh is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential If the writing profession were anything like a game of bingo, Seattleite E.J. Koh would be nearing a fully stamped row, if not an all-board blackout. At 34, she’s already racked up several impressive literary accolades, published a book of poetry…
Most Influential, Business: James Wong
Prolific developer wants ‘to do more good for the community’
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…
Most Influential, Food & Drink: Emily Kim and Heather Hodge
Using their dessert-making skills for the greater social good
Emily Kim and Heather Hodge are among Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential When Emily Kim and Heather Hodge, founders of the Pastry Project, went out for drinks one evening in 2019, starting a business together was the last thing on their minds. The two women, who both worked for Molly Moon’s…
Most Influential, Business: Ebony Welborn and Savannah Smith
They saw that few in the maritime sector looked like them. They're out to change that.
Ebony Welborn and Savannah Smith are among Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential A fascination with the ocean brought Ebony Welborn and Savannah Smith together. A mission to create BIPOC representation in the maritime industry keeps them going. Welborn and Smith are the cofounders of Seattle-based Sea Potential LLC, a company they…
Most Influential, Education: Kate Starbird
Kate Starbird spends her career studying and combating falsehoods
Kate Starbird is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Kate Starbird sometimes wishes her research focused on happier topics. If she didn’t spend her days devoted to tracking disinformation [false information deliberately spread to deceive people], she wouldn’t witness attempts to unravel democratic elections. She and her colleagues at the…
Most Influential, Politics: Debra Lekanoff
‘I just knew that it was always going to be in my walk in life to give back to communities.’
Debra Lekanoff is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Her tribal name comes first: Xixch’I See. That’s where Debra Lekanoff’s story starts. With her name, which is passed down through the women’s bloodlines in the matrilineal society of her Tlingit community. To invoke her tribal name before her English name…
Most Influential, Sports: Brian Robinson
He's been fighting to bring the NBA back to Seattle for 15 years. His work may soon finally pay off.
Brian Robinson is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Brian Robinson never wore a Sonics uniform. Former Sonics announcer Kevin Calabro never used his signature phrase “Good golly, Miss Molly” to describe Robinson’s crossover dribble, arcing jump shot or spin move. Yet you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in Seattle…
Most Influential, Equity: Pearl Jam
The band’s charitable work is just as impressive as its musical output
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…
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