1. Name as it will appear on the ballot
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First Name |
Middle Initial or Nick Name |
Last Name |
2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
3. Are you the incumbent? Yes No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
5. How long have you resided in King County?
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13 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Gael for Port |
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1. Beginning with the most recent position, please list public offices which you have held. Include positions on appointive Boards or Commissions.
Public Office |
Elective or Appointive? |
Dates Held |
Leadership Role (if any) |
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2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
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In this section, we are seeking responses that reflect the four ratings criteria: involvement, effectiveness, character, and knowledge. These are defined as follows:
1. In a page or less, why are you running for this office? (Note: the interview committee will be given a copy of this statement before your interview; at the beginning of your interview you will have the opportunity to expand on this statement in any way you wish.)
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I am seeking the office of Seattle Port Commissioner Position 2 because it is time to change the way the Seattle Port does business, and because we need a new generation of women serving as leaders on the Commission. The issues facing women in the workplace today are radically different than 20 years ago and we need women on the Commission who have first-hand experience navigating these changes in diverse workplaces. In the past 26 years of full-time work, I have advanced to leadership roles in four distinctively different work environments: in the federal government, at a private science and technology international corporation, in very small private non-profit organization, and now at one of the nation’s largest public research universities. I want to bring my knowledge to bear to benefit the Port of Seattle’s 1600 employees. I have three particular concerns about the current state of the Port: 1) inadequate oversight of the Port’s financial accounting practices and the conduct of its employees; 2) lack of a long-term strategy to cope with Port security concerns despite six years since the Nisqually earthquake and 5.5 years since the 9/11 attacks; and 3) failure to take responsibility for its environmental stewardship role for Puget Sound and King County. The global economy is transforming the role of our ports. We need people leading our Commission who have significant professional experiences competing in the global economy and who understand the dramatic changes affecting international trade and international security. I was a pioneer in industry in 1992, leading my company into the Russian and East European markets immediately upon the disintegration of the Soviet Union. As Vice President for Corporate Development and an international business executive, I have led technology transfer and international trade initiatives subjected to national security export controls. I have created Memoranda of Understanding with many international businesses and international governmental agencies to implement international initiatives. My top priorities as an elected official are: to restore public confidence in the Commission as a steward of the public interest; to work with key community stakeholders to define the Port's responsibility for enhancing regional security and protecting Puget Sound's environment; to lead a public discussion about the value of protecting living-wage maritime jobs as part of our Port’s future; and to initiate a regional discussion among Port leaders and elected officials about what it means to operate a competitive port in our region. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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Seattle Port Commissioners are elected to public office to represent King County's 1 million voters and to protect the interests of King County's 1.8 million citizens in all matters related to the Port of Seattle. I have lived my life and career with a total commitment to serving the public good. I believe that leaders have to meet a higher standard of ethical conduct and performance than other employees because protecting the integrity of the institution and maintaining the trust of citizens and clients should always be the foremost responsibility of the leader.
I am a results-driven person who knows that an individual has the capacity to change the way an organization works, because I have been able to change the way my colleagues think about their work. I have a talent for helping groups of people with different skills and backgrounds to work towards a common goal. I have been trusted with the nation's most sensitive national security information and never violated that trust. I have led numerous committees in government, industry, community organizations and at UW to implement very difficult projects and develop institutional policies and practices. I have been responsible for properly spending tens of millions of dollars in federal government contracts, and have been commended for honoring the terms and conditions of all contractual obligations. I have been subjected to and passed State Department audits for adhering to U.S. export control laws and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act affecting international subsidiaries of U.S.-owned businesses, and my company viewed me as a leader in designing best practices for international business.
I am a vocal advocate in every place I've worked for fair and equal hiring, employment, and benefits policies and practices for all employees regardless of rank, seniority, or position. I am also experienced at creating and protecting work environments that are productive and professional for all employees where people treat each other with respect. I actively serve as a mentor for leadership development programs, especially to encourage young women who are seeking to build careers in traditionally male-dominated fields. I believe in fair and open competition to award public monies to private entities. I also believe in federal and state competitive procurement policies that encourage large businesses to team with minority-owned and small disadvantaged businesses or with minority-serving university institutions to mentor these small organizations to create opportunities for all our communities.
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3. Please describe in sufficient detail, one to three accomplishments or contributions of which you are most proud. These examples should illustrate effective skills and capabilities you think apply to the office you are seeking. These accomplishments may have occurred at any time in your personal, professional, or public life.
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1) SAIC Global Technology. In 1991 as the Soviet Union was collapsing, I proposed to my CEO and several Board of Director members that we should play a leadership role on behalf of our U.S. Government clients to build U.S. science and technology partnerships with Russia and the former Soviet states. Encouraging Russia's democratic transformation became the driving motivation for my career for a decade. Under the guidance of a corporate international business committee, I was named SAIC Global Technology Director and led a corporate-wide strategy to establish offices in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Czech Republic. These offices employed U.S. and foreign nationals and executed contracts and subcontracts with local providers. We wrote and implemented an ethics manual for all employees, and SAIC Global Technology was one of the first U.S. companies to provide health and retirement benefits to its foreign national employees. I also negotiated and signed numerous Memoranda of Understanding with U.S. and Russian federal agencies enabling SAIC Global Technology to implement U.S.-Russian nuclear threat reduction programs and environmental technology development programs to fulfill the goals of Al Gore's Commission on global climate change and environmental security. Building and leading SAIC Global Technology during this decade of dramatic global political and economic change gave me the experience I need for the Port Commission. I have the leadership, management, financial, human resources, contracting, and diplomatic negotiating skills that the Commissioners need to help develop strategies for a competitive, thriving Port.
2) International Earthquake Detection Network. The Port of Seattle faces risks from natural and manmade disasters, including earthquakes and tsunamis. I led a team of scientists, engineers, construction crews, and government agencies in the U.S. and Russia to build the first seismic detection facility in one of the world's most severe climates in eastern Siberia, Russia. The U.S. and Russian governments had been negotiating for 5 years about the need for this facility. They came to me and my company in 1997. The facility was declared operational in 1999. Building an operational facility was complex for several reasons. U.S.-produced seismometers needed to be shipped to the facility and deployed on territory that was owned by the Russian military -- permanently installing U.S.-built technology at a Russian military facility had never been approved before. Construction of the communications networks required massive trenching, which could only be done during 4 months of the year due to severe climate conditions. I needed to put a U.S. civil engineer onsite to live for 2 months to hold the Russian contractor to the extremely aggressive construction schedule. The implementation team overcame all these barriers and succeeded in the deployment of this new seismic detection facility, which now detects earthquakes, underground nuclear tests, and underwater explosions (including events that might precipitate a tsunami). This was a multi-million dollar, multi-year capital construction project involving multiple municipal jurisdictions, international parties and technology transfer, conflicting laws, and a high degree of risk to U.S.-Russian diplomatic relations. The Port of Seattle faces similar challenges in its future engagement with the world's largest ports in Asia. I will be able to bring my knowledge and experience to these decisions facing the Port and our community. |
4. Please list or describe your current and past activities in the community in which you have acquired skills that relate to the office you seek. Include your role in the activity and the year(s) in which you were involved. Involvement consists of many areas such as family, neighborhood, community, employment, or public life.
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1) Co-leader of Community Preparedness Initiative, 2005-present. I have been working with a UW Professor to help the Puget Sound region and Washington State develop an innovative model for community preparedness in the event of natural or manmade disasters. We are now positioned to compete for an award from the Department of Homeland Security to create a center of excellence at UW valued at $18 million. This model involves a partnership of public and private sector institutions in both our civilian and military communities. The goal is to help our citizens and our institutions understand their roles, responsibilities, and realistic capabilities to help our communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. The University of Washington is partnered with the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, State and County Emergency Operations Centers, the Ports of Seattle/Tacoma/Everett, Pacific NW National Laboratory, and numerous corporations and non-profit organizations in this effort. Extensive coordination with federal authorities is also underway. The Port of Seattle must be a leader - not just a participant - for our community in addressing port security challenges. UW's Community Preparedness Initiative will be a critical forum for the Port to show how it is serving the community's best interests.
2) Board Chair (five years) and 16-year member, Foundation for Russian-American Economic Cooperation (FRAEC). FRAEC is a 501(C)(3), founded in 1989, whose mission is to build economic, business, and community ties between the United States and Russia, with a special focus on supporting communities in the Russian Far East. It competes for federal government grants, state awards, and private gifts with a $2.5 million annual budget. I joined the Board in 2000, and have been volunteer Chair for 5 years and member of the Executive Committee for 6 years. There are approximately 22 Board members, including Microsoft, Boeing, former CEO of Tim's Cascade Potato Chips, Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Pacific NW National Laboratory, Lynden International, Foss Maritime, Progressor LLC, K&L Gates, with Perkins Coie as General Counsel. I have helped FRAEC build strategic partnerships with regional groups such as the Trade Development Alliance, University of Washington's Jackson School of International Studies, National Council for Eurasian and East European Research, and Battelle's Center for Global Security. I also worked with FRAEC's President to build alliances with several Washington, D.C.-based institutions including the U.S.-Russia Business Council, U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation, and the U.S.-Russia Industry Coalition. I will bring to the Port Commission my skills in alliance-building to serve the larger interests of Puget Sound and King County.
3) Co-founder in 2006 of the Pacific NW Chapter of Women in International Security (WIIS), a Washington, D.C.-based 501(C)(3) dedicated to preparing women to assume leadership positions in the national security community at local, state, federal, and international agencies. With Battelle's Center for Global Security Director, WIIS NW hosted a port security forum at the Port of Seattle in October 2006. With more than 100 women from our region, we are committed to creating awareness and offering educational opportunities to our community to learn from experts and practitioners who visit our region. WIIS collaborates regularly with the UW Jackson School of International Studies, World Affairs Council, FRAEC, and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation to have maximum impact for our community. Port security is paramount for our region - King County and all of Washington State depend on the ongoing viability of the Port of Seattle as a critical import-export center. WIIS is a resource our whole region will be able to leverage for knowledge and state-of-the-art technology solutions.
4) Chair of an employee committee for my 15,000-person company, 1993-95. There were about 30 employees (none of us were line managers), charged with the mission of creating a productive and professional work environment across the company's 150 U.S. and worldwide offices. I opened up the Committee to company-wide communications networks so employees could have direct contact with company leaders and other company committees. I helped develop an employee dispute resolution process to protect employee privacy and ensure effective working conditions following the resolution of a dispute. The committee met quarterly to address various issues including employee benefits policies on tuition, health, retirement, disability, and profit-sharing plans. We made recommendations to the CEO, President, and the Board of Directors. I supported domestic partner benefits packages during the 1990s. As the Chair of this employee committee, I learned that employees have the creativity, experience, and determination to understand problems and find solutions -- and that leaders must create the work environment that allows employees to thrive. When employees thrive, the institution will thrive and that's the environment we need to create at the Port.
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A Port Commissioner is accountable to the citizens of King County as the public official who oversees the policies and practices of the Port of Seattle, which is by law a public institution. As Commissioner, I will be responsible for helping the Port leadership adhere to state laws governing the Port of Seattle operations, including: appropriate use and accounting of public tax levy dollars; appropriate participation in Open Meetings and executive sessions in compliance with state laws and regulations; oversight of Port employees' conduct to verify compliance with all employment and ethics laws; review and approval of any and all contractual obligations and verifying such obligations are compliant with all municipal, state, and federal procurement regulations as appropriate; commitment to those policies and practices that advance the Port's mission of contributing to King County's economic development and community interests; and conduct of annual performance reviews, compensation recommendations, and hiring/firing decisions for the Port's Chief Executive Officer.
The most important duty is to be accountable to the citizens of King County, at whose pleasure the Commissioner serves. The confidence and trust of the people in the Port matters - if the Port is to be an effective economic engine, then the people must trust its motives, intentions, and practices. When public officials believe it is their duty to be accountable, then they are serving the best interests of the institution as well as of the citizens. When they avoid accountability, the public official undermines the ability of the institution to do its work at all levels. Citizens know when public officials avoid being held accountable because we all have experienced situations - personally or professionally - where people develop a sense of entitlement and no longer take responsibility for their actions. I have demonstrated my whole career that I will accept the responsibilities of leadership, and I understand that this means being held accountable for the decisions I take and the commitments I make.
The second most important duty is to take decisions and votes that allow the Port of Seattle to accomplish its mission of contributing to economic growth and development while also being a responsible steward of Puget Sound's environment. To be able to take these kinds of decisions, a Commissioner needs a basic grounding in financial, contractual, legal, and human resources practices. I also argue that today, a Commissioner must understand how port security issues have direct impact on the ability of the Port to contribute to economic growth and development. As a business manager, security expert, proposal writer and development strategist, and Board Chair, I have extensive experience leading groups of people to discuss various options, understand costs and benefits, be conscious of potential consequences, and reach decisions that serve the best interests of the institution and the people affected. |
EDUCATION BACKGROUND SUMMARY
The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report is distributed to voters in print and/or on our website. It includes a summary of the candidate’s education. Please summarize your education in 120 characters (letters, punctuation, and space all combined). The League will delete material that exceeds the space limit by beginning with the last entry. Suggested order is (degree) (subject) (school) (year, if desired).
Note: If this question is left blank the League will not include education information in your candidate profile.
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MA, Government/National Security, Georgetown University. BS cum laude, Foreign Service, Georgetown University. |
FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT
The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report also includes a summary of each candidate’s civic involvement. Please summarize your civic involvement in the space below. We will make every attempt to include the information in the Candidate Evaluation Report as submitted. Due to space restrictions in the Report, your response is limited to 500 characters (letters, punctuation, and spaces all combined). It is important that you list your involvement beginning with the most important and ending with the least important. If you exceed the length of response permitted, or if the League should find it necessary to shorten responses for publication purposes, deletions will be made beginning with the last item listed.
Note: This information will appear verbatim on the League’s Candidate Evaluation Report. If this question is left blank, the Municipal League will not include information on your civic involvement in the Report.
Check here if you would like the Municipal League to copy the first 500 characters from Question 4 to paste into this section.
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Co-leader, UW, Community Preparedness Initiative to help Puget Sound prepare for, respond to, and recover from regional disasters (2005-present). Current Board Chair (5 years), Foundation for Russian-American Economic Cooperation encouraging alliances with King County and Washington, D.C. non-profits. Co-founder, Pacific NW Chapter, Women in International Security (2006) to support women’s career interests. Chair, Employee Committee at 15,000-person firm (1993-95), advocating for productive work environment. |
Finished!
If at all possible, send your response to the Municipal League electronically as an attachment, or insert it into an e-mail message (cec@munileague.org). Mail and fax numbers are listed below. If the League has not contacted you to schedule an interview, please call the League office at your earliest convenience.
Don’t forget to send the following to the Municipal League: a resume, a photo, campaign literature, and, if you are an incumbent, constituent newsletters and other materials. Please use the check-off list on the cover sheet of this packet to indicate which items you have sent.
Candidate Evaluation Coordinator: Jason Thibedeau
Seattle, WA 98104-1614 Fax: (425) 671-0506 Website: www.munileague.org