Seattle's Most Influential People

The history-making election may be dominating national headlines and dinner conversations around the country. But we looked at the year’s local headlines—and behind them—to ferret out the people who are changing the landscape and driving conversations in Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region. From a few good women who found a way to keep a sports team in Seattle, to a former governor who has us talking about one of the last great taboo topics (death), to a group of guys putting Seattle back on the music map, and a far-reaching local foundation (led by a gazillionaire now devoting himself to philanthropy), our 25 Most Influential People of the Year are shaping and shaking up our corner of the world.
 
CLIMATE
The Other Al Gore
Philip Mote, Ph.D., University of Washington research scientist and Washington state climatologist
Bio: Mote, 43, has a doctorate in atmospheric science from the University of Washington and an undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard. Before becoming interested in global warming, he says, he “wanted to apply physics to something more intuitive than subatomic particles.”

Why he’s on the list: Mote has been researching the effects of global warming for the last two decades, but it’s his weekly (or more often) informative and entertaining presentations on the subject to a variety of audiences that have spread his influence in this arena and given him the honorary title of Al Gore of the Pacific Northwest. And then there’s the Nobel Peace Prize: In 2007, Mote shared the prize with hundreds of co-authors and researchers for work on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). “When I first heard [about the Nobel Prize], my reaction was, ‘It’s wonderful they were recognized,’” says Mote, who also won a 2008 UW Distinguished Staff Award. “I didn’t take it as a personal honor because the IPCC is a collective effort.”

Next up: In the coming months, Mote will enlist volunteers to run a regional climate model on their own computers, helping scientists better understand how climate change could affect the West. Mote will also work with state and federal governments to modernize Washington’s climate-monitoring network.

Biggest influence: Susan Solomon, a NOAA atmospheric scientist and co-chair of the IPCC, who recruited Mote to work on the IPCC’s 2007 report. Without her encouragement, Mote says, “I wouldn’t have even thought of myself as sufficiently expert.” Nick Horton

MUSEUMS
Memory Keeper
Ron Chew, former executive director of the Wing Luke Asian Museum
Bio: Raised in Seattle’s International District and Beacon Hill neighborhoods, Chew, 55, was an editor at the Pan-Asian community newspaper The International Examiner.

Why he’s on the list: When Chew was named executive director of the Wing Luke Asian Museum more than 17 years ago, the museum’s fledgling International District space had a meager budget and lacked a cohesive identity. Fast-forward a decade and a half and Wing Luke has a handsome new $23.2 million home and a revived sense of legitimacy. Chew was the backbone of the capital campaign (launched in 2004) that fueled the Wing Luke’s revitalization. Its goal—accomplished this year—was to move the small cultural museum to a refurbished historic building roughly six times the size of its old home. “I never doubted that we would achieve our goal,” says Chew, whose quiet leadership and determination helped lead to 1,600 contributions. The massive goal accomplished, he retired from his museum role in late 2007.

What’s next: The single father of two boys has a new career as head of Chew Communications and lectures at the UW’s Department of Museology. “I’ve realized in my 55 years that it’s about following your passion, not letting others tell you you can’t do something.”

Favorite exhibit at the new Wing Luke: Housed in the impressive 59,000-square-foot East Kong Yick Building, the museum should be seen and viewed as an exhibit in itself, Chew says. The building was crafted in 1910 by 200 Chinese laborers. “It’s like going to your great-grandfather’s house,” he says. Karen Johnson