2009 Influential Acts

2009 Power List

Influential Acts

Port of Seattle CEO Tay Yoshitani arrived in March 2007, and since then has been working hard to rehab a business model that drew criticism for fraud, waste and ethics violations prior to his arrival. To that end, he’s implemented programs for greater accountability and hired a private attorney to help map future policy changes.

With decades of experience in leadership and nonprofit work under her belt, Andrea Platt Dwyer, the new head of Seattle Tilth (an organization that promotes organic gardening and resource conservation), has a lot to offer a city that—judging by the big spike in interest in Tilth’s classes this year—is hungrier than ever for sustainable options.

Scott Woodward knew he was taking over a troubled athletic program when he became athletic director at the University of Washington in 2008, but his long-term success may hinge on how well the athletic program weathers the economic storm. In the face of continuing budget shortfalls, he made the call earlier this year to cut the swimming program, which he hopes will allow the rest of the athletic department to remain above water.

While others panicked, Dr. David Fleming, director of Public Health for King County since 2007, kept calm during the course of this year’s swine flu outbreak and was a steadying influence for Seattle residents. Fleming’s strong background in epidemiology (he previously worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is well suited to this challenge; in the last few months he’s worked to develop adaptable strategies to keep flu cases to a minimum.

After 17 years at Seattle University School of Law, including four as dean, Kellye Testy moved her desk a few miles north in September, beginning her tenure as the new dean of the University of Washington School of Law. The first woman to hold this post, she brings with her a long history of community service and social justice work.

Noted Washington attorney Jenny Durkan—who was Governor Christine Gregoire’s counsel in the Chelan County trial that affirmed her 2004 election victory—is joining the ranks of Washingtonians (see opposite page) noticed by President Barack Obama. The president nominated her for the position of U.S. Attorney for Western Washington in June, and the Senate confirmed her in September, making her the chief federal law enforcement officer in the area.

Phyllis Campbell, the new CEO for JP Morgan Chase in the Pacific Northwest (which took over the region's 316 Washington Mutual branches), will marry her keen eye for finance (she’s spent three decades in local banking) with her philanthropic past (six years as head of the Seattle Foundation) as she works to build that institution’s local rep. She plans to continue WaMu’s tradition of making local charitable contributions via grants to nonprofits.

After a year as director of the University of Washington’s Henry Art Gallery, Sylvia Wolf—a former curator at the Art Institute of Chicago and New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art—is making her mark by forming new partnerships between the Henry and Seattle cultural organizations, building the museum’s collection by more than 300 donated pieces and keeping the traditional fun fundraisers. This year’s gala—with pingpong and a video of exploding desserts—continued to reflect the museum’s commitment to contemporary art and modern ideas.

Education innovator Jean Floten, president of Bellevue College since 1989, has been the driving force behind the school’s move from solely a community college to a bachelor-degree-granting institution (offering bachelor degrees in radiation and imaging sciences and interior design). She took an even bigger step last year when she pulled the word “community” out of the school’s name, bolstering its new hybrid identity.

As executive director of the Washington Vietnamese American (WAVA) Chamber of Commerce and lead negotiator for the Dearborn Street Coalition for Livable Neighborhoods, Quang H. Nguyen (pictured above) advocated for Seattle’s Little Saigon community in the face of a $300 million development project that would have changed the neighborhood’s profile. Although the economic downturn put an end to that project, Quang’s fierce leadership helped unite and preserve the Vietnamese community.

The tech community is hopeful that Linden Rhoads will be a successful agent of change in her position as vice provost (held since August 2008) for the University of Washington’s TechTransfer program. Showing signs that she’s off to a good start, the startup veteran and investor has one key task before her: turning academic research into commercial ventures.