Most Influential People
Cream of the Crop
Nutpods founder Madeline Haydon named to INC's Female Founders list
Madeline Haydon founded nutpods out of frustration. Ten years later, she finds herself on Inc.’s prestigious Female Founders list. Haydon was pregnant and on vacation at Lake Tahoe when she couldn’t find any dairy-free creamer options at a diner. She decided then and there that she wanted to launch a company. She spent the next…
Most Influential, Arts: Tariqa Waters
Fighting the establishment while uplifting other creatives
Tariqa Waters is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Most people in Seattle know Tariqa Waters as the owner and curator of two art spaces in Pioneer Square: Martyr Sauce gallery, a creative hub she opened in 2012, and its little sister space, Martyr Sauce Pop Art Museum (MS PAM),…
Most Influential, Media: Tom Mara
Retirement didn’t last long for the Seattle radio legend
Tom Mara is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Media and entertainment executive Tom Mara vowed to retire when he left Seattle-based nonprofit radio station KEXP last June 30 after two stints, a name change and 34 years altogether. Retirement didn’t last long. After months serving as a consultant to…
Most Influential, Food & Drink: Donna Moodie
Restaurateur and activist Donna Moodie is all about community
Donna Moodie is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential “If music be the food of love, play on,” wrote William Shakespeare in “Twelfth Night.” At Donna Moodie’s intimate Capitol Hill restaurant, Marjorie, music, food and love collide to create an alchemy of community as organic as the ingredients Chef Cheyenne…
Most Influential, Food & Drink: David Nichols
Restaurateur David Nichols once had a drinking problem. He now helps others who still do.
David Nichols is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Chef and restaurateur David Nichols would like to share about the time he hit rock bottom. But he can’t remember it. He was blackout drunk, driving home after another arduous day and night of work and talking on the phone with…
Most Influential, Arts: Elsa Sjunneson
The award-winning deafblind author and media critic is fighting ableism with an unapologetic call for representation in the media.
Elsa Sjunneson is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Deafblind author and activist Elsa Sjunneson always knew she would be a writer. As a child growing up in Belltown, she spent hours of free time crafting stories and making “books” from stapled-together pieces of loose-leaf paper. “Growing up, I knew…
Most Influential, Equity: Marc Dones
Working tirelessly to end homelessness
Marc Dones is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential No task is too massive for King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) CEO Marc Dones. The consummate consensus builder, the diplomatic Dones has worked toward finding a solution to Seattle’s homelessness problem with the difficult task of intergovernmental communication, coordinating federal,…
Most Influential, Equity: T’wina Nobles
Community leader and lawmaker seeks to grow generational wealth in the African American community
T’wina Nobles is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Growing up in and out of foster care and homelessness with a drug-addicted mother, T’wina Nobles became familiar with social services and community needs. Now, 41, the wife, mother of four, state senator and leader of two influential organizations — the…
Most Influential, Media: Michael McPhearson
Taking over the ‘South Seattle Emerald’ at a crucial time
Michael McPhearson is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential The South Seattle Emerald born in 2014, founded in a basement and funded by the savings account of Marcus Harrison Green. The online publication has come an awful long way since then, growing to fill Green’s ambition of providing a platform…
Most Influential, Arts: Kate Becker
Growing the region’s creative economy
Kate Becker is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential Kate Becker is equally at ease analyzing spreadsheets as she is reading sheet music. The King County Creative Economy and Recovery director has combined her passion for music and film with her business acumen to build a stronger cultural and financial…
Most Influential, Sports: Julio Rodriguez
Mariners’ phenom led all rookies in virtually every offensive statistic last baseball year
Julio Rodriguez is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential At age 21, he was the youngest player at last year’s MLB All-Star Game and the runner-up in the Home Run Derby. He is strong and fast and plays baseball with an unmistakable enthusiasm. He is Julio Rodriguez, the latest phenom…
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…
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