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About King County Executive and Leadership Team
King County Executive Dow Constantine
King County Executive Dow Constantine
Dow Constantine was elected King County Executive in 2009 and is serving a record fourth term as leader of one of the nation's largest and most dynamic metropolitan regions. A former member of the King County Council and the Washington State Senate and House of Representatives, Dow is a three-time University of Washington alumnus, holding postgraduate degrees in law and urban planning.
With his commitment to making Martin Luther King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive, Dow has led the region’s work to deliver world-class transit, restore our cherished natural environment, combat climate impacts, and build health, safety, and opportunity for all people. His administration's initiatives are informed by the principles of continuous improvement and guided by the goal of becoming the most forward-looking, best-run government in the nation.
Leadership Team
Deputy Executive Shannon Braddock
Shannon Braddock
Deputy Executive
Deputy Executive Shannon Braddock assists the County Executive in managing the day-to-day operations of the county. She is responsible for providing strategic direction and coordination for Executive Constantine’s priorities, and advising on emerging issues, policy development, and external and governmental relations. She serves on the Senior Leadership Team. Prior roles at King County include Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Council Relations Director in Executive Constantine’s office, as well as Chief of Staff for Councilmember Joe McDermott at the King County Council.
Shannon has 20 years of government relations experience, as well as experience in nonprofit board leadership and regulatory affairs in the health care sector.
Chief of Staff Karan Gill
Karan Gill
Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff Karan Gill leads the coordination of policy and strategy for the Executive Office, as well as overseeing governmental and external relations. Gill also serves as the Executive Office liaison for any potential countywide ballot measures. Gill previously served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Council Relations.
Prior to joining the Executive’s Office, he was Chief of Staff to King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove. He also worked at the Washington State Legislature and served as a community relations lead for a local anti-poverty nonprofit in South King County. Gill has more than 20 years of experience in governmental affairs, external relations and policy advocacy.
Performance, Strategy and Budget Director Dwight Dively
Dwight Dively
Performance, Strategy and Budget Director
Dwight Dively leads the office responsible for developing and monitoring the biennial King County budget, identifying and tracking performance measures, developing and implementing the King County Comprehensive Plan, and implementing Lean in the county's operations. He oversees a wide range of activities, including project analysis, financial forecasting, program evaluation, demographic analysis, and policy development.
Dwight has also been the county's Chief Operating Officer since 2020.
Prior to King County, Dwight had a 22-year career with the City of Seattle, most recently serving as Director of Finance and leading the city's financial and budget management initiatives between 1994 and 2010. He is also an affiliate assistant professor at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Policy and Governance.
Chief People Officer Whitney Abrams
Whitney Abrams
Chief People Officer
Chief People Officer Whitney Abrams spearheads our employee culture strategy to make King County a place where all employees have the tools, support, resources, and opportunity to do their best work for our community.
Whitney is a member of the Senior Leadership Team for King County Executive Dow Constantine. She has extensive knowledge and experience working on human resources, operations, and labor issues. She has more than 15 years’ experience as a union negotiator, including leading negotiations for the King County Coalition of Unions, and has served for 10 years in County executive leadership. Whitney is responsible for King County’s strategic workforce planning, workplace culture, and employee engagement. She ensures county leadership has the vision, tools, and resources for effective and aligned leadership and operations. The Department of Human Resources and Office of Labor Relations report to her, and all County Executive departments report to her on people, culture, and campus safety.
Chief Performance Officer Gary Kurihara
Gary Kurihara
Chief Performance Officer
Chief Performance Officer Gary Kurihara leads the county-wide effort to become a Best-Run Government, which is the county’s commitment to continuously improve the equity, efficiency, and effectiveness of how King County operates. His focus is on improving processes and organizational culture, while aligning agency management systems. This effort applies the best operational practices and tools from disciplines such as continuous improvement, performance management, strategy deployment, organizational change management, project management, internal communications, customer experience, and leadership development.
Gary came to King County with over 20 years of leadership experience in operations, sales, human resources, and lean/six sigma having worked across several industries in the private sector (Hilton, Nike, Grainger).
Communications Director Kristin Elia
Kristin Elia
Communications Director
Kristin leads the executive communications team, developing and guiding the communications strategy for Executive Constantine’s priorities and working closely with departments to coordinate storytelling opportunities that highlight how King County is making a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
Kristin has more than 15 years of experience in issue advocacy, communications, campaign organizing, and strategic planning. Before joining the executive’s office, Kristin worked at Weber Shandwick — a global communications and public relations agency. She also worked with the Washington state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, developing and overseeing strategies for education advocacy campaigns and before that for several nonprofits focused on issue advocacy in the political and legislative realms.
General Counsel David Hackett
David Hackett
General Counsel
General Counsel David Hackett provides strategic legal advice, navigates complex legal environments, and oversees the county’s legal representation. He has been practicing law for over three decades, primarily in a municipal setting. During that time, he has worked to favorably resolve long-term legal problems using the tools of appellate advocacy, statutory law, and jury trials. Lawyers should solve problems, not admire them. Areas of legal interest include constitutional government structures, home rule charter doctrine, and individual rights like freedom of speech. Prior to joining the Executive Office, he was a Senior Deputy with the King County Prosecutor’s Office, a private practice attorney, and a law clerk for a Washington Supreme Court Justice.