Pacific Northwest Building Resilience Coalition

Lemay

The Pacific Northwest Building Resilience Coalition (PNBRC) has appointed Lionel Lemay as chairperson. A leader in engineering, sustainability, and industry advocacy, Lemay is known for building high performing teams and programs that advance innovation and growth across the building materials sector.

Lemay is the founder and CEO of ConcreteNexus LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to strengthening resiliency, innovation, and sustainability in the concrete industry through education, certification, and building codes and standards advocacy.

Prior to founding ConcreteNexus, Lemay served in several senior leadership roles, including executive vice president at the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) for 21 years, managing director at the Portland Cement Association (PCA) for 10 years, and director of engineering at Hansen Lind Meyer for seven years.

He is a registered professional engineer and structural engineer in Illinois, a LEED accredited professional, and an active member of ACI, ASTM, and ASCE committees. Lemay holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering and applied mechanics from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Lemay succeeds Bill Larson, who is retiring after 10 years as Chairperson.

PNBRC’s mission is to unite the resources of the cement, concrete, masonry, and reinforcing steel industries to position concrete, through education and advocacy, as the material of choice for low-, mid-, and high-rise construction across the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada.

Highline College

George

Des Moines City Attorney Tim George has been named Highline College’s 2026 Distinguished Alumnus for his impact in creating public spaces and services for the community he grew up in.

With all city projects requiring his legal sign-off before moving forward, the South King County native views his role as a problem solver. If issues arise, he fixes them to keep the project on track and on time. Some of the projects George has approved include the Link light-rail extension, marina improvements, a fishing pier replacement, new parks and forested areas.

Starting as a Running Start student, George graduated from Highline with an associate degree in 2002, and said that having grown up in the area, it’s especially rewarding to give back to the community that gave him so much.

Harking back to his years at Highline, George’s interest in law was sparked by a few criminal justice classes. He also took writing classes and discovered an interest and a talent for writing that was ignited by his professor.

After graduating from Highline, George pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Washington and a Juris Doctor degree at California Western School of Law.

Dermody

McCarthy

Dermody, a diversified private equity investment management company focused exclusively on the national logistics real estate sector, has hired Manali McCarthy as vice president of Investor Relations.

In her role, McCarthy will lead investor communication and interaction, supporting future fundraising efforts while developing and implementing programs to achieve company and investor priorities. McCarthy will work with Kathleen Briscoe, chief capital officer at Dermody, to ensure investor relations support the company’s capital strategy and execution.

Prior to joining Dermody, McCarthy was a principal for ESG & Sustainability at Third Economy where she led the annual sustainability reporting process for more than 30 corporate clients. She specialized in helping companies build their sustainability programs from the ground up, developing reporting frameworks and long-term strategy while implementing investor and client programs such as workshops and sustainability surveys to advance company ESG.

McCarthy holds a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies and geography from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a LEED Green Associate, a credential from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), recognizing expertise in green building principles and sustainable design.

Founded in 1960, Dermody has developed more than $10 billion of total capital across all platforms nationwide, having acquired and developed approximately 110 million square feet of logistics and industrial facilities. In addition to its corporate office in Reno, Nevada, it has regional offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New Jersey, Northern California, Phoenix, Seattle and Southern California.

King County Metro

Green

King County Metro’s Emergency Management Administrator Matthew Green was recently honored with the Top 40 Under 40 award by the International Association for Emergency Management (IAEM-USA).

The recognition is given to individuals under age 40 for their outstanding leadership and notable contributions to the emergency management profession. This honor is a symbol of excellence and a testament to the achievements and hard work of the next generation of emergency management professionals.

At Metro, emergency management is an essential function to keeping the community safe. As emergency management administrator, Green focuses on emergency and continuity planning and founded and chairs the department-wide Emergency Management Steering Committee, the place where leaders across Metro collaborate on emergency management and continuity solutions.

Green has been at Metro since September 2024, after spending many years as an emergency management consultant working across the country.

P2S

Batra

Taylor

Lentz

P2S promoted new members Brad Lentz, Travis Taylor and Aravind Batra to the leadership team following the retirements of founders Kevin and Kent Peterson.

Lentz is now P2S's new president, having formerly served as vice-president. Lentz brings more than 20 years of leadership experience. He led the development of P2S's 2025 Strategic Plan.

Taylor was appointed chief operating officer in November 2025. Taylor has over 30 years of A/E industry experience, with 25 of those years in senior operational roles including experience in entrepreneurial firms and large global engineering companies.

Batra is now chief technical officer. He brings nearly four decades of industry experience, having led and managed hundreds of complex projects, developed sustainability master plans and electrical standards, and contributed to numerous award-winning LEED-certified and high-performance buildings.

Ethos Civil

Buchanan

Bryan

Frerichs

Murphy

Ethos Civil has hired Kyle Murphy, Garret Frerichs, Owen Bryan and Troy Buchanan.

Murphy is a professional engineer with 10 years of experience, most recently with Momentum Civil. He has delivered land development projects across the tribal, public, and private sectors, such as the Honda Auto Center renovation in Bellevue. Murphy joins the Tacoma office and is project engineer for the Tacoma Fire Station No. 7 project.

Frerichs is a professional engineer with six years of experience, most recently with J-U-B Engineers. His background includes a range of municipal projects spanning airports, roadways and utilities, including the Dorothy Scott International Airport Runway 15/33 Reconstruction. Frerichs is currently project engineer for the Tacoma Public Schools' IDEA High School project, and joins the Spokane office.

Bryan is an engineer-in-training and recent graduate of Washington State University who previously completed an internship with SCJ Alliance Consulting Services. Bryan is serving as a civil designer for the Clover Park Technical College aviation shelter and Enumclaw New Elementary School No. 6 projects. He joins the Tacoma office.

Buchanan is a civil designer and recent graduate of Washington State University who previously completed a survey technician internship with Contour Engineering. Buchanan is serving as a civil designer for the Tacoma Public Schools, central kitchen improvement project, and joins the Tacoma office.

Patrick Hardwoods

Gray

Patrick Lumber Company, a century-old lumber wholesaler and specialty wood supplier, promoted Mark Gray to president of Patrick Hardwoods, a new premium hardwoods business the company launched last year. After more than a decade spent shaping the strategic direction of the Patrick Lumber family of companies, Gray is well-equipped to lead and support Patrick Hardwoods' growing reputation in the Pacific Northwest hardwood market, the company said.

“Mark has spent more than a decade across our trading and manufacturing operations,” said Natalie Heacock, president of Patrick Lumber. “He knows where specialty wood creates value, and he'll put that knowledge to work building Patrick Hardwoods' position in the Pacific Northwest.”

A graduate of Gonzaga University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics and Finance, Gray joined Patrick Lumber in 2013 and has held a range of leadership positions across the company's trading and manufacturing operations. Most recently, he served as the vice president of Patrick Lumber Manufacturing. When PLC established Patrick Hardwoods in 2025, expanding into premium local hardwoods, Gray was central to its formation and early direction. Today, he brings the same tenacity and drive to his latest role as president of Patrick Hardwoods.

Patrick Hardwoods operates out of a dedicated hardwood mill at the company's Philomath, Oregon campus, manufacturing a range of Pacific Northwest hardwood species, including an unconventional longer-length alder that exceeds the industry's typical 12-foot standard.

King County Superior Court

Manca

Gov. Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Jessica Murphy Manca to the position of King County Superior Court Judge. Manca's appointment, effective July 1, fills the position that Judge Karen Donohue's resignation will vacate.

Manca is a career prosecutor with more than 15 years of experience in criminal law. She currently practices as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Washington, where she serves as the U.S. Attorney's Office's Criminal Civil Rights Coordinator — leading investigations of hate crimes and criminal violations of people's constitutional rights. Her practice has also focused on cybercrime, cyberstalking and financial crimes, and she previously served as the Western District of Washington's Project Safe Neighborhoods Program Coordinator — working with community leaders and nonprofits on gun-violence prevention, intervention and reentry programs.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney's Office, Manca spent a decade at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office as a criminal trial and appellate lawyer. She appeared daily in King County's superior and district courts, handling hundreds of felony and misdemeanor cases, including approximately fifty jury trials. Manca earned a promotion to Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in 2017.

Manca earned her bachelor's degree from Harvard University and her law degree with high honors from the University of Washington School of Law.

Perkins Coie

Perkins Coie announced that Jamie Evans has joined the firm's Corporate practice as a partner in the firm's Seattle office.

Evans focuses his practice on corporate and securities law, representing leading technology and life sciences companies across a broad range of corporate legal matters. With more than two decades of experience in the technology and growth-company ecosystem, Evans advises issuers, underwriters, and other parties in public and private offerings of equity and debt securities, with particular experience counseling technology companies on their initial public offerings.

In addition to his IPO and capital markets practice, Evans advises clients on SEC reporting and governance matters. Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Evans was most recently a partner in the technology capital markets group of a global law firm.

“I'm thrilled to join Perkins Coie,” Evans said. “The firm's strong public company advisory platform, leading technology practice, and collaborative culture make it an ideal fit for my clients and practice.”

Evans earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and his Juris Doctorate degree from UC Berkeley School of Law.

Lee & Associates

Knecht

Four years after joining Lee & Associates, Shane Knecht has been promoted to director of marketing, that firm recently announced. Its Andrea Johnson said in a statement, “Shane has consistently demonstrated creativity, professionalism and a deep commitment to supporting our brokers and growing our brand.” Knecht added, “I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue growing with Lee & Associates.”

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods

Pham

Quynh Pham has been confirmed as director of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, following a unanimous Seattle City Council vote on May 19.

Pham brings more than 14 years of experience in community development, equitable investment, and local policy. She previously served as executive director of Friends of Little Saigon, where she championed cultural and economic vitality while supporting small businesses and community-driven initiatives. She also serves on the boards of Historic South Downtown and the Crescent Collaborative.

A first-generation immigrant, Pham also brings both personal perspective and professional experience to her leadership.

Her appointment marks a full-circle moment: Pham joined the very first cohort of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods' People's Academy for Community Engagement (PACE), a program designed to help community members understand how city government works and how to navigate it to create change.

As the department celebrates its 35th anniversary, the department says it looks forward to the next chapter of connecting people, strengthening neighborhoods, and ensuring residents have a voice in policy making and decisions that impact local communities.

Zum and Seattle Public Schools

Zum, a provider of student transportation, announced it will be continuing its partnership with Seattle Public Schools (SPS) for the 2026–2027 school year.

Working with SPS since 2022, Zum plans to significantly expand operations here for the upcoming academic year. The company will add more than 130 new routes, bringing its total operations to over 280, serving students across the entire district.

Zum uses its Connected Mobility Experience (CMX), an integrated technology and operations platform that connects vehicles, drivers and school administrators in real time to optimize efficiency and communication. Zum's CMX system is used across 17 states and serves more than 4,500 schools, including several of the nation's largest public school districts.

To accommodate the additional routes and a growing fleet of over 130 new school buses, Zum says it is opening a new local facility and scaling up its workforce.

The company says it is committed to maintaining service reliability and alleviating student transportation anxieties through rigorous driver training and competitive workforce retention strategies.

PLS Engineering

Knott

PLS Engineering recently hired Kenny Knott as crew chief. He brings 10 years of experience in land surveying. Knott began his career as a crew member supporting his survey team. Knott has focused on forestry and boundary development and commercial timberland districts, topographical surveys, construction staking and residential staking projects.

CAST architecture

Kelly

CAST architecture has hired architect Meredith Kelly, who focuses on early learning and single-family residential. Her experience spans recreational, institutional, commercial, and residential projects combining sustainability with modern, approachable design. Kelly attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for her undergraduate degree in architectural studies, and earned her Master's of Architecture from the University of Washington. She is a licensed architect in Washington.

KMB architects

Eugenio

Vargas

KMB architects has two new hires: Natalie Vargas as an interior design associate, and Tyler Eugenio joining the architectural team.

Vargas recently graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a degree in interior design and is currently working with DCYF on the Echo Glen Children's Center Upper Campus visitors center predesign in Snoqualmie. She also serves as communications chair for the Pacific Northwest chapter of the Retail Design Institute.

Eugenio is a recent graduate from Washington State University with a degree in architectural design. Eugenio will support KMB's work with King County on regional animal shelter renovations in Kent.

KIRO Newsradio

KIRO Newsradio announced that its news team has been honored with seven Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism.

Three of the honors reflect the team's consistent commitment to delivering timely, high-quality coverage across platforms: Overall Excellence — KIRO Newsradio; Newscast — Seattle's Morning News; Breaking News Coverage — Seattle ICE Protests Turn Violent.

In addition to these team achievements, several journalists received individual recognition for their outstanding storytelling and reporting: Excellence in Writing — The Charlie Harger Commentary by Charlie Harger; Hard News — The Boy In The Tent by Charlie Harger; Investigative Reporting — The Mayor's Letter by Charlie Harger; Sports Reporting — More Than A Home Run by Aaron Granillo.

“These awards are a testament to the dedication and passion our team brings to their work every day,” said Bryan Buckalew, director of News and Talk Programming for KIRO Newsradio. “From breaking news to in-depth investigations, our journalists are committed to informing and serving our community with accuracy, urgency, and integrity.”

The Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards are among the most prestigious honors in broadcast and digital journalism. They recognize excellence in news coverage that demonstrates the spirit of Edward R. Murrow's legacy of integrity and public service.

City of Kenmore

The city of Kenmore's “Let's Talk Kenmore” podcast won second place in the 2026 Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Awards from the National Association of Government Communicators. This annual international awards program recognizes excellent government communication products and those who produce them.

“Let's Talk Kenmore” is a lighthearted podcast aimed at connecting listeners to their local government, and to demystifying the role of government in the city of Kenmore. The podcast was launched in April of 2024 and is hosted by city's Engineering Administrative Specialist Amber Clifton. The show covers a range of topics ranging anywhere from summer activities and recreation to what to expect at City Council meetings. It's available on the city's website or wherever you get your podcast.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) announced the recipients of the SEL Scholarship Program for the 2026–27 academic year. This year, SEL awarded 15 scholarships — 13 valued at $5,000 and two at $2,500 — to outstanding students pursuing degrees in engineering and applied technology.

In addition to financial support, the SEL Scholarship Program reflects the long-standing commitment of SEL to education, innovation and empowering the next generation of engineers and technologists. By investing in students who demonstrate both technical promise and strong character, SEL aims to support future leaders who will help make electric power safer, more reliable and more economical.

Meet the scholars:

Bhavana Shree Pothuri, electrical engineering, Texas A&M University

Laura Harris, computer engineering, University of Idaho

Miram Elag, electrical engineering, Purdue University

Mason Heiner, electrical engineering, University of Idaho

Andrew Hunt, electrical engineering, Washington State University

Roslynn Movius, electrical engineering technology, Lewis-Clark State College

William Ingels, computer engineering, Michigan Technological University

Silas Smith, computer engineering, Colorado School of Mines

Jared McCrory, engineering, Whitworth University

Charles Liu, computer science, Washington State University

Chiagoziem Nzewi, electrical engineering, Drexel University

Mame Diop, electrical engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Scott Sagen, electrical engineering, Boise State University

Kolby Uhlenkott, electrical engineering, Montana Technological University

Micah Spencer, robotics and communications systems engineering technology, Idaho State University

SEL invents, designs and builds digital products and systems that protect power grids around the world. This technology prevents blackouts and enables customers to improve power system reliability, safety and cost. SEL, a 100% employee-owned company that is headquartered in Pullman, has manufactured products in the United States since 1984 and now serves customers in 174 countries. SEL provides unmatched technical support, customer service and a 10-year worldwide warranty.

Skanska

Gabales

Skanska, a global construction and development firm, has hired Ivi Gabales as senior director-business development strategist for its Seattle office. Gabales brings nearly 20 years of experience across architecture, engineering, marketing and business development leadership in the architecture, engineering and construction industry, including roles at Rice Fergus Miller, Glumac and BCRA, as well as leading her own AEC consulting practice.

In her new role, Gabales will lead strategic business development initiatives focused on strengthening client relationships, expanding market opportunities, and supporting long-term growth across key sectors in the Pacific Northwest.

“Ivi's experience across the AEC industry, combined with her strong relationships throughout the region, makes her an important addition to our team,” said Don Kowalchuk, executive vice president and general manager, Skanska USA Building in Seattle. “She brings the strategic mindset and market understanding needed to help us build on our momentum in Seattle and identify new opportunities across the Pacific Northwest.”

Gabales began her career as an architect before moving into marketing and business development leadership.

Gabales holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of the Philippines and serves on the boards of the Seattle Architecture Foundation and the Filipino American Construction Professionals of the Northwest (FACPROS).

Port of Bremerton

The Port of Bremerton has been honored with the Washington Public Port Association's Community Outreach Award, recognizing the port's public outreach efforts tied to its Airport Feasibility Study.

The award highlights the port's commitment to transparency, accessibility, and meaningful public participation in evaluating the potential introduction of passenger and/or cargo service at Bremerton National Airport. This initiative displays long-term implications for both regional economic development and local quality of life, and in recognizing the significance of this project, the port prioritized robust community engagement from the onset.

The port used a multi-channel outreach strategy to ensure that residents and stakeholders of Kitsap County had opportunities to learn about the project and share feedback. These efforts included a community-wide survey that exceeded response expectations, a hybrid public open house, and ongoing communication through social media, newsletters and dedicated project websites. The port used these means to identify and directly address key community concerns, and those insights are helping shape the continued work of the study.