Wilson announced Andrés Mantilla of the policy consulting firm Uncommon Bridges as her transition director.
SEATTLE — Mayor-elect Katie Wilson on Wednesday named a team of local leaders to guide her administration’s transition into office, tapping figures from government, labor, housing and economic development to help set priorities and shape her agenda as Seattle’s next mayor.
Andrés Mantilla, former director of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods and principal at Uncommon Bridges, will serve as transition director. Transition co-chairs are Karen Estevenin, executive director of PROTEC17; Tiffani McCoy, co-executive director of House Our Neighbors; Quynh Pham, executive director of Friends of Little Saigon; and Brian Surratt, president and CEO of Greater Seattle Partners. With the wide range of experience, Wilson has kept her promise on surrounding herself with those experienced and community outreach and city hall veterans.
Mayor-elect Wilson names transition director and co-chairs
Wilson said the transition team’s expertise in government, labor, housing and business would be key to enacting her campaign promises around affordability and community development.
“I ran for mayor on the vision that we can tackle big challenges, address our affordability crisis, and make our city a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Now it’s time to get to work,” Wilson said.
The transition leaders will assemble a broader advisory group in the coming weeks, gathering input from the community to identify priorities for the new administration, according to Wilson’s team.
Mantilla, who previously supported the administrations of former mayors Greg Nickels and Jenny Durkan, brings more than two decades of experience in public policy and community engagement. Mantilla serves on Nickel’s community outreach team and as director of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods during Durkan’s administration.
“Successful leadership is about building consensus and working across diverse groups to turn a bold vision into concrete outcomes,” he said.
Estevenin leads the public-sector labor union PROTEC17, which represents thousands of city workers. She also serves on the board of the Seattle Social Housing Developer.
McCoy, who managed campaigns that established and funded the city’s first social housing developer, said she intends for the transition to focus on “affordability, housing production, concrete progress on homelessness, and a commitment to social housing.”
“Seattle’s residents deserve access to stable, affordable homes,” she said.
Pham, whose nonprofit works to support and preserve Little Saigon’s business and cultural community, said she will prioritize support for small businesses and ensuring economic growth benefits neighborhoods throughout the city. This appointment by Wilson signals an emphasis on the area as it continues to spark concerns of public safety.
Surratt, former director of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development and now CEO of Greater Seattle Partners, brings public-private partnership and economic development experience to Wilson’s team. His achievements include negotiating the city’s development agreement that led to the construction of Climate Pledge Arena.
“Seattle’s long-term stability relies on an economic strategy that lifts workers and supports small businesses and our leading industries. I’m honored to support a transition committed to transparent governance, economic justice and opportunity, and high-growth workforce pathways that anchor prosperity across the city,” he said.
The full list of transition committee members is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
