Wilson Announces Senior Staff Team
Photo: Jordan Somers
Staff Reports
This morning, Mayor-elect Katie Wilson announced her senior staff team to guide her administration and implement her vision. The senior staff is described as coalition builders, community organizers, and public servants who, according to her recent press release, have the skills and experience needed to take on the challenges facing Seattle.
“This is a team that’s ready to get to work and make Seattle a great place to live, work, and raise a family,” said Wilson in the press release. “They bring deep community ties, exceptional issue expertise, and most important of all: a track record of getting things done.”
Kate Brunette Kreuzer, Chief of Staff
Kate Brunette Kreuzer is an organizer, facilitator, and political strategist with over a decade of advocacy experience in campaigns for housing affordability, climate justice, and labor rights. Prior to this role, she spent seven years at Futurewise, a statewide land use advocacy nonprofit, where she led state legislative strategy for successful efforts to legalize middle housing, increase transit-oriented development, improve resiliency planning for climate change, and require cities and counties to plan for housing affordable at all income levels.
Jen Chan, Director of Departments
Jen Chan will supervise all Department Directors and has ultimate responsibility for implementing policy decisions through City staff. She brings 25 years of City government experience, having served in multiple leadership roles at the City of Seattle, including Chief of Staff at Seattle City Light, Assistant Department Director and Assistant Finance Director at the Department of Finance & Administrative Services, and Interim Deputy Superintendent at the Parks & Recreation Department. She is supporting the launch of Mayor-Elect Wilson’s new administration for the first six months.
Seferiana Day Hasegawa, Director of Communications
Seferiana Day Hasegawa will manage all external communications for the Mayor’s Office and all communication with City staff. She is an award-winning political communications strategist dedicated to public service, amplifying community voices, and advancing racial equity. She has led communications for the City of Seattle’s Office of Planning and Community Development and teaches policy advocacy at the University of Washington School of Social Work.
Alex Gallo-Brown, Director of Community Relations
Alex Gallo-Brown is responsible for outreach to community groups and grassroots leaders to ensure everyone has a voice in their City government. A lifelong Seattle resident, he is a labor organizer who previously served as the founding Director of the Essential Workers Organizing Academy at UFCW 3000 and managed Mayor-elect Katie Wilson’s campaign. He is also the author of two published collections of poetry.
Aly Pennucci, Director of City Budget Office
Aly Pennucci will provide clear and actionable budget data and run the city budget office. She is a seasoned local government leader with over 17 years of experience in public policy, budgeting, and fiscal management. She previously served as Deputy Director for the City of Seattle's Council Central Staff for almost 10 years, where she led the Council's annual budget review. She currently serves as the Deputy Executive for Whatcom County, where she streamlined the County's budget process.
Brian Surratt, Deputy Mayor
Brian Surratt is responsible for building public will for the Mayor’s key policy priorities. He is a multi-sector executive with 25 years of experience in economic development, including serving as the Director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development. During his time in the Mayor’s Office of Policy and Innovation, he served as the policy lead in Seattle’s effort to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Nicole Vallestero Soper, Director of Policy and Innovation
Nicole Vallestero Soper is responsible for developing and advancing specific policies that fulfill the Mayor’s vision. She is a policy analyst, facilitator, and researcher with nearly 15 years of experience translating grassroots power into lasting policy change. As Policy Director at Puget Sound Sage, she helped secure the nation's first $15 minimum wage in SeaTac and served on the Income Inequality Advisory Committee that shaped Seattle's minimum wage law.
Additional staffing decisions will be announced at a later date.
