Councilmember Tanya Woo's Staff

Email Sarah

Sarah Mayes serves as Chief of Staff for Councilmember Tanya Woo. Previously, she was Senior Policy Advisor for Council President Debora Juarez, and she clerked the Committee on Governance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments. Sarah has staffed issues relating to transgender rights, police accountability, public safety, labor, public assets, housing, and the City’s budget.  

Sarah has also served as the Policy Analyst for the Community Police Commission and on the staff of former Councilmember Kirsten Harris-Talley. She has also worked in the legislative offices of Portland Metro Councilor David Bragdon, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). 

Sarah received her B.A. from Reed College with studies focused on history, economics, and political science. She worked for fourteen years in academic and law libraries before starting two small businesses. A proud mother, Sarah has raised her two sons in north Seattle since 2006. 

Email Nina

A proud Seattle native, Husky Alum, and District 7 constituent, Nina Park serves as Policy Director to Councilmember Tanya Woo as well as clerk to the Sustainability, Seattle City Light, Arts & Culture committee. She has also served in leadership positions throughout the City of Seattle in departments such as Transportation, City Light, and in two mayoral administrations.

Nina received her B.A. from University of Washington, and her EMPA at Evan’s School of Public Policy & Governance (Cohort ’18). Prior to working in local government, Nina was a bartender for many years and bartended in Italy and Amsterdam to fund her travels in Europe. Her exposure and experiences with vastly different groups, mixed with her own lived experiences as a daughter of immigrants and small business owners, fuels her passion to make local government accessible to everyone.

Nina is an Institute of a Democratic Future alum (class of 2019), and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Korean American Coalition.

Email Murphy

Serving as Councilmember’s Woo’s Outreach and Operations Director, Murphy was born just north of Seattle in Bothell, Washington. Growing up active in community and in Scouting, Murphy has always been driven towards public service and a strong belief in local government. After graduating from the University of Washington, he moved to Seattle in 2019 to earn his MPA from the University of Washington’s Evans School.

After graduating, Murphy joined the office of Seattle Council President Debora Juarez and staffed her on issues relating to Sound Transit, transportation and technology. In his role, he worked with community members to fund new community spaces and sidewalks to support students.

Now living in District 6, Murphy is excited to work with Councilmember Woo to understand community needs, support her mission to prioritize the people of our city and connect people to our local government.