Mayor Nickels' Staff

TIM CEIS - Deputy Mayor
Tim is responsible for all policy and operational issues for the mayor. Tim is the former Chief of Staff to King County Executive Ron Sims. He also served as the Director of the King County Endangered Species Act Policy Office, Senior Executive Policy Coordinator for Governor Gary Locke and Deputy Director of Budget and Strategic Planning for King County Executive Gary Locke.

KEN NAKATSU – Chief of Departmental Operations
Ken oversees all city department operations for the mayor. He has spent most of his career with the City of Seattle in senior management positions associated with budget, finance, technology and several operational areas including those in support of public safety, emergency management, utilities, and transportation. He has also guided the city’s efforts to address social issues through its contracting practices, including the development of strategies to enable small, disadvantaged businesses to compete successfully for city contracts. Ken holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Washington.

REGINA LABELLE - Counsel to the Mayor
Regina advises the mayor on a variety of legal and policy issues. Previously, Regina was a principal with The Advocacy Group, a lobbying and public affairs firm based in Seattle. She has extensive experience in legislative relations and public affairs both in Washington state and on the national level and is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Boston College, from which she graduated magna cum laude. Regina is a member of the Washington State Bar and practiced labor law in Seattle. Active in her community, Regina is a past president of the Northwest Women's Law Center. And is an adjunct professor at Seattle University's Institute for Policy Studies.

EMELIE EAST- Council Relations
Emelie East is the mayor's primary liaison with the Seattle City Council and is responsible for the Executive's legislation. Emelie, a native of Seattle and a graduate of Roosevelt High School, has spent the past 11 years as a public affairs and policy professional in Washington, D.C. Emelie served in professional staff positions in the United States Senate and House of Representatives, including the office of Congressman Norm Dicks (D-WA) and the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. Emelie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., where she now serves as a Trustee. She has a law degree from Georgetown University and is a member of the Washington State bar.

MARTY MCOMBER - Senior Communications & Policy Advisor
Marty is responsible for communications on the mayor's policy initiatives and serves on the senior policy team. Before joining the Mayor's Office in February 2005, he spent more than a decade as a newspaper reporter in Seattle, Boston and Los Angeles. At The Seattle Times, Marty covered a variety of beats including Seattle City Hall, commercial real estate, and the Port of Seattle. Marty holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Washington.

NICOLE SCHULTZ - Senior Speechwriter
Nicole joined the Mayor's office during the summer of 2002. She has worked different jobs since being in the office, and currently is part of the Mayor's communication team. Nicole enjoys meeting and working with the community and city employees. Her hobbies include; running with her dog, watching and playing sports, and playing poker. She holds a bachelors from the University of Washington.

MIKE MANN, Infrastructure Team Lead
Mike served as Mayor Nickels’ Director of Council Relations until July 2003, when he became the deputy director of the Office of Policy and Management. For the past two years, Michael has been the mayor’s lead on development issues in South Lake Union and spearheaded the financing plan for the SLU streetcar. Previously, he was the District Director for U.S. Representative Jay Inslee and a staff person with Seattle City Council.

JACKIE KIRN, Environment and Neighborhood Services Team Lead
Jackie joined the city’s Office of Policy and Management in 2002, focusing on key environmental, land use and utility issues. She also has provided leadership and project management on the city’s multi-year Northgate Revitalization Project. Prior to that, she worked for the King County Executive on several strategic and regional policy initiatives, including salmon protection, surface water management, land use and development, and solid waste management.

DOUG CAREY, Public Safety Team Lead
Doug joined the city of Seattle in 1990 as a budget analyst and became an assistant finance director in 1995. His work on police staffing has led to more precise tracking of historical changes in uniformed police officers and helped establish a system for projecting the need for recruiting, hiring and training officers. He has represented the city in regional negotiations for the Medic One/Emergency Medical Services levies, the King County jail contract and regional jail capacity, and the regional finance and governance proposals to consolidate courts of limited jurisdiction and create efficiencies in providing specialized police services. He has coordinated the city’s applications for significant public safety programs such as the Comprehensive Communities Grant, the Police Supplemental Hiring Grant and various homeland security grants. Prior to joining the city, Doug worked for the state of Illinois.

MARILYN LITTLEJOHN, Human Services Team Lead
Marilyn joined the city in 2000 as the Strategic Advisor on Community and Intergovernmental Relations for the Human Services Department, working on a number of challenging city and regional human services issues during a period of severe budget cuts. In 2004, Marilyn became the Director of HSD’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Division. Prior to coming to the city, Marilyn was a Regional Director for Children’s Home Society of Washington, Director of the Tacoma-Pierce County Commission on Children Youth and Their Families, and an analyst with the Congressional Research Service.

NATHAN TORGELSON, Community Development Team Lead
Nathan worked for Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development between 1991 and 1997, followed by the Office of Economic Development (OED) up until 2002. While at OED, Nathan led the City’s South Lake Union property sale negotiations and directed OED’s work in distressed communities and neighborhood business districts. From 2002 to 2006 Nathan served as the City of Kent’s economic development director. Nathan managed all aspects of Kent’s economic development program, including bringing Kent Station, a large mixed-use transit-oriented development in downtown Kent, from vision to reality. Nathan has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota and a Masters in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

RICH FELDMAN - Sr. Policy Advisor
Rich joined the Mayor's staff in the spring of 2007. Prior to coming to the city, Rich served as the executive director of the economic development and work force division of the ML King County Labor Council, AFL-CIO in Seattle. He also served as the Washington State coordinator of the Apollo Alliance, a coalition of labor, environmental, business and community organizations focused on livable wage jobs and energy independence. Rich is the Mayor's Labor Liaison. He also is coordinating electric vehicle initiatives for the mayor's office.

VIET SHELTON - Sr. Policy Advisor
Viet Shelton was most recently the Deputy Communications Director for the Washington State Democratic Party. Prior to that, Viet was Mayor Greg Nickels’ campaign manager during the 2005 election. He served as a Communications specialist for the House Democratic Caucus for the 2005 session where he worked on the 9 ½ cent transportation package and clean-car legislation. Viet was also the Field Director for the Dave Ross Campaign in 2004 and served in Mayor Nickels’ administration from 2002-2004. Viet has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and was raised in Auburn, WA.

NANCY CRAVER, Policy Advisor
Nancy advises and assists in the coordination of the executive response to the public disclosure act. She works closely with both the Mayor's Legal Counsel and the City Attorney's Office. Prior to joining the city in 2005, Nancy was a business process manager for a local print company. She also served as the Manager of the Archives and Records Management Program at Metro King County for ten years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Hawaii and a post graduate certificate in Archives and Records Management from Western Washington University.

CLAUDIA ARANA - Community Development Policy Analyst
Claudia Arana works as a policy analyst on Mayor Nickel's Community Development team. She originally joined the Mayor's staff as the City of Seattle Boards & Commissions Administrator and was responsible for over 50 City of Seattle Boards & Commissions. Before joining the Mayor's staff, Claudia spent three years working for U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell on immigration cases and issues for Washington state. She also worked at the King County Housing Authority for two years and is a former AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer. Claudia holds a BA in English from Duke University as well as a Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs. Claudia is bilingual in English and Spanish, and is in the 2005 class of Leadership Tomorrow.

MICHAEL J. GILMORE - Boards & Commissions Administrator
Michael Gilmore is responsible for administering over 50 City of Seattle Boards & Commissions, and also contributes to the mayor's outreach team. Michael began working in the Mayor’s Office in December 2006 as a Community Outreach Liaison. Previously, he worked for Senator Cantwell as Deputy to the Political Director after interning with the campaign's finance department. A recent cum laude graduate of Seattle University with a B.A. in Political Science, Michael maintains an active interest in Washington state politics and supports a variety of progressive causes.

PAMELA GREEN - Director of Community Outreach
Pamela is responsible for all community outreach activities for the Mayor and serves on his senior policy team. Prior to joining the Mayor’s office she worked in SDOT as a strategic advisor/community liaison on Sound Transit’s light rail project, as a neighborhood district coordinator for the Department of Neighborhoods and as a public relations manager in housing and human services. Pamela has worked for the City of Seattle for 25 years and is a graduate of the University of Washington.

LYNDA PETERSEN - Community Outreach Liaison
Lynda recently earned her MPA from the Evans School of Public Affairs at UW. She focused her studies on social policy and was the graduate assistant to former Seattle Mayor Norman B. Rice. Lynda currently prepares briefing materials for the Mayor, works with community groups and constituents on their complaints and concerns, helps organize events, and assists staff in all community outreach efforts to Seattle's neighborhoods and businesses. Lynda believes the two years of direct service she gained with AmeriCorps prior to graduate school helped shape her views on society and the world.

RACHEL SMITH - Seattle Climate Action Now Coordinator
Rachel is the coordinator for Seattle Climate Action Now. Prior to joining the Mayor’s staff, she worked in the environmental community as Field Director and later Development Director for Transportation Choices Coalition, after turns at the Northwest Environmental Education Council and WashPIRG. With a passion for transportation issues, Rachel is also the Board Chair of the Washington State Ridesharing Organization. Before moving to Seattle, she was a shorebird and marine mammal biologist and holds a degree in Wildlife from Humboldt State University.

KAREN KEEGAN - Executive Administrator
Karen serves as Mayor Nickels' Office Manager, following a stint as the Mayor's Scheduler for the first year of his administration. Before joining the mayor's staff, she worked for Governor Gary Locke's Boards and Commissions staff, and also served as Executive Assistant to the Governor. Karen is a graduate of the University of Washington.

SUE NAKAMURA - Executive Assistant to the Mayor
Sue is the mayor's executive assistant. Her duties include coordinating the mayor's day to day activities. She previously worked for the King County Council and was asked to join then-King County Councilmember Greg Nickels' staff, as his administrative assistant. She served in this role for 12 years and joined the mayor's staff in January 2002.

SHARON THOMAS - Correspondence Manager
Sharon assists Marty Mcomber and the rest of the mayor's communications staff. She has worked for the City of Seattle for ten years, serving three mayors. Her community involvement includes the United Negro College Fund and the Seattle Film Festival.

KIM GARRETT - Executive Assistant to Tim Ceis
Kim is the executive assistant to both the Deputy Mayor and Chief of Departmental Operations. She has 14 years of public service with the City of Seattle, serving in the Department of Administrative Services, the Department of Design, Construction and Land Use, where she was the Assistant to the Director of DCLU, as well as mayoral transitioning to the current administration.

KINDLE SHAW - Executive Assistant to Senior Policy Advisors, Council Relations and Counsel to the Mayor
Kindle is the executive assistant to Regina LaBelle, Mayor's Legal Counsel, Rich Feldman, Senior Policy Advisor, and Emelie East, Council Relations Policy Advisor. Previously, she was the executive assistant for the managing director for the Seattle Repertory Theatre and for the President and CEO of Bob Walsh Enterprises, Inc. She is an active fundraising volunteer, assisting numerous charities including Rise N Shine and Atlantic Street Center. Kindle is a graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

MELIA BROOKS - Mayor's Scheduler
Melia worked for four years in the office of King County Councilmember Larry Gossett and spent two years as a project coordinator of the Northwest Labor and Employment Law Office's re-licensing project. In addition to her duties as scheduler, Melia works as assistant to Director of Community Outreach. She joined the Mayor's Office in 2003.

GRETCHEN CONRAD - Mayoral Assistant
As a member of the Correspondence team, Gretchen performs a variety of duties that support the communications program in the Mayor's Office. These include assisting in preparation, coordination, development and distribution of a variety of communication materials; coordinating the response process to constituents and facilitating meetings with representatives of the news media and other agencies.

ALLISON SCHWARTZ - Reception Desk
Allison manages the Mayor's reception desk, drafts all proclamations, greetings and recognition letters, and assists the communications staff with constituent letters and emails. She graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Political Science in 2004, and went on to work as a grassroots organizer on political and environmental campaigns. Currently, Allison is finishing a Masters degree in Public Administration at Seattle University’s Institute of Public Service.

KRISTA LEIMBACHER- Office Aide
Krista works part-time, helping with filing and delivering mail. She previously worked for Seattle Municipal Court.

JOE BOUFFIOU AND RODNEY STOKES - Executive Protection to the Mayor
Joe and Rodney provide executive protection to the mayor.