House Democratic Leadership
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Rep. Frank Chopp, Speaker of the House A life-long Washington resident, Rep. Chopp was first elected Co-Speaker of the House in 1999 and Speaker in 2002. He was the executive director of a non-profit community service organization that assists thousands of people annually – he is now the president of that organization. He is a 1975 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Washington, and lives in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood with his wife, Nancy Long. They have two children, Nate and Ellie.
Click here for Speaker Chopp's welcome message. |
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Rep. Jeff Morris, Speaker Pro Tempore Representative Jeff Morris is a fourth-generation native of
the San Juan Islands. He was elected to the State House of Representatives in
1996 where he serves as Chair of the House Committee on Technology, Energy, and
Communications. |
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Rep. Jim Moeller, Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Moeller is a Vancouver native, was educated at local schools: George C. Marshall Elementary and McLoughlin Junior High. He went on to Clark Community College and Washington State University, before doing graduate study at Portland State University. Elected in 1995 to Vancouver City Council, he was
re-elected to a second term in 1999. In 2002, when veteran legislator Val Ogden
retired, Moeller ran to succeed her in the state House of Representatives. He
won the subsequent general election handily and took office in January 2003. He
has since been re-elected three times. |
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Rep. Lynn Kessler, Majority Leader Serving her ninth term in the Legislature, Rep. Kessler serves on the Washington State Fine Arts Commission and the National Association of State Arts Agencies (NASAA). She is a former small-business owner and executive director of the United Way of Grays Harbor. She and her husband Keith are the parents of four and the grandparents of Kyle, Ryan
and Arita. They live in Hoquiam. |
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Rep. Dawn Morrell, Democratic Caucus Chair
Dawn has lived in Puyallup for 24 years with her husband
Jim, a retired Air Force pilot. After retirement, Jim received his teaching
certificate from Pacific Lutheran University and taught at Clover Park Technical
College for 10 years. He is now a math and science tutor. Dawn and Jim have been
married for 40 years and have two children and five grandchildren. Their two
children, Jereme and Jameson, attended Puyallup public schools and graduated
from Rogers High School.
Dawn continues to work as a certified critical care Registered Nurse at Good
Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup where she has worked since 1984. |
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Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, Majority Whip A community activist for more than 20 years, Rep. Santos has worked for civil rights, women's rights, economic and social justice, affordable housing, and quality public education. A graduate of Evergreen State College and of Northeastern University, she has worked in the banking industry and in senior management positions for several nonprofit organizations. She and her husband, Bob, live in the Rainier Beach area of Seattle. |
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Rep. Zack Hudgins, Majority Floor Leader
Zack has been a member of the Legislature since December 2001.
Before serving in office Zack worked at Amazon.com as a project manager, as a
program manager at Excell Data Corporation on assignment at Microsoft, and has led
seminars on democracy in Iraq, the Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan with the National Democratic
Institute. Zack attended the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and now lives in
Tukwila. He is active in the Highlands Community Association and the Greater Renton Chamber of
Commerce and is also a member of the SW King County Chamber of Commerce. Zack is focused on
creating jobs, reducing traffic congestion, improving education and making health care more
affordable. |
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Rep. Larry Springer, Majority Caucus Liaison A lifelong resident of East King County, Rep. Springer is serving his second term in the Legislature and previously served 11 years on the Kirkland City Council, including four as Mayor. He earned his MS from the University of Oregon and his BA from Western Washington University. He and his wife, Penny, are owners of a retail wine shop and enjoy spending time with their friends and family. |
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Rep. Deb Eddy, Majority Caucus Vice-Chair
Deb and her husband have lived on the Eastside for more than 25 years. During that time, Deb worked with numerous organizations that have been influential in the development of the eastside communities – Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods, Eastside Domestic Violence Program and Suburban Cities Association. Deb also served six years on the Kirkland City Council including two years as Kirkland’s mayor.
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Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, Deputy Majority Whip
A firefighter, paramedic and father,
Rep. Van De Wege joined the Legislature in 2007. Kevin earned fire administration and fire
investigation degrees from Edmonds Community College where he worked as a
resident in Mill Creek. He followed that with a paramedic certification from
Northwest Medical in Vancouver, WA. After becoming a paramedic, Kevin received a
BA in Social Science from Washington State University. He and his wife Jennifer, a high school teacher, are raising
their two children together in Sequim. |
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Rep. Tami Green, Assistant Majority Floor Leader Tami and her family settled in the Northwest after her husband completed his Air Force service in 1987. As a registered nurse, she has worked with patients at the Western State Hospital and the Child Study and Treatment Center. She has twenty-three years of experience in direct care nursing and four years as a health care employee representative. Tami is currently serving her third term in the Legislature. She and her husband, Don, live in Lakewood, Washington. They have two grown children and two grandchildren.
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Rep. Reuven Carlyle, Assistant Majority Whip With an entrepreneurial background, Reuven comes to the Legislature with a passion for bold leadership and innovative ideas. He serves on the House Higher Education; Education Appropriations; and Technology, Energy & Communications Committees, mirroring his core legislative priorities. As a citizen legislator, Reuven continues his work in the private sector when the Legislature is not in session. He helps small and mid-sized firms bring their leading-edge technologies to market worldwide by providing business development, financing, sales, board development and consulting services, especially in the wireless, software and clean-technology fields. An active community member, Reuven stays involved in Seattle schools and was a recent member of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. He also co-founded City Year, an AmeriCorps program in King County. He lives in Seattle with his wife Wendy and their four children.
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Rep. Fred Finn, Assistant Majority Whip Fred and his wife, Bonnie, live in rural Thurston County, and they have three children and one grandchild. A United States Army veteran, Fred is a Shelton/Olympia-area businessperson involved in commercial real estate. He serves as a member of the Mason General Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, and he’s active in helping lead many other local civic, business and community organizations.
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Rep. Jim Jacks, Assistant Majority Whip Jim lives in Clark County with his wife, Brenda, and their two young daughters. Jim’s career has focused on public service and problem-solving. He has worked as the citizen advocate for the City of Vancouver and as Governor Chris Gregoire’s representative in Southwest Washington. He established the Clark County Juvenile Court’s Victim-Offender Mediation program, and he currently works in business development for the engineering, surveying and planning firm of MacKay & Sposito.
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Rep. Scott White, Assistant Majority Whip Scott is a former senior manager and analyst with King County and the State of Washington. He has taught graduate-level public policy courses at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs. Scott has served on the Board of Trustees for Humanities Washington and on the Public Policy Committee for United Way of King County. He earned his undergraduate degree from Western Washington University and master’s degree from the University of Washington. Scott and his wife, Alison, have two children.
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