Biography

Deb was elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 2006. As a resident of the 48th district for more than 25 years and someone intensely interested in land use issues, she’s watched Puget Sound’s eastside communities grow, and been an active participant in shaping the area’s development.

Deb was a founding board member of the Eastside Domestic Violence Program and helped establish the Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhood after her neighborhood was annexed into the city. In 1993 she ran for the Kirkland City Council and went on to serve six years as a councilmember, two as a mayor. Deb has also served on a variety of regional boards, including the Seattle-King County Public Health Board and the Regional Water Quality Committee.

After serving on Kirkland’s city council, Deb took on the directorship of Suburban Cities Association, representing 37 King County cities with a population of almost 800,000. Until 2004, she facilitated and brokered agreement among the cities and the county on a number of issues, including human services funding, housing, and salmon habitat restoration.

Deb holds degrees from West Virginia University and the University of North Carolina. She has been married for 26 years to husband Jon. She has three grown children and two grandchildren.

Education

J.D. from the University of North Carolina, 1979
B.S. from West Virginia University, 1976

Professional background

Suburban Cities Association – Executive Director
Cascadia Center for Regional Transportation – Senior fellow

Community involvement

Eastside Domestic Violence Program – Founding board member
Municipal League of Seattle-King County – Board member
Washington Appleseed – Founding board member
Helped establish Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods

Previous public service includes:

Councilmember and Mayor of Kirkland
Seattle-King County Public Health Board
Regional Water Quality Committee
Various regional committees and task forces