Seattle is a city known for its neighborhoods. We have a long history of outreach and engagement through a system of recognition and support for neighborhood and business associations. This history is valuable. It is part of who we were and who we are.

Our Neighborhood District Coordinators, a key pillar of our outreach and engagement efforts, have played an instrumental role in that history. But as our city and its people continue to grow and change, our outreach and engagement strategies need to change with them. This means looking at what we do, how we do it, and being open to doing things differently.

For the last eight months, we have been working closely with our Neighborhood District Coordinators to do just that. We have refreshed their roles and job descriptions to better capture the important work they do and ensure that we are moving toward more equitable and inclusive outreach and engagement practices.

With that said, we are happy to announce our Community Engagement Coordinators. While their titles have changed, the exemplary service that you are accustomed to will remain the same. Our Coordinators are now housed with the rest of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, but they will still be out in the communities, meeting with neighbors, assisting with groups, and serving as liaisons. They will still be accessible by their same phone numbers and emails. They are still your connection, providing the essential link to government, and responding to your questions and concerns. And yes, they will still be engaging the community just as their title says.

Your designated Community Engagement Coordinator and their contact information is listed below:

North Sector (Council Districts 4, 5, 6)

Laurie Ames, Laurie.Ames@seattle.gov or 206.684.0320 Central Sector (Council Districts 3,7)

Karen Ko, Karen.Ko@seattle.gov or 206.233.3732 South Sector (Council Districts 1,2)

Yun Pitre, Yun.Pitre@seattle.gov or 206.386.1924 Citywide

Capacity Building Support

Thomas Whittemore, Thomas.Whittemore@seattle.gov or 206.684.4096

This is a long time coming, but we are excited about these improvements. This will allow us to be more responsive and better serve the needs of the neighborhoods and communities throughout Seattle.