The Top 50 Seattle Women Leaders of 2026
Seattle’s leadership story is rarely one-industry or one-lane. The region’s “power map” is a living intersection of city-building and systems work (housing, transit, ports, energy), globally scaled companies (cloud, retail, travel), and institutions that quietly shape the talent and health of the metro (higher ed, healthcare, philanthropy).
What follows is an editorial, Seattle-metro-focused ranking of women whose roles translate into outsized influence: the ability to set direction, allocate resources, build durable institutions, and move big systems.
For the contact info of the Top 50 and Members Join or Login
#1 Katie B. Wilson
Seattle’s mayor is one of the most leveraged civic roles in the region: setting executive priorities, shaping budgets, and determining how quickly (or slowly) the city can execute on housing production, public safety systems, and basic service delivery. Mayor Wilson arrives with deep experience as a transit advocate and coalition-builder-an orientation that tends to translate into “implementation pressure” on big, multi-department goals that affect employers and families alike.
#2 Shannon Braddock
King County is where many of the metro’s hardest problems become operational: homelessness response coordination, behavioral health capacity, public health strategy, and regional governance that spans multiple cities. As acting executive, Braddock sits at the center of those systems-where decisions are less about headlines and more about execution, contracts, and cross-jurisdiction alignment that either stabilizes the region or keeps it stuck.
#3 Joy Hollingsworth
A council president helps determine what moves and what stalls-committee structure, legislative cadence, and the political “yes/no” bandwidth for major initiatives. In practice, the role influences everything from zoning and permitting climate to labor standards and public safety frameworks. In a city where policy shifts rapidly reshape business conditions, council leadership is a decisive form of power.
#4 Patty Murray
For a global-facing metro with major infrastructure, defense-adjacent industry, and research capacity, federal policy and funding are not abstract. A U.S. senator can shape the contours of what gets financed, accelerated, or protected-transportation, workforce programs, health systems, and innovation ecosystems that show up locally as jobs and investment.
#5 Maria Cantwell
Seattle’s economic engine depends on stable digital infrastructure, competitive trade, and regulatory clarity that allows large employers and fast-growing firms to plan. Senator Cantwell’s influence matters because federal frameworks around technology, commerce, and infrastructure policy often determine the region’s long-run competitiveness-especially for companies headquartered or heavily staffed here.
#6 Toshiko Hasegawa
The Port is one of the region’s most consequential “platform institutions”: aviation, maritime trade, industrial land, and climate-forward infrastructure all converge here. Commission leadership affects how Sea-Tac scales, how maritime careers remain accessible, and how the region balances growth with emissions reduction and community impact.
#7 Mary E. Kipp
Energy is the hidden constraint behind nearly every growth goal-housing, electrification, data centers, industrial development, and transportation. As CEO of a major regional utility, Kipp’s decisions on reliability, capital investment, and transition planning ripple into household affordability and business expansion timelines across the metro.
#8 Amy Hood
When one company sits at the center of a region’s talent market, supplier ecosystem, and philanthropic footprint, its financial strategy becomes locally consequential. As CFO, Hood influences how resources flow-investment priorities, long-range bets, and operational discipline that can affect hiring trends and partner ecosystems across Puget Sound.
#9 Amy Coleman
Seattle’s competitive edge is talent, and talent is shaped by how the biggest employers hire, develop, and retain people. Coleman’s role matters because workforce design at Microsoft sets norms that spill into the broader market-manager capability, skills investment, and the employee experience expectations that influence retention across the region.
#10 Beth Galetti
Whether you love or loathe Amazon’s footprint, its scale makes its people strategy a regional force. Galetti’s remit connects workplace systems and technology to employee experience-choices that can shift hiring velocity, internal mobility, and the “rules of work” that ripple through Seattle’s labor market and vendor ecosystem.
#11 Kara Hurst
Seattle’s business community is under constant pressure to reconcile growth with climate impact, and Amazon’s footprint makes its sustainability approach highly visible. Hurst’s influence is in turning sustainability into operational requirements-supply chain expectations, measurement, and enterprise commitments that can cascade to vendors and peers across the region.
#12 Ariane Gorin
Expedia is one of Seattle’s flagship tech employers outside the pure cloud orbit. Gorin’s leadership shapes how the region participates in the global travel economy-product innovation, brand trust, and job creation-while also influencing the local ecosystem of marketing, analytics, and engineering talent that feeds many other companies.
#13 Cathy Smith
Starbucks is both a Seattle icon and a global consumer business with deep local reach. As CFO, Smith’s decisions affect investment capacity, operating resilience, and strategic flexibility-choices that reverberate locally through corporate employment, supplier relationships, and the broader downtown and neighborhood economic fabric.
#14 Mary Beth Laughton
REI’s identity is deeply tied to the Pacific Northwest, and its co-op model gives it a different kind of influence: community expectations, member loyalty, and a cultural stake in sustainability and outdoor access. Laughton’s role matters because REI’s strategy shapes retail employment, brand partnerships, and the region’s broader outdoor industry ecosystem.
#15 Stephanie Pope
Few institutions shape the Seattle-area manufacturing and engineering base like Boeing’s commercial airplane business. Pope’s leadership matters locally because aerospace isn’t just one employer-it’s a supply chain, a skills pipeline, and an anchor for advanced manufacturing across the metro’s north and south ends.
#16 Dr. Elizabeth Wako
Healthcare is a defining “real economy” sector in the region-massive workforce, critical access issues, and high-stakes operational complexity. Leading Swedish means shaping care availability and clinical capacity for huge segments of the metro, while navigating the workforce pressures and financial realities that touch every employer’s benefits and every family’s wellbeing.
#17 Hilary Godwin
Public health leadership doesn’t just live in academia; it shapes the evidence base behind policy and the workforce pipeline behind implementation. Godwin’s influence is in research, convening power, and the training of professionals who populate healthcare systems, local agencies, and nonprofits-quietly shaping long-run health outcomes in the metro.
#18 Alesha Washington
In a region where private-sector wealth and civic needs often collide, philanthropic strategy matters. The Seattle Foundation’s role as a civic convener and capital allocator can determine what gets piloted, scaled, and sustained-housing support models, community safety interventions, arts and education initiatives, and more.
#19 Melinda French Gates
Seattle’s influence is amplified by the way local capital and expertise travel-into philanthropy, investing, and policy work. Through Pivotal, French Gates remains a major force in shaping what gets funded and normalized, with spillover effects into nonprofit capacity, advocacy ecosystems, and women’s economic power.
#20 Deeanne King
T-Mobile’s Bellevue-area presence makes it a cornerstone employer, and its people strategy has real gravity in a tight talent market. As chief people officer, King’s decisions influence workforce design, leadership norms, and employee experience-signals that move beyond one company and into the metro’s broader professional expectations.
#21 Alisha Valavanis
As president and CEO, Alisha Valavanis has helped elevate the Seattle Storm into a modern sports enterprise, pairing competitive ambition with strong commercial growth and community partnership. Her leadership helped bring the Storm’s $64 million Center for Basketball Performance to life, setting a new standard for investment in women’s sports and Seattle’s sports economy.
#22 Lucy McLellan
Lucy McLellan brings proven global brand-building experience to T-Mobile, strengthening the company’s voice, trust, and customer-first reputation in a crowded market. By uniting marketing and communications under one strategy, she turns business priorities into culture and momentum that resonate with employees, partners, and the Seattle region.
#23 Fanya Chandler
With more than three decades at Nordstrom, Fanya Chandler has earned her place by leading through change while keeping the customer experience and store teams at the center of the business. Her operational leadership helps a hometown retailer stay competitive nationally, translating strategy into consistent service, loyalty, and sales growth.
#24 Kelly Dilts
Kelly Dilts is a seasoned retail finance leader whose disciplined approach to performance, capital, and investment supports Nordstrom’s long-term resilience and innovation. As CFO and treasurer, she brings the strategic rigor that helps the company navigate shifting consumer demand while funding the next chapter of omnichannel growth.
#25 Jennifer Rock
Jennifer Rock has been instrumental in bringing financial clarity to Zillow through major growth phases, helping the company maintain credibility and confidence as a public-market leader. Her leadership in accounting and controls supports smart risk-taking, enabling Zillow to scale new products while keeping transparency and governance strong.
#26 Jenny Arden
Jenny Arden is recognized for shaping thoughtful, human-centered design at some of the world’s most influential consumer brands, and she brings that same product craftsmanship to Zillow. By turning complex housing decisions into intuitive digital experiences, she helps expand Zillow’s impact on how people discover homes and make life-changing moves.
#27 Charu Jain
Charu Jain has helped modernize Alaska Airlines’ commercial playbook by driving innovation in merchandising, partnerships, and customer experience that directly strengthen revenue and loyalty. Her work connects strategic growth to what travelers actually value, reinforcing Alaska’s competitive edge and the region’s aviation leadership.
#28 Chéri Ruger
Chéri Ruger’s leadership at the intersection of people strategy, labor relations, and inflight operations helps keep a major airline running smoothly where service quality depends on frontline excellence. By building trust with employees and leading through operational complexity, she supports reliability for travelers and stability for one of the Northwest’s most visible employers.
#29 Kelly Blacker
Kelly Blacker leads global geographies at Expeditors with the kind of operational command that keeps international trade moving across more than 100 countries every day. Her leadership strengthens Seattle’s position as a logistics and commerce hub, powering customer confidence through resilient systems, strong teams, and consistent execution.
#30 Michelle D. Weaver
Michelle D. Weaver rose through the ranks at Expeditors and now drives the development and growth of its global order management capabilities, helping customers gain control and visibility across complex supply chains. Her work delivers real business value in an era of disruption by making global logistics more predictable, responsive, and customer-focused.
#31 Kristy T. Harlan
Kristy T. Harlan provides steady legal and governance leadership at Weyerhaeuser, guiding a major Northwest company through the regulatory, risk, and strategic decisions that shape long-term performance. Her counsel helps protect enterprise value while enabling the business to move confidently on priorities like stewardship, compliance, and stakeholder trust.
#32 Denise M. Merle
Denise M. Merle’s enterprise leadership spans the functions that make large organizations work—people, technology, communications, and culture—giving Weyerhaeuser the internal strength to execute at scale. By aligning operations and talent with strategy, she helps the company stay agile, accountable, and prepared for the future.
#33 Margaret A. Meister
Margaret A. Meister’s rise from an actuarial student to CEO reflects deep expertise and decades of leadership that have helped shape Symetra’s disciplined approach to risk and growth. She brings credibility and strategic clarity to the region’s financial sector, supporting customers and partners with long-term stability and innovation.
#34 Beverly Anderson
Beverly Anderson leads BECU with a focus on member well-being and responsible growth, guiding one of the nation’s largest credit unions with both business discipline and community purpose. Her leadership expands access to financial tools and advice that strengthen households, small businesses, and the broader Puget Sound economy.
#35 Wendy Reiter
Wendy Reiter’s aviation leadership has been built over decades of operational experience, and she brings that expertise to one of the region’s most critical economic engines: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. By prioritizing safety, reliability, and service across a complex system, she helps keep the Pacific Northwest connected to global commerce and travel.
#36 Elizabeth Pauli
Elizabeth Pauli has led large, complex civic operations in the Puget Sound region, bringing steady executive leadership that helps communities deliver services reliably and manage growth responsibly. Her work strengthens the foundation that business depends on—effective governance, coordinated infrastructure, and public confidence—making her impact felt well beyond any single organization.
#37 Jody Allen
Jody Allen’s stewardship of the Seattle Seahawks pairs championship-level sports leadership with an enduring commitment to civic investment through the Allen family’s philanthropic and scientific initiatives. By leveraging the platform of professional sports and major charitable efforts, she helps drive economic activity, community pride, and long-term impact across the region.
#38 Samantha Holloway
Samantha Holloway has helped guide the Seattle Kraken’s growth with an operator’s mindset, applying entrepreneurial experience to build a new franchise and fan community from the ground up. Her executive leadership supports the business of sports in Seattle—partnerships, brand building, and community engagement—while raising the bar for women leading at the ownership level.
#39 Maria Yang
Maria Yang combines fundraising strength with strategic leadership, helping the Seattle Symphony sustain world-class programming and the operations of Benaroya Hall. By leading efforts that raise more than $25 million annually and shaping long-range planning, she protects an essential cultural institution that also fuels the city’s creative economy.
#40 Meg McCann
Meg McCann brings operational depth and mission focus to the Seattle Aquarium, ensuring the organization delivers a strong visitor experience while advancing conservation and education. As acting president and CEO, she provides steady leadership during transition and helps keep major initiatives moving that connect Seattle to ocean stewardship.
#41 Renee Erickson
Renee Erickson is a James Beard Award-winning chef-restaurateur who has built Sea Creatures into a locally rooted hospitality group that draws national attention to Seattle. Her businesses create jobs and set a high bar for craftsmanship, helping strengthen the city’s restaurant ecosystem and its reputation as a culinary destination.
#42 Jaime Drozd
As managing partner of Davis Wright Tremaine, Jaime Drozd has earned recognition for both legal excellence and barrier-breaking leadership, including guiding the firm with a growth-oriented vision. She influences the region’s business landscape by helping clients navigate high-stakes disputes and governance challenges while building a workplace where top talent can thrive.
#43 Julie Anne Halter
Julie Anne Halter leads K&L Gates’ Seattle office while also handling complex litigation and investigations, bringing a rare combination of firmwide leadership and hands-on problem solving. Her expertise in managing large, document-intensive matters helps clients move through risk with confidence, strengthening Seattle’s role as a hub for sophisticated business and legal work.
#44 Sheree Strom Carson
Sheree Strom Carson has built a standout reputation in regulatory litigation, guiding clients through consequential energy and utility matters where outcomes shape markets and communities. As managing partner in Bellevue, she pairs deep subject-matter expertise with trusted leadership that helps businesses make decisions with clarity in a highly regulated environment.
#45 Patti Hearn
Patti Hearn brings longtime leadership in education and community-building to Seattle Pride, expanding the organization’s capacity to deliver landmark events and year-round advocacy. Her work strengthens Seattle’s social and economic fabric by forging partnerships, amplifying voices, and creating spaces where inclusion translates into real community momentum.
#46 Deborah Jensen
Deborah Jensen has led major conservation organizations and is known for building effective public-private partnerships that turn mission into measurable progress. At Audubon Washington, she helps protect the natural assets that define the region, advancing work that supports healthy communities, sustainable growth, and the outdoor economy.
#47 Esther Lucero
Esther Lucero leads the Seattle Indian Health Board with a focus on closing persistent health disparities, expanding culturally grounded care, and strengthening recovery and wellness services. Her work delivers lasting impact for Native communities and the broader region, demonstrating how mission-driven leadership can improve outcomes at scale.
#48 Abigail Echo-Hawk
Abigail Echo-Hawk is a national leader in Indigenous public health research and data sovereignty, elevating how institutions measure and respond to the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Through the Urban Indian Health Institute and Seattle Indian Health Board, she turns data into action that improves policy, resources, and real-world health outcomes.
#49 Rebecca Lovell
Rebecca Lovell’s leadership at Greater Seattle Partners helps align public and private stakeholders around regional competitiveness, global business attraction, and inclusive job growth. As interim president and CEO, she brings operator-level experience and steady momentum to the work of telling the region’s story and converting that brand into investment.
#50 Rachel Smith
Rachel Smith has become a trusted voice in Washington’s business community by building coalitions and advocating for policies that support long-term economic competitiveness. As president of the Washington Roundtable, she brings a pragmatic, results-driven approach that connects employers, communities, and decision-makers around priorities like workforce, housing, and transportation.
FOR THE CONTACT INFO OF THE TOP 50 AND MEMBERS: Join or LoginTop 50 recipients may display this badge on their profiles, signature & LinkedIn (must link to this page for verification).
Corrections to photos or bios may be sent to Barbara in our Customer Service: Service @ WomanLeaders.org
Recipients are chosen purely on merit, our association is not related to other publishers that charge fees to appear.