Chris S. Nishiwaki

Food & Drink: David Nichols

Food & Drink: David Nichols

Restaurateur David Nichols once had a drinking problem. He now helps others who still do.

David Nichols is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   Chef and restaurateur David Nichols would like to share about the time he hit rock bottom. But he can’t remember it. He was blackout drunk, driving home after another arduous day and night of work and talking on the phone with…

Equity: Marc Dones

Equity: Marc Dones

Working tirelessly to end homelessness

Marc Dones is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   No task is too massive for King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) CEO Marc Dones.  The consummate consensus builder, the diplomatic Dones has worked toward finding a solution to Seattle’s homelessness problem with the difficult task of intergovernmental communication, coordinating federal,…

Most Influential, Equity: T’wina Nobles

Most Influential, Equity: T’wina Nobles

Community leader and lawmaker seeks to grow generational wealth in the African American community

T’wina Nobles is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   Growing up in and out of foster care and homelessness with a drug-addicted mother, T’wina Nobles became familiar with social services and community needs. Now, 41, the wife, mother of four, state senator and leader of two influential organizations — the…

Arts: Kate Becker

Arts: Kate Becker

Growing the region’s creative economy

Kate Becker is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   Kate Becker is equally at ease analyzing spreadsheets as she is reading sheet music. The King County Creative Economy and Recovery director has combined her passion for music and film with her business acumen to build a stronger cultural and financial…

Most Influential, Politics: Sam Cho

Most Influential, Politics: Sam Cho

Port official is already making his mark. He's just getting started

Sam Cho is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   When King County voters elected Sam Cho to the Seattle Port Commission at age 29, he became the youngest commissioner in the Port’s 111-year history. Now 32, he is poised to become the youngest and first ever commissioner of color selected…

Most Influential, Arts: Bernie Griffin

Most Influential, Arts: Bernie Griffin

The arts executive left Seattle several times. She couldn’t stay away.

Bernie Griffin is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   Every time 5th Avenue Theatre Managing Director Bernie Griffin pursued her professional ambitions around the country, she always returned to Seattle for an encore performance. The nonprofit arts executive will make one final curtain call at the end of the current…

Most Influential, Equity: Travonna Thompson-Wiley

Most Influential, Equity: Travonna Thompson-Wiley

Difficult childhood shapes activist's social justice focus

Travonna Thompson-Wiley is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   Family matters. It certainly does to Seattle activist Travonna Thompson-Wiley. She is the oldest of six on her mother’s side and one of 10 children on her father’s. Yet, she insists her family is much larger.  “I don’t define family as…

Most Influential, Business: Ryan Metzger

Most Influential, Business: Ryan Metzger

Recycling company Ridwell began as a family affair

Ryan Metzger is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential     Ridwell began as a father/son project in 2018 when would-be founder Ryan Metzger and 6-year-old son Owen recycled and reused everyday household products. Ever the entrepreneur, the elder Metzger urged young Owen to gather reusables and recyclables from neighbors.  The…

Most Influential, Business: James Wong

Most Influential, Business: James Wong

Prolific developer wants ‘to do more good for the community’

James Wong is one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   James Wong grew up across the street from Beacon Hill Elementary School with blue-collar parents. His father was a cook at iconic Chinatown International District restaurants Ocean City and House of Hong. His mother was a seamstress.  Instead of simply crossing…

Most Influential, Equity: Pearl Jam

Most Influential, Equity: Pearl Jam

The band’s charitable work is just as impressive as its musical output

Pearl Jam is among Seattle’s 25 most influential changemakers reshaping our region. #mostinfluential   The Vitalogy Foundation, Pearl Jam’s charitable arm, has an organic approach to giving, with all band members supporting their chosen projects as well as collectively deciding which organizations and causes to fund.  So, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a woman’s right…

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