Most Influential
The Most Influential People
Meet 25 extraordinary individuals and one transformative company building community and advocating for equity
By Rob Smith January 8, 2025
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2025 issue of Seattle magazine.
Seattle magazine’s annual list of Most Influential people includes those who inspire, guide and uplift others through their actions, leadership and dedication. Their far-reaching influence stems from their achievements, but equally important, their ability to foster connections across the community, advocate for positive change, and empower others to make a difference.
We’re rolling out brief bios on each of this year’s Most Influential people, dropping three times a week, so be sure to check back daily. But if you want to read them all now, grab a copy of the magazine. You can find it at Whole Foods, PCC, QFC, Third Place Books, or wherever you shop for magazines. Nothing beats the feeling of flipping through shiny pages and seeing these inspiring stories in print.
Here are Seattle’s Most Influential people and, for the first time, it includes one innovative and transformative company that literally put the region on the global map.
- Luther Hughes: Poet
- Peter Tomozawa: CEO, Seattle 2026 World Cup Organizing Committee
- Nia-Amina Minor: Dance
- Microsoft: Business, Equity
- Faraji Blakeney: Co-Executive Director, Yoga Behind Bars
- Matika Wilbur: Photographer, Activist
- David Baker: Scientist
- Bob Davidson: CEO, Seattle Aquarium
- Susan Lieu: Author, Playwright
- Nick Ferderer: Entrepreneur, Activist
- Samantha Holloway: Co-Owner, Seattle Kraken
- Jaci McCormack: CEO, Co-Founder, Rise Above
- Delaney Ruston: Physician, Filmmaker
- Hamdi Mohamed: Seattle Port Commissioner
- Uttam Mukherjee: Co-Founder of Spice Waala
- Dr. Aakanksha Sinha: Co-Founder of Spice Waala
- Ethan Stowell: Restaurateur, Activist
- Girmay Zahilay: King County Council Member
- Valerie Segrest: Native Nutrition Educator
- Andy Jassy: CEO, Amazon
- Yasuaki Saito: Restaurateur, Advocate
- Amy King: CEO, Pallet
- Amy Tipton: Entrepreneur
- Rico Quirindongo: Director at Office of Planning and Community Development, City of Seattle
- Jen Barnes: Owner, Rough & Tumble
- David Bateman: Founder, Cyber Civil Rights Legal Project at K&L Gates
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Most Influential: Valerie Segrest
Native nutrition educator
Valerie Segrest’s elders and her community are the reason she dedicated her life to food systems. Segrest grew up a part of the Muckleshoot Tribe, located just south of Auburn, in a community where the closest grocery store was nearly 10 miles away in an area considered “food insecure.” Her elders often told her, “If…
Most Influential: Girmay Zahilay
King County Councilmember
When Girmay Zahilay arrived in Seattle as a 2-year-old refugee, his family lived in public housing and homeless shelters. He was born in a Sudanese refugee camp to Ethiopian parents fleeing civil war. Now, 35 years later, Zahilay is leading the charge to fund affordable housing in King County for working class families to the…
Most Influential: Dave Bateman
Founder, Cyber Civil Rights Legal Project at K&L Gates
David Bateman, a lawyer at K&L Gates who spent his time “finding people who were doing bad things on the internet,” didn’t fully know the concept of revenge porn until he met Holly Jacobs. Jacobs sought help from K&L Gates after explicit photos of her were nonconsensually shared on the internet. Jacobs’ case, Bateman says,…
Most Influential: Ethan Stowell
Restaurateur, Activist
Chef Ethan Stowell knows good food can change lives. You probably recognize him as the force behind more than 20 Seattle-area restaurants and cafes. Now, he’s taking on a new challenge: transforming what kids eat in public schools as a member of Eat Real’s chefs council. America’s school cafeterias serve 7 billion meals a year…