Jul 11, 2025

Equal Opportunity Schools

Gutierrez

Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) has appointed Antonio “AJ” Gutierrez as its new chief executive officer. Gutierrez has over a decade of experience leading education reform and scaling mission-driven organizations. As co-founder and chief policy and public affairs officer of Saga Education, Gutierrez helped grow the organization from a startup into a national leader in high-impact tutoring. Under his leadership, Saga served students in 17 U.S. states, and internationally in the Netherlands and Ukraine, while securing over $140 million in funding from philanthropic partners, federal grants and school districts. Raised in Boston and a graduate of Match Education, Gutierrez has advised federal agencies, philanthropic coalitions and school system leaders on deploying evidence-based strategies to accelerate learning at scale. EOS is a national nonprofit that works with districts nationwide to ensure that all students — especially those from underserved backgrounds — have access to rigorous coursework that helps prepare them for post-secondary success. EOS provides professional development for educators and builds school communities centered on student belonging.

State of Washington

Gov. Bob Ferguson has appointed Candie M. Dibble to the Spokane County Superior Court. Dibble's appointment fills the position being vacated by Judge Raymond F. Clary, who resigned from the bench on June 30. Dibble has nearly 25 years of experience as a prosecutor, administrative law judge, compliance coordinator and assistant attorney general. She has served as senior counsel for the Corrections Division of the Attorney General's Office in Spokane since 2010, co-leading a team of attorneys for the Corrections Civil Rights Unit. Dibble represented the Washington Department of Corrections, serving as lead counsel advising on state and federal constitutional conditions of confinement and other issues of statewide importance. Earlier in her career, Dibble served as an administrative law judge in Delaware, spent two years in private practice at a law firm in Mississippi, and served as an assistant solicitor in South Carolina. Dibble earned her bachelor's degree at Purdue University and her law degree from Indiana University School of Law.

Jul 10, 2025

Wellstar

Patel

The Wellstar Board of Trustees has selected Ketul J. Patel to become Wellstar Health System's next president and chief executive officer. Patel currently serves as CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and president of the Pacific Northwest Region of CommonSpirit Health. He is expected to join Wellstar in late October. Patel will succeed Candice L. Saunders, Wellstar's current president and CEO, who announced her retirement in January.

In January 2021, Patel led the merger of two of the Pacific Northwest's leading health care organizations to form Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH), which today is one of Washington state's largest premier health care providers. Patel launched the VMFH Care Network in 2024 to provide expertise to independent hospitals and health systems throughout Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Montana. He oversees the Benaroya Research Institute and the Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the U.S. designed specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS.

Patel chairs the Washington State Hospital Association board and is past chair of the Greater Seattle Partners executive council. He also serves on the boards of Washington Roundtable, Challenge Seattle, and CEOs Against Cancer, and is a past member of the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board.

Patel holds master's degrees in health administration and business administration from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Jul 09, 2025

Foster Garvey

Foster Garvey added Brian Honaker-Coe as an associate in its Public Finance & Municipal Government group, based in Seattle. Honaker-Coe joins the firm from Fenwick & West LLP, where he advised emerging companies on venture capital financings, formation, and corporate governance and supported public companies with SEC reporting and capital markets transactions. During law school, he served as a law clerk for the University of Washington Division of the Washington State Office of the Attorney General and held legal internships at Adaptive Biotechnologies and Rover.com. He was also an online editor with Washington Law Review and earned the Dean's Medal. Before law school, he worked as a legal practice assistant at Foster Garvey, supporting the firm's Public Finance & Municipal Government group. Honaker-Coe graduated from the University of Washington School of Law with high honors and holds a bachelor's degree in Law, Societies & Justice and Political Science from UW.

BECU

BECU, Washington's largest credit union, recently acquired the GenAI capabilities and 13 team members from EarnUp, a ​f​intech company designed to help provide people with financial tools to easily manage money and improve their financial well-being. ​BECU will bring GenAI to its employees and members, including the future launch of an AI Advisor. ​​

Jul 08, 2025

ProDims

Ciccone

ProDims has hired Bill Ciccone as a senior inspector. Ciccone brings more than 24 years of experience in the construction industry, with a focus on quality control for excavation, grading, paving and storm drainage infrastructure. Ciccone has held key roles on high-profile public projects across the state, including work for Sound Transit, WSDOT, King County and the city of Seattle. His background includes inspection of structural concrete and reinforcing steel, compliance oversight, project documentation, and contractor coordination. Most recently, Ciccone completed work as senior inspector for the final phase of King County's Stormwater Repairs Project, where he led daily inspections, progress reporting and closeout activities. Prior to joining ProDims, Ciccone served as a lead subconsultant representative on major infrastructure efforts such as the Seattle Aquarium Remodel, Sound Transit East Link E-320/E-360, the SR-99 Tunnel Project, and projects for the city of Tukwila and the Makah Tribe. ProDims is a federally certified Small Business Enterprise (SBE), specializing in cost estimating, scheduling and inspection services.

Fluke Corp.

Fluke Corp. appointed Parker Burke as president and group president of Fortive's Connected Reliability Group. In this dual role, Parker will lead Fluke and Fluke Reliability in delivering technology and services that help customers around the world reduce downtime, increase safety and unlock operational resilience. Parker brings 15 years of leadership experience across Fortive businesses. Most recently, he served as group president of Fortive's Environmental Health & Safety Group, including Industrial Scientific and Intelex. Under Parker's leadership, Fortive's Connected Reliability Group will continue to scale AI-driven solutions, precision measurement, and connected workflows that drive measurable customer outcomes. During his tenure at Fortive, he has held leadership roles at Gilbarco Veeder-Root and Anderson-Negele. rior to joining Fortive, Parker was an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from the United States Naval Academy and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He will be based at Fluke's global headquarters in Everett.

Jul 03, 2025

Okanogan County Superior Court

Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed Winthrop resident Rachel Hong to the Okanogan County Superior Court. Hong's appointment fills the position that Judge Robert Grim's resignation will vacate. Hong is a litigation attorney and longtime federal judicial law clerk with more than two decades of legal experience, including more than 10 years at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. As a career clerk to Judge Barbara Rothstein, Hong drafted hundreds of judicial rulings and supported courtroom proceedings from voir dire through jury instructions. In her legal practice, Hong has represented and guided individuals, corporations and public entities through criminal and civil cases in state and federal courts. She was a litigation attorney at Yarmuth Wilsdon Calfo and Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe. Hong also volunteered as an attorney at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. Hong recently spent several years outside the courtroom as an organic farmer in Shelton, where she founded a small-scale organic vegetable farm. Hong has also served on the board of the TwispWorks Foundation, a nonprofit community development organization dedicated to supporting artists, small businesses and educational initiatives. Hong earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and her law degree from University of Michigan Law School.

Generational Group

Generational Group, a mergers and acquisitions advisory firm for privately held businesses, opened a new office in Spokane. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the firm now has 16 offices throughout North America. The Spokane office is led by Paul Hajek, managing director, M&A. Hajek has 20 years of experience helping business owners to grow and successfully exit their companies. He will be reporting to Lori Galloway, executive managing director, M&A who leads the firm's Western Region. “Spokane and the NW US represents a key growth market for us,” said Brenen Hofstadter, chief M&A officer of Generational. “We've built strong momentum in the region and are excited to deepen our presence by committing additional resources to support local business owners.”