Sep 11, 2025

Seattle Aquarium

Seattle Aquarium is now member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Created in 1948, IUCN has more than 1,400 member organizations and more than 17,000 experts around the world. IUCN spearheads many conservation projects worldwide, working to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve animal wellbeing.

One of these programs is the IUCN's Species Recovery Commission's Otter Specialist Group, leading global otter conservation since 1974. The Seattle Aquarium's Senior Conservation Research Manager Dr. Shawn Larson serves as the Deputy Chair of the group and as the species coordinator for sea otters along with Amy Olsen, research scientist. Larson also founded and continues to lead the biennial Sea Otter Conservation Workshop, the largest international meeting of sea otter biologists in the world. Hosted by the Seattle Aquarium since 1999, the workshop brings together the latest in sea otter research and science, with topics ranging from sea otter population status, biology and ecology to veterinary medicine, advocacy and conservation.

Larson will represent the aquarium at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in October.

Ogletree Deakins

Ogletree Deakins, a labor and employment law firm representing management, has added Ashley Paynter to the firm's Seattle office as a shareholder. Paynter joins the firm from Riley, Safer, Holmes & Cancila LLP. As an experienced and accomplished litigator and trial attorney, Paynter's practice focuses largely on complex litigation, including representative actions under federal and state law. Paynter also performs workplace investigations and provides advice and counsel in all areas of employment law. Paynter received her J.D., summa cum laude, from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, and a B.A., with distinction, from Indiana University. She is also a member of the Washington State Bar Association and the California Lawyers Association.

Sep 10, 2025

City of Kenmore

The Kenmore City Council has appointed Teri Killgore as its next city manager. Killgore brings three decades of public service experience, most recently as the economic development director for the city of Scottsdale, Arizona. Over the years, she has held leadership roles including downtown redevelopment manager for the city of Chandler, Arizona; assistant to the city manager for the city of San Jose, California; and assistant city manager for the cities of Vallejo and Walnut Creek, California. She holds a Master of Public Administration and a bachelor's degree in sociology. Stephanie Lucash has served as Kenmore's interim city manager since March 2025, following the departure of previous Kenmore City Manager Rob Karlinsey. Lucash will return to her previous role as deputy city manager.

PAWS

PAWS, a nonprofit dedicated to helping cats, dogs and wild animals, has appointed R. Harrison Edell as its new chief executive officer. A Seattle-area resident with two senior rescue dogs, Edell brings more than two decades of experience in animal welfare, conservation and nonprofit leadership. Having most recently served as chief mission officer and executive vice president of Animal Care & Conservation at the Dallas Zoo, he oversaw departments teams specializing in animal care, conservation, education, operations and community engagement. Prior to his tenure at the Dallas Zoo, Edell held leadership and education roles at the Sacramento Zoo, San Francisco Zoo and San Diego Zoo Global. His extensive career spans hands-on wildlife rehabilitation, animal care management, strategic planning, project management and innovative education programming for audiences of all ages. Since 1967, PAWS has been helping cats, dogs and wildlife thrive through rehabilitating orphaned and injured wild animals, sheltering homeless pets and inspiring compassionate action through education and advocacy. PAWS operates a Companion Animal Shelter in Lynnwood and the PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Snohomish.

Sep 09, 2025

Compass Construction

Dye

Martin

Clocksin

Barlett

Hall

Kirkland-based Compass Construction has added two new team members and promoted three others.

Steven Hall has joined Compass as a project manager, bringing over 15 years of experience managing large-scale mixed-use and multifamily developments across Seattle. His portfolio includes high-profile projects, such as the Yonder Apartments, Northgate Apartments and the award-winning State Hotel renovation. He holds a B.S. in Construction Management from the University of Washington.

Dylan Bartlett has joined the Simon Northgate project team as a project engineer. He was originally hired in the summer of 2024 as a project engineer intern, gaining exposure to field operations and project coordination. Bartlett also brings hands-on construction experience from his family's building materials company, where he worked as an estimator. He holds a B.S. in Construction Management with a heavy civil emphasis and a minor in Business from Central Washington University.

Karl Clocksin, Forrest Martin and Jordan Dye have each been promoted to project manager. Clocksin was originally hired in 2016 as a project engineer on the Continental project and rejoined Compass in 2021 as a Senior Project Engineer. He is currently on the Simon Northgate project in Seattle and holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Seattle University. Martin joined Compass in 2018 as a project engineer on the Vuecrest project and was promoted to senior project engineer in 2022. Martin recently completed the Bellevue Station project and earned his B.S. in Geology from Central Washington University. Dye began with Compass as a project engineer intern in 2016 on the Aegis West Seattle project, joined full-time in 2019 as a project engineer, and was promoted to senior project engineer in 2022. He earned his degree in Construction Management from the University of Washington and is currently on the Tanager project team in Seattle.

BCLP

International law firm BCLP has appointed Erin Ehlert as the new office managing partner (OMP) of its Seattle office. Ehlert succeeds Jennifer Campbell, who will continue her product liability and commercial litigation practice with the firm. Ehlert joined BCLP in April 2024 after serving as a prosecutor in King County for more than 20 years. She transitioned to private practice in 2020, focusing on medical malpractice, product liability and tort law. In her capacity as Seattle OMP, Ehlert will focus on strengthening office-wide retention and recruitment efforts and supporting continued growth across the firm's well-regarded litigation, real estate, commercial and finance teams and its employment practice. BCLP's Seattle office is one of the global firm's newest, opening in 2023 before combining with Harrigan Leyh Farmer & Thomsen (HLFT) in 2024.

With more than 1,200 lawyers in 33 offices across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, BCLP is a fully integrated global law firm.

Sep 05, 2025

Hub International Northwest

Sweet

Jordan Sweet has joined insurance brokerage HUB International Northwest LLC as a senior vice president for Commercial Lines. Sweet focuses on delivering tailored risk management solutions to businesses across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing and distribution, real estate, hospitality and construction/development. He is dedicated to helping organizations navigate a rapidly evolving economy where exposures shift constantly. Sweet specializes in developing creative, forward-thinking insurance strategies that safeguard assets while aligning with each client's business objectives.

NomadGo

NomadGo, a leader in Inventory AI, has announced the large-scale deployment of its patented NomadGo Inventory AI in more than 11,000 Starbucks locations across North America. This technology combines computer vision, 3D spatial intelligence, and augmented reality to automate inventory counting using smartphones and tablets. Inventory AI replaces manual counting with a fast, intuitive experience that lets you scan shelves, refrigerators, thaw racks, or display cases using a smartphone or tablet. Inventory AI instantly recognizes and counts items — such as milk jugs or coffee bags — while overlaying real-time data using augmented reality for instant validation. NomadGo runs directly on the handheld device, ensuring responsiveness even without a network connection. Starbucks is integrating NomadGo's Inventory AI into all company owned and operated coffeehouses across North America by the end of September.