Nov 26, 2025

Department of Commerce

Chartock

Washington State Department of Commerce Director Joe Nguyen appointed Andrea Chartock to lead the state's Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness, a division of the state agency. Chartock was previously with the international development company DAI and has more than 25 years of experience in global economic development, spanning more than 30 countries. Chartock's experience includes supporting small and medium-sized enterprises to increase sales, jobs, exports, and attract investments. In her previous role, she implemented projects with U.S. Agency for International Development funding, and has led teams completing assessments to understand market opportunities and constraints to design and adaptively manage inclusive economic development programming. Chartock will lead the Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness teams at Commerce, including industry sector development, circular economy, rural and marketing services, small business export assistance, small business finance and community support, finance and grant services, and contracts and procurement. She will serve on the agency's Executive Leadership Team. Chartock has a master's degree in international policy studies and an undergraduate degree from Stanford University.

Perkins Coie

Perkins Coie has promoted eight lawyers to partner or senior counsel in its Seattle office, effective Jan. 1. Kevin Zeck was promoted to senior counsel in the Patent Litigation practice. Eric Ashcroft, Ruben Tyler Kendrick, Michelle Maley, Christian Marcelo, Nisha Nariya, Geoffrey Palachuk and Christopher Wassman were appointed to partner. Ashcroft is a member of the Federal Tax practice. He counsels clients on federal income tax matters related to complex business transactions, advising strategic acquirers, private equity sponsors, venture capital funds, emerging growth companies, public and private issuers of debt and equity, and high net-worth individuals. Kendrick is a member of the IP practice. He focuses on patent litigation in federal courts, post-grant proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and investigations at the International Trade Commission. Kendrick also maintains an active pro bono immigration practice. Maley is a member of the Product Liability Litigation practice. She represents manufacturers, retailers, and clients in contract and product liability disputes, and has experience in alternative dispute resolution and pro bono advocacy. Marcelo is a member of the Trademark, Copyright, Internet & Advertising practice, and litigates business disputes focusing on contracts, trade secrets, trademarks, and copyright litigation, and manages large-scale enforcement programs protecting his client's IP rights. Nariya is a member of the Private Client Services practice. She advises high net-worth individuals and families on estate planning, tax strategies, fiduciary matters and family office structures. Palachuk is a member of the Construction practice. He represents public owners and private developers in all phases of commercial construction projects, managing disputes and developing risk mitigation strategies for large, complex developments. Wassman is a member of the Corporate practice. He counsels publicly traded and privately held companies on capital markets transactions, securities law compliance and corporate governance matters.

Nov 25, 2025

Ash Grove Cement

Southworth

Ash Grove Cement hired Phil Southworth as senior market manager. He will work from Ash Grove's Bellevue sales office, and his assigned territory will cover Western and Central Washington, along with the state of Alaska. Southworth comes to Ash Grove from Oldcastle Inc. CRH, where he was vice president of operations in charge of manufacturing concrete products. Southworth was awarded the Bronze Star for his leadership during military service in Iraq.

Washington State Court of Appeals

Hill

Gov. Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Tyson R. Hill to the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division III — his first appellate appointment since taking office in January. Hill's appointment, effective Jan. 1, fills the position being vacated by Judge George Fearing's retirement that date. Hill has more than two decades of legal experience as a superior court and district court judge, judge pro tempore, appellate attorney and prosecutor. He has served more than four years in his current role as Grant County Superior Court Judge in Ephrata, appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee in 2021. He co-founded and presided over Grant County's first therapeutic drug court, and he has regularly served as a pro tem judge for the Court of Appeals, Division III. Prior to becoming a Superior Court Judge, Hill served more than seven years on the Grant County District Court bench. He also served four years as the Grant County Prosecutor's Office's lead appellate attorney, where he argued before Division III and the Washington State Supreme Court. Earlier in his career, he clerked for Washington State Supreme Court Justice James M. Johnson. Hill also worked as a consultant to the U.S. — China Economic & Security Review Commission. Hill earned his bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and his law degree from the University of Washington.

Washington State Lottery

Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed Brian Bennett as the new director of Washington's Lottery. Bennett's experience spans more than three decades, including serving as mayor and a member of the City Council for the City of Burien and 16 years at the global technology company F5 Inc. Most recently, Bennett served as a vice president in F5's legal department, managing a team that supported sales and operations for the company. Bennett previously practiced law in Seattle, working with clients on technology, government, immigration and health care issues. He also worked as a legislative assistant in the Washington State Senate. Bennett is a graduate of the University of Washington, where he earned a degree in comparative literature. He earned his law degree from New York University. Outside of work, Bennett volunteers for the Ukrainian Association of Washington State, supporting Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in Washington. Previously, Bennett chaired the Burien Shoreline Advisory Committee and served on Burien's Planning Commission. He also worked for a nonprofit environmental law firm in Ukraine and spent a year teaching English in Moscow, Russia.

Nov 21, 2025

Compass Construction

Anderson

Ostrander

Swenson

Hart

Shuman

Kirkland-based Compass Construction recently added several new team members. Brad Shuman joined Compass as superintendent. Shuman brings over 40 years of hands-on construction experience, including managing complex, phased projects on occupied sites. He has a background in public sector and educational facility construction and is skilled in schedule creation and implementation. Cody Hart joined as project accountant. Hart brings over five years of experience in project accounting for construction and real estate projects. He holds a M.S. in Accountancy and a B.S. in Business Administration from Central Washington University, as well as a Project Management Certificate from the University of Washington. Dan Swenson joined Compass as assistant superintendent for the Cultivate project in Redmond. He has more than 20 years of experience in residential and commercial construction, including overseeing multimillion-dollar projects and managing teams through all phases of construction. Swenson earned his B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington. Hanna Ostrander joined Compass as safety representative. She has hands-on experience in heavy equipment operation, welding, and jobsite safety, and has supported safe work practices on a range of construction sites. Ostrander brings a strong foundation in safety training and holds several industry certifications. Additionally, Justin Anderson was promoted to project director. He joined Compass in 2011 as a project engineer and has since led numerous projects, including Vail, Yesler Terrace Phase 2, and 21 Boston- Compass’ largest completed project to date. Anderson is a University of Washington alumni and is currently enrolled in their Commercial Real Estate Certificate Program.

Nov 20, 2025

Hensel Phelps

Koob

Seavey

Winfield

Hensel Phelps announced that two employees in the Pacific Northwest Region, Paul Winfield and Tyler Seavey, have received their DBIA certificates. Winfield serves as Hensel Phelps' management representative. He has experience in developing and monitoring project master schedules, estimating, job cost reports and establishing and implementing effective communication procedures for all team components. He has applied his DBIA expertise on projects including the progressive design-build Caltech Resnick Sustainability Center and the Caltech Chen Neuroscience Research Building. Seavey manages all day-to-day client needs and concerns. He brings experience in developing and monitoring project master schedules, estimating, job cost reporting and implementing effective communication procedures across teams. He has applied his DBIA expertise on ground transportation such as the Downtown Redmond Link Extension project, aviation and public sector projects. Additionally, Dave Koob received his Associate DBIA. He manages project costs by establishing preliminary budgets and final cost estimates. He is experienced in all aspects of procurement for hard bid, conceptual and design-build projects, as well as preconstruction cost controls involving cost estimating, cost analysis and value engineering. Koob is currently providing estimating services for a confidential client data center project in Central Washington.

Skagit County Superior Court

Crandall

Gov. Bob Ferguson named current Skagit County Superior Court Commissioner Mary Crandall to the position of Skagit County Superior Court Judge. Crandall's appointment, effective Dec. 31, fills the position that Judge Thomas Verge's resignation will vacate. She has served four years in her current role as Skagit County Superior Court Commissioner in Mount Vernon, where she presides over matters such as civil protection orders, probate, guardianship, at-risk youth and juvenile offender calendars. She serves on several statewide judicial committees, including family and juvenile law, ethics and guardianship and probate. Before joining the Skagit County Superior Court as a commissioner, Crandall regularly served as a pro tem judge in San Juan County District Court for two years while also working as a prosecutor in Skagit County. In her legal practice, Crandall investigated and prosecuted a variety of criminal cases, including murder and gang-related weapons offenses, working closely with victims and witnesses. Earlier in her career, Crandall spent five years in Portland at the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office. Prior to that, she clerked for Lane County Circuit Court Judge M.K. Merten in Eugene, Oregon. Crandall earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Washington and her law degree from the University of Oregon.