Oct 06, 2026

Governor's Space Council

The new Governor's Space Council will advise Gov. Bob Ferguson on how to keep Washington competitive in the industry and identify ways the state can improve its standing as a global leader in the space economy. Ferguson signed an executive order creating the council at the Museum of Flight last week, as the DJC then reported.

Members include representatives from the commercial space industry, aerospace and advanced manufacturing sectors, higher education institutions, labor and more. The Governor's Space Council members include: Andy Lapsa, Stoke Space; Rob Meyerson, Interlune; Jeff Thornburg, Portal Space Systems; Austin Link, Starfish Space; Colin Doughan, Gravitics; Michael Edmonds, Blue Origin; Lisa Scalpone, Amazon LEO; Cornelia Rosu, SpaceX; Kelly Maloney, Space Northwest; Kent Mayor Dana Ralph; Redmond Mayor Angela Birney; Claudia Kauffman, D-47th District; Alex Ybarra, R-13th District; Brendan Wales, FUSE; Jason Chan, IAM 751; Ray Goforth, SPEEA; Bill Pike, PNNL; Mehran Mesbahi, University of Washington; Washington State University President Betsy Cantwell; Lynn Strickland, Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee; Trevor Devaney, Hi-Rel Laboratories; Scott Keeney, nLIGHT; and Philip Johnston, Starcloud.

Washington is home to more than 90 space companies employing more than 13,000 workers, generating approximately $4.6 billion in annual economic activity and $1.6 billion in annual payroll. Approximately two-thirds of the world's operational satellites are built in Washington. Washington's premiere universities play a critical role in research, development and growing the industry's future workforce.

Seattle Opera

General and Artistic Director James Robinson announced last week that Huang Ruo, an internationally renowned composer whose opera “The Monkey King” became a sensation when it premiered in San Francisco last year, will serve as Seattle Opera's first composer-in-residence beginning in 2027.

“Huang Ruo is one of the foremost composers of opera in the United States, and I couldn't be prouder to announce his residency with Seattle Opera,” said Robinson, who has directed several of Huang Ruo's operas, beginning with the North American premiere of “Dr. Sun Yat-sen” at Santa Fe Opera in 2014. “Beyond his accomplished record as a composer, Huang Ruo is also a compelling advocate for opera who believes deeply in the art form's power to bring people together. He's one of the most engaging and enthusiastic people I know, and I think Seattle Opera audiences will be fascinated by his perspectives.”

Huang Ruo's residency, which will last for three years, will begin at the start of the 2027/28 season with the Seattle premiere of his opera “M. Butterfly.” Based on the Tony Award-winning play by David Henry Hwang, the opera tells the true story of a fateful relationship between a French diplomat and a Chinese opera singer.

Oct 02, 2026

Evergreen Goodwill

Sparks

Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington has promoted Derieontay Sparks to chief revenue officer. The expanded role brings the organization's primary revenue-generating functions and key operational teams under a unified leadership. The title change also recognizes his impact on Evergreen Goodwill in a time of major transformation of the organization's operations, systems, and tuition-free adult education programs.

Sparks previously served as senior vice president of Retail, Growth Operations and Customer Experience. Since joining Evergreen Goodwill in 2017, he has held increasingly senior leadership roles across the organization. His expertise also extends beyond Evergreen Goodwill through his participation on the National Retail Federation's Sustainability Council, where he contributes to conversations about sustainability, circularity and the future of retail.

In his new role, Sparks oversees Thrift Retail, E-Commerce, Transportation, Salvage, Outlet, Zero Waste and Donor Services, with responsibility for strengthening performance across the organization's revenue and operational ecosystem. The expanded scope reflects Evergreen Goodwill's focus on creating greater value from donated goods and building a stronger, more sustainable business model.

Oct 01, 2026

Flyhomes

Tieu

Nirmal

Moynihan

Flyhomes has announced three new senior hires.

Tyler Moynihan joins Flyhomes as vice president of Business Development, bringing more than 20 years of experience driving growth and building strategic partnerships across real estate and technology. Most recently, Moynihan held a leadership role at Opendoor, following 12 years at Zillow, where he served as vice president of Partnerships & Corporate Development. During his tenure, he helped lead some of Zillow's largest acquisitions, including the $500 million acquisition of ShowingTime, and spearheaded the strategic partnership between Zillow and Opendoor.

At Flyhomes, Moynihan will focus on expanding strategic distribution partnerships with mortgage lenders, homebuilders, brokerages, and technology platforms to bring innovative home financing solutions to more consumers. He holds a BS and MBA from Georgetown University and is an adjunct professor at the University of Washington, where he teaches courses in negotiation and leadership.

Nihit Nirmal is a fintech product leader and AI founder with nearly two decades of fintech product experience. His career follows the rise of Asian fintech. He built payments products at PayU (backed by Prosus), moved into digital lending as SVP of Product and Growth at Lendingkart (backed by Fullerton Financial), and went on to lead product as group chief product officer at Funding Societies (backed by SoftBank Vision Fund and Peak XV), one of Southeast Asia's largest SME lenders. He joins Flyhomes as VP Product to help bring AI speed to home lending.

Wendy Tieu is director of Partner Enablement at Flyhomes, bringing a decade of experience across sales, strategy, enablement and operations. She began her technology career at Flyhomes, growing alongside the business and taking on roles that gave her a broad understanding of how sales teams, operational processes and customer needs connect.

Over the past two years, Tieu has helped scale revenue operations at startups in SaaS and e-commerce, with a particular focus on building and supporting sales teams. She returns to Flyhomes with that experience to drive partner and sales enablement as the company expands its Buy Before You Sell platform. Her focus is on making it simpler for Flyhomes' extensive loan officer network to understand its products, explain their value to clients and move transactions forward.

Based in Bellevue, Flyhomes is a real estate and financial technology company established in 2016.

Sep 30, 2026

Parametrix

Vinish

Kirk Vinish has joined Parametrix as a senior business advisor with the firm's advisory practice, serving tribal clients supporting collaborative infrastructure and transportation projects, as well as government affairs.

Vinish has over 35 years of experience in planning and infrastructure leadership across tribal governments, municipalities, higher education and the private sector. He joins Parametrix from the University of Washington, where he served as assistant director of the Northwest Tribal Technical Assistance Program Center, the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium and the Workforce Development Institute.

In those roles, he supported the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and portions of Alaska and Utah. In addition, he worked to advance transportation research, technology transfer, workforce development, and technical assistance initiatives serving state departments of transportation, local governments, and transportation agencies throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Prior to joining UW, he served as the Lummi Nation planning and public works director.

FSi Engineers

Luzius

Connell

Giamalis

Larson

FSi Engineers has hired Tyler Larson as an electrical designer. Larson is a graduate of Washington State University and brings 11 years of experience in the field. His projects include WSU's Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center in Wenatchee, and energy upgrades for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's CapWay building in Olympia.

The firm has also hired David Giamalis as director of electrical engineering. Giamalis brings 17 years of experience and is a graduate of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. Giamalis has worked extensively with Lake Washington and Mukilteo School Districts, WSU, Meta, and Google. Giamalis is leading electrical engineering for construction administration for a new weld shop at Washington State Ferries' Eagle Harbor maintenance facility, and Seattle South Transfer Station Phase II.

FSi Engineers has hired David Connell as a mechanical engineer. Connell is a graduate of Gonzaga University and brings five years of experience in the field. Connell is working on projects with the Port of Seattle, city of Bellevue, and Community Transit.

The firm has also hired Dan Luzius as principal engineering leader. Luzius brings 25 years of experience and is a graduate of Lake Washington Institute of Technology. Luzius has worked extensively with Meta, Google, the state of Washington, and regional school districts. His current projects include the new parks operations facility for the city of Bellevue, and modernization of the Kent civic campus.

McGee Air Services

Reed

McGee Air Services has elected Ben Reed as president, effective Oct. 1, after he served in the role on an interim basis for the past six months.

Reed, a 17-year Alaska Air Group veteran, oversees more than 3,200 employees at the Alaska Airlines subsidiary, which provides ground services at six airports. He is responsible for the company's strategy, growth and financial performance.

Reed was one of McGee's founding leaders, helping launch the company in 2016. He has twice served as managing director of safety and compliance and has also led McGee's Seattle station as managing director of operations. He was named interim president in March. Before joining McGee, Reed held several leadership positions at Alaska Airlines in auditing, airport quality assurance, aviation security, regulatory compliance and station operations support.

“McGee is an important part of how we deliver on Alaska Accelerate safely, reliably and with care for our guests and employees every day,” said Jason Berry, Alaska Airlines chief operating officer and chair of the McGee board. “Ben brings deep operational experience, strong relationships across Alaska Air Group and a clear commitment to McGee's people, making him the right leader for this next chapter.”

Sep 29, 2026

Star Surveying

Star Surveying Inc., a provider of land surveying, mapping, and land planning services in the Pacific Northwest, has officially expanded its operations by opening a third location in Freeland.

Locatec at 1638 E. Main St., Suite 200B, the new branch positions the company to better support subdivisions, boundary surveys, and construction builds across the Whidbey Island region with increased efficiency.

The Freeland office joins Star Surveying's existing locations in Anacortes and Friday Harbor, strengthening the company's coverage across Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties. The firm is led by owner Robert M. Anderson, a professional land surveyor licensed since 1981.