Jun 23, 2023

Gordon & Rees

Thielbahr

Meredith Thielbahr was named among Law360's 2023 Rising Stars, Top Attorneys Under 40. According to Law360, the Rising Star list is comprised of top litigators and deal makers who have demonstrated outstanding career accomplishments at a level usually seen from veteran attorneys. Thielbahr was recognized for her career accomplishments in Government Contracts law. The 183 honorees on the Law360 Rising Stars of 2023 list are selected by editors from over 1,300 submissions based on their career accomplishments in their respective practice areas. Thielbahr is co-managing partner of the Inland Northwest offices of Gordon & Rees, which currently consists of Idaho and the eastern half of Washington. She is licensed in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia. Thielbahr is the co-chair of the firm's Government Contracts practice group and represents clients across the United States in disputes involving the government at both the state and federal level. Thielbahr works closely with clients on internal compliance investigations and handles formal qui tam and government lawsuits. She has negotiated numerous Civil Investigative Demands on behalf of her clients with both the DOJ and State AG offices. Thielbahr handles government/contractor and prime/subcontractor – requests for equitable adjustments and formal claims and has a significant False Claims Act (FCA) litigation practice. She represents clients in bid protests before the COFC and GAO, along with various state and local procuring agencies, and represents clients in size and status protests before the Small Business Administration.

PayTrace

Spokane-based PayTrace, a provider of B2B payments technology, hired Tom Lizzio as director of ISV sales. Lizzio brings sales and strategic experience in the embedded payments industry, advancing PayTrace's efforts to expand its ISV partnerships. Prior to joining PayTrace, Lizzio worked in senior strategic partnership manager, business development, inside sales, account management, and global payments roles. PayTrace will formally launch its ISV Partnership Program in the summer of 2023.

King County

King County has been honored with a 2023 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award in recognition of its support of National Guard and Reserve members. Only 15 recipients were selected for the award, which is the highest recognition given by the U.S. government to small and large private and public sector employers for their exceptional support of employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve. Metro Transit Chief Lisa Dove was also presented with the Patriot Award, which is given to a supervisor or manager who has supported their national guard or reserve service member. Chris Cappalletti, Petty Officer II, U.S. Coast Guard Reserves, and a metro transit operator from the Ryerson base, nominated both King County and Lisa – his supervisor – for the awards. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) received 1,863 nominations for this award for employers throughout the 50 states, Guam-CNMI, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.

Jun 22, 2023

Estate Planning Council of Seattle

Smiley

The Estate Planning Council of Seattle has appointed a new slate of officers to lead the council for 2023-2024, with Debra Smiley of Seattle-based Laird Norton Wealth Management as president. Joining Smiley is immediate past president Dan Halos, Dabyn Wealth Strategies, Bellevue; president-elect Teresa Byers, Ogden Murphy Wallace, Seattle; treasurer Allison Kollack, King & Oliason CPAs, Seattle; and secretary Sharon Perlin, Whittier Trust, Seattle. The executive committee includes Jeanne Goussev, Northern Trust, Seattle; Elizabeth McGrath, Key Private Bank, Seattle; Sara Berkenwald, Jeppesen Gray Sakai, Bellevue; and Nate Rothbauer, Ascent Private Capital Management, Seattle. Marianna Willey with Baker Tilly US, and Matt Tilghman-Havens with Washington Trust Bank will co-chair the 68th annual Estate Planning Seminar on Nov. 6-7. The new slate of officers will take office on July 1. The Estate Planning Council of Seattle was founded in the early 1940's, and is comprised of King County-based estate planning lawyers, Certified Public Accountants, trust officers, insurance agents, and financial planners. The council aims to promote estate planning services in the Pacific Northwest by developing and improving the capabilities of its members, fostering cooperation among professionals, and by educating the public about estate planning matters.

Ogden Murphy Wallace

Ogden Murphy Wallace added two new members, Janet Gray and Sara Kiviat Berkenwald, to its Trust and Estate Group. Formerly with Jeppesen Gray Sakai, their practices will focus on estate planning, trust administration, probate, taxation, and charitable giving. OMW is a multi-specialty regional law firm, operating in the Pacific Northwest for over 120 years, with offices in Bellevue, Seattle and Wenatchee. Gray has been a member of the Washington State Bar Association for over 40 years. She is a founding member of the Ripple Giving Fund, which supports at risk women and children in India with the goal of ending human trafficking, child marriage and forced labor. Kiviat Berkenwald also volunteers for city commissions, community foundations, and professional legal organizations.

Oregon Tool

Oregon Tool promoted current Chief Operating Officer Elliot Zimmer to CEO. Zimmer will succeed Paul Tonnesen, who is stepping down to care for his elderly parents. Tonnesen will serve as an advisor to the company's board going forward. Zimmer started as Oregon Tool's COO in 2022, and brings more than 20 years of experience working in a variety of leadership roles at Lennox International, Dr. Pepper Snapple, McKinsey & Company, and in the United States Army. He has a BS in Systems Engineering from West Point and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon Tool manufactures precision cutting tools for the forestry, lawn and garden, farming, ranching and agriculture, and concrete cutting and finishing industries.

Jun 21, 2023

City of Seattle

Kayim

Following a national search, Mayor Bruce Harrell selected Gülgün Kayim to serve as director of the Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS). A multi-disciplinary artist and former Stanford Arts Institute Creative Cities Fellow with decades of experience in public art administration, Kayim will begin the new role with the city on July 19th. Coming from the city of Minneapolis, Kayim was the founding director of the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, an office focused on powering Minneapolis’s economic and social growth through arts and cultural expression. Prior to that, she was an assistant director at the Archibald Bush Foundation where she managed the selection of artist fellows and supported the fellowship program. She was also the co-founder and co-artistic director of Skewed Visions, a Minneapolis-based performing arts organization. The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture manages the city’s public art program, cultural partnerships grant programs, ARTS at King Street Station, the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, and The Creative Advantage initiative. ARTS provides $3.7 million funding to arts and cultural organizations, artists, and creatives. In addition, the 1% for Art program invests more than $4 million annually in the public realm.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Blake

Global law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati announced that Curt Blake has joined the firm as senior of counsel in the Seattle office, and that the firm is using the occasion to launch a NewSpace industry group, leveraging the firm's existing experience representing clients in the sector and Blake's expertise. Blake co-founded and was formerly CEO of Spaceflight, a provider of integrated launch services and orbital transfer vehicles for small satellites. During Blake's 12-plus years at Spaceflight, he helped establish its network of launch providers, which included SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Roscosmos, Orbital, JAXA, Arianespace, and NSIL. He also established relationships with key commercial, civilian, and defense-related customers, resulting in more than 470 spacecraft deployed from over 55 different missions. Wilson Sonsini represents a range of NewSpace sector clients in corporate, regulatory, intellectual property, and litigation matters, as well as in technology transactions. The firm's NewSpace sector clients include investors and companies such as Astranis Space Technologies, BlackSky, Lunasonde, Skylo Technologies, and Slingshot Aerospace. Blake was a member of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation Board and is currently a contributor to numerous satellite conferences. Before co-founding Spaceflight, he served in a variety of senior executive and legal roles at software companies, including Microsoft, Aldus, Corbis, and Starwave. Blake earned his J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Washington's Schools of Law and Business, after receiving a B.A. from the same institution.