July 21, 2026

Economic Alliance Snohomish County

Duffy

Knoll

Pitre

Economic Alliance Snohomish County (EASC) announced that Dr. Paul Pitre is stepping down as EASC board chair. Current EASC Board Vice Chair Robert Knoll, from Puget Sound Energy, will serve out the current term as board chair and Mark Duffy of Mountain Pacific Bank will fill out the term as EASC board vice chair.

EASC would like to thank Pitre for his service to the EASC and his commitment to Washington State University Everett, the city of Everett and the larger Snohomish County community.

Pitre was a founding dean of the Everett branch of WSU — including 10 years as Chancellor. Pitre will be returning to faculty and teaching at WSU's main campus in Pullman.

Pitre was instrumental in growing WSU Everett's footprint including launching 11 new academic programs and developing the county's first LEED Gold academic building while overseeing construction of the college's new campus in 2017.

Knoll will begin his tenure as EASC board chair effective immediately. He works in Government Affairs at Puget Sound Energy, where he partners with local governments, community stakeholders and policymakers on energy policy and infrastructure issues across Washington state. He brings more than a decade of experience in government relations, public policy and community engagement.

Duffy is the president, CEO and founder of Mountain Pacific Bank and brings more than four decades of experience in the banking industry. He will replace Robert Knoll as EASC vice chair, effective immediately.