Jun 09, 2026

King County Superior Court

Manca

Gov. Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Jessica Murphy Manca to the position of King County Superior Court Judge. Manca's appointment, effective July 1, fills the position that Judge Karen Donohue's resignation will vacate.

Manca is a career prosecutor with more than 15 years of experience in criminal law. She currently practices as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Washington, where she serves as the U.S. Attorney's Office's Criminal Civil Rights Coordinator — leading investigations of hate crimes and criminal violations of people's constitutional rights. Her practice has also focused on cybercrime, cyberstalking and financial crimes, and she previously served as the Western District of Washington's Project Safe Neighborhoods Program Coordinator — working with community leaders and nonprofits on gun-violence prevention, intervention and reentry programs.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney's Office, Manca spent a decade at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office as a criminal trial and appellate lawyer. She appeared daily in King County's superior and district courts, handling hundreds of felony and misdemeanor cases, including approximately fifty jury trials. Manca earned a promotion to Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in 2017.

Manca earned her bachelor's degree from Harvard University and her law degree with high honors from the University of Washington School of Law.

Jun 05, 2026

Perkins Coie

Perkins Coie announced that Jamie Evans has joined the firm's Corporate practice as a partner in the firm's Seattle office.

Evans focuses his practice on corporate and securities law, representing leading technology and life sciences companies across a broad range of corporate legal matters. With more than two decades of experience in the technology and growth-company ecosystem, Evans advises issuers, underwriters, and other parties in public and private offerings of equity and debt securities, with particular experience counseling technology companies on their initial public offerings.

In addition to his IPO and capital markets practice, Evans advises clients on SEC reporting and governance matters. Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Evans was most recently a partner in the technology capital markets group of a global law firm.

“I'm thrilled to join Perkins Coie,” Evans said. “The firm's strong public company advisory platform, leading technology practice, and collaborative culture make it an ideal fit for my clients and practice.”

Evans earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and his Juris Doctorate degree from UC Berkeley School of Law.

Jun 04, 2026

Lee & Associates

Knecht

Four years after joining Lee & Associates, Shane Knecht has been promoted to director of marketing, that firm recently announced. Its Andrea Johnson said in a statement, “Shane has consistently demonstrated creativity, professionalism and a deep commitment to supporting our brokers and growing our brand.” Knecht added, “I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue growing with Lee & Associates.”

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods

Pham

Quynh Pham has been confirmed as director of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, following a unanimous Seattle City Council vote on May 19.

Pham brings more than 14 years of experience in community development, equitable investment, and local policy. She previously served as executive director of Friends of Little Saigon, where she championed cultural and economic vitality while supporting small businesses and community-driven initiatives. She also serves on the boards of Historic South Downtown and the Crescent Collaborative.

A first-generation immigrant, Pham also brings both personal perspective and professional experience to her leadership.

Her appointment marks a full-circle moment: Pham joined the very first cohort of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods' People's Academy for Community Engagement (PACE), a program designed to help community members understand how city government works and how to navigate it to create change.

As the department celebrates its 35th anniversary, the department says it looks forward to the next chapter of connecting people, strengthening neighborhoods, and ensuring residents have a voice in policy making and decisions that impact local communities.

Jun 03, 2026

Zum and Seattle Public Schools

Zum, a provider of student transportation, announced it will be continuing its partnership with Seattle Public Schools (SPS) for the 2026–2027 school year.

Working with SPS since 2022, Zum plans to significantly expand operations here for the upcoming academic year. The company will add more than 130 new routes, bringing its total operations to over 280, serving students across the entire district.

Zum uses its Connected Mobility Experience (CMX), an integrated technology and operations platform that connects vehicles, drivers and school administrators in real time to optimize efficiency and communication. Zum's CMX system is used across 17 states and serves more than 4,500 schools, including several of the nation's largest public school districts.

To accommodate the additional routes and a growing fleet of over 130 new school buses, Zum says it is opening a new local facility and scaling up its workforce.

The company says it is committed to maintaining service reliability and alleviating student transportation anxieties through rigorous driver training and competitive workforce retention strategies.

PLS Engineering

Knott

PLS Engineering recently hired Kenny Knott as crew chief. He brings 10 years of experience in land surveying. Knott began his career as a crew member supporting his survey team. Knott has focused on forestry and boundary development and commercial timberland districts, topographical surveys, construction staking and residential staking projects.

CAST architecture

Kelly

CAST architecture has hired architect Meredith Kelly, who focuses on early learning and single-family residential. Her experience spans recreational, institutional, commercial, and residential projects combining sustainability with modern, approachable design. Kelly attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for her undergraduate degree in architectural studies, and earned her Master's of Architecture from the University of Washington. She is a licensed architect in Washington.

KMB architects

Eugenio

Vargas

KMB architects has two new hires: Natalie Vargas as an interior design associate, and Tyler Eugenio joining the architectural team.

Vargas recently graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a degree in interior design and is currently working with DCYF on the Echo Glen Children's Center Upper Campus visitors center predesign in Snoqualmie. She also serves as communications chair for the Pacific Northwest chapter of the Retail Design Institute.

Eugenio is a recent graduate from Washington State University with a degree in architectural design. Eugenio will support KMB's work with King County on regional animal shelter renovations in Kent.