Jul 10, 2026

Snohomish County Superior Court

Nelson

Gov. Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Lacie Nelson to the position of Snohomish County Superior Court Judge. Nelson's appointment fills the position that Judge Millie Judge's resignation will vacate.

Nelson is a career litigator with more than 18 years of experience in both criminal and civil cases. She currently practices at the law firm of Brewe Layman, P.S. in Everett, handling family law, personal injury and medical malpractice matters. She also serves as a judge pro tempore in Snohomish County District Court and as an arbitrator for King, Snohomish, and Skagit County motor vehicle tort claims.

Prior to joining Brewe Layman, P.S., Nelson spent three years as in-house counsel at GEICO. She also served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Snohomish County and a deputy district attorney in Jackson County, Oregon. She has extensive courtroom experience, having tried 70 cases to verdict, over 60 of which were jury trials. Nelson also volunteered with the Snohomish County Family Law Clinic, providing legal advice to clients who could not afford to hire an attorney.

Nelson earned her bachelor's degree from Columbia University and her law degree from University of Oregon School of Law.

BakerHostetler

Knowles

Sean Knowles has joined BakerHostetler's Seattle office as a partner in the firm's Litigation Practice Group and a member of the Securities and Governance Litigation team.

Knowles joins from an Am Law 100 firm, where he served as the firm-wide chair of the securities litigation practice. He has experience representing clients in securities class action litigation, shareholder derivative lawsuits, mergers and acquisitions litigation and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement proceedings and investigations.

With a career spanning nearly 30 years, and nationally recognized by Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America, Knowles is adept at defending securities class actions and shareholder derivative actions against public companies of all sizes in a wide range of industries.

Knowles helps public companies, officers and directors navigate high-stakes shareholder and regulatory matters. Clients turn to him to defend securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, merger and acquisition disputes, SEC enforcement actions and investigations and claims under the Washington State Securities Act, as well as to provide practical guidance on corporate governance issues.

Knowles began his career in New York. Since 2007, he has been based in Seattle. He received his A.B. from Brown University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School.

BakerHostetler has six core practice groups — Business, Digital Assets and Data Management, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Litigation, and Tax — and more than 1,000 lawyers coast to coast.

Jul 09, 2026

CFRE Commercial Real Estate

Clark

CFRE Commercial Real Estate recently announced that Steve Clark has joined its Bellevue office. He makes the move from North by Northwest Realty. The firm's Gary Hunter said in a statement, “Steve's extensive background in land assemblage and his commitment to delivering strategic results align perfectly with our approach. We are thrilled to welcome him to our team, and look forward to the deep market expertise and client-first dedication he brings to our clients.”

Hensel Phelps

Moore

Swenson

Willey

Franssen

Hensel Phelps announced the following employees have earned new professional certification.

Operations Manager Richard Franssen earned his Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) certification. The credential is nationally recognized and is awarded to industry professionals who demonstrate hands-on design-build experience, including direct involvement in best-practice collaboration during procurement, design and construction.

Franssen brings 20 years of experience to this credential, with a track record rooted in large-scale, operationally complex aviation projects delivered through progressive design-build. His work spans some of the most demanding airport environments in the country including the Alaska Airlines-led SEA Gateway project (also known as the North Main Terminal Redevelopment project) at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Project Manager Connor Willey has earned his Associate DBIA certification.

Willey brings 10 years of industry experience, building a track record on complex, high-profile projects where collaborative delivery and stakeholder coordination are crucial. Across his projects, Willey has applied the communication, planning and problem-solving skills that define effective design-build delivery.

Senior Safety Manager Lars Swenson has earned his Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential. Widely regarded as the gold standard in the safety profession, the CSP designation demonstrates advanced expertise in risk management, hazard mitigation and safety program implementation.

Swenson has been with Hensel Phelps for 11 years and supports multiple project teams and safety initiatives across a variety of market sectors, including aviation, data centers, ground transportation and hospitality. In support of the Pacific Northwest Director of Health and Safety, he participates in pre-job planning conferences to help establish safety plans for new contracts. He also conducts periodic safety inspections of jobsites, evaluating both trade partner operations and Hensel Phelps self-performed work using OSHA standards and Hensel Phelps safety program criteria.

Senior Safety Manager Caleb Moore has earned his Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) credential. The CIH is a globally recognized professional designation for health and safety experts, demonstrating expertise in anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling workplace hazards to protect workers and the public.

At Hensel Phelps, Moore is responsible for on-site safety and security coordination, including implementation of project safety programs. His experience spans a diverse portfolio of heavily phased higher education, industrial, aviation, federal and wastewater projects.

Hensel Phelps is an employee-owned general contracting company founded in 1937, delivering planning, building and management services across a wide range of markets nationwide.

Jul 08, 2026

American Public Works Association

Huling

Donald Huling has been appointed as American Public Works Association (APWA) Region IX Director for the 2026-2027 term. Huling served as the APWA Washington chapter president 2020-2021 and more recently as the chapter's delegate to APWA National. In 2023, Huling received the chapter's outstanding service award. Huling is the director of engineering for HWA GeoSciences where he provides geotechnical engineering expertise on transportation, building, and utility infrastructure projects.

HBB Landscape Architecture

Parker

Stone

Nowaczyk

HBB Landscape Architecture has expanded its ownership team, adding Steve Nowaczyk, Emma Stone and Aaron Parker.

Nowaczyk joins the HBB team as principal and brings a wide-ranging background including residential design, private development, public parks and plazas, and transportation infrastructure. He focuses on longevity, sustainable design, and adaptability of use. Nowaczyk is also a certified disc golf course designer.

Stone is an associate with professional experience spanning public and private realms of Washington, including parks, campuses, and multi-modal transportation projects. Stone also serves on the city of Everett's Board of Park Commissioners.

Parker is a new associate with project work ranging from park master planning to trails and multi-modal transit corridors, and on large-scale public transportation networks in the greater Seattle area.

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates

Al-Sharah

Anvari

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE) Seattle recently added Ataollah Anvari and Mohammed Al-Sharah to their team.

Anvari transferred from the Northbrook, Illinois headquarters, where he supported structural investigations, condition assessments, and analytical evaluations of buildings and infrastructure systems. Before joining WJE, Anvari conducted experimental and computational research in structural fire engineering and contributed to national design practices that were incorporated into standards, including AISC 360. Anvari holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering from Purdue University.

Mohammed Al-Sharah joins the team as a 2026 intern. Recently selected as a 2026–2027 ACI Foundation Fellow, Al-Sharah is a graduate research student at Clarkson University conducting experiments on alternative cements and durability testing. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from University of Washington. His previous internship experience includes positions with both Magnusson Klemencic Associates and AHBL.

Thurston County Superior Court

Wood

Gov. Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Kelly Wood to the position of Thurston County Superior Court Judge.

Wood's appointment, effective July 2, fills the position that Judge Carol Murphy's resignation will vacate. Judge Murphy retires after 34 years of public service, including 17 years on the Thurston County bench.

Wood is a career litigator with more than two decades of legal experience in all levels of both state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. In his current role as a Senior Counsel and managing assistant attorney general, he advises and represents the Washington State Department of Ecology. Wood has also represented the state of Washington more broadly in various litigation matters, including Washington's lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy for worker health issues at the Hanford Nuclear Site.

He also supervises six attorneys who represent Ecology's Air, Climate, Nuclear Waste and Solid Waste programs and the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council. Wood is also recognized nationwide for federal Clean Water Act litigation. He has been with the Attorney General's Office for 18 years in total.

Wood earned his bachelor's and master's degrees with honors from University of North Texas and his law degree with high honors from Seattle University School of Law.