2026 Endorsements

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal represents Washington’s 7th Congressional District, which encompasses most of Seattle and its surrounding areas. She is the first South Asian American woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, one of just two dozen naturalized citizens currently in Congress, and one of only 87 women of color to ever serve there. She is the proud Chair of the 100+ member Congressional Progressive Caucus and also serves on several key committees, including the House Judiciary Committee (where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement) and on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. She has spent over 20 years leading organizing and advocacy efforts for women’s and immigrant rights and racial and economic justice.

Pramila Jayapal is the founder of OneAmerica, our sister organization, and an integral member of our OneAmerica family. She has been a champion of immigrant rights in Congress, and we look forward to continuing to co-govern with her to create a thriving home for immigrants in Washington!

Visit Pramila Jayapal’s website to learn more.

For more than a decade, Emily has worked collaboratively to create affordable housing throughout our region, championing policies and investments that foster inclusive, healthy communities and reduce homelessness.

As Director of the City of Seattle Office of Housing, Emily oversaw citywide housing resources, including the Seattle Housing Levy, and worked to address displacement, support climate resilience, build supportive housing for homeless neighbors, protect renters, and expand homeownership.

As an executive with a national affordable housing nonprofit, Emily supports local community organizations and connects regional efforts to national movement building and policy change. An attorney, coalition-builder, and former community organizer, Emily has fought for reproductive justice, equitable community development, and economic opportunity.

Emily is the daughter of two public school educators. She grew up in a community of teachers, activists and artists, where she learned the value of public service, the importance of empathy, and the need to stand up for social and racial justice.

She lives in West Seattle with her husband, two children, and rescue dog Frazer.

Visit Emily Alvarado’s website to learn more. 

Dusti Arab is an urban farmer, writer, and parent running for Clark County Council, District 1. She founded Hearth & Hollow in early 2025 when it became clear that families were going to go hungry, growing edible vegetable starts and vending at the Vancouver Farmers Market specifically to accept SNAP benefits and make food-growing resources accessible to low-income families. With 15 years of marketing strategy experience working with mission-driven small businesses, she is running as a first-time candidate committed to holding the line against any expansion of the urban growth boundary, expanding housing affordability through community land trusts and missing-middle development, and banning data centers and detention facilities in Clark County. Dusti identifies as queer, does not drive, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in organizational leadership starting fall 2026. 

Visit Dusti’s website to learn more. 

Visit Jorge Barón’s website to learn more.

Rep. Berg is a former small business owner, former Mill Creek Planning Commissioner, has worked in aerospace as a Boeing Project Manager, and has served on both the Edmonds and Everett School Board. At the Legislature, she is the Chair of the Finance committee and serves on the Local Government and Appropriations committees.

Visit April Berg’s website to learn more.

Julio Cortes immigrated from Mexico to Wapato, Washington, at the age of five, where he learned the values of community and service in the close-knit agricultural town. His parents, immigrant farmworkers, instilled in him the importance of hard work, perseverance, and pride. After graduating from Western Washington University with a degree in Public Relations and Journalism in 2009, Julio embarked on a career in public service, starting as a Homeless Prevention Specialist at the Oasis Teen Shelter before serving as Advocate and Outreach Manager at the Cocoon House, and later as its Public Relations Manager until 2018. For the past six years, he has been the Communications and Marketing Manager for the City of Everett, where he has been dedicated to transparency and community engagement, especially amid the pandemic, contributing to economic recovery efforts and promoting tourism through initiatives like Visit Everett. Julio’s experiences have shaped him into a forward-thinking, innovative, inclusive, and environmentally conscious leader committed to advocating for the community’s needs, placing transparency at the forefront of his work as their representative.

Visit Julio Cortes website to learn more.

Maria Cuevas is a retired educator. For almost twenty years, she taught Sociology, Ethnic Studies, and Intercultural Communication at Yakima Valley College. She is the granddaughter and daughter of farmworkers. Her parents grew up in the fields of California, and she has spent her career here in this valley because this community is my home. She is running for Yakima Country Auditor because the office that handles our voter registrations, our marriage licenses, and our property records should treat every family in this county with the same care a good teacher gives a student.

My three priorities are simple: Elections that earn trust, Finances the public can read, and a modern office for this valley in both languages, every time. Servir con cuidado/Serve with care. 

Visit Maria’s website to learn more.

Chelsea Dimas (she/her/ella) is a longtime servant leader, communications professional, and proud daughter of Indigenous immigrants from México (Nahua and Purépecha) with a long family history of hard-working campesinos. Chelsea has spent most of her life fighting for her gente (people) by being on the frontlines with them, demanding rights and protections for farmworkers, immigrants, reproductive freedom, the LGBTQ+ community, and other vulnerable populations. From here at home in the Yakima Valley to our state legislature and across the nation, Chelsea strongly believes that everyone deserves a seat at the table to have a say in the decision-making process. With more equitable policies and diverse representation, she believes we can truly create a future where ALL Washingtonians thrive. 

Visit Chelsea Dimas’ website to learn more.

State Senator Manka Dhingra is the deputy majority leader of the Washington State Senate, a 20-year Senior Deputy King County Prosecutor, award-winning behavioral health and community safety leader, and mom. In the State Senate, Manka has led efforts to protect survivors of trafficking and of sexual and intimate partner violence, strengthen gun laws, as well as advance criminal justice reforms and policies rooted in her experience as a prosecutor and advocate for behavioral health innovations. Manka is committed to protecting access to reproductive rights, safeguarding worker rights, holding polluters accountable, addressing the epidemic of gun violence, and improving the lives of every Washingtonian. Manka received her JD from the University of Washington School of Law and her BA in Political Science and History from the University of California at Berkeley.

Visit Manka Dhingra’s website to learn more.

Brandy is a community organizer, activist, volunteer, mother and US Navy veteran. She was raised by a single mom with the understanding that we all have a responsibility to step up and serve our communities when we have the means to do so. She’s worked in a variety of fields, from manual labor to real estate, and was able to return to school as an adult to earn a degree in Business from UW Bothell. After being appointed to the WA legislature in 2021, she’s worked to carry the voices of those who have been unheard for too long to Olympia, and fights to ensure that policy decisions are made through an equity lens so that no one is left behind.

Visit Brandy Donaghy’s website to learn more.

Darya Farivar (she/they) is proud to serve as the State Representative for the 46th legislative district from Lake City. She is the youngest member of the House of Representatives and first ever Middle Eastern woman elected to the legislature. As the daughter of immigrants who fled Iran because of the Iranian Revolution she keeps her heritage close to heart looking for every opportunity to uplift and recognize her community. In the legislature, her priority is on lifting the voices of those with direct lived experience and addressing the intersection of behavioral health, homelessness, and the criminal legal system. Darya believes deeply in disability justice and works towards this in all her legislation and in the interim as the Community Engagement Manager at Disability Rights Washington. Off the clock, she serves on the board of directors at the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability, volunteers for Peyvand a cultural non-profit, and enjoys spending time with her partner and dog, Chacha.

Visit Darya Farivar’s website to learn more.

Jessica Forsythe is a Redmond City Councilmember (Position 3), Executive Director of Emerge WA, and proud SEIU Local 205 member running for State Representative in Washington’s 48th Legislative District. Elected to Council in 2019 and chosen as Council President in her first term, she has passed billion-dollar budgets, authored legislation that became state law (SB 5452), expanded tenant protections, co-authored Redmond’s Climate Emergency Declaration, and added three Mental Health Professional positions to the city’s crisis response. A former award-winning creative director, she brings a design-thinking framework to governance–centering the voices most often excluded from decision-making. Through Emerge WA, she works every day to build the pipeline of women and non-binary leaders Washington needs. In Olympia, she will fight for immigrant rights, reproductive freedom, housing affordability, fully funded multilingual education, and a clean energy transition built with strong labor standards. 

Visit Jessica’s website to learn more.

Adopted from Taiwan by military parents and raised in South King County where she still resides with her family. She served as a city councilwoman, deputy mayor and mayor for the city of SeaTac (2007- 2015) and was appointed to the State legislature in 2013. Mia is currently a Vice Chair of Appropriations committee and chair of the Members of Color Caucus. Mia works to break down barriers for those who are the most marginalized which includes policy related to income inequality, voting rights, racial equity and housing. She worked in the dental field for over twenty years and enjoys hiking and spending time with her family and friends.

Visit Mia Su-Ling Gregerson’s website to learn more. 

Renee Hernandez Greenfield is a proud descendant of the Cochiti, San Ildefonso, and Taos Pueblos of New Mexico and the Indigenous communities of Guanajuato and Jalisco, Mexico. She is a family services professional, educator, and proud AFT-WA union member running for State Representative in Washington’s 26th Legislative District. She has spent her career working at the intersection of child welfare, early learning, and family services–as a CPS investigator for the Suquamish Tribe, an administrator of ECEAP, Early Head Start and Head Start programs, an adjunct instructor at Tacoma Community College, and currently as a Developmental Specialist at Holly Ridge Center. She is the guardian of her son through the Indian Child Welfare Act. Raised in a union household and grounded in the working-class communities of South Kitsap, Renee is running to bring frontline experience and a fierce commitment to working families, Indigenous and immigrant communities, and children into the state legislature. 

Visit Renee’s website to learn more.

Natasha Hill is the State Representative for Washington’s 3rd Legislative District, Position 1. She grew up in Hillyard, graduated from Rogers High School, and worked her way through Spokane Community College, the University of Washington, and Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. She has practiced for 19 years and runs her own law firm in Spokane where she is raising her two children as a single mom. In her first term she serves as Vice Chair of the House Housing Committee and sits on Early Learning and Human Services and Capital Budget. She is the first Black woman to represent Spokane in the legislature and the first woman to hold this seat in thirty years. 

Visit Natasha’s website to learn more.

Nilu Jenks is the Political and Partnerships Director at FairVote Washington, and she is a dedicated community advocate committed to building a more representative, inclusive, and participatory democracy. In her role at FairVote Washington, she works with community partners, advocates, and policymakers to advance voting reforms that strengthen accountability and ensure every voter has a meaningful voice. 

As a first-generation Iranian-American, Nilu has directly benefited from the freedoms this country provides. Having experienced marginalization firsthand, she is deeply motivated to protect those freedoms and to help realize the nation’s democratic ideals for the benefit of all communities. Her lived experience informs her lifelong commitment to equity, civic engagement, and public service. As a resident of North Seattle with deep ties to her community, she is committed to making Seattle more affordable, safer, and more responsive to the needs of everyday residents. Her lived experience drives her belief that our democracy works best when every voice is heard and valued. In 2023, Nilu ran for Seattle City Council District 5, bringing a people-centered vision focused on strengthening democracy, improving public safety through community-based solutions, expanding housing affordability, and supporting working families. While the campaign did not result in a win, it energized voters and elevated critical conversations about representation, inclusion, sustainability, and the role of local government in creating safer, more equitable communities. 

Visit Nilu’s website to learn more. 

Laurie Jinkins has served in the Washington State House of Representatives since 2011 and as Speaker of the House since 2020. Her focus as a legislator and as Speaker has been expanding civil rights and health care protections for Washingtonians, addressing gun violence, righting our upside-down tax structure and strengthening the power of working people.

Visit Laurie Jinkins website to learn more.

The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors who emigrated to the US from Ukraine, Randi has always been dedicated to the greater good. Before she owned and operated a B&B in Apple Hill and a horse ranch in Brush Prairie, Randi had over 25 years of experience in public, private and non-profit sectors, evaluating policy’s financial impact on working families. She was honored to serve board appointments by both Democratic and Republican Governors. Randi holds a Masters in Public Policy and Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and a BA in Political Science from CSU Northridge. Randi has always been active in her community and currently serves as an appointee of the Clark County Council to the Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board and Joint4ces, an organization supporting veterans’ transitions to careers in agriculture; a former Board Member for Transitional Living and Community Support, helping the unhoused get services and move off the streets; and at Battle Ground Food Bank. She is an Autism Mom and an advocate for special education services and supports. 

Born and raised in a three generation Clark County family, Deken Letinich knows that when workers and working families get the investments they deserve, then we all get ahead. Deken found his calling advocating for his union’s members and Southwest Washington workers. In 2018, he was Southwest Washington’s Labor Council Union Member of the Year. In 2024, Deken successfully advocated on behalf of working families for increased workplace safety and improving access to healthcare products on worksites.

Visit Deken Letinich’s website to learn more.

Sharlett Mena is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, a public servant, and a community organizer. She is a leader in the Washington State Department of Ecology where she works with governments and stakeholders to protect clean air and water, implement climate action, and advance environmental justice. Prior to joining Ecology, Sharlett worked in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Washington State Senate, and for Washington Governor Jay Inslee. Outside of work, Sharlett has been a community organizer, leading actions for immigration reform and to advance voting rights. She is currently serving as the State Representative for the 29th Legislative District.

Visit Sharlett Mena’s website to learn more.

Ezequiel Morfin is running for the State House of Representatives Position 2 seat in the 14th Legislative District as a Democrat. Morfin is a working-class father and lifelong community advocate from Toppenish who is running for State Representative because too many families in the 14th Legislative District are being priced out, pushed aside, or forced to live in fear by decisions made far from their communities. Morfin previously served on the Toppenish City Council and has represented his community through local nonprofit work and grassroots organizing at the local and state level. He has spent more than 25 years in the skilled trades as an electrician and is currently the Chief Electrical Inspector for the Yakama Nation, with a career built around safety, accountability, and doing the job right. A longtime champion of unions and workers, Morfin began working with Washington’s farmworker movement in the 1980s as a young man through the Washington State Farmworkers Union and today works collaboratively with United Farm Workers to support working families and strengthen protections on the job. 

Visit Ezequiel’s website to learn more.

Teresa Mosqueda grew up in the Puget Sound, a third-generation Mexican-American, daughter of educators and policy wonks who fought for social justice and against oppression.

View Teresa Mosqueda’s website to learn more.

Edwin Obras immigrated to the United States as a child from the Philippines and was the first in his family to graduate from college.

He earned a B.A. from the University of Washington and later a Master of Public Administration from Northeastern University, reflecting his strong academic foundation. Professionally, Edwin has over 25 years of experience in the human services field, working for nonprofit organizations in King County and for the City of Seattle. He spent 17 years with Seattle’s Human Services Department, rising to the position of Deputy Division Director, and previously served as the division’s Budget and Policy Director and Contracts Manager.

His work in Seattle focused on critical social issues – homelessness, anti-hunger efforts, youth development, community safety, and supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Representative Edwin Obras just finished his first session in the Washington State Legislature. He’s a member of the Healthcare & Well-Being Committee, the Labor & Workforce Standards Committee, and the Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry Committee—demonstrating his strong focus on improving quality of life, protecting workers’ rights, and enhancing public safety.

Visit Edwin Obras’ website.  

Lillian Ortiz-Self has a Masters in Counseling and a Masters in Public Administration. Her career has been spent working as a clinician and supervisor in the mental health field, and as a school counselor in the Everett School District. She has served as a State Representative for the 21st LD since 2014 and currently serves as the Majority Caucus Chair.

Ortiz-Self sponsored and championed our Dual Language Bill (HB 1228) that passed the legislature and was signed by Governor Inslee in March 2024.

Visit Lillian Ortiz-Self’s website to learn more.

Martin Pittioni currently serves as the executive director of the State of Oregon Board of Accountancy and has spent over two decades in similar leadership roles, primarily in public health, for over two decades.  Martin has balanced agency budgets and brings decades of leadership experience serving or overseeing public agency boards and commissions. His accomplishments include a successful fight to secure the same level of public protection and oversight in mental health that applies to other medical services, and major contributions to improving the opioid crisis response during his service with the State of Washington Department of Health.  Most recently, Martin worked with higher education representatives, and the Oregon Legislature to use excess agency reserves generated under his fiscal leadership to fund a grant program for need-based accounting student scholarships.  In March 2026, 84 students received awards in the first year of the program.  Martin is a native of Vienna, Austria, a product of the Bavarian school system, and a proud naturalized U.S. citizen.   

Visit Martin’s website to learn more. 

Julia grew up in Seattle, the Black and bi-racial daughter of two public school educators who instilled in her the importance of public service, empathy, hard work, and collective action.  She attended Summit K-12 and later Holy Names Academy.

Following college, Julia served in the Obama administration, working at home and abroad with the State Department and the Office of Management and Budget. After returning to Seattle, she served as a senior policy advisor to the Mayor of Seattle, with a focus on workforce development issues.

Osman Salahuddin was raised in Redmond, where he has spent nearly his entire life. His drive to serve his community is rooted in his parents’ immigrant journey in pursuit of the American Dream. His mother has dedicated 20 years as a union-represented special education preschool paraeducator, while his father is a 35+ year small business owner. When hate surged during Trump’s first term, Osman was inspired by his parents’ resilience to stand up for the values that protect everyone.

After graduating from local public schools in the 48th LD, Osman attended the University of Washington, where he graduated with a BS in neurobiology while serving in his first foray in elected office as Student Body President, representing 45,000 students. He led on student issues like equity, international student health insurance, and affordable housing.

Before being elected, Osman worked as a researcher at Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center as well as the UW Medical Center in the Emergency Department. He has served his community on the Redmond City Council, worked for the King County Council, and contributed to non-profit boards and committees, including the Transportation Choices Coalition Board, LWSD Career and Technical Education Committee, and Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Civic Empowerment Board.

Visit Osman Salahuddin’s website. 

Jaelynn Scott, raised in Mississippi and an ordained minister from a family with roots in the civil rights movement, learned early on that home is more than just a roof over your head, it is a sanctuary of safety, belonging, and community. Her own journey of resilience was forged in the economic fallout of 9/11, when she navigated job loss, and housing instability. This lived experience didn’t just test her; it gave her the pragmatic expertise to fix the very safety nets that failed her. Now a driving force as Executive Director of the Lavender Rights Project (LRP), Jaelynn believes advocacy must include bold action. Jaelynn led efforts to move 16m of funds intended to jail those in need into permanent supportive housing and social services. She believes we need housing for those in crisis, not jails. She’s running for State Representative in the 37th LD in Washington State. 

Visit Jaelynn’s website to learn more. 

Imraan is a non-profit executive, a veteran civil rights leader, and the son of immigrants and small business owners. His parents came to this country in search of the American promise that through hard work, their children could have a better life. He carries that heritage into every room he enters. He holds an MBA from Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business and a Bachelors in Marketing from UT Arlington. This background allows him to bridge the gap between community advocacy and complex fiscal management. His career has spanned the corporate sector, small business ownership, and the non-profit world. Most recently, as Executive Director of CAIR Washington, He has been on the front lines of defending the constitutional rights of Washingtonians. He is not a career politician. He is a community organizer who has spent decades standing up for the marginalized, from fighting the travel ban to advocating for equitable policing and housing. 

Visit Imraan’s website to learn more. 

Chris Stearns is the State Representative for the 47th district and is one of only a handful of Native Americans ever elected to the Washington State legislature.

Chris is the Vice-Chair of the State Government & Tribal Relations Committee, Vice-Chair of the Regulated Substances & Gaming Committee, and a member of the Capital Budget Committee. He is also the Co-Chair of the Legislative Nuclear Energy Caucus and an ex-Officio Member of the WA State Horseracing Committee.

As an attorney with over 30 years of experience, Chris has worked at the state and federal level to advance the health and rights of Native Americans, youth, and vulnerable communities. He has worked to advance human and tribal rights, expand clean energy jobs, champion health care access and affordability, and improve economic opportunity for tribal and other marginalized communities.

Chris was previously an Auburn City Council member, where he was the Chair of the Public Works Committee. While on the Council, he coordinated with other cities in King County on issues including strengthening public safety, affordable housing, drug dependency, and salmon recovery.

A longtime resident of Auburn, he and his wife Pamela have two adult daughters – both graduates of Auburn High School– and a grandson. They currently share their home with their dogs, Lovey and Peaches.

Visit Chris Stearns’ website to learn more. 

Jamila E. Taylor is a State Representative for Washington’s 30th legislative district, where she serves as the Chair of the Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee, Chair of the Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities Advocacy Caucus, and Vice Chair of the House Members of Color Caucus. She has successfully secured millions of dollars in expanded state resources for refugee and immigrant populations. Outside of her legislative duties, Rep. Taylor is a staff attorney with Purpose Dignity Action (PDA). She provides civil legal services to recently unhoused individuals, her work focuses on family law, housing, and debt relief. Rep. Taylor currently serves as a board member for BlackPast.org, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Delta Upsilon Omega Chapter. She graduated from University of Oregon School of Law with a Doctor of Jurisprudence and obtained her BA in Sociology from Virginia State University.

Visit Jamila Taylor’s website to learn more.

State Representative My-Linh Thai (D, LD 41, Position 2) is a former Bellevue School District President, a healthcare professional, and an award-winning PTSA parent who is committed to improving education, opportunity, and quality of life for all Washingtonians. As a State Representative, My-Linh has championed and sponsored legislation to protect reproductive care, provide healthcare coverage for undocumented people, prioritize food access and stability for students. She is serving as House Democratic Caucus Deputy Majority Leader.

Visit My-Linh Thai’s website to learn more.

Javier Valdez is the proud son and grandson of farmworkers and laborers.

A product of public education, Javier holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in public administration from Baruch College, the City University of New York, as a participant in the National Urban Fellows program. Javier has worked for the City of Seattle for over 25 years, mostly in positions helping women and minority owned businesses get city contracts.

A longtime leader in Washington’s Democratic Party, Javier currently serves as one of Washington State’s representatives to the Democratic National Committee.  Javier is also former chair of both the 43rd and 46th District Democratic Party organizations.

A leader in the Latino community, Javier previously served as a board member for the Washington State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and president of Hispanic Seafair.

A proud member of organized labor, Javier served for several years as the first president of the Washington State Council of County and City Employees (AFSCME Council 2), Local 21-C, and previously was a delegate to the Martin Luther King County Labor Council.

Javier was appointed to the state house in 2017 and subsequently won election in 2018 and 2020. In the state house, Javier currently chairs the State Government & Tribal Relations and also serves on Civil Rights & Judiciary and Transportation.

Born and raised in Moses Lake, Javier resides in Seattle’s Maple Leaf neighborhood.

Visit Javier Valdez’ website to learn more. 

 Stacy Willoughby is a financial services professional, author, and community leader running for State Representative in Washington’s 12th Legislative District. The daughter of a Filipina immigrant and a 23-year Navy sailor, she grew up half-Filipina in Oak Harbor, Okinawa, Orlando, and San Diego, graduating from Oak Harbor High School. After seven years at Fred Meyer, including time as a UFCW member, she spent over twenty five years in financial services helping working families across Washington. As Board President of Chelan Valley Hope, Stacy led a two-year, 2,200 square-foot expansion in partnership with the Lake Chelan Food Bank, opening June 2025. She founded Chelan Businesswomen Connect, inspired the Lake Chelan Chamber’s first annual job fair, and wrote, “What’s Yours Is Mine: When a Realist Marries an Idealist.” She and her husband, Rick, a union carpenter of more than thirty years, built their home on eight forested acres above Lake Chelan. 

Visit Stacy’s website to learn more. 

Washington State House of Representative Janice Zahn was appointed to the 41st LD on January 21, 2025 and completed her first session with four bills passed and two more incorporated within passed legislation. She is running to retain her seat and continue serving her community in Olympia.

Janice immigrated from Hong Kong to the United States when she was 10 years old.  She has both a Masters in Structural Engineering and in Public Administration from the University of Washington, and is the Chief Engineer for the Port of Seattle. In that role, she oversees the Port’s Major Public Works construction and workforce programs, along with design, building information modeling, safety, mapping and survey.

Janice brings her many years of transportation, infrastructure, emergency management and public policy experience to the Washington State House of Representatives. During her over seven years on the Bellevue City Council, she was liaison on various transportation, education, disability and environmental boards and committees. Her local, regional and national knowledge is invaluable as our state and region develop strategies, policies and budgets to ensure a thriving, resilient and sustainable state.

Visit Janice Zahn’s website to learn more.

For the last 13 years, John Zingale has been in the classroom teaching middle school Social Studies. He has met, seen, and worked with families from all across his school district. He knows what young constituents are concerned about and how they are feeling about the current state of affairs that our state, country, and world are experiencing.

He’s dedicated his free time to sitting on numerous Social Studies, Ed Tech, and other educational boards including the Washington State Council for the Social Studies the Oregon Council for the Social Studies including as president, and currently sits on the NCCE board.

Over the years, Zingale been recognized for his innovative and passionate teaching, including being the 2017 winner of the Washington State Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching History, the 2019 Washington History Teacher of the Year and a National Finalist, the 2020 Middle School Teacher of the Year by the Sons of the American Revolution, the 2022 Washington State National History Day Senior Division Teacher of the Year, and the 2023 Vancouver PTSA Teacher of the Year. Before teaching he worked in the grocery retail industry for 16+ years. He started bagging groceries when he was 15 and worked his way up through the company while putting himself through college.

Visit John Zingale’s website to learn more.