Mayor Katie Wilson is beginning her tenure with a flurry of departmental leadership changes throughout Seattle.
Among the replaced department heads is Maiko Winkler-Chin, former director of the Office of Housing.
Winkler-Chin gave the following statement in a press release:
It has been an honor to serve these last four years as director of the Seattle Office of Housing. This team is one of the smartest in the city, navigating the complex challenges in creating and preserving affordable housing.
It’s never just about housing. It’s about creating lasting community assets, repairing past harms and ensuring all neighborhoods offer diverse housing options. Our investments bring homes and vital neighborhood elements like small businesses, childcare, libraries and cultural anchors.
Together, we achieved incredible milestones: passing the nation’s largest Housing Levy at nearly $1 billion, welcoming over 800 low-income families into affordable rental homes, helping 300 families buy their first homes and advancing projects like Fort Lawton, Mount Baker Station and Lake City Community Center. We adapted to meet the moment because Seattle has changed, and so must we.
I leave the office in the hands of my good friend and mission partner, Interim Director Andréa Akita, who will continue the hard work of making sure everyone in Seattle has a healthy and affordable home. I look forward to seeing the policies, programs and investments OH creates continue to shape Seattle.
Akita will serve as interim director until Wilson selects permanent leadership. She has served as deputy director of the department since 2022.
“Our team is dedicated to stewarding the city’s affordable housing investments, policies and programs to prevent displacement, create new opportunities and preserve existing affordable homes,” Akita said. “This work is rooted in collaboration, working jointly with others to achieve shared goals, because we know that only by partnering with communities, stakeholders and advocates can we realize Mayor Wilson’s vision of a Seattle that is affordable for everyone.”
Wilson’s official leadership appointees include Beto Yarce as director of the Office of Economic Development and Lylianna Allala as director of the Office of Sustainability and the Environment. Wilson also retained Rico Quirindongo as director of the Office of Planning and Community.
Wilson took office on Jan. 2, replacing former Mayor Bruce Harrell.