Al Dams

Chief Deputy Assessor

Al Dams is a well-respected public servant, leader and innovator. Al has served in a number of leadership roles in King County government over the last 25 years in a variety of departments, including Assessments; Records, Elections and Licensing Services; Parks; and Public Works.

Al has led the development of key innovations, managed mission-critical projects, and implemented important operational improvements for King County government and its residents.

Ruth Peterson

Commercial Division Director

The Commercial/Business Division values all commercial real and personal property, multifamily structures, and condominiums in King County. Ruth began her career in the Department of Assessments over two decades ago. She is a Certified General Appraiser who enjoys working with commercial real estate. Ruth has a BA in Business Administration and has continued her education throughout her tenure with King County. Serving underrepresented communities, such as disabled adults and the homeless, brings her enormous satisfaction.

Jeff Darrow

Residential Division Director

The Residential Division is responsible for the inspection and valuation of all residential parcels in King County. Darrow has been with the King County Department of Assessments 19 years and has 24 years of Real Estate and Real Estate Appraisal experience. Darrow has a B.A. in Marketing with an emphasis on marketing research and statistics from Western Washington University.

Rich Watson

Administrative Services Division Director

The Administrative Services Division provides oversight and supervision of payroll and human resources; budget, finance and procurement; and public information and disclosure. Watson has been with King County for 15 years in various human resource leadership roles. Watson has over 20 years of human resources and administrative management experience. He holds a BS in Applied Mathematics with a minor in Economics from University of New Mexico, and an MBA from Oregon State University. Watson is a certified mediator and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

Jim Hall

Chief Appraiser and Appeals Division Director

The Appeals Division provides oversight of appeals and property assessment litigation. Jim has recently joined the King County Assessor's Office. He is a practicing commercial appraiser with more than 28 years of appraisal experience.

He holds the Residential Evaluation Specialist (RES) and a Mass Appraisal Specialist (MAS) Designation from the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO), a Diploma in Urban Land Economics and a Certificate in Real Property Assessment from the University of British Columbia. He is an IAAO certified in-state instructor, a Certified General Appraiser in Washington State and an Accredited Real Property Appraiser by the Washington State Department of Revenue.

Jim has been the primary appraiser representing Pierce County on the most complex valuation disputes for the last 17 years. He has testified as a valuation expert before the Grays Harbor and Pierce County Boards of Equalization, the Washington State Board of Tax Appeals and King County Superior Court.

Mindy Tiangson

Accounting Division Director

The Accounting Division administers a wide array of functions for the department, including: processing about 700,000 property valuation notices each year; reviewing/approving hundreds of new condominiums, plats, boundary line adjustments and land segregations and mergers; maintaining GIS map layers which are available to internal and external users; reviewing/approving thousands of non-profit, senior, disability, current use and home improvement exemptions; and producing a fair and equitable tax roll for all taxing districts. Mindy has over 31 years of experience within the Department of Assessments. She has worked with variety of teams in the department such as Senior Exemptions, Public Information, Residential and Commercial appraisal. Mindy holds a certified Real Estate appraiser license and a state appraiser accreditation.

Hoang Nguyen

Information Services Division Director

The Information Services Division supports the development of the Assessor’s Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) system, web portal, mobile iPad applications, and other administrative systems. Hoang was been with King County Assessments for 16 years. Hoang has a BS in Computer Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. Systems that Hoang has managed have won awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo), and the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO).