Deputy Executive April Putney is responsible for administration of the Executive’s staff as well as directing external and internal policy coordination and strategic initiatives. Putney previously served as the Director of Government and External Relations, overseeing local, regional, state, and federal relations.

Prior to joining the Executive’s Office, she most recently worked for Futurewise, the state's lead smart growth organization. Putney has more than fifteen years of experience in governmental affairs, policy development, advocacy, and community organizing.

Chase Gallagher, Communications Director

Budget Director Dwight Dively leads the office responsible for developing and monitoring the biennial King County budget, implementing the King County Strategic Plan, identifying and tracking performance measures, developing and implementing the King County Comprehensive Plan, overseeing business planning, and conducting the annual employee survey. He oversees a wide range of activities, including project analysis, financial forecasting, program evaluation, demographic analysis, and policy development.

Prior to King County, Dwight had a 22-year career with City of Seattle, most recently serving as Director of Finance and leading the city's financial and budget management initiatives between 1994 and 2010. He is also an affiliate assistant professor at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Policy and Governance.

Director of Customer Service Natasha Jones advances customer and employee satisfaction by improving the County's delivery of customer service. She leads an inter-departmental team of Customer Service Officers, establishing performance measures and inspiring a culture of continuous improvement.

Natasha has served in a communications and media relations role for three executive administrations and two other local governments, where she has focused on public outreach and government accessibility. Before working in government, she was a television news assignment editor, producer, reporter, and anchor.

Chief People Officer Whitney Abrams spearheads our Investing in YOU strategy to make King County a place where all employees have the tools, support, and opportunity to do their best work for our community.

Whitney is a member of the Senior Leadership Team for King County Executive Dow Constantine. She has extensive knowledge and experience working on human resources and labor issues, with more than 15 years as a union negotiator where she also led negotiations for the King County Coalition of Unions. She is responsible for building strong and successful labor-management partnerships, and both the Office of Labor Relations and Department of Human Resources report to her. She also works to embed the principles of Equity and Social Justice into the way employees work and are treated, and was a founding member of the Metro Transit's Partnership to Achieve Comprehensive Equity (PACE).

Anita Whitfield, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer

Chief Performance Officer Gary Kurihara leads and directs the transformation of County operations through the adoption of Lean. This includes strategic planning and execution, performance management, process improvement, leadership development, culture change, and the development of an enterprise management system.

Gary comes to King County with over 20 years of experience in operations, sales, human resources, and Lean having worked across several industries in the private sector.

Megan Pedersen, Director of Office of Labor Relations