State Sen. Joe Nguyễn will become the next director of the Washington state Department of Commerce.
Commerce manages economic and community development programs and plays important roles in issues including clean energy deployment, electric vehicle adoption and affordable housing.
Prior to serving in office, Nguyễn worked for nearly a decade at Microsoft. For his civic work, he was honored at the 2024 GeekWire Awards as this year’s Public Policy Champion for Innovation.
The West Seattle Democrat took his seat in the Legislature in 2019. His leadership roles include serving as the chair of the Environment, Energy and Technology Committee and vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee. He has sponsored significant legislation addressing climate change and clean energy, facial recognition technology and computer science education.
“Senator Nguyễn brings experienced leadership and a strong record on fighting to improve the lives of Washingtonians to this critical agency. I know he will help ensure state government works better for the people,” said Governor-elect Bob Ferguson in announcing his appointment on Thursday.
Nguyễn was the state’s first Vietnamese American senator, and his parents and older sister fled Vietnam as refugees during the war, eventually making their way to Seattle where Nguyen grew up.
He will take over from current director of Commerce Mike Fong, who has held the role since May 2023.
— Rene Yoakum, executive vice president of customer and culture for Remitly, is leaving her role next week after more than six years with the Seattle-based digital remittance company.
Yoakum will provide consulting services for Remitly beginning Jan. 1 and concluding at the end of 2026, or “upon termination by either party,” according to a filing.
Yoakum was at Microsoft for nearly two decades, leaving the role of general manager of global consumer support in 2016.
— Seattle-based marketing technology company Banzai International appointed Nancy Norton as chief legal officer.
Banzai announced Norton’s role this month, though she has been in the position since June, according to LinkedIn.
Norton has served as legal counsel for multiple technology and biotech companies, including many in the Pacific Northwest. She worked most recently for Novartis for just under four years. Other past employers include Johnson & Johnson, Bill Gates’ Kymeta, Avanade, Dendreon and others.
“[Norton’s] proven leadership in licensing, privacy, regulatory matters, M&A and commercial transactions will be instrumental as we continue to scale. Nancy will also play a critical role in driving our acquisition strategy and exploring new avenues for growth,” Banzai’s founder and CEO Joe Davy said in a statement.
Banzai, which went public last year, recently announced two acquisitions: OpenReel, a digital video creation platform for businesses, and Vidello, a video hosting and marketing technology provider for businesses.
— Seattle’s Matthew Bogdan will become a partner at the law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, effective February 2025.
Bogdan’s focus is on the energy space, working with clients in the energy, infrastructure and clean tech industries on issues spanning project development to financing. His expertise includes wind and solar power, energy storage, electric vehicle charging, energy efficiency, hydrogen, biofuels, hydropower and distributed energy.
Bogdan has been with the firm for more than a decade.
— Two assistant professors with Seattle’s Fred Hutch Cancer Center won awards to support their work.
Christina Termini has received a $600,000, three-year award from the V Foundation for Cancer Research to investigate biological processes underlying acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, which is the deadliest type of blood cancer.
Sanjay Srivatsan has been awarded a $750,000 Distinguished Scientist Award from the Sontag Foundation. The award will fund research into the cellular origins of glioblastoma, an aggressive and malignant cancer that is the most common primary brain tumor in adults.
— Next gen nuclear company NuScale Power has added Diana Walters to its board of directors. The Corvallis, Ore., company is developing small modular reactors and has a deal with Standard Power to potentially build devices in Ohio and Pennsylvania to support data center operations.
At the start of this year, NuScale laid off 28% of its workforce.
Walters serves on multiple boards and has a background in the natural resources sector, including serving as president of Liberty Metals and Mining.
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