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About Executive Cabinet and Leadership Team
Meet the Executive
Girmay Zahilay
King County Executive
Girmay Zahilay is the seventh elected King County Executive. He oversees one of the largest local governments in the country, leading more than 18,000 employees who provide services to 2.3 million residents. As the first immigrant, first refugee, and first millennial to hold the role of King County Executive, he is working to make county government more responsive to the people it serves.
Before becoming Executive, Girmay served nearly 6 years on the King County Council, including time as Council Chair. He helped expand mental health and addiction services, invested in thousands of affordable homes near transit, improved regional gun violence prevention strategies, increased the minimum wage for working families, and secured long overdue infrastructure improvements in underserved communities like Skyway. As a Sound Transit board member, he pushed for safer, more accessible transportation systems that truly serve riders.
Girmay’s approach to public service is shaped by his own upbringing in South Seattle and Skyway. He was born in Sudan to Ethiopian parents who fled civil war and later resettled in the United States. His family’s early years included public housing, shelter stays, and long stretches of financial instability. He was raised by a single mother who worked multiple jobs and relied on public assistance to keep the family afloat. These experiences gave him a clear understanding of the challenges many households face and a strong appreciation for the public systems that help people build stability.
With support from educators, mentors, and public programs, Girmay went on to graduate from Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. His professional experience includes service at the White House, the Congressional Hunger Center, practicing law at Perkins Coie, and running the youth leadership nonprofit he founded, Rising Leaders.
As King County Executive, Girmay is focused on the Four Bs for a Better Future: breaking the cycles that drive homelessness and addiction, building more housing and infrastructure, putting more boots on the ground in communities, and delivering better government through accountability and effective service. These priorities guide his work to reduce homelessness, support mental health and addiction treatment, improve community safety, strengthen small businesses, protect essential freedoms, and prepare the region for a changing climate.
Girmay lives in Tukwila with his wife, Joyce, and their daughter Jazzy. They are expecting their second daughter soon.
He approaches this work as a husband and father raising a young family in King County, guided by the same hopes shared by parents across the region. As Executive, he is committed to building a county that works for everyone.
Senior leadership
Karan Gill
Deputy Executive
Karan Gill is the Deputy Executive of King County. Karan previously served as Executive Zahilay's Transition Executive Director, as Deputy Executive under Executive Shannon Braddock, and as Chief of Staff under Executive Dow Constantine. Karan has significant experience in public administration and manages King County's daily operations, leading strategic coordination for the Executive's priorities and advising on policy, external relations, and emerging issues.
Jasmin Weaver
Chief of Staff
Jasmin Weaver will serve as Chief of Staff, with her appointment beginning in January. Since 2017, Jasmin has been a leader in philanthropy and advocacy as Executive Vice President of Civic Ventures, an organization that works to reduce economic inequality at the local, state, and national levels. She led successful campaigns at the state and federal levels to increase overtime protections for workers, substantially increasing pay for millions of working-class people. She also led successful local and statewide efforts to make Washington's tax system less regressive, helping pass Washington's capital gains tax to fund education and Seattle's JumpStart tax to fund affordable housing.
Megan Pedersen
Chief People Officer
Megan leads the Labor Relations and Human Resources teams at King County. She formerly served as Acting Chief People Officer and brings an incredible depth of King County government experience to the role. Megan is a results-oriented and people-centered leader with more than 15 years of experience in operations, labor relations, people strategy, and employee engagement at the County.
Christopher Sanders
General Counsel, the Executive's chief legal advisor
Christopher was previously an attorney at Pacifica Law Group, his practice focused on representing public entity clients in various stages of civil litigation. He was also previously an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Washington, and prior to that worked as an attorney for the King County Department of Public Defense. As a seasoned trial attorney with experience in both civil and criminal law, Christopher has over a decade of experience representing clients at all stages of the litigation process in state and federal courts.
Aaron Rubardt
Chief Budget Officer
Aaron is a leader in local government budgeting and financial planning, first joining King County in 2007 and most recently serving for the past six years as the Deputy Budget Director. His professional mission is to provide financial and operational management to public organizations. He believes in an accountable, transparent, and cost-effective government that is responsive to taxpayers, enhances lives, reflects community values, and creates opportunities for all residents. Before joining King County, Aaron worked in health care and employment benefits consulting and brokerages, both in the Pacific Northwest and Washington, DC.