Kelly Fukai is stepping down as CEO of the Washington Expertise Trade Affiliation to develop into chief govt of the Northwest Fuel Affiliation.
Fukai has been with the WTIA for 3 years and have become CEO of the commerce group in January. She succeeded Michael Schutzler, who held the put up for greater than a decade.
Fukai’s departure takes impact Sept. 11 and the board is working to nominate her alternative.
“It’s been an honor to function CEO of WTIA and to work alongside such a passionate, revolutionary group. I’m happy with what we’ve constructed collectively,” she stated in an announcement.
The WTIA launched in 1984 and operates as a nonprofit member commerce affiliation and a for-profit company offering enterprise companies below the identify Portalus. It additionally affords medical health insurance and 401(ok) to tech corporations and entrepreneurs.
Previous to WTIA, Fukai labored for Avista, the Spokane, Wash.-based pure gasoline and vitality companies firm, for 16 years ending in 2014. The pure gasoline commerce group contains utilities and pipelines within the U.S. and Canada.
“I’m honored to return to the vitality sector and lead [the Northwest Gas Association] at a time of such transformation and alternative,” Fukai stated. “Pure gasoline continues to play an important position in making certain inexpensive, dependable vitality for our communities. I stay up for working with our members and companions to form a sustainable vitality future for the Northwest.”
The WTIA introduced that Randa Minkarah will take the newly created position of chief working govt for the WTIA Consortium, which incorporates the group’s three initiatives. Minkarah has served on the WTIA board of administrators for greater than six years and can retain that seat, in addition to remaining the chair of each Portalus and the board of trustees for the Affiliation Well being Plan.
Minkarah can be the co-founder and former president and chief working officer of Seattle-area firm Resonance AI, a synthetic intelligence media firm. She additionally held a number of management roles at Fisher Communications, which was acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
— MicroVision, a Redmond, Wash., firm constructing automotive lidar sensors for security techniques, autonomous automobiles and different functions, named Laura Peterson to its board of administrators. Peterson was at Boeing for greater than 22 years, leaving the position of vp of enterprise growth in China in 2016. She was additionally president and CEO of Sarcos Expertise and Robotics, which is now Palladyne AI.
“Laura’s wealthy background in operational management, worldwide enterprise growth, world technique, authorities relations, homeland safety, and M&A might be invaluable to MicroVision as we execute on our strategic plan,” MicroVision CEO Sumit Sharma stated in an announcement.
The corporate additionally introduced that Mark Spitzer will retire from the board.
— Fuse, a Bellevue, Wash., enterprise capital agency, introduced the rent of Brooke Borseth as an funding workforce affiliate. She’s going to give attention to early-stage startups constructing B2B software program.
The position marks Borseth’s return to the Seattle space from Moneta Ventures, a California-based funding agency the place she served as a senior affiliate. At Moneta, she invested in additional than 15 corporations and supported the agency in elevating a $250 million fund.
— Seattle’s Sarah Johansson has been promoted to move of authorized product for Theo Ai, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup with a platform that predicts the result of authorized disputes. Johansson might be working with authorized groups within the U.S. to raised perceive their workflows to allow the design of custom-built instruments. She has been with the corporate since November 2024.
