By KENDRICK STEWART
Interim director
Hello, good people!
I’m happy to share with you that Gov. Jay Inslee has selected our next director. Please join me in welcoming Director Mike Fong (he/him/his) to the Commerce team beginning May 8!
Highly skilled in public policy, budget analysis, crisis management and operational excellence, Mike comes to us from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Pacific Northwest Region X, where he was serving as regional administrator at the request of President Joe Biden.
Previously, he worked as chief recovery and resilience officer in the Snohomish County Executive’s Office and as senior deputy mayor in former Mayor Jenny Durkan’s Office.
“Mike has a wide breadth of experience managing major progressive economic development programs on behalf of Washingtonians, and building successful coalitions,” Inslee said. “He has the integrity and the skillset required to lead the Department of Commerce and to deliver on the agency's expansive mission for the people we serve. I also want to thank Kendrick for his ongoing leadership and look forward to continuing to work with him as well.”
As you know, joining Commerce comes with a steep learning curve. To support Mike’s success, we have created a transition document outlining our agency’s books of business, budget and operations. And the Executive Leadership Team stands ready to offer insights and aid to our new director.
We invite you to meet Mike during Public Service Recognition Week at a Director Meet and Greet Real Talk at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 10, on Zoom. Schedule permitting, he hopes to attend the PSRW in-person lunches that week to mingle with employees.
“I am excited to join the Department of Commerce and look forward to working with and learning from all of you as we strengthen our communities and grow our economy in every corner of our state,” Mike said. “Thank you for your public service! I am grateful for this opportunity.”
We will schedule time for Mike to meet with the supervisor community and division teams in the weeks following. If you have something that needs the director’s attention, please contact Executive Assistant Sarah Coggins.
Mike was born and raised in Spokane. He moved to Seattle for college — Go, Huskies! he said — and stayed on this side of the state. He and his partner, Laura, live in Seattle with their two Chihuahua mixes, Ladybird and Miss Scarlett.
“Laura’s family is from the Yakima Valley, and my dad and one of my sisters still live in Spokane, so we spend a fair amount of time in Eastern Washington,” Mike said.
In his free time, Mike coached youth basketball for 14 years for the Seattle Chinese Athletic Association. And he and Laura have been involved in a farmworker history project focused on capturing stories tied to a collection of photographs taken by Seattle photographer Irwin Nash in the late ’60s and early ’70s.
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