Summary 

King County Executive Girmay Zahilay and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson thanked the Metropolitan King County Council and Seattle City Council for confirming their appointee for Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County. Dr. Sandra Valenciano has served as Health Officer for the department since August 2025. 

Story 

King County Executive Girmay Zahilay and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson celebrated the appointment this week of Dr. Sandra Valenciano as the new Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County. The current acting director, Dr. Valenciano was confirmed by both the Metropolitan King County Council and the Seattle City Council on Tuesday, June 9. 

“Community health and wellbeing are central to everything we do at King County, and Dr. Valenciano has the experience, expertise, and commitment to lead this critical department into the future,” said Executive Zahilay. “She is a well-known public health expert and brings a deep commitment to advancing health equity and fostering trust and community relationships. I am confident that she will build on our region’s national reputation as a leader in public health and work to make affordable, high-quality health care services more accessible to King County residents.” 

“Dr. Valenciano is the right choice for our community’s health, and I look forward to working with her,” said Mayor Wilson. “Her public health leadership experience, community orientation and dedication to health equity will serve our region well.” 

"It’s an honor to serve our community, and I’m grateful for the support of our councils,” said Dr. Valenciano. "I look forward to working with our incredible staff and vital community partners to make King County safer and healthier for everyone.”  

As a board-certified physician (MD) in internal medicine with a Master of Public Health, Dr. Valenciano has more than a decade of experience working in both local and national settings. Dr. Valenciano was appointed Seattle and King County’s Health Officer in 2025 where she joined the department as the primary medical expert tasked with providing leadership on scientific and medical matters that shape department policy and practice and fostering strong relationships with the broader healthcare community.   

Prior to joining the County, Dr. Valenciano was the District Health Director and CEO for DeKalb Public Health in metro Atlanta, Georgia. In that role, she managed public health services for over 780,000 residents in a diverse community where over 130 languages are spoken.  For more on her background, her biography is online. 

Public Health – Seattle & King County protects and improves the health and well-being of everyone every day through disease protection, health promotion, and assurance of quality healthcare services.