Governor Ferguson appoints Christine Rolfes to the Puget Sound Partnership's Leadership Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2026

MEDIA CONTACT: Jon Bridgman, 206-276-5309, jon.bridgman@psp.wa.gov 

OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson has appointed Christine Rolfes to the Puget Sound Partnership's Leadership Council, the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership.

Christine Rolfes currently serves as one of three elected members of the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners. In her local government role, she is engaged in Puget Sound and Hood Canal preservation and restoration initiatives, and also represents Kitsap County on the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, the Kitsap Public Health Board, and the state’s Shoreline Hearings Board.

“Commissioner Rolfes has such valuable experience having worked in city, county and state government,” said Kate Dean, vice chair of the Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council. “Her breadth of experience and leadership style allow her to stay at the table to work on complex challenges, even when solutions are originally hard to see.”

"I’m honored to have been selected by Governor Ferguson to join the Leadership Council," said Christine Rolfes. "Since its inception almost 20 years ago, the Puget Sound Partnership has demonstrated success in bringing the region together to prioritize the protection and restoration of the Salish Sea while maintaining a strong economy. I’m particularly proud of their progress in recovering forage fish and salmon and protecting our iconic Orca whales. I’m looking forward to playing a more active regional role in these efforts."

Before joining the Board of Commissioners, Christine was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 2006 and served in the Washington State Senate from 2011 to 2023. As a state lawmaker, she was an active member of the legislature’s Natural Resource and Environmental committees, and her last six years were spent serving as the chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. During her time in the legislature, she was a pivotal voice in Puget Sound and forestry issues, climate policy, and fish and wildlife habitat protection.

“As long as Commissioner Rolfes has been in public service, starting with her time on the Bainbridge Island City Council and continuing with her distinguished service in the House and Senate and now as a Kitsap County Commissioner, she has been one of our region’s foremost and most tenacious champions for restoring Puget Sound to health,” said Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, who currently serves as the House majority leader and represents the 34th Legislative District. “Whether protecting and recovering habitat, improving water quality, or protecting against the risks of catastrophic oil spills, Puget Sound has had no better friend in elected office than Christine Rolfes. I am excited to see her continue her leadership as a member of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council.”

Christine earned her Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Virginia. She and her husband, Leonard, began their public service careers in Kitsap County - he as a deputy prosecutor and she with the Department of Community Development. They raised their two adult daughters on Bainbridge Island, where they still reside with their small flock of chickens.

“Christine Rolfes has been a leader in Puget Sound recovery throughout her public service, from Bainbridge Island to the Legislature and Kitsap County,” said Mindy Roberts, executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership. “She understands how local action, regional coordination, and state investment must work together. That perspective will be invaluable as the leadership Council guides implementation of the Action Agenda and advances recovery across Puget Sound.”

About the Leadership Council

The Leadership Council is the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership. Its seven members are leading citizens chosen from around the Sound and appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms.

About the Puget Sound Partnership

The Puget Sound Partnership is the state agency formed to lead the region’s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. Working with hundreds of government agencies, Tribes, scientists, businesses, and nonprofits, the Partnership mobilizes partner action around a common agenda, advances Sound investments, and tracks progress to optimize recovery.

For more information, go to www.psp.wa.gov.