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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.
Leadership Team
Deputy Executive Karan Gill
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.
Before joining the Executive’s office, he served as Chief of Staff to former King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, worked for former Speaker of the House Frank Chopp, and led community relations for a South King County anti-poverty nonprofit. With over 20 years of experience in government and policy advocacy, he has also served on boards including the Washington State Budget and Policy Center and the South King County Human Services Council.
A lifelong King County resident raised in Renton, Karan lives on the Eastside with his wife, Lita, and their two sons.
Chief of Staff Jasmin Weaver
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.
Before Civic Ventures, Jasmin served as Deputy Director of Seattle’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations, overseeing the City’s interactions with the state and federal governments and tribal nations. Before that, she worked as Legislative Director for a national union organizing campaign, helping organize tens of thousands of workers across the country to secure better pay and benefits.
Jasmin was born and raised in Seattle and lives on Beacon Hill with her husband and three children.