Barón awards Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service to Jeanne Kohl-Welles

June 4, 2024

King County Councilmember Jorge L. Barón on Tuesday awarded Jeanne Kohl-Welles with the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service, an award that recognizes individuals whose work has answered the question asked by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “What are you doing for others?”

“When I think of distinguished service, no one personifies that more than Jeanne Kohl-Welles,” Barón said. “Jeanne’s work has highlighted how public policies that advance social justice, eliminate inequity, and create opportunities can transform our society. She consistently gives her time and energy to the betterment of our community, and we will continue to benefit from her efforts for years to come.”

While Kohl-Welles is well-known in King County for her time serving as a Councilmember for District 4 (2016-2023), she has a long history of public policy work to fight discrimination, promote civil rights and protect the environment.

Kohl-Welles’ career in public service began after earning her B.A. and M.A. at California State University at Northridge and following in her mother’s footsteps to become a public-school teacher. She later earned her M.A. in sociology and her Ph.D. in the sociology of education at UCLA, and taught at the University of California, Irvine, and then, upon moving to Seattle, at the University of Washington.

She went on to serve in both the state House of Representatives (1992-1994) and the state Senate (1994-2015) for the 36^th Legislative District before her election to Council.

Much of her legislative and professional career has focused on issues around harassment and discrimination, gender and domestic violence, human trafficking, educational equity, tenants’ rights and housing, arts and culture funding, and environmental protection.

She lives in Belltown with her husband, Alex Welles, and remains active in the community.

This marks the ninth year that councilmembers have each selected someone from their district whose work embodies the spirit of King’s question.