Barón awards Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service to Jen Muzia

June 10, 2025

King County Councilmember Jorge L. Barón on Tuesday awarded Jen Muzia 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?”

“Jen is a thoughtful and effective leader who has spent years strengthening our community’s response to food insecurity,” Barón said. “She brings people together, advocates for policies that matter, and works every day to ensure families have their basic needs met. Jen’s efforts have a tangible, daily impact that makes this community stronger and more connected.”

Muzia was hired as the Executive Director of the Ballard Food Bank in May 2014. Under her leadership, Ballard Food Bank built a brand-new home that serves as a hub for hope, bringing together food, services, and community partners in a one-stop shop.

She is an active member of the Seattle Food Committee and is co-chair of the Seattle Human Services Coalition (SHSC). As SHSC Co-Chair, Jen has worked to elevate the needs of the human service sector, including homelessness response, elder services, gender-based violence providers, and more. In doing so, she has helped create a stronger support system for all those in need of care throughout our community. She has served as a trusted advisor to policymakers on efforts like COVID response, essential worker wages, and the homelessness crisis. Prior to her current role, she was the Chief Strategy Officer at Girl Scouts of Western Washington. Muzia also served on the board of the U-District Food Bank for nine years.

She received her Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington, Evans School of Public Affairs and her bachelor’s degree in business from Western Washington University. She is an alumna of the 2009 class of Leadership Tomorrow.