Kent Mayor Dana Ralph elected to the board of the Association of Washington Cities

OLYMPIA - Kent Mayor Dana Ralph has been elected to the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Board of Directors. The election was conducted by city leaders from across Washington state during the AWC Annual Conference, held June 23-26 in Spokane, Washington.

"I am honored to have the support of my peers and to be voted onto the AWC Board of Directors," said Ralph. "I look forward to representing Kent and all the cities and towns in my district and building on the important work AWC does on behalf of Washington communities."

AWC CEO Deanna Dawson welcomed Mayor Ralph's election. "We are thrilled to welcome Mayor Ralph to the AWC Board of Directors," Dawson said. "Mayor Ralph is a thoughtful, collaborative, and dynamic leader who is well-respected by her peers in South King County and across the state. Her experience, wisdom, and common sense will serve her well as she works with the AWC board to build strong cities and a great state."

The AWC Board of Directors is the association's governing body. The board comprises 25 directors, 23 of whom are mayors or city councilmembers and two of whom are non-elected city officials representing the Washington City/County Management Association.

First elected mayor in 2017, Ralph is currently serving her third term. A Kent native, she previously served on the Kent City Council from 2012 to 2017.

Ralph serves in numerous leadership roles across the Puget Sound region and nationally. She currently chairs the Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation Policy Board and the King County Flood Control Advisory Committee and serves as vice chair of the South King Housing and Homelessness Partners Executive Board and the U.S. Conference of Mayors Transportation Committee's New Economy initiative. She also serves on the Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board and the Sound Cities Association Board of Directors.

More than 550 attendees representing 163 cities and towns across Washington attended the AWC Annual Conference to learn about issues critical to the success of municipal governments. The conference featured over 45 educational sessions on topics ranging from land use planning and public safety funding to preparing for autonomous vehicles and the use of AI tools.

Founded in 1933, AWC is a nonprofit corporation that represents Washington's cities and towns. AWC's mission is to build connections between the state's diverse cities and towns while providing members with the support needed to thrive through the delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling programs, and nonpartisan advocacy.

A complete list of the members of the AWC Board of Directors is available on the association's website.