Gov.-elect Ferguson picks Kathryn Leathers to lead WA Department of Retirement Systems
Washington Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson announced Dec. 23 who will head the Department of Retirement Systems.
Kathryn Leathers is set to lead the state agency, which counts a membership of close to 1 million workers, according to a Dec. 23 news release. The department oversees Washington’s retirement system for public employees like teachers, police officers and firefighters.
“Kathryn Leathers is a committed, experienced public servant who will champion the sustainability of our retirement plans,” Ferguson said in the release. “I am grateful she will be overseeing such a critical system and protecting the well-deserved retirement of our public sector workers.”
Outgoing Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Leathers in 2017 as general counsel for the governor’s office, per the news release. Her new role takes effect Jan. 15.
Leathers previously served as the state House Democratic Caucus’ senior counsel, according to the release. Before that, she represented and advised the state bar association for nearly five years. She also spent more than five years offering legislative support and legal advice to House Democrats and Republicans alike.
Earlier in Leathers’ career, she clerked for an Alaska superior court judge; prosecuted King County criminal matters; and worked at Preston, Gates & Ellis (today K&L Gates), mostly in their “complex civil litigation department,” the news release states.
Ferguson unveiled seven cabinet-head reappointments the week of Dec. 16, including to the departments of revenue, labor and industries, and archaeology and historic preservation, McClatchy previously reported. State Rep. Tana Senn, a Mercer Island Democrat, was announced Dec. 18 as the next director for the Department of Children, Youth and Families.
In November the governor-elect revealed plans to bring in new leadership at nine state agencies.
This story was originally published December 23, 2024 at 2:16 PM.
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