About Kevin
Kevin was born alongside his twin sister in Des Moines where he grew up as a 4th generation Washingtonian in a union household (dad was a 35 year SPEEA Boeing engineer).
Kevin grew up going to Grace Lutheran Pre School in Des Moines and St. Francis of Assisi in Burien for grade school. Throughout that time, Kevin regularly participated in Des Moines rec league sports and had the same soccer coach for 15 years (shoutout Dan Keller!).
After grade school, Kevin attended Aviation High School in the Highline School District. In high school, Kevin participated in Speech & Debate, was student body vice president, and worked throughout high school at local restaurants 909 in Burien and Mick Kelley’s in Kent.
He started community college while working full time as a UFCW21 grocery store worker before teaching English in Far Western Nepal. He returned and worked as a delivery specialist at a boatyard selling Cutwater Ranger Tug boats, based in Kent.
Kevin then started working for now former Democratic State Representative Kathy Haigh, as well as serving as a session aide to Democratic Governor Jay Inslee.
After his first state government stint, Kevin completed his bachelors degree at Washington State University in Pullman where he ran a trivia night, hosted a radio show, worked as a tutor for football players, worked at the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service, and served as a ASWSU student body senator while ultimately graduating Summa Cum Laude as a Top Ten student for both community service and thesis writing. Go Cougs!
Not quite done with school yet, Kevin finished a dual masters degree at Columbia University in New York City and the London School of Economics. While at Columbia, Kevin supported organizing graduate student workers (of which he was one) into a union with UAW. The following year, the graduate students successfully organized and got higher pay and better benefits. Kevin’s thesis focused on a timely issue: differences of economic Washington state politics between Democratic and Republican presidents focused on tariffs and oceanic trade.
Following graduate school, Kevin returned home to work at St Francis of Assisi as a Pastoral Assistant to Father Hayatsu (his childhood priest). While home, Kevin ran for Burien City Council for the first time and was elected in local elections with close to 63% of the vote.
When COVID hit, Kevin joined AmeriCorps to deliver emergency meals to low income families and seniors in Burien, Normandy Park, and SeaTac. He also completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard Kennedy School.
Burien re-elected Kevin in 2023, where he then began serving as Burien Mayor. While on city council, Kevin has focused his efforts on using a treatment-first approach to homelessness, drug addiction, and mental health needs, making it easier to construct housing of all kinds, and getting law enforcement the tools they need to keep Burien safe. Kevin's legislative priorities also include delivering more services to families whether it be meals and WiFi during the pandemic or rental assistance through ARPA funds holding government accountable to its spending and project timelines, and passing Burien’s climate action plan, economic development plan, and 20-year comprehensive plan.
Kevin serves on the policy board of the Greater Seattle Business Association (the Puget Sound’s LGBTQ chamber of commerce), and in his free time enjoys hanging out with his family, going to comedy shows, reading history books, traveling as much as he can, watching movies, playing video games, eating dim sum, and drinking coffee.