Tina L. Podlodowski (born 1960) is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the Chair of the

Washington State Democratic Party The Washington State Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Seattle. It is also commonly referred to as ...

. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, she previously served as a member of the

Seattle City Council The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-lar ...

and unsuccessfully ran for

Secretary of State of Washington The secretary of state of Washington is an independently elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Washington. Fifteen individuals have held the office of Secretary of State since statehood. The ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Career

Podlodowski graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Computer Science from the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

. After graduation she worked with a number of technology start-ups, finally coming to Microsoft in 1984, where she managed groups in product marketing, domestic and international sales, and eventually Microsoft's global training department. After leaving Microsoft in 1993, she was one of the principal investors in the purchase and renovation of Seattle's historic Paramount Theatre. She was elected to the

in 1995. She served on the council for one term, chairing the Public Safety, Health and Technology Committee. She has also worked as the

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of the Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, and as a practice manager for Porter Novelli. In 2014, she advised Ed Murray, the

Mayor of Seattle The Mayor of Seattle is the head of the executive branch of the city government of Seattle, Washington. The mayor is authorized by the city charter to enforce laws enacted by the Seattle City Council, as well as direct subordinate officers in ci ...

, on issues of policing. In January 2016, Podlodowski announced that she would run against

Kim Wyman Kimberley Marie Wyman (born July 15, 1962) is an American politician who served as the 15th Secretary of State of Washington from 2013 to 2021. Wyman resigned as Secretary of State on November 19, 2021, to work on election security at the Cyberse ...

, the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

, in the 2016 election. Wyman defeated Podlodowski with 55% of the vote. In January 2017, Podlodowski was elected to be the new chairperson of the

, defeating incumbent Jaxon Ravens.

Personal life

Michael Blake, Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Tina Podlodowski

Podlodowski is openly gay. She is married and has three children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Podlodowski, Tina 1960 births American LGBT city council members LGBT people from Washington (state) Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Seattle City Council members State political party chairs of Washington (state) University of Hartford alumni Washington (state) Democrats Candidates in the 2016 United States elections Lesbian politicians Women city councillors in Washington (state) 21st-century American women