Representative Dye has lived in the 9th District most of her life, where she operates a 3,000-acre wheat farm with her husband, Roger. They also tend to 3,000 sheep on the farm. The Dyes pride themselves on creativity and innovation in agronomic practices and advancing new technologies that improve efficiencies and cost savings for the agricultural community.
She has been a lifelong advocate for causes that protect critical infrastructure and technology relating to agriculture, natural resources and transportation. Along with owning and managing a dryland wheat farm, she has served as a field consultant for Spectrum Crop Development, where she was responsible for developing technology to introduce canola production in eastern Washington crop rotations.
She has a Bachelor of Science degree in plant science and crop management from the University of Idaho. She has also served as an agriculture educator for the Peace Corps in Thailand.
Appointed to the Legislature in 2015, Mary's goal is to work to advance solutions that make Washington state a better place to live, work and raise a family. One of her top priorities is supporting policies that provide economic opportunity for all Washingtonians and allow entrepreneurs to succeed. She is a vocal advocate for limited, but effective government, and believes state agencies at every level need to work more efficiently and effectively for all Washingtonians.
Legislators
Representative Mary Dye (R - 9)
Representative Jamila Taylor (D - 30)
Jamila (“jah-mee-lah”) is an attorney, youth advocate and small business owner with a passion for community service and a commitment to serving the public good. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia State University and a law degree from the University of Oregon. The daughter of a retired history professor and a retired Girl Scout office administrator, she was raised to value education and service — values that continue to shape her work today.
After moving to King County in 2007, Jamila worked as the central area network coordinator for the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, where she oversaw community interventions and supported young people facing family, peer or gang conflict; court involvement; school suspension or expulsion; homelessness or other risk factors for youth violence.
Jamila launched a legal practice and nonprofit consulting business in 2014, before later joining Northwest Justice Project in 2017. As NJP’s statewide advocacy counsel, she managed a network of attorneys representing domestic violence survivors and other crime victims.
A Federal Way resident, Jamila was elected to the Legislature in 2020. She serves as Chair of the Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee and serves on the Transportation and the Early Learning & Human Services Committee. She chairs the Developmental Disability Advocacy Caucus and is the First Vice Chair of the Members of Color Caucus. Jamila is also a member of the Legislative Black Caucus.
Senator Nikki Torres (R - 13)
Sen. Nikki Torres has made her life in the Mid-Columbia region, and is proud to represent the people of the 15th Legislative District. Elected to the state Senate in 2022, Torres is a longtime community leader dedicated to the progress of agriculture, economic development, education, the leading-edge technologies under development at Hanford, and the advancement of the diverse communities and populations of the Yakima Valley and the greater Tri-Cities area.
Nikki attended Pasco High School and earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in business administration from the University of Phoenix. She is a strategic partnership manager for Western Governors University. Previously she specialized in small business lending at GESA credit union. She is a former president of the Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and served as a member of the Pasco City Council. Other prior community involvements include service on the Washington Childcare Collaborative Task Force and the Kennewick Police Department Foundation, and board positions for Tri-Cities Community Health and Visit Tri-Cities. Nikki has two daughters and is grandmother to three.
Senator Lisa Wellman (D - 41)
Lisa Wellman represents 41st Legislative District (Mercer Island, Bellevue, Newcastle and parts of Issaquah, Sammamish, and Renton) in the Washington State Senate. She was elected in 2016 after a 25-year career in technology and marketing including executive level positions in Fortune 100 companies.
A passionate advocate for education, Lisa began her career as a public school teacher but changed course in the 1980s becoming a systems analyst and programmer. She was recruited by Apple Computer to head up commercial publishing for the company’s U.S. markets. Her success with Apple in the 90’s led to her promotion as VP of Worldwide Publishing, Entertainment and New Media Markets.
In the Senate, Lisa serves as the chair of the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee. She was also chosen by her colleagues to serve on the Energy, Environment & Technology Committee, and the Ways and Means Committee.
She serves on the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee, the Mastery Based Learning Workgroup, the Work Integrated Learning Advisory Committee, and is a mentor for MBA candidates at the Foster Business School at the University of Washington
She earned a B.A., Summa Cum Laude, from Barat College of DePaul University and in her spare time enjoys photography, travel, reading and bridge. She has two daughters and a grandson and resides on Mercer Island.
