Senator 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 Economic Development & Trade Committee, Energy, Environment & Technology Committee and the Transportation Committee.
She serves on the board of Thrive (focused on early childhood education), the Washington State Public Works Board, Partners for Rural Washington 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.
Legislators
Senator Lisa Wellman (D)
Representative Jamila Taylor (D)
Jamila Taylor 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 history professor and a 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.
She lives in Federal Way and was elected to the Legislature in 2020. Jamila is vice chair of the Housing, Human Services and Veterans Committee, and serves on the Community and Economic Development and Transportation Committees. She also serves as chair of the Black Members Caucus.
Representative Mary Dye (R)
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.
