Commissioner Biographies

Here are the current members of the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission:

Bill Sherman, Chair, is a partner at Sherman & Leary PLLC, where he practices in the areas of civil litigation, government relations, political compliance, and legislative analysis. Previously, he served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County, and as an associate at Davis Wright Tremaine LLC. Mr. Sherman earned his B.A. from Wesleyan University, and his J.D. from the University of Michigan, where he was editor-in-chief of the Michigan Law Review. He was appointed by the Mayor in 2009, reappointed in 2011, and is serving a term that expires December 31, 2014.

Tarik Burney, Vice Chair, is a 1995 graduate of the University of Washington School of Law, and graduated from Brown University in 1990. He has worked in Washington State politics in a variety of positions including as the Political Director for the Washington State Democrats, the Assistant to the Political Director of the Washington State Labor Council (AFL-CIO) and as a lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Mr. Burney is also part-owner of European Vine Selections, a local wine store in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Mr. Burney is an avid tennis player and competes in regional tournaments, coaching kids (especially his two boys) and adults (sometimes his wife and mixed doubles partner) throughout the year. Mr. Burney is in his second term as a mayoral appointee. His term expires December 31, 2012.

Rich Cohan is the System Director of Integrity and Compliance as well as the Chief Privacy Officer for Providence Health and Services. He has worked on ethics and compliance issues since 1998, when he was named the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer for a health care provider in Fort Collins, Colorado. In his spare time, he volunteers with Providence’s Senior and Community Services, and has volunteered with Jewish Family Services, both located in Seattle. Mr. Cohan was appointed by the the other six Commissioners and confirmed by the City Council on August 16, 2010. His term expires December 31, 2012.

Lynne Iglitzin earned her Ph.D. at Bryn Mawr College in Political Science, her master's degree in Political Science at the University of Minnesota and her undergraduate degree at Barnard College. She has previously served on the Office of Professional Accountability Review Board and is a former chair of the Seattle Human Rights Commission. She has also served on the Youth in Focus board, the Northwest Women's Law Center board and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State board. Her professional experience includes mediation, research and academia. Ms. Iglitzin is serving her second term as a City Council appointee. Her term expires December 31, 2012.

Bruce Carter was appointed by the City Council in 2012 and is serving a term that expires December 31, 2014. His bio will be available here soon.

David Mendoza is a Research and Policy Analyst for Puget Sound Sage. Prior to joining Puget Sound Sage in 2010, David worked as an analyst at the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE). Both organizations work to address inequities in the workplace and the environment. He is a 2007 graduate from Seattle University School of Law. While attending Seattle University, he interned in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on an cooperative agricultural development project. Before starting law school, he worked a Volunteer Manager for a homeless services agency in Pasadena, CA which served men, women, and families. He received his B.A. in History from Pitzer College. Mr. Mendoza was appointed to the Commission by the Mayor and was confirmed by the City Council to a term that expires December 31, 2013.

Amit Ranade practices law at Hillis Clark Martin and Peterson, P.S. He is a former member of the Seattle Parks Commission, which he chaired from 2007 to 2009, and is also a member of the South Asian Bar Association of Washington and the state and national boards of directors for the American Civil Liberties Union. He is a 1998 University of Washington graduate, and a 2003 graduate of the University of Washington’s School of Law. He was appointed to the Commission by the City Council to an unexpired term, and was reconfirmed to a term that expires December 31, 2013.

Please note that a Commissioner whose term has expired continues to serve until a new appointment is made by the appropriate authority and confirmed by the City Council.

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Last updated March 5, 2012.