News Releases
Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - January 7, 1997
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke appoints six agency directors and five senior staff members

OLYMPIA - Gov.-elect Gary Locke today announced the appointment of a group of "experienced, innovative and pressure-tested" state agency directors and senior staff members as he continued to prepare to take office on Jan. 15.

Locke introduced six cabinet agency heads and five senior staff members during his appearance at The Associated Press's annual editors' conference in Olympia. The governor-elect said he planned to announce additional appointments later in the week. Locke last month appointed Joe Dear as his chief of staff.

"I am extremely pleased to have an outstanding group of talented and dedicated leaders on my administration team," Locke said. "Each of these people is a proven administrator. They are experienced, innovative and pressure-tested. They share my commitment to improve both the quality of government and the quality of life in the state of Washington."

Locke announced the following appointments of agency directors: Dick Thompson at the Office of Financial Management; Gary Moore at the Department of Labor & Industries; Marsha Tadano Long at the Department of General Administration; Evelyn Yenson at the Department of Licensing; Annette Sandberg as chief of the Washington State Patrol; and John Charles at the Department of Retirement Systems.

Locke's staff appointments include Fred Stephens as deputy chief of staff; Ann Daley as policy director; Marty Brown as legislative director; DeLee Shoemaker as director of external affairs; and Everett Billingslea as general counsel.

Dick Thompson has been the president of United Way of King County since 1993. He was secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services from 1989 to 1992. He served 1 1/2 years as chief of staff to former Gov. Booth Gardner, and from 1985 to 1987 was director of the state Department of Community Development. Thompson, an Everett native, also has 15 years' experience in local government.

Gary Moore has served since May 1996 as the commissioner of the state Employment Security Department. He was deputy staff director and director of legislative relations for outgoing Gov. Mike Lowry. From 1985 to 1994 he was executive director of the Washington Federation of State Employees.

Marsha Tadano Long has been deputy supervisor for administration since 1993 at the Department of Natural Resources, where she directs all of the agency's administrative programs. She was assistant director for professional licensing services for the Department of Licensing from 1989 to 1993. She has also been an information systems manager and a vocational educator.

Evelyn Yenson has been director of the Washington State Lottery since 1987, where she was appointed by Gov. Booth Gardner and reappointed by Lowry. She also was director of the state's Expo '86 World's Fair Commission and worked for more than 10 years in community development and planning positions for the City of Seattle.

Annette Sandberg is being re-appointed to the Washington State Patrol position she has held since April 1995. She is an attorney who also served in a variety of WSP positions from 1983 to 1994. She was originally hired as a WSP trooper in July 1983.

John Charles has been the manager of the King County Records & Elections Division since 1993. He is the former executive director of the Seattle/Opportunities Industrialization Center Inc. and has worked as a consultant to local government and non-profit corporations.

Fred Stephens has worked for King County since 1994 as director of the Department of Information and Administrative Services and as director of the Department of Executive Administration. He worked five years in the Gardner Administration, as an assistant DSHS secretary and as the governor's special assistant for management services.

Ann Daley is a former director of OFM and since 1993 has been assistant state treasurer. She is a former executive director of the Higher Education Coordinating Board and has worked as a senior staff member for both houses of the Legislature and for former Governor Gardner. She is a member of the University of Washington board of regents.

Marty Brown has served since 1993 as secretary of the State Senate. He was director of the State Senate Democratic Caucus from 1990 to 1993 and worked for more than 10 years as a Senate attorney.

DeLee Shoemaker managed Locke's gubernatorial campaign and has worked since 1994 as caucus administrator in the Oregon Senate Democratic Leadership Office. From 1991 to 1994, she worked as a political consultant for FDR Services Inc.

Everett Billingslea is the in-house counsel for Quality Food Centers (QFC) Inc. in Bellevue. He served two years as senior attorney for Oceantrawl Inc. of Seattle and was an associate attorney for five years with the Bogle & Gates law firm. He received his law degree in 1988 from the University of Santa Clara.

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