Martha Choe Explained

Martha Choe
Birth Date:16 November 1954
Predecessor1:Dolores Sibonga
Office1:Member of the Seattle City Council
Term Start:1992
Term End:1999
Education:University of Washington (BA)
Seattle University (MBA

Martha Choe (born November 16, 1954) is an American banker, politician, and foundation executive. She was a two-term member of the Seattle City Council, elected to four-year terms[1] in 1991[2] and 1995.[3] Choe was the first Korean American elected to the city council[4] [5] and the first to serve in a public office in the United States.[6] Choe succeeded retiring Filipino councilmember Dolores Sibonga and received her endorsement, which elicited controversy from Filipino community members.[7]

Career

Choe served as the chair of the Transportation Committee and was also appointed as a Regional Transit Authority (RTA) boardmember during the early drafting of Seattle's future light rail and commuter train systems.[8] In her role on the committee, she oversaw the first public referendum on the citywide monorail project, a program that she personally opposed.[9] [10] Choe was among a contingent of Asian American leaders and politicians tasked with organizing the 1993 APEC summit, hosted near Seattle on Blake Island.[11] Choe retired from the city council in 1998, having not run for re-election, but was named as a potential candidate in the 2001 mayoral election.[12]

After leaving the city council, Choe next served as director of the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (later Washington State Department of Commerce) under governor Gary Locke. She left that position in 2004, at which time she became director of the Global Libraries initiative at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,[13] where she became chief administrative officer in 2008, a position she held until leaving the Foundation in 2014. In that capacity, Choe had "considerable input" into the design of the Gates Foundation headquarters building.[14]

Beginning in May 2000 she served as one of the inaugural members of the White House Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islanders,[15] advancing in August to become its chair when initial chair Norman Mineta was tapped to be Secretary of Commerce.[16] [17]

Future Seattle mayor Ed Murray served on Choe's staff for four years early in his political career.[18] [19]

Personal life

Choe is the U.S.-born daughter of South Korean immigrants. She graduated from Fairhaven College in 1977[20] and also has a B.A. from the University of Washington[21] and an M.B.A. from Seattle University.

Prior to serving on the Seattle City Council, she was a board member of the regional Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Seattle Branch,[22] a vice president at the Bank of California in Seattle, and a member of the Board of Western Washington University.[23] [24] [25]

Choe also volunteered with the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the Seattle Foundation.[26] In 2014, Seattle Business Magazine awarded her its lifetime achievement award.[27]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: How Martha Choe forged one of Washington's most influential careers. Drew Atkins. crosscut.com. October 9, 2016. January 15, 2019.
  2. News: Nelson . Robert T. . November 6, 1991 . Women Are the Big Winners, hold 6 of 9 seats - 3 Newcomers Among Victors Put Uncertain Face on Council Politics . D4 . . January 25, 2019.
  3. News: Lewis . Peter . Lilly . Dick . November 9, 1995 . 2 Newcomers Win Seattle City Council Seats - Manning and Podlowski Defeat Incumbent, Veteran Campaigner . B5 . . January 25, 2019.
  4. Web site: [Herald Interview] A life devoted to public service]. Hyon-hee. Shin. 2014-11-30. The Korea Herald. 2019-01-16.
  5. Web site: Martha Choe looks forward to life after Gates Foundation. Hong. Tae. 2014-07-30. The Korea Times. 2019-01-16.
  6. Web site: Choe (Martha) Interview. washington.edu. University of Washington. Gary Greaves (interviewer). Oral History Collection, Gary Greaves Collection. January 15, 2019. Interview date is circa 1990, metadata is 2008 or later. This citation is from the metadata.
  7. News: Nelson . Robert T. . August 6, 1991 . Seattle's Asian vote tough bloc to unlock . E1 . . January 15, 2019.
  8. Foltz . Kimberly . Waiting for the interurban : the politics of light-rail planning in Seattle . October 29, 2010 . Massachusetts Institute of Technology . 1721.1/59723 . Thesis .
  9. News: Seven . Richard . February 22, 1998 . Prime mover: Dick Falkenbury's monorail dream is a long way from the station . 12 . Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  10. News: Schaefer . David . February 1, 1998 . Monorail may collide with RTA . B1 . The Seattle Times.
  11. News: Gupta . Himanee . November 17, 1993 . Local Asian communities ready to party . A21 . The Seattle Times.
  12. News: Murakami . Kery . December 24, 1999 . Fallout from WTO hangs like a cloud over Schell's future . A1 . Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  13. News: Digital Divide Closing as Blacks Turn to Internet. Marriott. Michel. March 31, 2006. The New York Times. January 16, 2019. en-US. 0362-4331.
  14. Web site: Cheek . Lawrence W. . New Office Designs Offer Room to Roam and to Think . The New York Times . March 17, 2012 . January 16, 2019.
  15. Web site: Fifteen Members Named to the Advisory Commission on Asian Americans & Pacific Islander. Office of the Press Secretary, The White House. May 4, 2000. clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov. January 15, 2019.
  16. Web site: Of, By and For the People: My Reflections on the White House Initiative on Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders. Ignatius Bau. October 14, 2011. ignatiusbau.com. January 15, 2019.
  17. Book: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 2000-2001. William J. Clinton. https://books.google.com/books?id=GCfhAwAAQBAJ&q=martha+choe&pg=PA2143. 1623768195. Best Books. Appendix A. January 2000. 2143. January 15, 2019.
  18. Web site: The Education of Ed Murray . Seattle Met . December 19, 2012 . January 16, 2019.
  19. Web site: Young . Bob . The rise and fall of Seattle Mayor Ed Murray's political career . The Seattle Times . May 9, 2017 . January 16, 2019.
  20. Winter 1985. Choe, Cole selected for Board of Trustees. Résumé. Western Washington University. 16. 2. 5.
  21. Summer 1990. Changing faces: hail and farewell. Résumé. Western Washington University. 21. 3. 5.
  22. Book: 2012 Annual Report . Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco . 2012 . Seattle Branch Board of Directors as of January 1, 2013 . 24 . January 16, 2019.
  23. Web site: Martha Choe to Join Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as Global Libraries Director. May 2004. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
  24. Web site: 2016 Crosscut Courage Award Winners - Seattle Magazine. December 7, 2016 .
  25. Web site: Longtime leader Martha Choe will leave Gates Foundation. Jul 18, 2014. www.bizjournals.com. December 23, 2016.
  26. Web site: Gates to the City. James. Sally. August 24, 2010. Seattle Business Magazine. January 16, 2019.
  27. Web site: The 2014 Executive Excellence Awards: Lifetime Achievement -- Martha Choe. Truzzi. Gianni. Helm. Leslie. January 20, 2014. Seattle Business Magazine. January 16, 2019. Levesque. John.

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