I have to adjust the mic again.
All right, good morning, everyone,
and congratulations to all the directors being sworn in today.
I am so honored to be here as chair of the Library's
Education and Neighborhoods Committee of the Council
to speak on behalf of director Quinn Pham I'm not going
to go through all of the directors accomplishments
professional accomplishments that got her here today
but I want to do is tell you what I know about director
Pham she is caring she wants to make sure that the
Department of Neighborhoods is giving the best
service to all neighborhoods across the city and working
with community to do so.
She is thoughtful.
She looks at all the sides to all
of the issues and come up with the solution that works
best for everyone.
And she is collaborative.
She approaches the work humbly
and is interested in partnering to get the best
path forward on all the issues that our cities and
our neighborhoods are facing.
You don't always see that in a person and certainly
not in a leader.
These are qualities that I very much
respect in leadership and we are so lucky to have
these qualities in Director Pham and we are so lucky
to be leading one of the best teams in the city at the
Department of Neighborhoods.
Thank you Director Pham for wanting to have this
job and doing this job and I invite you to come up and
say a few remarks works.
Ooh, we're almost done, guys.
Hi, everyone.
Good morning.
Happy Pride.
First, I would like to thank Mayor Wilson for trusting me to
serve as director of Seattle's department of neighborhoods
I'm grateful for the opportunity to bring my
deep community relationships a clear vision and strong
executive public sector leadership to this role
congratulations to my fellow directors liliana amy beto
andrew and also dr valenciano I look forward to serving
the neighbors of Seattle alongside all of you.
And I want to thank my family.
My kids are asleep, thank God.
My family, especially my husband, my brother
who are here today.
All of my friends and former colleagues.
My amazing community members that continue to show up.
and of course the D.O.N.
staff that also, I would say, is
a book club and not a cult.
Maybe? No.
Okay.
Who have really been alongside me along this journey
for my confirmation and today for this swearing in.
I truly, this time really means a lot to me for your support.
Growing up, I learned that places and communities do not
become vibrant by accident.
They become vibrant because people care and invest in them.
That belief has guided my entire career.
My most transformative years were spent in the Chinatown
International District.
Yes, my bias.
That neighborhood raised me.
that community became my extended family.
It's where I learned the power
of intergenerational relationships, community
activism, and the delicate balance of
preserving culture while embracing change.
I went to the CID looking for
community and belonging, and somehow I came away
way with a strong sense of purpose.
And in so many ways, the Department of Neighborhoods
has also been part of that journey.
Back in 2012, I was part of the first cohort
of the Department of Neighborhoods People's
Academy for Community Engagement, or PACE.
Through that program, I learned something
that has stayed with me ever since.
Government works best when communities understand
understand how we engage with it and when government
is willing to listen.
PACE taught me how City Hall worked, but more importantly, it
taught me that everyday people can create extraordinary
change when they come together around a shared vision.
When I later helped launch the Friends of Little Saigon, the
Department of Neighborhoods was also there again.
Through grants like Small Sparks, partnerships,
historic preservation efforts, and community engagement,
DON helped transform ideas into action.
It helped residents like me advocate for parks,
preserve cultural identity, organize neighbors,
improve public safety, and shape the future of our community.
And that is what makes this department so special.
I am not simply someone who worked alongside DON.
I am someone whose leadership journey was shaped in
part by the department.
I am a product of this leadership, of what this
leadership, a part of this department makes possible.
And that was true for me and for the one specific
community that I served.
Imagine what that has been possible across
every neighborhood that DON has supported.
For 35 years, the Department of Neighborhoods has been BTS,
not the global K-pop group.
But maybe we should aspire to be BTS.
But working behind the scenes to help residents build community,
preserve history, strengthen civic participation, and ensure
the city reflects its people.
As Seattle prepares to welcome visitors to the
World Cup, thousands of people will experience
our city.
They will visit Pioneer Square, they will walk through the
artisan stalls and Pike Place Market, they will explore the
rich flavors of the Chinatown International District.
They will see the Space Needle, the monorail, the Seattle
Piano, we have so many icons, and many countless other
places that tell the story of who we are.
What many people may not realize is that these places
did not preserve themselves.
Behind many of the places that so clearly define Seattle,
our community has advocated with the Department of Neighborhoods
to protect and preserve them.
I think that's pretty incredible.
As DON's director, my vision is clear.
I want to extend that same power and visibility to
the neighborhoods that have not too often been unseen.
I want our most vulnerable neighborhoods to be seen,
connected, and equipped to shape its own future.
That means strengthening relationships, aligning our
work across departments and partners, and ensuring that
our efforts create meaningful results for our communities.
It means listening deeply, showing up consistently,
investing in the ideas that come directly from
our residents themselves.
And I want my lived experience to inform this vision and
the city's role in supporting neighborhoods across Seattle.
Because this is where my heart is and my passion lie
and why I am so honored that my path has led me here.
And I was chosen to lead in this very exact moment
alongside all of you.
So thank you so much for this opportunity to write DON's
next chapter as we embark on this journey together.
Thank you.
Don't feel bad, Amy.
I had no family members either.
I showed up like it was a regular work Tuesday on my
first day when I was sworn in.
All right, quit.
Can I have a mic?
- Can I have a-- - Yes, you can have it, mine.
- Okay, can you raise your right hand
and you're gonna repeat it, yes.
Ready? - Yeah.
- I, Quinn Pham.
- Swear that I possess.
Swear that I possess.
All of the qualifications.
Prescribed in the Seattle City Charter.
And the Seattle Municipal Code.
Municipal Code.
I can speak English.
See, I try to do this in chunks.
For the position of director of Department of Neighborhoods.
For the position of the director of the Department
of Neighborhoods.
That I will support the Constitution of
the United States.
That I will support the Constitution of
the United States.
The Constitution of the State of Washington.
And the Charter and ordinances of the City of Seattle.
and that I will faithfully conduct myself.
And that I will faithfully conduct myself
as director of the Department of Neighborhoods.
As the director of the Department of Neighborhoods.
I'm going to hold onto this.