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Five Commissioners, elected at large by the voters of King County, serve four-year terms and establish Port policy.
Meet the Commissioners | Meeting Audio - Video | Commission Procedures | Accountability
 Bill Bryant |
 John Creighton |
 Patricia Davis |
 Lloyd Hara |
 Gael Tarleton |
Bill Bryant was elected to the Port of Seattle Commission in 2007.
He founded W.L. Bryant Co. in 1992, and in 1996 became Chairman of Bryant Christie Inc., a firm that helps companies eliminate trade barriers and develop new markets.
In 2003 and 2004, Bryant was appointed to the United States Export Import Bank advisory committee. In 1988, he was appointed by US Trade Representative Carla Hills to serve on the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee that counsels the Administration on trade policy issues. He was subsequently reappointed by US Trade Representative Mickey Kantor under President Clinton, and served as Vice-Chairman of the Committee between 1994-1998. He served on the Congressional Advisory Committee on Agriculture, Trade and the Environment between 1993-1995.
Bryant also has been active in industry and community organizations. He has served on the boards of the Washington Council on International Trade, the Nisqually River Foundation and Stewardship Partners. He also serves on the advisory board of the Methow Valley Land Conservancy.
Before founding W.L. Bryant Co., he spent nearly seven years as Vice President of the Northwest Horticultural Council, where he worked to eliminate trade barriers confronting the Northwest tree fruit industry. Prior to the NHC, he served as Director of the Governor's Trade Council in Washington State. Bryant was graduated from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. He is a lifelong Washington resident.
E-mail: bill.bryant@portseattle.org
John Creighton was elected to the Port Commission in 2005 and in 2007 became Commission President and recently completed his second term as president of the Commission. He comes to the Commission with broad experience as a lawyer who worked on complex international transactions in the port cities of Singapore, Helsinki and Istanbul prior to returning home to Seattle.
Creighton advocates increasing the Port's role as a creator of family-wage jobs in the region and investing in infrastructure that will bolster our economic vitality. During his tenure, he has been a strong advocate of environmental protection and increased cooperation among ports. He also has supported a strong social responsibility ethic at the Port, and has worked to build stronger ties with all of the communities in which the Port operates.
He has been active in the community as an attorney, past co-president of the Seattle World Trade Club and member of the boards of the nonprofit Seattle Biomedical Research Institute and the Chief Seattle Council.
Creighton grew up on the Eastside of King County and is a graduate of Interlake High School in Bellevue. He now lives in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle.
He earned a B.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and an M.A. in International Economics and Law from the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. After graduate school, he worked as a financial analyst in New York with the Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs & Co. John went on to earn his J.D. from Columbia University and also has a Certificate in Administration from the University of Washington Business School. He is also on the executive committee of the US-Japan Foundation's Leadership Program.E-mail: john.creighton@portseattle.org
Patricia Davis was first elected to the Commission in 1985, and was president of the Commission for 2006. She was re-elected in 1991, 1997, 2001 and 2005. She served as Commission president in 1989, 1990, 1994, 1999, 2003 and 2006.
During Davis' tenure, the Port has set trade records in the Seattle harbor and at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and launched the successful Alaska cruise homeport business.
Davis has taken part in the Port's development of a long-term strategic plan and construction of modern facilities for movement of cargo and people. She is active in the Port's successful efforts to reduce airport noise and to clean up polluted industrial sites, returning them to productive use.
Davis also has worked to establish partnerships between the Port and community, business and government organizations, and has fostered education about the importance of trade. She was honored with the World Affairs Council’s World Citizen Award in 2002.
Davis served as president of the Washington Council on International Trade from 1994 to 2001 and is currently a member of the council's Executive Board of Directors. A private non-profit trade policy organization, WCIT promotes understanding of the importance of trade.
Davis serves on the Board of Governors for the National Center for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and is an Executive Board member on the Puget Sound Regional Council. She is a founding member of the Pacific International Relations Council, a member of the Tri-County Endangered Species Act Executive Committee, the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, the Central Puget Sound Economic Development District and the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce.
She formerly served on the boards of the Seattle-King County Economic Development Council, Trade Development Alliance, International Women's Conference, North Seattle Community College International Trade Institute and Seattle University Albers School of Business.
As the first woman to be elected to the Seattle Port Commission and its first woman president, Davis hopes to raise the visibility of women in non-traditional roles. She is a recipient of the Women in Communications award.
Davis was born and raised in Washington State. An honors graduate of Stanford University, she holds a Master's Degree in History from the University of Washington. She and her family have lived in Seattle for more than 30 years, with the exception of several years' residence in Europe in the 1960s.
E-mail: patricia.davis@portseattle.org
Lloyd Hara, elected to the Port Commission in 2005, has a long record of public service, community leadership and recognized expertise in municipal finance. In 2007 he was elected Vice President of the Commission.
Hara’s focus as a commissioner is on financial performance of Port airport and seaport operations, speed and efficiency of cargo operations and reducing the use of the property-tax levy. He will work to create jobs and economic vitality by promoting strong ties between the Port, the community, other governments, labor and business. He also supports vigorous environmental programs to protect air and water quality.
A Seattle native, Hara graduated from Roosevelt High School and the University of Washington, where he obtained a BA in economics with a foreign trade emphasis and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.
He served in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Army Reserves. His public service career includes key positions with Metro, the staff of the Washington State Legislature and the Governor’s staff, before serving as King County’s youngest auditor. He achieved national recognition for his work on performance auditing of governments and treasury management.
He served four terms as Seattle City Treasurer from 1980-1992, winning accolades from the Government Finance Officers Association, the Association of Government Accountants and the Municipal Treasurers Association of the US and Canada. He is a past president of the organization.
He led the Northwest Municipal Treasurer’s Institute and the Northwest Municipal Clerks Institute, non-profit organizations that provided financial training for local government employees at Seattle University’s Institute of Public Service.
He also served as the regional director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and serves as adjunct professor at Seattle University.
In business, Hara co-owns a local print brokerage and management consulting firm, and was managing director of an investment advisory company.
He founded Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials, the Seattle International District Rotary, the North Seattle Community College Foundation, and many other community based organizations. He is past president of the Japanese American Citizens League, Seattle Chapter.
He also served on the board of the Puget Sound Blood Center, the American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts, the Seattle Library Foundation and other local organizations.
E-mail: lloyd.hara@portseattle.org
Elected in 2007, Gael Tarleton is the third woman to serve as a Seattle Port Commissioner in the nearly 100-year history of this body. She brings more than 25 years of career experience as a national security expert, international business manager, and leader in the non-profit and university sectors.
Tarleton is committed to leading public conversations about the opportunities and challenges of operating an international airport and seaport in urban neighborhoods. A working port brings living-wage jobs, diversified economic development, tourists and business travelers to Puget Sound. The Port also is a steward of the environment, and must exercise fiscal discipline and restraint while managing public assets on behalf of King County’s citizens.
Tarleton has worked at the University of Washington since 2004, and now holds a part-time position in the College of Engineering. She helps faculty across campus build research and educational programs focused on safety and security cooperation. From 1990 to 2002, Tarleton led science and technology collaborations in Russia and Eastern Europe for a Fortune 300 company. From 1981 to 1990, she held analytical posts at the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C.
Tarleton serves on volunteer boards for the Foundation for Russian-American Economic Cooperation and Earth and Space Research, both in Seattle.
Tarleton received a B.S. cum laude from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, concentrating in Russian Studies and earning an honors certificate in International Business Diplomacy. She holds a M.A. in Government and National Security Studies, also from Georgetown. Tarleton grew up on the North Shore of Boston, MA and now lives with her husband in Ballard.
E-mail: gael.tarleton@portseattle.org
The Port of Seattle operates under the State of Washington's Public Disclosure Act. To obtain public records, please direct specific requests in writing to: Records Program Manager or visit the Public Records web page.
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