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Staff Bios
Michael Jerrett, Jennifer Samuels, Vinh Tang
Michael Jerrett, Legislative Assistant
Michael Jerrett is a member of Councilmember Bruce Harrell’s staff with deep ties to the Seattle community. Prior to working with Councilmember Harrell, Mr. Jerrett served as the Executive Director of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce. In that capacity he addressed such issues as the implementation of a safety fence on the Aurora Bridge. He worked with small businesses and emerging businesses to achieve sustainability in the Fremont area. He also represented the Fremont Chamber on the Lake Union District Council. Michael holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy Studies from the University of Washington and a BA in Global Studies with a minor in Human Rights. Mr. Jerrett also brings experience working with the Washington State Senate as well as a strong background in neighborhood politics, serving as President of Uptown Alliance for two years. At the Chamber,
Mr. Jerrett has been characterized as a person with a strong skill of bringing people together and always maintaining a professional attitude.
Within the context of Councilmember Harrell’s office, Mr. Jerrett staffs issues such as policy matters affecting City Light senior management including the Superintendent confirmation process, capacity planning issues for City Light including issues raised by South Lake Union and other high growth-high demand areas, parks and recreation center issues, housing issues, and planning & land use issues.
When Mr. Jerrett is not working in Councilmember Harrell’s office, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. He is involved in coaching little league baseball, soccer, and basketball. He has been a Seattle resident his whole life, and currently resides on the south slope of Queen Anne with his family.
Jennifer Samuels, Legislative Assistant
Jennifer Samuels is a member of Councilmember Bruce Harrell’s staff with a diverse background in law and nonprofit management. Prior to working for the Seattle City Council, Ms. Samuels served as the Executive Director for an immigration and housing nonprofit organization. Ms. Samuels has also worked for the Washington State Supreme Court having been appointed as lead staff to former State Supreme Court Justice Robert F. Utter. While in Olympia, Ms. Samuels served for five years as a liaison between the judicial, legislative and executive branches for Justice Utter.
Ms. Samuels is particularly proud of her work assisting new and emerging democracies from Central and Eastern Europe, including providing support for a series of judicial seminars sponsored by the State of Washington, United States Information Agency, and the American Bar Association.
In Councilmember Harrell’s office, her primary responsibilities include staffing the Energy and Technology Committee, the Prosperity Partnership economic development efforts and addressing issues in the areas of public safety, human services, and sub-issues for City Light’s operations such as reliability and distribution review, streetlight repair, risk management policies, rates, and customer service.
In 2000, Ms. Samuels was selected and admitted to the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She has served on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations including Adventist Community Services and the Better Living Series.
When Ms. Samuels is not working, she enjoys volunteering with her church and spending time with her lifelong husband of 27 years and their three adult children.
Vinh Tang, Legislative Assistant
Vinh Tang is a member of Councilmember Bruce Harrell’s staff with a strong background in technology, Internet marketing, Internet strategies and software development. Mr. Tang is also experienced in campaign and finance issues, financial disclosure issues and electoral procedures. Prior to working for Councilmember Harrell’s office, he worked in the computer hardware industry and he currently coordinates Councilmember Harrell’s schedule and manages the administrative operations for the office, budget issues and compliance with ethics and elections procedures. Mr. Tang also staffs Councilmember Harrell on issues related to technology, broadband, renewable energy, transportation, economic development, and various utility issues.
Mr. Tang attended and studied economics and computer science at the University of Washington. He has lived on both sides of the Pacific Ocean and enjoys playing basketball, football, baseball, and has a goal of hiking the entire Washington Pacific Crest Trail.
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