Councilmember Robert Kettle's Staff

Email Steve

Steve Smith is originally from Michigan, graduated as an undergrad from Grand Valley State in 2007 and worked at an insurance firm, before running a successful state house political campaign. He was then selected for the Coast Guard's Officer Candidate School (OCS) at the United States Coast Guard Academy, and spent the next nine years in the U.S. Coast Guard which included a three-year assignment in the beautiful Emerald City.

Steve left active duty to attend graduate school at the University of Michigan where he was also a member of the University’s boxing team as he completed his graduate work from both the Ford School and School of Kinesiology in addition to the Naval War College in Newport, RI. Steve also spent a summer at Stanford as a member of it’s 9/11 Veterans Ignite program which is centered around business and entrepreneurship. After graduation, Steve and his now wife very intentionally chose to make Seattle their home due to its natural beauty, culture, and coffee shops on every corner. Working for Amazon in South Lake Union where he went from operations to the corporate side, Steve served as an executive assistant to one of Amazon’s CFOs and later as a senior program manager/chief of staff while also completing a certificate in executive coaching from Georgetown University.

After four years at Amazon and ready for a new adventure, Steve jumped at the opportunity to serve as the Chief of Staff to Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle from District 7, and he also serves part-time in the Washington Air National Guard. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife and two cats, and they love getting out on the water regardless of the season!

Brent Lo is the Policy Director for Councilmember Kettle and will be leading the public safety policy work and staffing the Councilmember on the Public Safety Committee.

Brent began his policy work in food access and sustainable agriculture in Connecticut as an undergrad in 2016, and he continued that work supporting communities experiencing food instability in his hometown outside of Boston, MA. Brent then enrolled at and graduated from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, where he dove into his passion for public service through focusing on tools such as policy analysis, public financing, and projects focused on the local Seattle landscape. Simultaneously, he worked as the Data Analyst at a local homeless shelter, where he was responsible for contract management and program improvement to improve quality of life for shelter guests. Brent also served on the board at Building Changes, where he led a project focused on racial equity in their organizational structure. Previous to this role, he orchestrated legislative policy analysis and advocacy for the Association of Washington Housing Authorities at King County Housing Authority during the 2022 State Legislative Session. Outside of work, Brent is often skiing, rock climbing, or hiking around the Cascades!

Email Rebecca

Rebecca Duran is a successful Democratic campaign veteran, having enthusiastically worked for the following campaigns: Biden 2020, the 2020 Georgia Senate Run-Off Election, and the 2021-2022 Washington State Democratic Coordinated Campaign as a Regional Field Director, where she led a team of eight field organizers in the South Puget Sound region. In 2023, she ran Councilmember Kettle’s race for Seattle City Council District 7, and from that experience, she’s grown to love working directly with voters and constituents to serve their needs while getting them involved in their community!

Rebecca is the Councilmember’s Executive Aide and District Director of Constituent Affairs—which means that Rebecca is the one who ensures constituents are heard AND she’ll be working diligently on your behalf to get your neighborhood needs solved. Constituents will find her around District 7 at the Seattle Center, the Pacific Science Center, the Seattle Aquarium, and any other place where the community meets, including farmers markets. Her favorite land animal is the snow leopard, and her favorite marine animal is the orca—luckily, since coming to the PNW in 2021, she’s gotten to see both!