Council of the Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority

Mary McCumber, Chair, has an MA in Urban Planning from the University of Washington. She has played a leadership role in developing and implementing growth management and transportation strategies in Washington State. Mary was executive director of the Puget Sound Regional Council for 12 years. Prior to that, she was the executive director of the Washington State Growth Strategies Commission and held various planning positions in local government. Mary has received numerous state and national planning awards and was named the 1997 King County Municipal League Public Official of the Year. Mary served on Historic Seattle's Council in the 1980s, and returned to the Council in 2004. She also served on Seattle's Landmark Preservation Board for seven years.

Marcia Wagoner, Secretary, holds a BA in Urban Planning from the University of Washington and has nearly 30 years of urban design and public involvement experience. She is the Director of Public Involvement for PRR, Inc., and her background includes extensive experience in the planning, design and implementation of public processes. As lead for Seattle’s Art in Public Places, she played an early role in developing the innovative 1% for Art program. Marcia is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2004 American Planning Association Honor Award.

Michael Herschensohn, Treasurer, is an inveterate cultural conservationist with a PhD in Romance Languages and Literatures from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell. Michael’s preservation experience includes historic district surveys; National Register nominations; exhibits about the history of Chicago architecture; and producing the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s famous walking and bus tours. In Seattle, he was formerly director of The Children’s Museum, Museum of History & Industry, and Northwest Folklife. Michael is particularly enthusiastic about the preservation of vernacular buildings and sites.

Karen Breckenridge is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Washington School of Law.  She is an attorney at Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson, where her practice focuses on land use, environmental and real estate law.  Karen represents clients in a broad range of real estate and land use matters, including acquisition and leasing of property, subdivision and development of lots, environmental review, easements, historic preservation, and all aspects of the local, state, and federal land use permit process. Prior to entering law school, Karen spent several years working on homelessness and affordable housing issues, both at the Low Income Housing Institute, and at Boomtown Café, a nonprofit restaurant for the homeless.

Sharon Coleman holds a BS in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois. She is a registered architect with nearly 30 years of development, design, and project management/construction management. Sharon has a focused commitment to renovation and adaptive reuse of historic landmark structures, including the U.S. Marine Hospital (PacMed/Amazon) and the University of Washington Tacoma. Sharon is a Development Manager of Real Estate for Vulcan, Inc. and serves on numerous civic development committees.

Fauna Doyle is a senior policy analyst and facilitator in Berk and Associates Strategy & Policy practice. A member of the Coquille Indian Tribe, she has worked towards improving her community by conducting cultural and education policy analyses, facilitating strategic planning processes, and developing a policy decision-making toolkit for the tribal Advisory Health Board. Fauna received a B.A. in Communication from Lewis & Clark College, and her M.P.P. from UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy, where she was an American Indian Graduate Fellow. She also holds a M.P.H. from UC Berkeley's School of Public Health, where she specialized in health management and policy. Fauna served for a year as an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps volunteer, helping with disaster relief, community development, and school improvement projects. She also studied in Ecuador, where she learned Spanish, and Romania, where she worked in an orphanage.

James Fearn is a graduate of Antioch College and the University of Chicago Law School, and is General Counsel for the Seattle Housing Authority. Previously he has been an attorney in private practice and worked as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Land Use Division of the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, and Seattle Legal Services. James has also worked as Deputy Director and Executive Director of the Institute for Local Government and Public Service in Budapest, Hungary. He has served on a variety of boards and commissions including the Seattle Parks Board, the Seattle Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, and the Governor’s Growth Management Task Force. James has been a member of the Historic Seattle Public Development Authority Council for more than ten years.

Kate Krafft earned a BA in Art History (with an emphasis on Architecture History) from the University of Washington and has been actively involved with local historic preservation projects and advocacy efforts for many years. She currently works in partnership with architect Chapin Krafft providing historic preservation consulting services. Kate previously worked for local historic preservation programs and staffed the Ballard Avenue Historic District Landmarks Board, Pike Place Market Historical Commission and the King County Landmarks Commission. She has been involved with Historic Seattle since 1974 and most recently assisted with the training of volunteers at the Landmark Nomination Workshops. Kate also serves on the editorial board and is a contributing author for Shaping Seattle Architecture (UW Press 1994, 1998).

Pete Mills holds degrees from Western Washington University in Anthropology and Seattle University in Public Administration. He’s been a Puget Sound resident since the supports his community through activism and volunteer activities. He has been a resident of the Puget Sound area since the 1970's and. Pete works with US Representative Jay Inslee, and previously held positions in a variety of areas including public relations, fund development, and program administration. For the past several years he organized medical missions to Latin America with his dentist. Pete has spent time as a tour guide in the Arctic, a forest ranger in the Cascades, a filmmaker, political organizer and campaign manager. Pete is in his second term on Historic Seattle Council and was chair throughout 2007 and 2008.

Rico Quirindongo. Rico is an architect with DKA with extensive experience and knowledge in the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. As project manager and architect for the Urban League Village at Colman School, he became well versed in the intricacies of historic renovation. Rico believes that existing buildings provide a rich context for our daily lives and that adaptive reuse is a critical component of a new green economy. Rico is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Diversity Roundtable; member and former board director of Tabor 100, an African American business networking organization; founding member of the Northwest Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects; member of the board of Arcade Magazine; and member of the AIA Seattle board.

Rick Sever holds a BA in Art History with an emphasis on Architectural History and Design from the University of Washington. Rick is an expert in residential design and wood building practices, and is the principal of Sever Residential Construction, specializing in pre-1960s homes. He has been a member of Historic Seattle since 1990 and an active volunteer from the very beginning. In 1995 Rick co-founded the Historic Seattle ‘Preserving Your Old House’ program. Rick serves as the Public Development Authority Treasurer and the chair of the Historic Seattle Audit Committee. He also serves as a Technical Advisory Board Member for The Wood Construction Center at Seattle Central Community College.