The nominations are in! Last month, we asked you to tell us about the people in your community who are bravely standing up for what’s right, and pushing us all to think harder about how we can build a better future for our region. You delivered.
Here are the nominees for Crosscut’s 2015 Courage Awards. Winners will be honored at the third annual Courage Awards breakfast on October 29 at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall. Tickets (and tables!) are still available. We hope you’ll join us.
Courage in Public Service
Kaaren Andrews — Principal of the Interagency Academy, a network of high schools for troubled teens
Ross Barnes — Champion of the use of science based evidence in decision making
Miriam Barnett — CEO of YWCA Pierce County, fighting to eliminate racism and empower women
Jorge L. Barón — Executive director at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Yoram Bauman — Founder of the Carbon Washington initiative, professor at the University of Washington, economist, and comedian
Alex Becker — advocacy program manager for the Real Change Homeless Empowerment Project, and co-chair of the Seattle Human Rights Commission.
Admiral Herbert Bridge — Naval officer, business magnate, and longtime philanthropist for a number of causes in Seattle and the Puget Sound area
Ellen Bynum — Executive Director at Friends of Skagit County
Dongho Chang — Traffic Engineer for the city of Seattle
Donnie Chin (posthumous) — Director and founder of the International District Emergency Center, shot in his car in the early morning hours on July 23
Rep. Judy Clibborn and Sen. Curtis King — Worked across the aisle to craft and pass state transportation bill
Desiree Douglass — President and founder of HeadStrong, and early advocate for safe crosswalks
Jenny Durkan — U.S. Attorney for Western Washington from 2009 to 2014, helped win reform for Seattle Police Department
Joni Earl — CEO of Sound Transit, led the effort to create a regional mass transit system
Louisa Edgerly — Associate scholar at the Center for Local Strategies Research, and adjunct Instructor and Lecturer at Seattle University and University of Washington, helping to unionize contingent faculty
Megan Ferland — Executive Director Western Washington Girl Scouts, fighting for the rights of transgender girls
Priscilla Lisicichi — Executive Director of Safe Streets, pioneering community policing, drug treatment, and community safety networks
L. Deon Fields — Mentor in Youth Violence Intervention with the Austin Foundation, and mentor at Seattle Public Schools
Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon — Washington State Representative and advocate for environmental cause
Kia Franklin — Partnership director at Equal Opportunity Schools, seeking to advance educational equity and reform
Faye Garneau — Businesswoman whose contributions changed the way Seattle holds district elections
Tom Glade — President of Evergreen Islands, advocates for a clean environment and quality of life in Skagit County
Cecile Hansen — Chair of the Duwamish Tribe since 1975, founder of Duwamish Tribal Services, and longtime champion for federal recognition of the Duwamish people.
Bruce Harrell — Seattle city councilmember and chair of the Public Safety, Civil Rights, and Technology Committee
Monisha Harrell — Chairperson for Equal Rights Washington
Nick Hanauer — Co-founder and partner at Second Avenue Partners, and civic activist for public education
Hye Kyong Jeong — Director of Outreach and Advocacy at The Arc of King County
Marissa Johnson and Mara Willaford — Black Lives Matter activists who protested Bernie Sanders' Westlake Park rally
Debora Juarez — Candidate for Seattle City Council, and twelve-year partner of Williams Kastner in the Chair Tribal Practice Group
Adrien Leavitt — Trial attorney with the King County Department of Public Defense, champion of queer issues, and photographer with #1 Must Have
Christopher Liu — Executive Director at Washington State Department of Enterprise Services, working to create opportunities for Minority, Women and Veteran owned businesses
Paulina Lopez - Community organizer in South Park and member of the Duwamish River Clean Up Coalition
Nicole Marshall — Associate director of Impact at City Year
Vince Matulionis — Director at United Way of King County and longtime advocate for fighting homelessness
Lola Peters — Writer for The Seattle Star and South Seattle Emerald, helping organize against acts of violence as a part of the Black Lives Matter Movement
Dave and Sue Pope — Local activists behind the Save the NE 130th Beach campaign
Heather Powell — CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Whatcom County
Seattle Goodwill — Nonprofit organization that provides education and employment to individuals in need
Susan Rooks — Board member of the City of Anacortes Housing Authority and all-around upstanding citizen
Paul Shoemaker — Founding executive director of Social Venture Partners and author of the book, Can’t Not Do
Marilyn Strickland — Mayor of Tacoma
Christoph Strouse — North Seattle College student and member / leader of many campus sustainability projects, such as solar power
Kurt Triplett — City Manager of Kirkland since 2010, led effort to acquire 6-mile segment of the Eastside Rail Corridor
Dick Wagner — Maritime historian of the Pacific Northwest and founder of the Center for Wooden Boats museum
Washington Firefighters — Currently battling the largest wildfire in Washington state history
Rainn Wilson — Actor from "The Office" (Dwight Schrute) and longtime supporter of the Mona Foundation
Pam Winney — Leader of Friends of Forks Animals, dedicated to the health and welfare of animals in Clallam and Jefferson Counties
John Wolfe — Port of Tacoma commissioner
Women of Color for Systemic Change — Group dedicated to peaceful protests and dialogue aiming to ease tensions between people of color and police
Courage in Culture
Jo-Anne Birnie Danzker — Executive Director of the Frye Art Museum
Marcus Green — Editor-in-Chief of the South Seattle Emerald
Desiree Douglass — President and founder of HeadStrong, and early advocate for safe crosswalks
Duwamish Tribe — Native American tribe, indigenous to Seattle, but denied federal recognition
Zeke əswəli — Preserver of the Lushootseed language and culture
Sam Farrazaino — Founder of Equinox Studio
Tia Fields — Vice prinicipal at Garfield High School and spoken word artist
Melinda Fox — Co-founder and CEO of Echo Media Mobile S.P.C.
Wyking Garrett — Founding director of Umoja P.E.A.C.E. Center and key member of AfricaTown
Rev LaVerne Hall — Associate minister of Mount Zion Baptist Church and legacy life member of the National Council of Negro Women
Wier Harman — Executive director of Town Hall Seattle
Cecile Hansen — Chair of the Duwamish Tribe since 1975, founder of Duwamish Tribal Services, and longtime champion for federal recognition of Duwamish people
Chris Jordan — Artist, Tacoma Arts, active in Black Lives Matter movement
Dawn Mason — President of the board of directors of the First Place Scholars Charter School, and co-founder and longtime consulting director with Parents for Student Success
Jacqueline Miller — President and CEO of the World Affairs Council
Ijeoma Oluo — Writer addressing issues of race, feminism, identity, mental health, and the arts
Elsie Taniguch — Longtime CEO and President of Leilani's Enterprises, and health & wellness consultant at Nikken International
Huong Vu — Manager of arts, culture, and civic grants for the Boeing Company, and board member for Grantmakers in the Arts
Dick Wagner —Maritime historian of the Pacific Northwest and founder of the Center for Wooden Boats museum
Courage in Business
The Arc of King County — Non-profit organization serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Prometheus Brown — Rapper with Blue Scholars, and advocate for Filipino issues
Beto Yarce - Executive director of Ventures, a program that helps low-income business owners
Hazel and Don Cameron — Leaders of the Seattle CARES Mentoring Program and the 4C Coalition
Kevin Daniels — Owner of Daniels Real Estate, committed to preserving historic buildings
Jaebadiah Gardner — Founder and CEO of Gardner Global, Inc., and managing partner for Onpoint Real Estate Services
Nick Hanauer — Co-founder and partner at Second Avenue Partners, and ivic activist for public education
Taylor Hoang — Executive Director of the Ethnic Business Coalition
Norman Johnson — Executive director of Therapeutic Health Services
Susie Lee — Co-founder and CEO of the Siren social media platform, and independent artist
Nate Miles — Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Eli Lilly, advocate for children, families, social justice and educational advancement
Mona Foundation — Non-profit organization dedicated to improving education and gender equity in the U.S. and abroad
Kurt Petrauskas — Owner and founder of Earthwise Architectural Salvage
Heather Powell — CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Whatcom County
Dan Price — The founder and CEO of Gravity Payments, who raised the minimum salary of his employees to $70,000
Norm Rice — Former mayor of Seattle and former CEO and president of The Seattle Foundation
Jim Sinegal — Co-founder and former CEO of Costco, and major philanthropist
Fisher Qua — Member of Impact Hub, principal Practitioner at Back Loop Consulting, and steering committee member and farm manager at Alleycat Acres
Dick Wagner — Maritime historian of the Pacific Northwest, and founder of the Center for Wooden Boats museum
Lifetime Achievement
Hazel Cameron — Executive director of the 4C Coalition, mentoring vulnerable youth in King County
Donnie Chin (posthumous) — Director and founder of the International District Emergency Center, shot in his car in the early morning hours on July 23
Lovell Deon — Mentor in Youth Violence Intervention with the Austin Foundation, and mentor at Seattle Public Schools
Desiree Douglass — President and founder of HeadStrong, and early advocate for safe crosswalks
Joni Earl — CEO of Sound Transit, led the effort to create a regional mass transit system
Norman Johnson Fields — Executive director of Therapeutic Health Services
Elson Floyd (posthumous) — President of Washington State University and Chairman of the Pac-12 CEO group, died of cancer on June 20
Carver Gayton — Former corporate manager of education relations at Boeing, and former executive director at the Northwest African American Museum
Cecile Hansen — Chair of the Duwamish Tribe since 1975, founder of Duwamish Tribal Services, and longtime champion for federal recognition of Duwamish people
Samuel Berry McKinney — Pastor emeritus of the Mount Zion Baptist Church, and longtime advocate for civil rights causes
Barbara Moore — Principal of South Lake High School and creator of teen parent programs
Sister Margaret "Peg" Murphy — OP of Catherine Place and advocate for women
Norm Rice — Former mayor of Seattle and former CEO and president of the Seattle Foundation
Dick Wagner — Maritime historian of the Pacific Northwest, and founder of the Center for Wooden Boats museum
Jacquie Jones Walsh — Executive board member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and longtime labor and civil rights activist
Priscilla Lisicichi — Executive Director of Safe Streets, pioneering community policing, drug treatment, and community safety networks
