Kendee Yamaguchi
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the hiring of Kendee Yamaguchi as Director of Policy, Legislative Affairs, and External Relations on Tuesday, Feb. 5.
As the executive director of the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, Yamaguchi served as a small agency cabinet member and advised the governor, state agencies, the Legislature, and local government on policies, plans, and programs.
Yamaguchi will lead Ferguson’s governmental affairs team, advising the office on legislative issues, policy, and external relations.
Yamaguchi has worked in the Clinton White House as a director in the Office of Management and Administration. She has experience working as a television executive and a staff member in the Washington State Legislature. She has also worked as an attorney in private practice.
She earned her law degree from Seattle University School of Law. During law school, Yamaguchi earned numerous honors and scholarships from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Loren Miller Bar Association, Puget Sound Minority Clerkship, and the Access to Justice Institute.
A third-generation Japanese American who was born and raised in Washington, Yamaguchi is a former member of the Washington State Bar Association’s Professionalism Committee and serves on the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission. (end)