I'm going to switch up the order here a little bit, and I'm
here to say a few remarks about about another wonderful
director, Director Liliana Ayala.
Liliana, can you wave?
I have not seen.
So Liliana Ayala is our new Office of Sustainability
Environment Director.
Liliana brings a demonstrated record
of advancing environmental action grounded in
equity, community, and partnership.
She's known for a collaborative
leadership style that centers community voices
and accountability including successful
work with philanthropic, nonprofit, government, and
grassroots organizations.
And for the last seven years Liliana has brought her
talent and impact to the Office of Sustainability and
Environment. And appointed as Seattle's first Climate
Justice Director, she helped establish new models
for embedding equity into environmental policy.
She spearheaded the development
and execution of Seattle's Green New Deal, advancing
strategies to reduce emissions while prioritizing
investments in frontline communities and addressing
systemic inequities.
And we know we've made incredible
progress and we have so much more work to do.
As As deputy director of OSC over
the last year, she expanded her leadership across departmental
operations, guiding cross-sector partnerships, and ensuring
alignment between climate goals and community priorities.
And even before joining the city as a staff member, she's
been shaping and influencing the city's approach through
advisory commissions like the Seattle Women's
Commission, serving as vice chair and chair of
the Parks District Oversight Committee, the co-chair of King
County's open space equity cabinet and her
work toward developing the landmark equity and
environment initiative she previously worked
to advance climate environmental policy at the
federal level leading policy development and community
outreach for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal she's been
recognized nationally for her leadership and
impact as one of the Grist 50 for her work advancing a more
just and sustainable future and was selected as a participant
in the Obama Foundation Leaders USA program and most recently
a facilitator for the Obama Leaders Climate Community of
Practice, further strengthening her leadership in advancing
inclusive community-driven solutions to complex challenges.
I am so honored and excited to nominate Liliana
Ayala as director of the Office of Sustainability
and the Environment.
And I just want to speak to how important it is for your
leadership at this time.
You know, we are going -- we're in the middle of updating our
10-year climate action plan and so excited for
your leadership there.
We are in the middle of reimagining the future of our
city through our comprehensive plan, working closely with
the mayor's office, and having difficult decisions to make
about how our city grows.
And we know that one of the best things we can do as we look
at our climate action plan and greenhouse gas emissions coming
from transportation, coming from our buildings, is to help
transition our city to one that, you know, where we have
housing and trees, where people can take transit, where they
can have walkable neighborhoods.
And to make that possible throughout the city and to
really imagine a future that where we don't have to rely
so much on vehicles and cars to get where we're
going and so I look forward to partnering
with you that's why I'm excited that office of sustainability
and environment has been partnered with land
use to work together on these critical issues.
Also very excited for your leadership to help us
work on our work plan on data centers.
One of the most pressing issues that we see
right now and I know that you're going to help us work with our
regional partners, work with with our community, with our
businesses, with our utilities.
Work with our state partners, 'cause this is,
and even potentially our federal partners,
'cause this is something that is gonna really shape
our country in the years to come,
and I think we can be a leader here,
and you're gonna be at the forefront of that.
So super excited for your leadership.
Thank you for your service.
Councilmember Foster, would you like to come up?
Wow, wow, wow.
Hi, everyone.
Happy Friday.
I want to start by first thanking Mayor Wilson for her
confidence and support in me and serving in this role.
I want to thank her for her climate and
environmental leadership.
I'm so thrilled to be able to support continued just
climate action in this city.
I want to thank Councilmember Lin for all
of his very kind words.
As he was reading that out, I was like, what, is that me?
Whoa.
So I'm so grateful for his leadership and excited to
work with him and his staff and very excited to work
with the esteemed city council members in my
tenure in this role.
I want to thank the staff of the Office of
Sustainability and Environment, many who are in this room today.
You all are tenacious, courageous, passionate.
Your commitment for the health and well-being of this city
is commendable, and it is what drives me every morning
and excites me every morning.
I'm getting a little emotional.
It gets me excited every morning to come to work.
I see many of our community partners in the room,
and wow, I, you know, I have so much to say
about the role that our community partners
play and have played specifically in my career
throughout the past 20 years I'm so grateful for your
partnership your voice your leadership your vote
of confidence your gentle nudging and pushing sometimes
maybe not so gentle but grateful for the tenacity
nonetheless. I want to recognize my friends and
family in this room, all of the support that you've
all lended.
My mom's here and she flew here.
She flew
She flew here from Texas, and we are welcoming
her with very beautiful Pacific Northwest weather,
which is maybe atypical, but I just want to thank them
for their support and the sacrifices that they make.
Many of our family members and our communities have to
share us and share our time in service to the collective good.
I want to recognize that and I want to thank them for that.
I'm humbled to serve in this role and am grateful to the
Coast Salish tribes for their leadership and stewardship
of land, air, and water.
since time immemorial.
I'm humbled to be a guest on these lands and to
honor the duties of being a good guest and moving
in a respectful way that accounts for the care
of this place for us now and the place for
our future ancestors.
20 years ago, I moved to Seattle from Chicago
with a suitcase and a duffel bag in hand.
I knew nobody in the city.
I didn't know where I was going to go live.
I didn't know what was going to unfold.
And flying past Mount Rainier on that airplane
and through the evergreen forest and over
the Puget Sound, I felt tears pooling in my eyes.
The emotion caught in my throat.
I had never seen a place so beautiful, so wondrous.
And this place has become my home.
My community grew, the land became familiar with my hands
as I stewarded the forests, the trails, the streams here
in service to caring for our community
and for the creatures that live here.
That same wonder and passion continues to guide me
in service to ensuring that all those who live, work, and
play in this beautiful city can breathe clean air, access
fresh local fruits and vegetables, have the ability to,
thanks to Andrew Lee and his team,
drink the cleanest water I've ever had in my life.
And be prepared for the impacts of climate change happening now.
Addressing the root causes and impacts is tough
and complex work.
And that doesn't mean that we should shy away from it.
It doesn't mean that we should think of these solutions
as add-ons or optional.
It means that we're obligated to lean in to systems thinking,
to embrace difficult conversations,
to tap into our most creative and bold selves
to scale solutions that we already know are working
and take a leap of faith to try new things.
I'm committed to leading with boldness,
curiosity and creativity, with care, integrity
and accountability and a commitment to deep
listening and action for all of you.
Thank you.
All right, thank you.
Now it's time for the city clerk speech.
Just kidding.
We're just going to go in order.
So Liliana.
And Liliana, did you want your mother to come pin you?
Liliana, yes.
Yeah, okay.
Repeat this so that you can repeat after me and be heard.
Okay, okay.
Thank you.
All right, Liliana, I just need you to hold up your right
hand and to repeat after me.
I, Liliana Ayala.
Swear that I possess.
All of the qualifications.
Prescribed in the Seattle City Charter.
And the Seattle Municipal Code.
for the position of, I am so sorry.
For the position of.
Do not repeat that.
I'm so sorry.
It's a good one.
I apologize.
I have to get my cheat sheet because there is an error in
your oath, and I apologize, everyone.
I am so sorry.
So, sorry.
for the position of director of the Office of Sustainability and
Environment. For the position of director of the Office
of Sustainability and Environment.
That I will support the Constitution
of the United States.
That I will support the Constitution of the United
States. The Constitution of the State of Washington.
The Constitution of the State of
Washington. And the Charter and and ordinances of
the city of Seattle.
And the charter and ordinances of the city of Seattle.
And that I will faithfully conduct myself.
And I will faithfully conduct myself.
As the director of OSC.
Thank you.
Congratulations. Thank you.
Thank you.