The Washington State Broadband Office within the Department of Commerce has appointed Jordan Arnold as its new director, with her position commencing January 2nd. In her previous role during the Biden administration, Arnold worked as a senior policy advisor on the Infrastructure Implementation Team within the Office of the Chief of Staff. Her responsibilities included overseeing the $65 billion broadband portfolio, encompassing the implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program along with additional initiatives.

Commerce Director Joe Nguyễn expressed enthusiasm about Arnold’s appointment, highlighting her comprehensive knowledge of supporting communities in navigating the digital landscape. Nguyễn emphasized that Arnold’s experience at senior policy levels in the Biden White House would prove valuable in advancing Washington’s mission to provide universal internet connectivity.

Greater Seattle Partners (GSP), an economic development organization combining public and private sector collaboration on a regional scale, has elevated Rebecca Lovell to the position of interim president. Lovell previously served as the organization’s chief operating officer for approximately three years. Her professional background includes serving as CEO of Denali Founder Consulting, leading Madrona Venture Group’s Create33 as executive director, and working as Seattle’s interim director of Economic Development.

Shane Jones, who chairs GSP’s board of directors and holds a senior vice president position at Alaska Airlines, praised Lovell’s leadership capabilities. Jones noted that Lovell has played an instrumental role in the organization’s achievements and brings energy to the community, the GSP team, and the organization’s investors.

Lovell assumes the role previously held by Brian Surratt, who became president in 2022 and has recently been named deputy mayor of the City of Seattle by incoming Mayor Katie Wilson. Jones expressed
appreciation for Surratt’s service and leadership during his tenure, noting excitement about his new strategic position with Seattle’s municipal government.

Before joining Greater Seattle Partners, Surratt led a community development organization and served as vice president at Alexandria Real Estate. He also spent 13 years with Seattle’s Economic
Development agency, eventually rising to the position of director.

Agiloft, a California-based company specializing in software solutions for contract and legal agreement management, has brought on Jason Barnwell as chief legal officer. Barnwell departed from Microsoft after more than 15 years in various legal capacities. His most recent position at the tech giant was general manager and associate general counsel for Monetization and Business Planning. Barnwell will continue residing in the Seattle area.

Agiloft CEO Eric Laughlin praised Barnwell’s expertise in maximizing legal team effectiveness, leveraging artificial intelligence and data, and transforming contracting into a genuine business value driver. On LinkedIn, Barnwell expressed gratitude to his Microsoft colleagues for their support and the leadership opportunities they provided, stating his continued support for Microsoft and its workforce.

Elena Winters has joined Brazil-based Elea Data Centers as vice president of international business. The Seattle-based professional spent over eight years at Meta in infrastructure organization roles concentrating on data center operations and site selection. Winters will remain in Washington while directing Elea’s expansion strategy for U.S. and international markets.

Winters described her new role on LinkedIn as an exciting challenge, noting she would gain experience working on the opposite side of the business by partnering with hyperscalers rather than working for them, with a focus on accelerating AI infrastructure growth in Latin America.

Aarden AI, a Seattle startup that recently emerged from stealth mode, has appointed Michael Gleason as staff data scientist. The company provides an AI platform assisting landowners in researching and managing negotiations with developers interested in building data centers, clean energy projects, housing developments, and other projects. Gleason’s previous position was as a geospatial data scientist at a national laboratory.