The Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC), Washington state’s leading advocate for counties, is seeking a strong, experienced, and collaborative leader who is a champion of and enthusiast for local county governments. Following a 17-year+ executive and an interim Executive Director of one year, the ideal candidate for this role will be a respected leader in organizations undergoing change, entrepreneurial, and with a high level of professionalism, drive, political acumen and diplomacy in group dynamics and political environments. They will be a leader who strives to support the collective strength and voices of local county elected commissioners, councilmembers, and county executives. The new Executive Director will manage and oversee all aspects of this dynamic, respected, and diverse 501(c)(4) statewide nonprofit association, particularly responding to emerging needs of members, driving revenue growth, and supporting and retaining a strong professional staff. As a highly visible leader, the new Executive Director will have the opportunity to engage with state-level and national policymakers on complex topics, and to support county governments to be able to effectively carry out their functions, within strong revenue and policy frameworks.
The Washington State Association of Counties, established in 1906, is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization that represents counties in the state. The organization’s mission is to be a voice for Washington counties through advocacy, education, programs, services, and collaboration. As a unified voice for county governments, WSAC values and strives to support strong local governance, promote efficient county administration, and address shared challenges. WSAC’s highly dedicated 18-member staff is comprised of experts in the issues that Washington counties face, and who lead the development and deployment of targeted advocacy strategies, leading-edge education and training, data collection, research, and analysis. WSAC strives to work across political and jurisdictional divisions to identify common issues, challenges, and solutions to achieve a greater impact.
WSAC Membership: Most voluntary members are elected county commissioners from the 32 non-home rule counties. In the remaining member counties, where there is some form of county administrator/county executive and county council form of government, WSAC members may join from both the executive and legislative branches. Membership dues are paid by the county government, allowing any of these member county leaders to engage with the Association.
Sister Organization: WSAC also works closely with its sister organization, the Washington Association of County Officials (WACO), which serves independently elected county officials, including assessors, auditors, treasurers, prosecutors, coroners, clerks, and sheriffs, and comparable appointed officials in charter counties, as well as its affiliate organizations. Together, WSAC and WACO also own and operate the WA Counties Building that house their offices in the WA state capital, Olympia.
Affiliates: While voting within the organization is limited to county commissioners, council members, and county executives, the Association also serves as an umbrella organization for affiliate organizations representing:
*Staff leads employed by WSAC
WSAC utilizes multiple tactics and strategies to achieve its goals, facilitating convenings and forums, in-person and on-demand training, interactive data tools, technical assistance, legislative and policy research, and a county job board. WSAC’s main program/activity areas are:
For more information on WSAC’s program priorities and recent work, see the organization’s website at WSAC.org.
Recommended Priorities for the First 18 – 24 Months of the Executive Director Tenure
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will oversee and lead all aspects of association management, including budgeting, legal, regulatory, membership, board relations, committees, communications, personnel, and risk management. Playing the unique role of bringing elected county commissioners, councilmembers, and county executives together in a nonpartisan environment to identify and champion what is best for counties, the new leader will continue to navigate successfully a challenging political environment, centering a value proposition on common priorities that are best for counties.
The new Executive Director will inherit an organization that is in transition after the retirement of a long-time executive director and yet which retains a strong staff and long-time contractors with deep knowledge of county needs and interests. Over the past several years, the organization has also grappled with divergences in small and large county needs, resulting in a change to both its dues structure and the process by which policy priorities are set. Nevertheless, the state’s largest county, King County, remains a non-paying member since 2024 with ongoing organizational efforts to continue to resolve and regain its full participation. Assuring that WSAC can represent all 39 counties in the future will require continued relationship development, problem-solving and creative approaches to current and future work, including engaging with the Board of Directors and staff (and potentially external consultants) during a thoughtful ‘reinvention’ process. WSAC is committed to developing new ways of working that best ensure a strong value proposition for all counties and drive commensurate opportunities to grow programs and revenues.
At the beginning of their tenure, the new Executive Director will need to build trusting relationships with the Executive Committee and board members, and work with Board leadership to help guide and develop the Board, including developing and expanding a proactive succession strategy for volunteer leadership. Externally, the Executive Director will need to develop relationships with key stakeholders including legislators, the Governor, and executive branch leaders (many of whom are newly elected/appointed in 2025), agency staff, partner organizations/associations and thought leaders. Building upon these foundational relationships, the new Executive’s priorities for their first 18-24 months include:
The new Executive Director will need to manage required travel while being an available, responsive, and strong staff leader; someone who can manage remote/flexible staff to maintain a collaborative and collegial organizational culture. The ideal candidate will have the following skills, experience, and attributes:
$200,000-$240,000 base salary depending on experience. For this position, WSAC offers a robust, competitive package of benefits, including baseline 4 weeks annual vacation, 8 Federal holidays, and 4 floating holidays, plus sick leave. WSAC pays 100% of employee and family medical, dental and vision coverage, if desired. Additional insurance and benefits include HRA, Life/AD&D, Long-Term Disability, and Employee Assistance Plan. WSAC provides employer match to a 401k, a laptop, cell phone, and automobile for Executive Director use.
WSAC has retained Glick Davis & Associates, LLC to facilitate this search on their behalf. To apply, interested candidates should e-mail their cover letter and resume to: WSAC@glickdavis.com
WSAC will begin considering applications in early March 2025. Invited interviews are tentatively scheduled for April 17, 2025 and April 21, 2025.
Resume(s) received without cover letter will not be considered.
WSAC is an equal opportunity employer. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, demotion, termination, layoff, leave of absence, compensation, and training. The Association will not discriminate regarding race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, or service in the military. This includes the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability and as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Association will, in keeping with the requirements of law, provide reasonable accommodation to applicants and employees who, because of a disability, require accommodation to participate in the application process or to perform the essential functions of his/her job. Employees who believe they need reasonable accommodation shall discuss this with their supervisor.