Jeanne Kohl-Welles

Jeanne Kohl-Welles
Jeanne Kohl-Welles, 2017
King County Council, District No. 4
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2016 (2016-01-01)
Preceded by	Larry Phillips
Member of the Washington Senate from the 36th legislative district
In office October 14, 1994 (1994-10-14) – December 31, 2015 (2015-12-31)
Preceded by	Ray Moore
Succeeded by	Reuven Carlyle
Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the Position 2, 36th legislative district
In office January 13, 1992 (1992-01-13) – October 14, 1994 (1994-10-14)
Preceded by	Larry Phillips
Succeeded by	Mary Lou Dickerson
Personal details
Born	Jean Elizabeth Pearl Kohl (1942-10-19) October 19, 1942 Madison, Wisconsin
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Jackson F. Hill (1962–1972) Kenneth D. Jenkins (1973–1980) Alexander Sumner "Alex" Welles (m. 1985)
Children	Five
Residence(s)	Belltown, Seattle, Washington
Alma mater	California State University, Northridge (B.A.) California State University, Northridge (M.A.) University of California, Los Angeles (M.A.) University of California, Los Angeles (Ph.D.)
Profession	University Lecturer Writer Consultant
Website	Official

Jeanne Elizabeth Pearl Kohl-Welles (née Jean Elizabeth Pearl Kohl; October 19, 1942) is an American politician of the Democratic Party. Since January 2016 she has represented District 4 on the Metropolitan King County Council.

From 1994 to 2016 she represented the 36th Legislative District in the Washington State Senate, which includes Ballard, Belltown, Blue Ridge, Crown Hill, Greenwood, Magnolia, and Queen Anne Hill neighborhoods of Seattle as well as the north half of Downtown Seattle. The district also takes the western half of Lake Union. Jeanne Kohl-Welles was appointed to the State Senate in 1994.

In June 2018, Kohl-Welles drafted a new sexual harassment policy for the King County Council. The new policy includes "clear definitions of discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct, and highlight issues like power dynamics and building a healthy workplace culture." Citing the #MeToo national debate regarding workplace sexual harassment and assault, Kohl-Welles presented legislation "requiring all agencies in the King County government to reform harassment and discrimination policies," which had not been updated since 2002.

From 1992 to 1994 she was in the State House.

Education

• Ph.D. in Sociology, UCLA
• M.A. in Sociology, UCLA
• B.A. and M.A. in education, California State University, Northridge

Professional employment and activities

Present:

• researcher, author, consultant, expert witness.

Former:

• visiting assistant professor, Pacific Lutheran University;
• assistant dean of students, coordinator of Women’s Programs, University of California, Irvine;
• program manager, Project Equity (Desegregation Assistance Center, Region IX, U.S. Department of Education);
• lecturer,
  • California State University, Long Beach and Fullerton;
  • University of California, Irvine;
  • Chapman College;
  • Los Angeles Community College District;
• teacher, Los Angeles Unified School District.

An October 2014 Film Community Fundraiser for Kohl-Welles included attendees Chancellor Lisa Brown and Eden film director Megan Griffiths.

Awards and honors

Kohl-Welles was a recipient of the 2009 Fuse "Sizzle" Awards Committee Chair of the Year Award. The award recognized Kohl-Welles work on predatory lending reforms, updates to strengthen and simplify Washington State's Consumer Protection Act, and good government reforms to prevent trade associations from diverting workers compensation funds into political campaigns.

External links

• Biography at HistoryLink
• Sen. Kohl-Welles bio, Senate Democratic Caucus, Washington State