Jessyn Farrell

Jessyn Farrell, an American activist and politician, served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017. During her tenure in the legislature, Farrell concentrated on transportation, education, and labor issues. She also ran for the Seattle mayoral election in 2017 and announced another run in 2021. Farrell was born and raised in Seattle's Lake City neighborhood and Lake Forest Park, and graduated with a degree in history from the University of Washington before earning a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School.

Farrell's career started with an internship at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, where she assisted in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes. Later, she became a prominent transit and environmental advocate, serving as the executive director of Transportation Choices Coalition from 2005 to 2008 before joining the executive team at Pierce Transit. During her time with Pierce Transit, Farrell won the 2012 Puget Sound Regional Council VISION 2040 Award. She then ran for Position 2 in the 46th Legislative District of the Washington State House of Representatives, a position she held and was reelected to in 2014 and 2016.

In the State House, Farrell served on the Transportation (as Vice Chair), Rules, and Commerce and Gaming committees. As a chair of the Working Families Caucus, she was a key player in the Democratic effort to raise the statewide minimum wage in Washington, introducing minimum wage bills from 2014 through 2016. In addition to her work on the minimum wage, Farrell sponsored the Pregnant Workers' Fairness Act in 2017, which was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee, and the 2015 Equal Pay Opportunity Act. Currently, she serves as the Director of the City of Seattle's Office of Environment and Sustainability and is working on her first book.