Eric Liu, Seattle, Governor Appointed, through January 2011

Appointed by Governor Gregoire. Eric Liu is an author and educator who has served in senior leadership roles in national politics, media, and business. He is the author of "Guiding Lights: The People Who Lead Us Toward Our Purpose in Life," a book about transformative teachers and mentors from many walks of life, which was a Readers Digest Editors' Choice and named the Official Book of National Mentoring Month. This book was the inspiration for the recent Guiding Lights Weekend, an experiential conference on the art of mentoring held at the Seattle Center. Liu is also the author of "The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker," a New York Times Notable Book featured in the PBS documentary Matters of Race. 

Eric served as a speechwriter for President Clinton in the first term and as White House deputy domestic policy adviser in the second, where he managed policy development on education and other issues. From 2000-02, he was an executive at the digital media company RealNetworks. He lives with his daughter in Seattle, where he teaches at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs. He serves on numerous nonprofit boards, including those of the Seattle Public Library, the Seattle Center Foundation, Common Cause, and the Asian Community Leadership Foundation. He also serves on the steering committee of Washington Learns.