Redmond Appoints New COO and Planning Director

In the history of the City of Redmond there has never been a COO.

Redmond, WA – Redmond Mayor John Marchione has announced the appointment of Maxine Whattam as the City’s new Chief Operating Officer and Erika Vandenbrande as the new Planning Director.

Whattam started with the City of Redmond in March of 2016 as the Parks & Recreation Director and recently served as the interim Public Works Director. She worked in various management positions for the City of Kennewick for 24 years before joining the City of Redmond.

The model of a Chief Operating Officer (COO) is consistent with other cities in King County, including Renton, Tukwila, Kent, and Issaquah. The COO position is responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the City. Duties include managing and aligning the internal operations of the City; creating a citywide culture of customer service, accountability and integrity; ensuring coordination internally and cross-departmentally to support projects, functions and relationships to meet the City’s goal and objectives; reviewing, updating and implementing policies and procedures to ensure cross-departmental consistency.

The new Planning Director Erika Vandenbrande has been with the City for more than 17 years. She has had several roles including Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program Manager, Economic Development Manager, and most recently as one of the City Deputy Administrators overseeing Communications, TDM, Economic Development, and the Customer Service division. Erika has a 30 plus year career serving local, regional and federal governments.

“Maxine and Erika have vast knowledge and expertise in their fields. I’m confident that their passion to support the Redmond community and their years in leadership roles will prove to be an asset to our organization and the Redmond community,” stated Mayor John Marchione. “I look forward to our continued work and forward progress.”

For questions and more information contact Lisa Maher, Communications & Marketing Manager, at lmaher@redmond.gov or 425-556-2427. This press release is available on www.redmond.gov.