We’re excited to announce our keynote speakers for the 2026 King County Youth Summit!
King County Executive Girmay Zahilay will provide the welcome address and Jessica Warner, youth leader and Chief of Staff for the Washington Youth Alliance, will provide the keynote address. Members of the Good Foot Arts Collective will provide the afternoon keynote address in the form of a spoken word performance.
Meet our keynote speakers:
King County Executive Girmay Zahilay is the seventh elected King County Executive. He oversees one of the largest local governments in the country, leading more than 18,000 employees who provide services to 2.3 million residents. As the first immigrant, first refugee, and first millennial to hold the role of King County Executive, he is working to make county government more responsive to the people it serves.
He approaches this work as a husband and father raising a young family in King County, guided by the same hopes shared by parents across the region. As Executive, he is committed to building a county that works for everyone.
Jessica Warner is the Chief of Staff for the Washington Youth Alliance and graduating senior at the University of Washington, where she studies International Security and Spanish. Outside of class she has served a variety of organizations that seek to expand youth and rural civic engagement. In her previous position, as a fellow for the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, she helped elect gun violence prevention champions, advocated for gun safety legislation at the state Capitol, and conducted research on the implementation of ERPO laws. Now at WYA, she advances their strategic plan, coordinates cross-departmental work, and supports event planning and operations so that staff and chapters at WYA are well-resourced to accomplish groundbreaking work across the state. Her work and background has inspired her to become a community advocate, with the desire to one day transition into the foreign service. When she finds time outside of her busy schedule she loves organizing hikes for Peaks & Professors, trying out new recipes, and exploring different Seattle neighborhoods!
The Good Foot Arts Collective mentors youth artivists in a variety of art pathways through healing-centered engagement practices. Focusing on violence prevention, liberation, and community action, scholars explore issues they experience and the injustices around them. Coming together to create and perform a special piece for the Youth Leadership Summit are spoken word artists Amari Wortz, senior at Rainier Beach HS; Amirah Allen, senior at Rainier Beach HS; Eden Yemane, Franklin HS graduate, Class of 2025; and Jackqueline Nguyen, Franklin HS graduate, Class of 2025.
