Rob Smith
Activist, entrepreneur
After facing numerous barriers to inclusion, including employment discrimination, Conrad Reynoldson decided to “hire himself” and start his own nonprofit disability rights law firm to advocate for the disability community in Washington state and beyond.
Reynoldson and team have quietly been making a huge difference to the disability community by advocating for access in public spaces of all kinds, including parking lots, university campuses, and countless other gathering places.
Seattle has momentum heading into 2024
Seattle is far from perfect. But, as the new year unfolds, there’s a lot to like. Here are several reasons why Seattle remains one of the nation’s most innovative — and, in many cases, unsung — major cities.
The billion-dollar waterfront makeover is perhaps the most ambitious public-private project in the country. The transformation of 20 acres along the city’s shoreline includes hundreds of new trees, native gardens, viewpoints, and a pedestrian promenade and cycle path. It will, once and for all, connect the waterfront to several nearby neighborhoods.
Washington state residents are surprisingly disciplined
A new survey says Washington residents on average remain committed to their resolutions for the entire year, three times more than the average American. Almost six in 10 state residents make resolutions, with the most popular being enhancing savings, reducing spending, and improving fitness and nutrition.
Popular and fast-growing healthy food chain plans more Seattle outlets
The fast-growing Los Angeles-based chain will open its first Seattle-area location in The Village at Totem Lake in Kirkland. Another location on South Lake Union may open as soon as this spring, followed by a third on Capitol Hill.
Founder of Pivotal Ventures, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
“The principles underlying my work at the foundation and Pivotal are the same. I believe in equity and opportunity. I’m focused especially on helping women run for and win public office because I want women to exercise power and influence in society, and elected officials are in a unique position to control resources, make decisions, and shape policies and perspectives. 2024 is going to be a critical year when it comes to whether our political system truly represents women or marginalizes them. Voters will get to decide.”
Making a significant difference in our community
Five women fighting Asian hate. The Medical Mythbuster. A woman in charge of revamping Seattle’s waterfront. The Civic Poet of Seattle.
They are just four of Seattle magazine’s Most Influential People of 2024. These extraordinary individuals sometimes (not always) toil in obscurity, but they’re fighting to improve their communities with whatever means available. They are truly heroes working to make our constantly changing city, state, and nation more livable, accessible, and equal.
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