Gerry O'Keefe, Executive Director of the Puget Sound Partnership
Gerry O’Keefe’s 25-year career has mixed a passion for the natural environment issues with an ability to resolve contentious public policy issues. He was raised in Minnesota and moved to Seattle in 1984 to attend the University of Washington, where he earned a master’s degree in business administration.
Mr. O’Keefe began his career in the Washington’s executive budget office. From there, he joined the Washington State Department of Ecology and worked from 1997-2008 first as an assistant to the chief financial later as the agency’s lead on Columbia River water supply problems. While there, his ability to effectively bring people together came to the forefront. He led the Governor’s effort to establish a water supply program in Eastern Washington, breaking the gridlock between historically antagonistic interests. The program provided the first new water supplies from the Columbia River in more than 30 years and became a model for the state’s approach to water management.
Following from this success, Gerry was recruited to lead the Grant County Public Utility District’s Natural Resources Division, where he managed a $1 billion environmental mitigation program that addressed wildlife, water quality, recreation, and land development.
In 2010, Mr. O’Keefe joined the Puget Sound Partnership as deputy director to tackle the enormous task of protecting and recovering the second largest estuary in the United States, the Puget Sound.
After only 10 months as deputy, Governor Chris Gregoire appointed him executive director of the Partnership in February 2011.