An Everett lawyer who has served on several nonprofit boards and held positions on several city commissions was named Thursday night the recipient of the inaugural Emerging Leader award.
Chris Adams accepted the award at a reception at the Schack Art Center in downtown Everett attended by more than 100 people including his wife Megan, and sons Dillon, 7, Liam, 5, and Jack 1 1/2.
“What an honor to be up here with the nominees and four finalists,” Adams said. “There are so many people in this room that I respect and honor and who are mentors to me.”
The Herald Business Journal along with its partners — accounting firm Moss Adams, Economic Alliance Snohomish County, Puget PR and Leadership Snohomish County, among others — introduced the Emerging Leader award to recognize the next generation of leadership for the county.
“There is an abundance of wonderful things happening in the county so it made it easy to highlight the nominees we’re getting to meet tonight,” Herald publisher Josh O’Connor said.
Moss Adams partner in charge Rob Grannum told the crowd that the event dovetails with his firm’s mission.
“We’ve got over a 100 professionals in our office down the street,” Grannum said. “That’s why we’re really behind something like this, because we work really hard to develop leaders to serve our community and help our clients.”
Adams is a partner at Adams &Duncan law firm in Everett, a firm where six out of seven lawyers are under the age of 40.
Adams was a member of Everett’s planning commission and was chairman in 2013 and 2014. He’s also worked on the city’s salary and charter review commissions.
He’s a former board president of Sherwood Community Service helping people with disabilities, served on the board and executive committee for Providence Hospital and worked on the Everett YMCA board, chairing that nonprofit’s 2015 annual campaign.
He also worked as co-chair for Everett’s Community Street Initiative Task Force. Adams has also worked pro bono legal counsel for several nonprofits.
Last fall, The Herald Business Journal solicited nominations of people who are accomplished in their field and are working to make the county a better place to live and work today and into the future.
More than 50 people were nominated, and many were nominated multiple times. Of those, the field was cut to a dozen finalists.
“We did have to narrow it down to four and then pick one,” emcee Amy Drewel said. “The judges came together to review the top four nominees and they took a blind vote and, of course, it came out 2-2-2-2.”
Adams was eventually selected the winner. The other three were George Kosovich of the Verdant Health Commission; Lisa Lefeber, director of strategic communication and policy for the Port of Everett; and Shanon Tysland, owner of Experience Momentum, a Lynnwood health and fitness business.
Other finalists were: John Bonner of Everett Community College; Terrie Battuello with the Port of Everett; JJ Frank of the Marysville/North County Family YMCA; Joy Ingram, development director for Clothes For Kids; Sara McArdle, senior graphic designer with United Way of Snohomish County; Sarah Olson, deputy director of the City of Lynnwood; Zsofia Pasztor, owner of Innovative Landscape Technologies and founder of nonprofit Farmer Frog; and Shawn Smith, youth and community pastor with New Hope Christian Church in Everett.
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