“What’s in the box?” Courtney Gregoire says as most people don’t know how stuff gets to stores in Seattle. “The toy you bought from Target probably came on a cargo ship in a shipping container and probably took a lot of people to do it to.” Commissioner Gregoire was elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2015 to Port Commissioner of Seattle, and she has been working at her job for 6 and a half years. She chose this job because she wanted to help the community, she says her job is special because she likes to be able to help the community.

By now you might be wondering what a Port Commissioner does, so I’ll tell you. A Port Commissioner manages the airport of King County and the cargo ships and cruise ships in the King County seaport.

Commissioner Gregoire’s priorities include growing our regional economy, expanding international trade and tourism, and protecting our shared national environment. Commissioner Gregoire is most proud of efforts such as creating the Northwest Seaport Alliance to make our region more competitive in the global economy. From 2009 to 2012, Courtney served as Director of the National Export Initiative for President Obama and Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Commerce. As you can see, being a Port Commissioner means having a lot of responsibilities.

When Commissioner Gregoire was a child she wanted to be a soccer player, then a lawyer, then an astronaut. Instead, she went to Harvard Law School. In her job now, she also works as an assistant general counsel at Microsoft. She likes to play with her daughters, and to go snowboarding.

In conclusion, Courtney does a very important job. Her job helps to keep people safe and keep people and goods moving.