WSCC Board of Directors
The governor appoints the nine members of the Washington State Convention Center’s board of directors. The board meets six times each year on a bi-monthly basis.
Frank K. Finneran
Chairman
Appointed to the WSCC board of directors in 1988, Finneran served as board treasurer from 1995 until becoming chairman in 2003. He is president and chief executive officer of Frank K. Finneran & Co., consultants to the hospitality industry. Finneran has over 30 years experience in hotel management, development and consulting. He has served as manager of the Olympic and Westin hotels in Seattle, the Plaza in New York, as developer of the Seattle Waterfront Marriott and the Monterey Marriott hotels, as managing director for the developer of the Seattle Sheraton and as chief operating officer of the Space Needle Corporation. He is twice past president of the Washington State Hotel and Motel Association and a past president of the Seattle-King County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Finneran has received numerous honors for his contributions to the hotel industry and the community, including recognition as Washington’s Hotelier of the Year.
Deryl Brown-Archie
Vice Chair
Brown-Archie joined the WSCC board in 2000 and became vice chair in 2003. She is a tribal attorney for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, focusing on business operations. She spent several years as corporate counsel in the insurance industry including serving as General Counsel for KPS Health Plans and Deputy General Counsel for Premera. Her civic involvement has included the Municipal League of King County, service as past president of the Seattle Women's Commission, and past president of the Loren Miller Bar Association. Affiliations include The Links, Inc. of Greater Seattle, the Junior League of Seattle, Association of Blacks in Healthcare, NAACP, Urban League and Washington Society of Health Care Attorneys.
Robert J. Flowers
Flowers had a 34-year career with Washington Mutual, which began as a loan representative and ended with his retirement as Senior Vice President of Community Lending and Investment in January 2005. Flowers has been extremely active in public and community affairs on a national, regional and local basis. He is a founder/director of Plaza Bank of Washington, serves on the board of AAA of Washington and is treasurer of Seattle Children’s Hospital Board. Flowers is currently board chair of KCTS Television and recently completed a term on the PBS Board of Directors where he served as vice chairman. Other civic activities include the Seattle Sports Commission and serving as president of the African American Heritage Foundation.
Rick S. Bender
Bender was elected President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, in March of 1993. He previously served as a WSLC Vice President, as Executive Secretary of the King County Labor Council and was Executive Secretary of the Seattle Building and Construction Trades Council. Bender was a State Legislator from 1973 to 1991, serving ten years in the House and eight years in the Senate. During his time in the State House of Representatives, he served as Assistant Majority Whip and Assistant Minority Floor Leader. In the State Senate he served as Majority Whip and Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee. Bender is a member of Laborers Union Local 242. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in that conflict. He was appointed to the WSCC Board of Directors in 1995.
Susana Gonzalez-Murillo
Appointed to the WSCC board in 2003, Gonzalez-Murillo is a vice president at U.S. Bank, serving as country manager for Latin America, Canada, Spain and Portugal. She has worked in the local banking industry since 1979, joining U.S. Bank’s International Banking Division in 1993. She is the Past President of the U.S./Mexico Chamber of Commerce and was a board member of the Centro Mexicano of the state of Washington. Gonzalez-Murillo has served as a board member of the World Trade Club in Seattle and the Mayor’s Sister City Council. She has also been involved with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Women in International Trade, Green River Community College’s business department advisory board and is a past-president of the Northwest Letter of Credit Committee.
Jerome L. Hillis
Hillis began his career in Washington D.C. with the United States Justice Department. In January 1969, he started his own law firm and began focusing his practice on real estate, land use and environmental law. Hillis has coordinated real estate and land use issues involving numerous large development projects. He received recognition as one of the "Super Lawyers" in Washington by the publication Washington Law and Politics. Hillis is a past president and member of the board of trustees at Whitman College and has been active in several professional and community organizations, including the Washington State Independent College Associations, the Pacific Real Estate Institute, the Downtown Seattle Association and the Municipal League board of trustees. He has served on the WSCC board since 2003.
J. Terry McLaughlin
Governor Locke appointed McLaughlin to the WSCC board in March 2004. He served as Executive Vice President with the Basketball Club of Seattle for twelve years, before retiring in 2008. McLaughlin's duties with the club included managing administrative functions, government relations, human resources, information technology, Key Arena operations, concessions and retail. Prior to joining the Sonics and Storm, he was the Deputy Director of the Seattle Center, where he was responsible for negotiating major business contracts, including the Key Arena and Benaroya Hall developments. He is a past member of the board of directors of the Seattle-King County Convention and Visitors Bureau and a current member of the board of directors for the Seattle Aquarium Society.
Karen Wong
Wong joined the WSCC board in 2000. She is a retired general counsel for United Savings and Loan Bank. She is active in bar activities at the American Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, King County Bar Association and was an officer and board member of Washington Women Lawyers. She is a co-founder of the Asian Bar of Washington. She is active in the community at large and in Seattle's Asian community. Wong serves on the Virginia Mason Medical Center board of governors and as a member of the Law Fund Board. As president of the Robert Chinn Foundation, Wong headed a capital campaign to build an Asian Resource Center for the Seattle community, which opened in the International District in September 1994. She is an active member of the Rotary Club of Seattle, Seattle Art Museum Guild and the Rainier Club.