Meet the Leadership

Since February 2021, Steve Marchese has served as the Director of the Seattle Office of Labor Standards - the agency that enforces the city's worker protection ordinances - and is a member of Mayor Bruce Harrell's Cabinet. An attorney and New York native, prior to joining OLS, Steve spent 20 years living in Minnesota where he practiced law, ran public service programs for the state bar association, led the career development office at the University of Minnesota Law School, and served as an elected school board member in St. Paul.  He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and law degree from New York University.  He serves on the Board of Directors of Columbia Legal Services, one of two statewide legal aid providers in Washington State, and the Kingston Community Advisory Council in Kitsap County.  He is also a member of the Washington State Bar Association.

Jeneé Jahn is the daughter of Eastern Washington farmers, granddaughter of a strong Japanese immigrant, and mama to one very active toddler. She is proud to serve the City that provided her grandmother with community and where her mother grew up.

Over the past decade of City service, she has been fortunate to work with incredible teams to advance civil and labor standards rights and anti-racist and anti-poverty policies. Her City experience includes investigating and resolving civil rights complaints, implementing new legislation and rulemaking, outreach and education, and leading the Department through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to working at the City, she worked in student retention at the University of Washington’s Ethnic Cultural Center, a student leadership and multicultural center that serves historically underrepresented students. She held facility operations, social justice programming, and student leadership advising responsibilities.

Her community work includes advocacy and education on the experiences and needs of peoples of mixed heritage (multiracial individuals and transracial adoptees) and LGBTQ individuals and families. She is a licensed attorney and currently serves on the Board of the Unemployment Law Project.