Planning Commission

Rodney Rutherford, Vice-chair, Rose Hill Neighborhood

Rodney joined the planning commission in October 2019. He has resided in Kirkland’s Rose Hill with his wife and two kids since 2008, and has always lived within four miles of Lake Washington.

Rodney loves to learn how we can enable small incremental changes in every neighborhood to address the multi-faceted challenges of our city. Since moving to Rose Hill, he has served on his neighborhood association board for eight years, represented neighborhoods on Kirkland’s Housing Strategy Plan Advisory Group in 2017, and influenced the update of neighborhood plans in 2018. While living in Seattle in the mid-2000s, struck by the frustrations of commuters stuck in traffic, he previously volunteered on projects that would ensure easier mobility for all, most notably serving with the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board.

Rodney volunteers as a weekly host at the Safe Parking Program in his neighborhood, providing homeless women and families a safe place to sleep in their cars, since 2013. This experience has inspired him to raise awareness of housing models that can better meet the changing needs of our community. To this end, Rodney co-founded Liveable Kirkland to collaboratively envision places for everyone in our community, while also advancing the sustainability and quality of our neighborhoods.

Rodney has worked at Google Kirkland as a systems engineer since 2007. Outside work, Rodney loves to learn about the systems that shape our community. To deepen his knowledge and broaden his perspective, he reads the works of authors such as Jeff Speck, Jane Jacobs, Alain Bertaud, and Andrew Heben, as well as research from organizations like Sightline Institute and Strong Towns.

Bria Heiser, South Rose Hill Neighborhood

Bria joined the Planning Commission in April 2022.  She is a Seattle native and second generation homebuilder in Kirkland.  

In 2014, Bria and her husband started their own homebuilding company located in Kirkland.  During the past decade, their company has built a wide range of housing in Kirkland, from low density projects to urban townhomes and ADU's.  Additionally, the company worked with the Seattle Housing Authority to build over 40 townhomes in the Columbia City neighborhood of Seattle.  Bria remains very interested in the advancement of missing middle housing.

Previously, Bria worked for an Eastside-based brokerage focused on land and commercial projects.  She received her B.A. in Public Relations from Pepperdine University and is a member of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish County.

Bria and her husband, Adam, are long-time Kirkland residents.  They reside in the South Rose Hill Neighborhood with their son AJ and daughter Margot.  They enjoy biking on the Cross Kirkland Corridor and are busy with Kirkland Little League.

Scott Reusser, Chair, Highlands Neighborhood 

Joined the Kirkland Planning Commission effective April 1, 2019. He previously served for eight years on the Design Review Board from 2010 - 2018.

Seattle native, grew up in Shoreline and attended Kings Highschool. Studied Business Administration and Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington.  Graduated from the University of Washington Foster School of Business with a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree. He purchased his first home in Kirkland in 1990, and is a 30-year resident of the Kirkland Highlands Neighborhood. Scott has been the owner and operator of a local landscape, construction and nursery since 1984, and has worked on projects throughout Kirkland and the Northwest. 

Scott served on the Kirkland Design Review board for eight years prior to being on the Kirkland Planning Commission and helped review large projects from the new Kirkland Urban project to the Totem Lake Mall project.   

Currently, Scott is a figure skating instructor with the Kirkland Parks Department's "Learn to Skate" program at the Kingsgate SnoKing Ice Arena.  

Angela Rozmyn, Finn Hill Neighborhood

Angela was born in Kirkland and is a graduate of the Lake Washington School District public schools.  She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Willamette University and a graduate certificate in Sustainable Built Environment. As a former park ranger and current builder of affordable housing, her lifelong passion is in creating sustainable, affordable, livable communities and making an impact on her local city.  She lives with her husband and son in the Finn Hill Neighborhood.

 Aaron Jacobson, Lakeview Neighborhood

Aaron Jacobson joined the planning commission in December 2023. He has served as the Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods Representative for the Lakeview Neighborhood Association, Co-Chair of the Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods, as well as Vice Chair of the ARCH Community Advisory Board. 

Aaron has a BA in Law, Economics, and Public Policy and BS in Computer Science and Software Engineering from UW-Bothell as well as a MS in Data Science from UW. Aaron currently works as a Data Scientist at a real estate start up and has previously worked at Microsoft and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

A renter, Aaron is focused on easing the cost of living.

Katya Allen, Moss Bay Neighborhood

Katya Allen moved to Kirkland in 1978.  She is a 4^th generation Washingtonian and her great grandfather was the Chief Engineer for the Juanita Bay Bridge built in 1932.  Katya is a graduate of the Lake Washington School District and has a BA in Business from Washington State University.  After 20 years in Bellevue, Katya recently returned to Kirkland moving to Moss Bay with her husband David. They are fully embracing the 10 minute neighborhood downtown Kirkland offers, -so much so that they went from three cars to one.  

Katya owns a boutique executive recruiting firm where she works with venture capitalists to build start-up leadership teams.  She also manages single family and multi-tenant properties.  Recently Katya and her husband started a Bike Friendly Driver Training company educating commercial drivers on bicycle infrastructure and cyclist behavior.  Her volunteer experience dates back to candy striping at Evergreen Hospital and includes founding an annual charity auction for pediatric cancer patients which has raised more than $5,000,000 to date. 

Katya is interested in transit oriented development and safer streets for all Kirklanders.  Her favorite movie remains Star Wars Episode IV.

Gina Madeya, Highlands Neighborhood

Gina joined the planning commission in April 2024. A resident of the Highlands neighborhood, she moved to Kirkland from Phoenix in 2012 when she was relocated by Microsoft. Prior to that she spent 20 years at JPMorgan Chase in a variety of HR, Training, and Leadership Development roles. As a practicing REALTOR® since 2015, she is keenly aware of the housing affordability challenges facing many who would love to call Kirkland and other areas in the Puget Sound home.

Gina currently serves on the Board of Directors of Seattle King County REALTORS® and is their VP of Governmental & Public Affairs, a role that has exposed her to myriad policies and proposals related to accommodating our region's growth. In this capacity, she’s engaged in meaningful dialogues with state and local representatives as well as community experts to understand their vision, perspectives, and challenges, and to offer input and suggestions on ways to implement more affordable housing, increase density, create accessible places, and support small and medium-sized business to create the sustainable, welcoming, and thriving communities that cities like Kirkland deserve.

With change inevitable and well under way, Gina welcomes the opportunity to be part of the process to help Kirkland achieve its goals of being a welcoming, livable, and sustainable city. In addition to her work with the REALTOR® association, Gina has served since 2019 on the Board of Directors for Alpha Supported Living Services, a non-profit agency providing supported living and group training home services to adults and children with developmental disabilities in King, Snohomish, and Spokane counties.