Derek Kilmer, business retention manager for the Economic Development Board (EDB) for Tacoma-Pierce County, has announced his candidacy for the State Legislature from the 26th District. Running as a Democrat, he will challenge incumbent legislator Lois McMahan (R-Olalla). The 26th District encompasses Gig Harbor, the Key Peninsula, Port Orchard and the South Kitsap area as well as parts of Bremerton.

“It’s time to get Washington State moving again,” stated Kilmer. “Our community and our state needs energetic, common sense leadership that is focused on the challenges of today and the opportunities of tomorrow. I’m concerned about jobs, and I don’t believe Lois McMahan is doing enough to get Washington State moving again.”

Kilmer, 30, has worked with literally hundreds of employers in his position with the EDB. Serving on the board of the Gig Harbor-Peninsula Area Chamber of Commerce, he helped develop the organization’s business and economic development strategy, playing an active role in efforts to recruit and retain jobs in the greater Gig Harbor Area. Prior to his work at the EDB, Kilmer was a management consultant for McKinsey & Company, helping several major Washington State businesses, non-profit organizations, and government agencies function more efficiently, effectively, and strategically.

Kilmer, the son of two schoolteachers, believes a strong educational system is fundamental to Washington State’s success. He was appointed by Gov. Gary Locke to serve as a trustee on the Board of Tacoma Community College, which has a campus in Gig Harbor. He also serves as vice chair of Communities in Schools of Peninsula, a nonprofit organization focused on helping children in Gig Harbor and the Key Peninsula succeed in school and in life. He has also been an active in other community activities such as Gig Harbor Rotary and as co-chair of the Social Concerns Committee of the Gig Harbor United Methodist Church.

He received a doctoral degree from the University of Oxford in England, where he studied economic development policy, and received his bachelors’ degree in public policy from Princeton University.

Kilmer and his wife Jennifer, the executive director of the Gig Harbor Peninsula Historical Society, currently co-chair the 26th District Democrats and live in Gig Harbor.