Kelly Fukai is stepping down as CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association to become chief executive of the Northwest Gas Association.
Fukai has been with the WTIA for three years and became CEO of the trade organization in January. She succeeded Michael Schutzler, who held the post for more than a decade.
Fukai’s departure takes effect Sept. 11 and the board is working to appoint her replacement.
“It’s been an honor to serve as CEO of WTIA and to work alongside such a passionate, innovative community. I’m proud of what we’ve built together,” she said in a statement.
The WTIA launched in 1984 and operates as a nonprofit member trade association and a for-profit corporation providing business services under the name Portalus. It also offers health insurance and 401(k) to tech companies and entrepreneurs.
Prior to WTIA, Fukai worked for Avista, the Spokane, Wash.-based natural gas and energy services company, for 16 years ending in 2014. The natural gas trade group includes utilities and pipelines in the U.S. and Canada.
“I am honored to return to the energy sector and lead [the Northwest Gas Association] at a time of such transformation and opportunity,” Fukai said. “Natural gas continues to play a vital role in ensuring affordable, reliable energy for our communities. I look forward to working with our members and partners to shape a sustainable energy future for the Northwest.”
The WTIA announced that Randa Minkarah will take the newly created role of chief operating executive for the WTIA Consortium, which includes the organization’s three initiatives. Minkarah has served on the WTIA board of directors for more than six years and will retain that seat, as well as remaining the chair of both Portalus and the board of trustees for the Association Health Plan.
Minkarah is also the co-founder and former president and chief operating officer of Seattle-area company Resonance AI, an artificial intelligence media company. She also held multiple leadership roles at Fisher Communications, which was acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
— MicroVision, a Redmond, Wash., company building automotive lidar sensors for safety systems, autonomous vehicles and other applications, named Laura Peterson to its board of directors. Peterson was at Boeing for more than 22 years, leaving the role of vice president of business development in China in 2016. She was also president and CEO of Sarcos Technology and Robotics, which is now Palladyne AI.
“Laura’s rich background in operational leadership, international business development, global strategy, government relations, homeland security, and M&A will be invaluable to MicroVision as we execute on our strategic plan,” MicroVision CEO Sumit Sharma said in a statement.
The company also announced that Mark Spitzer will retire from the board.
— Fuse, a Bellevue, Wash., venture capital firm, announced the hire of Brooke Borseth as an investment team associate. She will focus on early-stage startups building B2B software.
The role marks Borseth’s return to the Seattle area from Moneta Ventures, a California-based investment firm where she served as a senior associate. At Moneta, she invested in more than 15 companies and supported the firm in raising a $250 million fund.
— Seattle’s Sarah Johansson has been promoted to head of legal product for Theo Ai, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup with a platform that predicts the outcome of legal disputes. Johansson will be working with legal teams in the U.S. to better understand their workflows to enable the design of custom-built tools. She has been with the company since November 2024.