Biography
Dow Constantine received his B.A. in political science from the University of Washington in 1985. Additional degrees earned at UW include his law degree (1989) and a graduate degree in urban planning (1992).
Constantine was elected King County Executive in 2009 and is currently serving his first term. As County Executive, Dow Constantine oversees the regional government for the 14th largest county in the United States, an organization with 13,000 employees and an annual budget of 5.1 billion dollars.
Constantine's career in politics began in 1996 when he was elected to the Washington State Legislature. He was elected to two terms in the House and one term in the Senate. In the legislature, he served as co-chair of the House Judiciary Committee and vice-chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. He was appointed to the King County Council in January 2002 and subsequently won election to that office four times. He served as County Council Chair in 2009 and also served four years as a member of the Councils budget leadership team. In addition to holding elected office, Constantine has served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations and worked as a lawyer in private practice. During his distinguished career in public service, he has successfully championed causes like government reform, environmental protection, public transportation, historic preservation, education, and empowerment of women.