Mia was first appointed in 2013 to represent the 33rd Legislative District, including SeaTac, Normandy Park, Des Moines, and parts of Kent, Burien, Renton, and unincorporated King County. Mia also served as Mayor of the SeaTac City Council from 2008 to 2015, and was part of the group that led the charge in the $15 minimum wage initiative that passed in Seattle in 2014 and was phased in over several years. This was the first $15 minimum wage initiative in the nation, and other cities and states later followed suit.
Many of her legislative accomplishments include serving as Chair of the House Members of Color Caucus and Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, expanding voting rights, ensuring our residents are housed, helping to establish Washington’s first Office of Equity, championing statewide digital equity, and being part of the so-called “food fighters” who work together on legislation to help the food insecure.
Mia prides herself in representing one of the most racially diverse districts in the state. In the summer of 2023, Mia was appointed to serve on the board of directors of the Washington State Investment Board, and was assigned to WSIB’s Public Markets Committee in the fall of 2023.
Mia has spent more than 40 years in South King County and holds degrees from Highline Community College and the University of Washington.
Prior to her service as a state representative, Mia worked as a surgical assistant and business manager in the dental field for nearly 20 years.
Mia is one of four generations of her family in the South King County area. She has an adult daughter, Alexis, who lives in Seattle.