Biography

Born and raised in Spokane, Representative Marcus Riccelli graduated from Gonzaga University with a Bachelors of Business Administration, and from the University of Washington with a Masters of Public Administration. From 2007 to 2010, Marcus served as U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell’s Eastern Washington Director. Then from 2010 to 2012, he served as Senior Policy Advisor to Washington State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown. Elected to the state legislature in 2012, Marcus serves as chair of the Health Care & Wellness Committee, which he vice-chaired for three years and was elected chair starting in the 2023 session. He also serves on the Appropriations and Local Government committees. He previously served in the leadership role of Majority Whip from 2016 until 2022. He was appointed to and serves on the Joint Select Committee on Health Care and Behavioral Health Oversight and the Universal Health Care Commission, and is also a member of the Washington State Telehealth Collaborative. Previously he served as chair of the Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program Committee and on the Joint Legislative Executive Committee on Planning for Aging and Disability Issues.

Outside his duties with the legislature, Marcus is a Community Relations Manager for CHAS, the Community Health Association of Spokane, where he has worked for the past five years, previously as a Project Manager. He has also been an adjunct instructor at Eastern Washington University’s College of Health Science and Public Health and worked as Operations Manager for the Northeast Community Center.

Marcus is deeply committed to fostering opportunities for young people in Spokane. He serves as an advisory board member for the Northside YMCA and coaches youth sports.

A strong believer in putting his community and people first, Marcus worked with advocates and colleagues from both sides of the aisle to prime sponsor and pass legislation creating the WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, which trains homegrown doctors to help fill the needs of our state’s rural and underserved communities. He also worked on the bipartisan transportation package that makes significant investments in the North Spokane Corridor, Central City Line and U-District Bridge, which will expand employment opportunities in the Spokane region and reduce travel time by several million hours each year. He championed funding to expand oral health access to an additional 60,000 people, increasing dental visits by 150,000 annually. He also passed multiple bills expanding access to free school meals, benefiting 670,000 Washington students.

Marcus lives in Spokane with his wife, Amanda, and their two children.

 

Community Involvement:

Current:
North Spokane YMCA Advisory Board member
Rotarian, Spokane Rotary Club 21
Youth Soccer Coach
Member, Eastern Washington Long Term Care Ombudsman Program Advisory Council
Washington Youth Soccer Board Member
Appointee, Joint Select Committee on Health Care and Behavioral Health Oversight
Appointee, Universal Health Care Commission
Appointee, State Public Health Advisory Board
Member, Washington State Telehealth Collaborative

Past:
Appointee, Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program Committee
Appointee, Joint Legislative Executive Committee on Planning for Aging and Disability Issues
Appointee, Community Economic Revitalization Board
Spokane Advisory Board Member, Daybreak Youth Services
Co-Director, Spokane Central YMCA Youth & Government Youth Legislature Program
Chair, Children’s Health One Table
Member, Financial Education Public-Private Partnership
Member, Spokane Public Schools Public Affairs Advisory Council

Awards and Honors:

2024 Emergency Management Services Legislator of the Year
2023 Food Lifeline Legislative Champion
2023 Eye Care Visionary of the Year
2023 Washington Dental Hygienists’ Partner in Oral Health Award
2022 and 2023 Children’s Alliance Champion for Children
2021 Washington State Medical Association Legislator of the Year
2021 Washington State Psychological Association Legislative Service Award
2020 Washington Academy of Physician Assistants Legislator of the year
2019 Nursing Champion from the Washington State Nurses Association
2019 Oral Health Hero
2019 Food Lifeline Legislative Champion
2018 Latino Hope Foundation Elected Official of the Year
2018 Shape Washington award for service promoting physical education in schools
2016 Washington State Medical Association Legislator of the Year
2016 Legislator of the Year Award Student Government Council of WSU
2015 Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network 2015 Advocate Award
2013 Washington State Housing Finance Association Proud Partner Award
2013 WACOPS House Democrats Legislator of the Year
2013 Associate Students of Washington State University Champion of Higher Education Award
2013 Chase Youth Foundation Champion of Youth Award for Government
2013 Washington Student Association Legislator of the Year