MEET THE BOARD

Kerry Abercrombie – Fire District 25 Commissioner 

Kerry has been part of the Renton community for the past 32 years.  He has served as a King County Fire District #25 Commissioner since early 2014.   Kerry became involved with Renton’s Fire and Emergency Services to give back to his community, to share a common interest with his son who is a firefighter/paramedic on Bainbridge Island, and to represent his friends and neighbors to ensure excellent fire services for years to come.

Kerry’s career started with a BS degree in Marine Fishery Biology and a unique job at Sea World as Marine Mammal Specialist.  In 1982, he returned to school and obtained a 2nd BS in Computer Science.  This later degree allowed him to move to Renton to work at PACCAR as a computer programmer and later as part of PACCAR’s management team.  Kerry moved on from PACCAR to Weyerhaeuser, eventually to John L. Scott, and now into semi-retirement.  He has put in thousands of hours working with the youth of our community and 15 years at 5-Star as coach, sports director, vice president and president.

Kerry lives in King County Fire District #25 with his wife Kim (of 35 years), and is only a stone’s throw away from Briarwood, Maywood and Liberty where his two children attended school and graduated from.  Upon their H.S. graduation, both attended Western Washington University, each graduating with B.S.’s in their fields of interest.

Kerry sees the formation of the Renton Regional Fire Authority (RRFA) improving Fire and Emergency services for Renton.  Since the RRFA now has a stable funding model, longer term planning and execution of services will only get better providing quicker response times, greater community involvement and creative “out of the box” thinking, taking Renton’s Fire and Emergency services to the next level.

James Alberson, Jr. – City of Renton Councilmember

James has been a resident of Renton since he moved to the Pacific Northwest from Ohio in 1997. He and his wife, Jessica, live in the Renton Highlands and have three daughters – Hannah, Olivia, and Sofia.

James initially began his involvement in the Renton community as a member of the Renton Chamber of Commerce, where he eventually served as Board President, and currently remains as a Board Member.  He also served as a Planning Commissioner for the city for two years.  He has served as the HOA President of his neighborhood’s homeowners’ association for 13+ years.

James has a passion to see Renton reach its highest potential and to ensure Renton residents feel proud to call Renton their home.  He believes that Renton can and should be the envy of all cities in the region, and is dedicated to creating that vision.

James graduated at the top of his class with a M.B.A. in Marketing from the Purdue University and a B.S. in Computer Technology from Purdue as well.  James currently owns and operates a Sandler Training Franchise, where he works with company leaders and their teams to put structures, processes, and skills in place to create greater company growth and success.  Having been a business owner for twelve years, and in various corporate leadership positions previous to that, James will bring his experience in strategic planning and tactical execution to the Renton RFA Governance Board.

Marcus Morrell – Fire District 25 Commissioner 

Marcus was born and raised in Washington state, growing up in Auburn.  He graduated from Auburn High School and then received his BS degree in Mathematics from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.  After getting married in 2001, he and his wife, Kristin, settled in the Renton area.

Marcus began his career in the Health Insurance industry, first as an Underwriter for the local BlueShield affiliate in Seattle.  Later he moved to a national consulting firm still within the healthcare industry.  Ultimately, in 2009, he began work for a small consulting firm based in Seattle with a special emphasis on Labor and Union healthcare benefits, with a particular niche of working with Fire Fighters.  Working with first responders has become the focus and has forged the direction of his career, his working relationships, and his personal friendships.

Marcus, Kristin and their six children live in the East Renton Highlands, close to Apollo Elementary, Maywood Middle School, and Liberty High School.  In 2018, they will have children attending all three schools.

When he learned of the upcoming retirement of longtime Renton Fire Fighter, and Commissioner, Ray Barilleaux, Marcus saw an opportunity to serve his community as part of the newly formed Renton RFA by running for Commissioner in 2018.  He was elected and looks forward to bringing his experience and vision to the Board, seeing the RFA into the next decade.

Valorie O’Halloran – City of Renton Councilmember

Valerie has been a resident of Renton since 1996.  She and her husband, Michael, live in the Heather Downs neighborhood of the Renton Highlands.

Over the course of her 30-year business career, Valerie held positions of increasing responsibility in the fields of accounting, financial analysis, systems and process improvement. Prior to her recent retirement, Valerie was a Senior Finance Systems Analyst for a major medical device manufacturer in the region.

Valerie recently completed nine years serving on the Board of Directors of the Renton Regional Community Foundation, including responsibility as Secretary of the Executive Committee. While at the Foundation, Valerie participated on the Finance Committee, the Nominating Committee, chaired the Strategic Growth sub-committee and helped to identify, recruit and hire a new Executive Director.

Valerie is driven by a desire to serve our community. She is known as a collaborative problem-solver who brings people together to get things done, ensuring that those most impacted by decisions have a voice at the table. She looks forward to representing all citizens and working toward a shared vision for Renton.

Sean Cook – Fire District 25 Commissioner

Sean grew up in Aptos, a small beach town in Northern California. His family relocated to Renton in 1999. Sean graduated from Liberty High School, excelling as a leader on and off the football & rugby fields. Sean received his degree in Communications from Central Washington University.

Sean lives in the East Renton Highlands with his wife, three children & two dogs. In his free time he enjoys coaching his daughters soccer & basketball teams as well as cooking and hosting family & friends.

Sean has worked in the High Tech industry selling analytics & artificial intelligence software to some of the biggest corporations in the world. He feels fortunate to be able to constantly work with a diverse global footprint of people to strategically partner with them to help solve key business issues.

Throughout his career Sean has had the opportunity to volunteer with various foundations. Currently tly Sean is a mentor for an “Equality in High Tech” program, a student mentor for Central Washington University and is his neighborhood HOA President. Giving back to community is a key passion of his and he feels that serving the R.F.A. will give him the chance to extend his reach in making our community a better place.

Ryan McIrvin – City of Renton Councilmember

Ryan McIrvin has served on the Renton City Council since 2015, as well as the Renton Human Services Advisory Committee, which reviews and recommends the allocation of funding to local agencies providing vital services to the most vulnerable members of our community.

Ryan attended Western Washington University, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Politics/Philosophy/Economics and Communication. Presently, he is the Assistant Director of Government and Community Relations at the University of Washington Bothell.

Board Member McIrvin is an avid marathon runner and encourages everyone to be active and involved, both physically and in their community. He is a member of the Renton Community Foundation’s “The Next Curve” and volunteers as a marathon coach for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.

Ryan and his wife Stefanie own a home in the Cascade Neighborhood and live there with their daughters, Molly and Lena.

Andrew Schneider – Fire District 40 Commissioner

(Nonvoting advisory position to the Renton RFA Governance Board)

Andrew has lived in Renton for the last 16 years and currently lives in Fairwood Greens.  In 2020, he was elected to serve a 6-year term as a Fire Commissioner for KCFD40.

After graduating from the UW with a degree in Social Science, he became a volunteer firefighter for KCFD 20, located in Skyway.  Andrew worked for 3 years in the emergency department at Valley Medical Center before starting his professional firefighting career with the Bellevue Fire Department.  Andrew has a passion for helping others and hopes to use his experience to strengthen the leadership and direction of the Renton RFA Governance Board.

When not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 young daughters.