Joanne Harrell is First Lady of Seattle, and the wife of Mayor Bruce Harrell, the 57th Mayor of Seattle who assumed office on January 1, 2022.

Joanne’s tenure at Microsoft started in 2001. While there, she led global and national teams in the Sales, Marketing and Services disciplines focused on Enterprise, Public Sector and Original Equipment (OEM) customers and partners. Following a successful 20+ year career, she retired from Microsoft in October 2021 as Senior Director for USA AI, Sustainability & Market Development Strategy. 

Ms. Harrell’s pre-Microsoft work history is extensive and encompasses executive roles within the high-tech, telecommunications and non-profit sectors. She is the incoming University of Washington, Foster Business School, Fritzky Leadership Chair for the 2022-2023 school year.

Joanne has completed Marketing Management programs at Columbia University and Stanford in addition to the Stanford Advanced Management College and a non-profit management program at The Harvard Business School. Her B.A. and M.B.A. are from the University of Washington. In 2014, she completed the Corporate Citizenship Leadership Academy at the Boston College Carroll School of Management. 

A Regent for the University of Washington from 2009 to 2022, Joanne founded and was the inaugural Chair of the Board’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee in 2016. She retired due to term limits and sits on the Board’s Real Estate and Legislative committees.

Ms. Harrell chairs the Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS) Board of Directors and is a Director at HomeStreet Bank and HomeStreet, Inc. where she chairs the Nominating and Governance Committee. She is also a member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Board of Directors.

Inducted into the University of Washington School of Communication “Hall of Fame” in 2009, Joanne was also the school’s 2013 Distinguished Alumna. She was recognized in November 2016, as a “Woman of Influence” by the Puget Sound Business Journal and as a “Woman of Impact” in November 2017, by the International Women’s Forum (IWF). In January 2019, Joanne received the MLK “Vision of the Mountaintop” Award presented by a coalition of Seattle business, civic and spiritual leaders.

In May 2017, Joanne, and her spouse, were co-recipients of the University of Washington (UW) Charles E. Odegaard Award for Outstanding Community Service and Diversity on behalf of the citizens of the State of Washington. This is UW’s only University and community selected award and reflects its highest achievement in community impact.