Councilmember Rob Saka's Staff

Email Elaine

Elaine (she/her) is pleased to join Councilmember Rob Saka’s team. Elaine brings experience in local government coming from the City’s ARTS office and previously serving as the Director of the Office for Women’s Rights under former Mayor Norm Rice. She was the founding Director of the Port of Seattle’s Office of Social Responsibility and served as Executive Director of InterIm Community Development Association in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.

Elaine earned a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington and an MBA from City University. A native Seattleite, she attended Seattle Public Schools and graduated from Cleveland High School. She is a long-time former resident of West Seattle and currently lives in South Park with her husband John.

Elaine can be seen around town at local plays and enjoys writing and leading group tours to Japan.

Email Brendan

Brendan brings a strong commitment to public service and a mix of policy and cross-department experience. Most recently, he served in a management role with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services in the Human Resources Division, supporting complex, people focused work across teams. Earlier in his career, Brendan served with the Seattle Police Department, working in both the North and West Precincts and later supervising work in the department’s Policy Unit. He holds a BA in Political Science from Gonzaga University and an MA International Affairs from Marquette University.  A constituent and now a work colleague, Brendan and his wife Danielle live in West Seattle’s Delridge neighborhood with their three children. The family are avid Gonzaga basketball and Seattle Mariners fans, are deeply involved in the community.

Email Erik

Erik Schmidt was born and raised in the Seattle area and spent seven years working for the Victorian State Government in Melbourne, Australia, where he held a variety of roles focused on economic strategy, trade promotion, and investment attraction. Before that, he worked with the United Nations Capital Development Fund, contributing to programs aimed at fostering financial inclusion. 

Erik recently relocated home with his husband, Jay, who is originally from Australia and runs a non-profit providing veterinary services to the pets of people experiencing homelessness. Erik is particularly passionate about supporting small businesses, drawing on his experience helping businesses of all sizes recover from the COVID-19 pandemic during his time in Australia. 

Erik holds a master’s degree in International Business from the Cologne Business School in Germany and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Santa Clara University.