Keynote Address: Leesa Manion '96

King County Prosecuting Attorney

Leesa Manion, a Seattle U Law alumni of 1996, is the first woman, the first person of color, and the first Asian-American to be elected to serve as King County Prosecuting Attorney. Leesa is also the first Korean-American woman in the United States to be elected Prosecuting Attorney.

Prior to her election in 2022, Leesa served as Chief of Staff of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (PAO) for 15 years.

During the course of her career, Leesa has "illuminated" her field, implementing effective programs that have improved public safety, enhanced victim services, and reduced racial disproportionality.

Leesa is a co-founding member of Choose 180, a diversion program that helped reduce juvenile crime to all time lows. She was also a key stakeholder in launching the PAO’s Regional Domestic Violence Firearm Enforcement Unit, and serves on the Boards of the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, and the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle. Leesa is also an award-winning member of the Korean Prosecutors Association and a member of the Korean American Bar Association (KABA) of Washington. She is a former Board Member for Pioneer Human Services and the Beecher's Foundation.