Today, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) Chief Executive Officer Kelly Kinnison, Ph.D., submitted her letter of resignation, which was accepted by the agency’s Governing Board.
Dr. Kinnison was hired as permanent CEO following a national search in 2024. She was the agency’s fifth CEO and previously served as the Director of Family and Community Policy at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“I was asked to assess and rebuild a young organization that had significant challenges,” Kinnison said. “I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, including surfacing structural issues in our finance department and contributing to the path forward for a more accountable homelessness response system.”
During her tenure, Kinnison helped stabilize the agency following significant leadership turnover and strengthened its core operations. Her work included improving system coordination, stabilizing provider operations, strengthening severe weather response, and improving alignment with regional partners.
Dr. Kinnison’s resignation is effective November 16, 2026. The Governing Board’s co-chairs, King County Executive Zahilay and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, will make an Executive leadership recommendation to the board.
“I want to thank Dr. Kinnison for her service to King County and wish her well on future endeavors,” said Executive Zahilay, co-chair of the Governing Board. “She took on a challenging job to lead coordination on our region’s most pressing issue amid a shifting federal landscape and structural issues within the authority. King County will continue to work closely with the City of Seattle, homelessness service providers, and other partners throughout the region to ensure a smooth transition into KCRHA’s next phase.”
Following a forensic evaluation that identified historical deficiencies in the agency’s internal controls and financial systems, the City of Seattle and King County announced a plan to stabilize, right size and reset the agency. This includes transitioning administration of locally funded homelessness service contracts back to King County and the City of Seattle beginning in January 2027.
“I have a responsibility to the people of Seattle to ensure that financial challenges at KCRHA are addressed and stabilized,” said Mayor Katie Wilson. “I join Executive Zahilay in thanking Dr. Kinnison for her leadership and partnership, and we will make a recommendation soon on interim leadership.”
Dr. Kinnison’s departure from the agency reflects the significant changes to the agency’s mission, purpose, and service scope that moving back contracts to King County and the City of Seattle will entail. Dr. Kinnison offered her resignation in recognition of these pending organizational changes.
