PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA               Item No.       4a 
Date of Meeting   February 28, 2012 
DATE:    February 17, 2012 
TO:     Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    Marjorie Hillson, Assistant Director Human Resources andDevelopment 
Diversityand Consulting Services, on behalf of the Port of Seattle
Women's Initiative 
SUBJECT:  Special Order of Business  Pat Davis Women's Legacy of Leadership
Award Presented to Diane Summerhays 

BACKGROUND: 
In December 2009, Linda Strout, Deputy CEO; Rosalee Walz, Director, Human
Resources and Development; and Port Commissioner Pat Davis ended their formal
service to the Port of Seattle. All three were emblematic leaders at the Port, and all were
regarded as "pioneers in advancing possibilities for women  who embodied Port values
through their daily contributions and actions." Fittingly, women active in the Port of
Seattle Women's Initiative (also called "Imagine the Possibilities") created the "Pat
Davis Women's Legacy of Leadership Award." Ms. Strout and Ms. Walz were the first
recipients of the award named for Commissioner Davis. 
Subsequent to the 2009 creation and presentation of the award, participants in the
Women's Initiative created the following criteria for a woman leader at the Port to
qualify as a recipient of the Pat Davis Legacy of Leadership Award. 
A recipient must be: 
A person of integrity whose core interests are aligned with Port of Seattle values,
and 
Leaving the Port after at least 10 years of public service. 
Through her leadership she must have: 
Made substantive contributions that advance the mission of the Port, 
Advanced possibilities for women at the Port of Seattle, 
Stood for values in the face of adversity, and 
"Changed the conversation."

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
February 17, 2012 
Page 2 of 2 
With this memo, participants in the Port of Seattle Women's Initiative formally announce
the selection of Diane Summerhays as a recipient of the Pat Davis Legacy of Leadership
Award. 
After more than 26 years of service to the Port of Seattle, Ms. Summerhays recently
retired. Her last title at the Port was Director of Aviation Community Development, a
department that she developed; prior to that she was the first woman in noise
management, and the first woman planning manager at the Airport. She recalls that early
in her career, she was sometimes assumed to be the secretary for men who in fact
reported to her. Later in her career, she was a highly respected representative for the Port
in communities surrounding the Airport. Throughout , she was a model and a mentor for
many in the organization, including women who aspired to leadership, demonstrating
good humor, grace and a consistently calm demeanor even when "under fire." One of the
women who supported Ms. Summerhays' nomination for the Legacy of Leadership
Award noted that even when dealing with people or entities whose perspectives seemed
very different from those of the Port, she was able to focus on creating mutual
understanding and looking for possibilities to work together. 
Participants in the Port's Women's Initiative created the Pat Davis Legacy of Leadership
Award with the notion that it would not be given routinely, or on any particular schedule.
Rather, it is intended to be awarded when a worthy recipient emerges. 
In light of her substantive contributions to the Port and her impact on the women leaders
who are following her, we invite the Commission to join the Women's Initiative in
celebrating Diane Summerhays as that rare and worthy honoree.