Permitting Power Hour

Jo Anne Wright, AICP, is a Senior Planner at the Washington State Department of Commerce in the Local Government Division, Growth Management Services, Spokane office. In this position, she serves as a Growth Management Act (GMA) technical specialist to select jurisdictions within Washington State that are planning under the GMA. In addition, she is the Project Lead for Commerce's implementation of the state legislative directives in Senate Bill (SB) 5290, which amended the Local Project Review Act. Before her work at Commerce, JoAnne was with the City of Spokane Planning Department for over 20 years. Her work experience included both long-range planning and permit review, with a special interest in policy and comprehensive plan development. Her many roles at the city included serving as the City's Acting Planning Director from 2009-2011 and managing the Neighborhood Planning Program. Jo Anne also worked as adjunct faculty in the Eastern Washington University (EWU) Planning Department from 2018 - 2023, teaching planning courses to graduate and undergraduate students. Jo Anne received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban and Regional Planning from EWU and is certified AICP.

Jake Hesselgesser is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of local government and construction-related experience. Jake joined the City of Bellevue Development Services Department in August of 2014 as a Building Supervisor and currently serves as the department’s Business Services Director. In his current role, Jake leads several teams focused on technology, finance, performance management, permit processing, administrative support, and experience management programs. Prior to the City of Bellevue, Jake worked for two private sector firms in the southwest United States providing professional consulting services to local government and tribal communities. Throughout his career, Jake has served in many leadership roles including ushering in the City of Bellevue’s one-hundred percent paperless permitting initiative and overseeing code consulting services for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies spring training facility in Arizona. As Business Services Director, Jake has more recently been responsible for leading the City of Bellevue’s response to Senate Bill 5290 and participating in the statewide digital permitting workgroup convened by the Department of Commerce. In his spare time, you will likely find Jake spending time with his family, fly fishing, and enjoying the many other outdoor activities the Pacific Northwest has to offer.