Educator turned CEO Lisa Wellman announced her campaign today for state Senate in the 41st Legislative District. Wellman – a Democrat – is running to unseat incumbent Republican state Sen. Steve Litzow.

Both Wellman and Litzow live on Mercer Island.

“In the business world, we are held accountable based on the bottom line and the bottom line is Senator Litzow isn’t getting the job done. Since riding the Tea Party wave into the state Senate, he has consistently added to the gridlock in Olympia by playing partisan games on school funding, traffic congestion and women’s health issues. We need leadership not game playing. It’s time for a change,” Wellman said in a statement.

Litzow was first elected in 2010 to the state Senate, and currently serves as the chair of the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee.

Wellman is endorsed by Islanders state Rep. Judy Clibborn, state Rep. Tana Senn and former state senator and King County Deputy Executive Fred Jarrett, along with U.S. House of Representatives member Adam Smith, former state Rep. Marcie Maxwell, King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci and others.

Wellman is currently the managing director for nsquared solutions, a software development company. She serves on the Washington State Public Works Board, delivering public works infrastructure projects across the state, and as a board member of Partners For Rural Washington. She has been a mentor at the MBA Program at Foster School of Business at the University of Washington for eight years.

Wellman began a career as a public school teacher but changed course into the business world, including a stint as a vice president of Apple Computer. Her business background includes work at Allstate, Radarworks, CampusCE, Deep Canyon and Sustaincommworld, a sustainability consultancy.

“Education is paramount and infrastructure is fundamental to the health and safety of thriving communities,” Wellman stated. “My experience will benefit the 41st at this critical time.”

Previously, Wellman has served on the boards of Washington CASH (now Ventures), the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) and the Washington Business Alliance.

Wellman has a bachelor’s degree from Barat College of DePaul University and in her spare time enjoys photography, travel, reading and bridge. She has two daughters and a grandson.

Learn more at wellmanforwasenate.org.