Davina Williams Duerr (born March 3, 1971) is an American politician and architect who serves as a member of the Washington State House of Representatives, a position that she was appointed to on July 1, 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she also served on the Bothell City Council for three years prior to being elected to her current position.

Early life and education

Davina was born on March 3, 1971, the daughter of a Taiwanese immigrant. She grew up in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

and attended

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

, where she graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in architecture and a minor in environmental geography.

Career

In addition to serving in the state's House of Representatives, she works as a senior interior architect at an architecture firm in

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside (King County, Washington), Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area, and the f ...

. Duerr is a former Deputy Mayor for the Bothell city council, on which she served from 2016 to 2019. She then went on to be appointed as a member of the Washington State House of Representatives, taking over Derek Stanford's seat after he was appointed to the Washington State Senate. Duerr was subsequently elected to a full term on November 3, 2020. Before she was appointed, Duerr served on the Bothell Landmarks Preservation Board for ten years. She also co-founded the M.I.L.K. Money Project, which provides academic and financial services to underprivileged students.

Tenure

In her time as a representative, Duerr has focused on the issues of transportation and climate change. For example, she has served on the Eastside Transportation Partnership in an attempt to ease traffic and commute times in Bothell.

Legislative positions

Duerr supports several environmental causes, including a reduction in the use of single-use plastic, lowering the level of acceptable greenhouse gasses, and environmental restoration initiatives. Her voting record includes support for establishing background checks for the purchase of firearms. In 2020, Duerr sponsored a bill that would allot funds to improve local infrastructure in hopes of spurring economic development. While on the Bothell City Council, she supported affordable housing in established Bothell neighborhoods.

Awards

* 2021 City Champion Awards. Presented by Association of Washington Cities (AWC).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duerr, Davina 1971 births American politicians of Taiwanese descent Living people Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature Women state legislators in Washington (state) Syracuse University alumni 21st-century American women politicians