Tourism Development Committee

Councilmember Amy Falcone

A Kirkland resident since 2014, Councilmember Falcone lives in the Finn Hill neighborhood with her husband and three children. She and her husband fell in love with Kirkland when they moved to the Pacific Northwest, particularly enamored by the City's lush park system, vibrant downtown core, and vital sense of community.

She is the current PTO Co-President at LWSD’s Environmental and Adventure School and also sits on the PTA board at Thoreau Elementary School, where she has served in various leadership positions. Councilmember Falcone has also served on the Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance (FHNA) board of directors and represented Finn Hill on the Kirkland Neighborhood Safety Panel for four years as well as serving as events committee chair and treasurer on the FHNA.

John Tymczyszyn

John is an attorney, veteran, husband, and father of three. Prior to being elected to the Council, he served on the Kirkland Planning Commission from 2017 through 2023, including serving two terms as chair. As a planning commissioner, John advocated for increases in affordable housing, school capacity and measures to combat climate change, to preserve Kirkland’s tree canopy, and to combat environmental degradation. 

John's grandparents moved to veterans housing in Kirkland in 1946 after World War II, and his grandfather became the first flight instructor at Kenmore Air Harbor.  

John graduated from Bellevue High School and received a B.S. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  He reported to the Naval Officer Candidates School in September 2001 where he served as a Naval officer from 2001-2009, rising to the rank of Lieutenant and receiving a National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. During that time, John served as both a pilot and an aide in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

John then attended the Seattle University School of Law and served in the criminal prosecution division of the City of Everett. In 2014, John founded his own law firm, John T Law, PLLC, and practices criminal defense and civil rights with a focus on trial and litigation. He also served as a founding member and legislative director for the Washington State Veterans Bar Association, an organization that advocates on behalf of veterans and provides pro-bono legal services to veterans and underserved populations.  

John and his wife, Tracey, a middle school principal, live in the Houghton neighborhood with their children, Jack, Molly and Teddy.

Scott Guthrie 

Scott Guthrie has been with the Woodmark Hotel and Still Spa since 2020 and was appointed their General Manager in 2022. Prior to The Woodmark, Scott served as Hotel Manager for the SLS Seattle and then acting General Manager for Equinox Hotel. Scott honed his hospitality management career in New York as Director of Front Desk Operations at the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel, helping the property to achieve a AAA 5 Diamond and Forbes 5 Star Awards in 2013. He returned to his Northwest roots in 2014 to serve as Hotel Manager and ultimately General Manager for Salish Lodge & Spa in Snoqualmie, where he led the historic property to new heights. In the ten years prior, Scott built the foundation of his hospitality centric career. He managed front office operations at New York’s Intercontinental Barclay Hotel; opened operations at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Las Vegas; and held front desk, meeting sales and conference services positions at the renowned Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Scott began his career in 1999 and held various management positions at the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel in Seattle.

Bio and headshot coming soon! 

Seat 3

David Lynx

David Lynx is the Executive Director at Kirkland Arts Center.  With over 35 years in the museum field, he  has directed art and history museums.  Lynx has a masters from University of Oklahoma and B.A. from University of Washington .  He is also a 500 hour registered yoga teacher.

Phil Megenhardt

Phil Megenhardt is a creative event director with vast experience in event production and a passion for community building, brand activations, and flawless event execution. Phil founded Bold Hat Productions in 1997 on the roots of over 20 years of sales, marketing, and business development experience. As President and Creative Director of Bold Hat, Phil has created several signature Puget Sound area events, including nationally recognized Fremont Oktoberfest and Kirkland Uncorked, in addition to many corporate and municipal celebrations.

Jackie Socha

Jackie Socha is the General Manager at Kirkland Urban, a word class, award winning mixed use development located in the heart of the downtown Kirkland core featuring various premiere retail and office space.  Jackie graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Minor in Scandinavian Studies.  Over the past 16 years, Jackie has worked in various roles in Real Estate and is working for JLL, an international commercial real estate company.  She has been assigned to Kirkland Urban for the past 4 years.

Being born and spending a lot of her childhood in Stockholm, Sweden, Jackie grew up traveling and seeing the world through the eyes of a tourist.  After relocating to the Seattle area, she quickly made the Pacific Northwest her home and hasn't left since! She has grown up on the east side and lived in the Bridle Trails neighborhood of Kirkland for 10 years before relocating to Duvall where she resides now with her two young daughters (9 and 4).  Jackie loves spending time with her girls exploring new areas, finding new restaurants, and attempting DIY projects around the house (some end up better than others!).  She is very excited about the future of Kirkland and the potential of tourism for the area and surrounding businesses.