Human Services Commission

The Human Services Commission is directed by the City Council to advise the Parks and Community Services department, City Manager, and City Council in leading the City’s efforts to support a socially sustainable community through health and human services and programs that fulfill the basic needs of all people and enhance the quality of life in our city now and into the future. The Human Services Commission meetings are at 6:30 PM on the 4th Tuesday of every month at Kirkland City Hall.


Next Meeting

Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Time: 6:30 PM

Location: Rose Hill Room, Kirkland City Hall, 123 5th Ave Kirkland, WA 98033

Meeting Materials(PDF, 289KB)

The City of Kirkland appreciates the interest of our community members and values public involvement. We make every effort to make the recordings of our meetings available soon after each meeting is completed. However, due to technical difficulties that may occur with our digital recording system it may take up to four days for a recording to become available online. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.


Meet the Human Services Commissioners

Gabriela Lopez Vazquez - Chair (term expires 03/31/2029)

Gabby Lopez Photo 6-23.jpg Gabriela Lopez Vazquez was born and raised in Mexico City she moved to Kirkland in 2015.  She has a Master’s in Logistics and International trade and has 15 yeas experience as a former Supply Chain Supervisor.    As an immigrant Gabriela decided to get involved with her community and started volunteering at the Bellevue Library as a tutor for adults at Plaza Comunitaria Program that helps Spanish speakers to obtain elementary and high school certificates. 

Later Gabriela became a Promotora at King County Promotores Network and started collaborating with other nonprofit organizations like Eastside Refugee and Immigrant Coalition and Eastside for All in multiple projects mainly doing community outreach to promote for example people’s participation in the Census 2020 and providing information about public programs and resources specially for people impacted by Covid19 on the Eastside. At the end of 2020 she participated with the City of Kirkland to do a survey with the Latino community to learn about their thoughts about living in Kirkland and their needs.

Gabriela loves animals and volunteers at Regional Animal Services of King County as customer service for the adoption of cats at the adoption Center in Kirkland.  She is happily married and still discovering the wonders of the Northwest. 

 

Sriram Rajagopalan - Vice Chair (term expires 3/31/2027)

Sriram Photo.jpg Sriram was born and raised in India. He has lived in the beautiful Pacific NW for nearly 35 years, 25 of those in Kirkland. He wants to do his part in ensuring that Kirkland remains a livable, vibrant, welcoming, and supportive community for all people regardless of ethnicity, age, wealth, gender identity, and many other factors. As a person with lived experience of mental health challenges, he has benefited from having access to resources that helped him work through these challenges. That’s why he cares deeply about ensuring that everyone has access to sufficient resources and support for overcoming not just healthcare challenges such as mental health and substance use, but also safe shelter, access to healthy food, clean water, education, transportation, jobs, and so on. He’d like the city of Kirkland to be a leader in providing human services equitably with a social justice lens, so that everyone has an opportunity to live a good quality life.

Sriram is currently serving as a volunteer member on the Crisis Response Improvement Strategy (CRIS) Technology Subcommittee that’s advising the state on the build-out of a new technology platform for a modern and integrated behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention system. Previously, he served in numerous volunteer leadership roles as well as as a street outreach lead for the Seattle chapter of StandUp For Kids, a non-profit that serves and advocates for homeless and at-risk youth on the streets of Seattle.

 

Sriram worked at Microsoft for more than 25 years. He’s currently working as a solo strategic IT consultant helping businesses on their journey of digital transformation. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, biking, reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

 

He is honored to serve on the Human Services Commission.

Kobey Sage Chew (term expires 03/31/2029)

Kobey Chew Headshot Kobey Chew is excited to serve on Kirkland’s Human Services Commission. A lifelong resident of Kirkland’s Kingsgate neighborhood, he has appreciated all that Kirkland has had to offer and enjoys serving the community in various capacities, such as through his experience as a former Kirkland Youth Council and Park Board Member, and recent addition to the EvergreenHealth Community Advisors. As a multiracial person, and someone who has experienced lifelong physical disability, he recognizes the critical importance of maintaining and growing opportunities for Kirklanders of all backgrounds to thrive. Kobey currently works as a Communications Coordinator at a local nonprofit focused on promoting youth mental health and discouraging youth substance use. He graduated from the University of Washington Seattle in 2023 with a business degree in marketing, a bachelor’s degree in political science & communication, and a professional sales certificate.

Jory Hamilton (term expires 03/31/2029)

Hamilton, Jory.jpg Jory Hamilton considers his role to serve along with his fellow Kirkland Human Services Commissioners, Human Services Staff, and City Council Members one of his greatest honors and privileges of his life.  He appreciates the opportunities the people of Kirkland afforded him since he was born in Evergreen Hospital.  

As someone with learning disabilities, a first-generation immigrant, and growing up in a poor single-parent household on Finn Hill, he believes the City of Kirkland's efforts to help those in need are life-saving.   

Jory studies business administration with Washington State University's online master's program after quad majoring in STEM at the University of Washington.  Jory volunteers with the LWSD and BSA Troop 565 at St. John Vianney Church.  He serves as the Bellevue wrestling head coach, his fraternity's domain director, founded and leads local small businesses Suplex City Wrestling, Hamilton Analytics, and the Juanita Class of 2009 Foundation.

Cristian Liu (term expires 3/31/2027)

CristianL_23Nov22_212.jpg Cristian Liu is the Director of Partnerships & Go-to-Market Strategy, Google Health, leading health partnerships and go-to-market strategy for health & wellness products across Google. He and his team are responsible for driving Google’s cohesive approach & engagement with the healthcare ecosystem. Prior to Google Health, Cristian advised healthcare organizations while at the Boston Consulting Group and developed health technology policy supporting the Affordable Care Act as part of the US Department of Health and Human Services. Cristian is a graduate of Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering and the USC Marshall School of Business, and is pursuing his doctorate in public health at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He serves on the board of HealthAdvocateX, a national nonprofit aimed at raising awareness of the importance of health advocacy.  

Tasnim Rehamani (term expires 03/31/2029)

Tasnim Rehamani.jpgTasnim Rehamani is the daughter of immigrants from India and Uganda, and an immigrant herself—born in British Columbia, Canada, and raised in Texas before settling in Washington State in 1990. As the eldest of two daughters, her upbringing instilled in her a deep commitment to service, cultural connection, and lifelong learning. Today, Tasnim proudly calls Kirkland home and is honored to serve as a Human Services Commissioner for the City.

Tasnim's background is rooted in behavioral health, crisis response, and social services. She has worked extensively to bridge community needs with resources, amplify underrepresented voices, and advocate for equitable systems of care.

Over the years, she has invested deeply in civic engagement and community wellness across Kirkland and the Eastside. Tasnim is a graduate of the inaugural Kirkland Initiative (2023) and the City’s Community Police Academy (2019), hold certifications in Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid, and completed CERT training through the City of Kirkland Emergency Management. She is a proud recipient of the Gold-level President’s Volunteer Service Award and have been actively involved in numerous community causes—from homelessness advocacy to youth mental health.

In response to community needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, she founded and facilitated bi-monthly Kirkland Community Donation Drives from 2020 to 2023. These efforts supported hundreds of families with food, hygiene products, household essentials, and welcome items for refugees, and concluded as local food banks and service organizations resumed full operations.

Tasnim also served on the Board of Directors for the Northshore YMCA (Bothell) and held leadership roles for over two decades in her faith-based community, where she led initiatives focused on youth, sports, and communications. In addition to her service as a Human Services Commissioner for the City of Kirkland, she currently serves on the Board of Directors for NAMI Eastside and as a Chamber Ambassador with the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce.

Beyond her public service, Tasnim enjoy walking along Kirkland’s waterfront, baking and cooking, and exploring the world—whether by plane or through research and cultural immersion. She is a lifelong performer and instructor of Bollywood dance and began professionally singing with Bollywood artists at age 12. She speak English, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Hindi.

Tasnim also a proud parent to a teenage son—a Kirkland Police Cadet, a Youth Ambassador for NAMI Eastside, and a passionate community contributor in his own right.

Community is the thread that ties all parts of Tasnim's life together. It is both her calling and her joy to serve, learn, and grow alongside the residents of Kirkland.

Shannon Quinn (term expires 03/31/2027)

Eric Dodd - Youth Representative (term expires 03/31/2027)

Eric Dodd.jpg Eric Dodd has lived in Kirkland for all fifteen years of his life, and is currently a freshman at Lake Washington High School. In addition to his role on the Human Services Commission, Eric serves on the Kirkland Youth Council, and is actively involved with organizations such as NAMI and The Sophia Way.

Eric is proud to call Kirkland home, and deeply honored to play a small part in giving back to the community that has shaped and inspired him throughout his life.

In his rare moments of free time, Eric enjoys spending time with friends, cooking, lifting weights, and playing instruments such as the clarinet, saxophone, and harmonica.