Mike serves as the Civil Rights Enforcement Manager at the Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR) and is responsible for enforcing Seattle’s civil rights and anti-discrimination laws in employment, housing, public accommodations, and contracting. Under his leadership, the Enforcement Division’s work has shifted to a more preventative and proactive community-centered approach to civil rights enforcement by providing training and technical assistance, conducting fair housing and employment testing, offering restorative mediation, engaging in outreach and public engagement, case investigations, and coordinating the City’s Title VI Program. Mike and his team’s accomplishments include implementing Seattle’s first labor standard laws (which later became the Office of Labor Standards); providing fair chance employment and housing protections for individuals with criminal history; and establishing new public accommodation protections such as the all-gender restroom, ban on conversion therapy to minors, and closed captioning requirements. Before joining SOCR, Mike was an investigator for the Washington State Human Rights Commission.
As a certified mediator with the Washington Mediation Association, Mike mediates for the Seattle Federal Executive Board, Interlocal King County Dispute Resolution Program and serves on the City of Seattle Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Board. Mike is a member of the citywide Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI) Core Team 4 and former RSJI Change Team member, which addresses racial equity in city government. Mike received his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from Gonzaga University School of Law and his degree on Master’s in Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Gonzaga University in 2006.
Born in Moscow, Idaho, Mike’s father is an immigrant from Jamaica and mother a second-generation Chinese American. Mike enjoys travelling, food, learning about cultures, exercising, practicing mindfulness, spending time with family, and reading. Mike lives with his partner, Germán Gornalusse and with their Chow-Golden Retriever mix Osito on Beacon Hill in Seattle, Washington.
Mike Chin
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Last Updated: January 20, 2022 by Administrator
Seattle Office for Civil Rights
mike.chin@seattle.gov
Mike serves as the Civil Rights Enforcement Manager at the Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR) and is responsible for enforcing Seattle’s civil rights and anti-discrimination laws in employment, housing, public accommodations, and contracting. Under his leadership, the Enforcement Division’s work has shifted to a more preventative and proactive community-centered approach to civil rights enforcement by providing training and technical assistance, conducting fair housing and employment testing, offering restorative mediation, engaging in outreach and public engagement, case investigations, and coordinating the City’s Title VI Program. Mike and his team’s accomplishments include implementing Seattle’s first labor standard laws (which later became the Office of Labor Standards); providing fair chance employment and housing protections for individuals with criminal history; and establishing new public accommodation protections such as the all-gender restroom, ban on conversion therapy to minors, and closed captioning requirements. Before joining SOCR, Mike was an investigator for the Washington State Human Rights Commission.
As a certified mediator with the Washington Mediation Association, Mike mediates for the Seattle Federal Executive Board, Interlocal King County Dispute Resolution Program and serves on the City of Seattle Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Board. Mike is a member of the citywide Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI) Core Team 4 and former RSJI Change Team member, which addresses racial equity in city government. Mike received his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from Gonzaga University School of Law and his degree on Master’s in Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Gonzaga University in 2006.
Born in Moscow, Idaho, Mike’s father is an immigrant from Jamaica and mother a second-generation Chinese American. Mike enjoys travelling, food, learning about cultures, exercising, practicing mindfulness, spending time with family, and reading. Mike lives with his partner, Germán Gornalusse and with their Chow-Golden Retriever mix Osito on Beacon Hill in Seattle, Washington.
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