February 19, 2025 – After a nationwide search, Seattle, WA-based Reffett Associates has assisted in the recruitment of Jeneva Cotton as the deputy director for the Washington State Gambling Commission where she will run the day-today operations and support the commission’s executive director, Tina Griffin. The search was led by Tom Young, the firm’s director of operations in their Seattle office. “Jeneva’s strong experience as a manager and background in dealing with complex compliance and regulatory issues as well as her natural ability to listen to the needs and concerns of a wide variety of stakeholders make her an excellent addition to the Gambling Commission,” Mr. Young said.
“Jeneva brings a vast amount of experience implementing programs and collaborating with stakeholders, both internal and external, including but not limited to legislative workgroups, labor relations partners, Disability Rights Washington, and the governor’s office,” the gambling commission wrote in a statement.
Ms. Cotton brings a wealth of experience from her extensive public service career. Prior to joining the Gambling Commission, she served as the juvenile division director at the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention since July 2023. In this capacity, she oversaw juvenile detention services and collaborated with various stakeholders to implement effective programs. Before her tenure in King County, Ms. Cotton was the director of civil residential treatment facilities at the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). There, she managed the transition of mental health patients from Western State Hospital to community-based facilities, ensuring a continuum of care.
Ms. Cotton’s career also includes 23 years with the Department of Corrections, where she held various leadership roles, including deputy director of prisons. In this role, she had statewide oversight of up to half of the state’s 12 prisons, offender programs, family services, visitation, religious services, and gender responsivity. Reffett Associates notes that her experience in state government, and knowledge of all areas in operations and management, will be an asset for the Gambling Commission as it carries out its mandate to “protect the public by ensuring that gambling is legal and honest.”
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The Gambling Commission was established in 1973. This accredited law enforcement agency has jurisdiction over all gambling activities in Washington state except horse racing and the state lottery. The Gambling Commission oversees all tribal gaming in Washington and works closely with the 29 federally recognized tribes to ensure that this billion-dollar industry is free from the criminal element. The Gambling Commission has oversight of pull tabs, house banked card rooms, tribal compacts for casinos, and non-profit gambling activities throughout Washington State. The organization has over 100 full-time staff to help it successfully carry out its mission.
Nationally Recognized
Reffett Associates is a nationally recognized executive search firm. The boutique talent provider has extensive experience in retail and consumer packaged goods, private equity, commercial and federal services, government sectors, and associations and non-profits. Its team is made up of executives with tangible industry experience, possessing real world, relatable knowledge about the challenges executives face in managing talent in a competitive marketplace.
Last year, Reffett Associates helped to recruit Thomas Austin as the nation’s 13th Architect of the Capitol. The assignment was led by Marshall Reffett, managing director in Seattle, and Washington D.C., along with assistance from the entire Reffett & Associates staff. “The Architect of the Capitol may be the most important, non-elected individual on Capitol Hill. The Architect of the Capitol preserves and maintains the Capitol complex ensuring that Congress has a safe place to conduct its business, visitors have a welcoming experience and the American people, for generations to come, are able to enjoy the heart of our democracy.”
The bipartisan hiring committee comprised of top House and Senate leadership released the following statement about their unanimous decision to appoint Thomas Austin to be the next Architect of the Capitol: “The Architect of the Capitol plays a vital role welcoming millions of visitors to our nation’s Capitol and ensuring it is a functional workplace. Thomas Austin has managed construction projects and facilities of all sizes, maintained one of our nation’s most hallowed landmarks, and served our country in the military. We are confident that with his extensive experience, Thomas Austin will be an adept and capable Architect of the Capitol.”
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
