Leadership

The people behind The Kirkland Pulse.

Board

Co-Founder and President

Ken MacKenzie

Ken and his family moved to Kirkland in 2009 and he’s been a Community volunteer since 2014 in Little League, Youth Soccer, Lake Washington Schools Foundation, Scouting, and the Market Neighborhood Association. He was appointed by the City of Kirkland to several Citizen’s Committees, worked on four Kirkland ballot initiatives and ran once for City Council. Professionally, Ken is a business manager. He has been part of start-ups and global companies as a software developer, computer hardware developer, manager of software product departments, and created tech product marketing and business strategy. Ken is activated by his commitment to the Kirkland Community to be a co-founder of the Kirkland Pulse.

Co-Founder and Secretary

Liz Hunt

Liz started her corporate career creating 40-hour training courses for computer operating systems. She excels at presenting complex information in ways that readers can easily understand and apply to their needs. Later, Liz led teams that delivered software with high revenue and customer satisfaction. Liz is an avid volunteer in the Kirkland community, supporting our schools, neighborhoods, and civic education. When helping first graders, she loved seeing big smiles on their faces when they realized they could read. She inspired fourth graders to love math through playing games like Yahtzee. More recently, you have probably seen Liz volunteering at events such as City Hall for All and sharing resident input at City Council and Planning Commission meetings. She is the Chair of the Market Neighborhood Association. Liz is excited to bring a community newspaper to Kirkland to strengthen the fabric of our great city.

Co-Founder and Treasurer

Danielle Porter

Danielle is a veteran tech CFO who serves as Treasurer for The Kirkland Pulse, where she is excited to help bring high-quality, nonpartisan local news to the Kirkland community. Following her April 2025 retirement from a 30-year corporate career, she has dedicated her strategic and financial expertise entirely to local philanthropic and nonprofit endeavors. In her corporate career, Danielle most recently served as CFO and Board Director at Bungie, guiding the company through its acquisition by Sony. Her executive background also includes serving as CFO for Flowroute and Lighthouse, alongside senior finance leadership roles at T-Mobile, Clearwire, and AT&T Wireless. Today, Danielle channels her skills and experience into local community leadership. Beyond her role establishing The Kirkland Pulse's digital newsroom, she is the Board Chair for The Sophia Way, supporting women transitioning out of homelessness, and serves as Treasurer for Eastside FC.

Staff

Founding Editor

To be announced

We are talking to journalists who are excited to bring independent news to Kirkland. Stay tuned!

Advisors

To be announced

We are working with a growing set of advisors who are sharing their expertise in publishing and other aspects of running a successful local news organization. Stay tuned.