Steven Maheshwary Joins Anthropic as Strategic Partnerships Lead Among Other Key Tech Leadership Moves
The Pacific Northwest tech ecosystem continues to experience significant leadership transitions as industry veterans chart new courses and fresh faces enter the region’s innovation landscape. These shifts reflect the dynamic nature of the technology sector, with AI, sustainability, and civic engagement emerging as key themes driving professional movement in the region.
At the forefront of these transitions is Steven Maheshwary, who has joined AI giant Anthropic as a go-to-market lead in strategic partnerships after 12 years at Amazon. Maheshwary brings extensive experience, having most recently served as head of growth for AI startups and foundation models on AWS. His career has been marked by a commitment to responsible AI development, describing artificial intelligence as “a catalyst for significant transformation and a raw energy that must be shaped, guardrailed, and democratized to be genuinely useful.” At Anthropic, which is backed by Amazon and known for its AI assistant Claude, Maheshwary will help advance what he calls “a distinct vision of what AI can be: powerful and capable, while remaining safe and aligned with human values.” His career journey also includes serving as former Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s technology sector lead and working as a Fulbright grantee for the U.S. Department of State, demonstrating his ability to bridge public and private sector innovation.
The Microsoft orbit is experiencing its own gravitational shifts, with longtime government affairs leader Irene Plenefisch announcing her retirement after more than 15 years with the Redmond tech giant. Plenefisch, who served most recently as a senior director and previously spent 12 years at SonoSite, expressed pride in representing “an important and amazing company” while acknowledging the challenges of transitioning from such an energetic role. Meanwhile, the company is welcoming back Caitlin Rollman as a partner product manager after her departure in 2020. Rollman, who previously spent nearly a decade at Microsoft ending in 2020 as principal PM manager for the Office platform, returns after stints at Highspot as senior director of product management and as co-founder and CEO of Talvita, an AI-native human resources management platform. Her return was inspired by the opportunity to “build something new from the ground up, at a company I respect, with people I adore.” These transitions at Microsoft highlight both the company’s ability to attract returning talent and the natural evolution of its leadership team.
Leadership changes in Seattle extend beyond private tech companies into the public sector and nonprofit space. Brian Surratt has officially stepped into the role of deputy mayor for the City of Seattle under new Mayor Katie Wilson’s administration. Surratt brings valuable experience from nearly four years leading Greater Seattle Partners, a public-private initiative focused on attracting investment and jobs to the region, as well as previous leadership of the city’s economic development arm and a vice presidency at Alexandria Real Estate Equities. In announcing his role, Surratt emphasized his belief in “what is possible when public service, community engagement, and economic opportunity come together,” reflecting his commitment to addressing Seattle’s homelessness crisis and creating a more inclusive innovation ecosystem. In the environmental sector, Adam Stern has joined Seattle-based electric vehicle nonprofit Coltura as co-executive director alongside Janelle London, while founder Matthew Metz transitions to a full-time role as CEO of EVQ, a public benefit corporation that spun out of Coltura to support EV adoption.
The immigration technology sector sees movement with Ashlee Drake Berry joining Seattle-based Casium as head of legal after leaving her role as principal corporate counsel at Microsoft, where she focused on legal compliance in hiring immigrant employees globally. Berry brings specialized experience from previous roles at Vialto Partners and Envoy Global to Casium, which spun out of the Seattle-based AI2 Incubator in April 2024. In another noteworthy transition, Nikhil Hasija has departed his role as vice president of engineering at security company Okta, which he joined following its acquisition of Azuqua, a Seattle startup he founded in 2011. Hasija, who also spent more than four years at Microsoft, expressed on LinkedIn that he is “increasingly drawn to problems centered on leverage, speed, and new ways of working” as he contemplates his next professional chapter.
Communication and marketing leadership also sees fresh energy with Sage Ke’alohilani Quiamno joining Seattle startup Yoodli as communications and marketing lead. Yoodli, which recently secured $40 million in funding, develops AI-powered software to help people practice real-world conversations. Quiamno brings diversity leadership experience from her previous role as global diversity, equity and inclusion leader at Amazon’s Prime Video and Amazon Studios, along with entrepreneurial expertise as co-founder and CEO of Future for Us, an organization promoting professional development for women of color that was acquired. Additional transitions include Joseph Williams stepping down as interim director of the Washington State Broadband Office, Carter Rabasa joining Box as head of developer relations after similar roles at IBM and DataStax, and Treasure Mackley resigning as executive director of Invest in Washington Now after more than five years advocating for tax reform. These movements collectively demonstrate the Pacific Northwest’s continued role as a dynamic ecosystem where leadership talent flows between established tech giants, emerging startups, public service, and mission-driven organizations.
