Sam Cho

• Washington Council on International Trade (WCIT)
• Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA)

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts, The American University
• Master of Science, The London School of Economics
• German Marshall Memorial Fellow

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About Commissioner Cho

Sam Cho was elected to the Port Commission in 2019 and reelected in 2023, and he served as Commission President in 2023. Cho is the son of immigrants who immigrated from South Korea to the United States through the Port of Seattle. He is the youngest and first person of color to become Commission President since the founding of the Port in 1911.

Driven to help shape the economy of the future, Commissioner Cho’s career has spanned from government and emerging startups to established companies in the tech and sustainability space.

Commissioner Cho served as the Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. He also held positions at the U.S. Department of State, both the Washington State Senate and United States Congress, and served as a political appointee under President Barack Obama. Prior to his election to the Port, Commissioner Cho was the founder and CEO of Seven Seas Export, an international trading company that exported over 2.5 million pounds of eggs to various countries throughout the Asia-Pacific.

Commissioner Cho earned his Master of Science from The London School of Economics and his Bachelor of Arts from American University. He is a German Marshall Memorial Fellow. 

His priorities as a commissioner include creating economic opportunity, promoting environmental sustainability, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and ending human trafficking.