Maud Smith Daudon was the president and chief executive officer of the . The first woman appointed to lead the Chamber, Maud is widely respected by business, community, and political leaders for her pragmatic, thoughtful, and solution-oriented approach. During her tenure at the Chamber, Maud has championed the Chamber's commitment to the triple bottom line - advancing a strong economy, being good stewards of our natural and cultural assets, and ensuring that no one is left behind in the region's economic prosperity. Prior to joining the Chamber in 2012, Maud served as president and chief executive officer of , deputy mayor of Seattle, and chief financial officer of the Port of Seattle. Daudon is active in several Seattle-based civic and community organizations including chairing the Washington Student Achievement Council and sitting on the boards of the Bullitt Foundation, the King County Economic Development Council, the Trade Development Alliance, and the Alliance for Education and Leadership Tomorrow
Early life and family
Daudon was born in Lake Forest, Illinois, just outside Chicago. She began participating in political and community programs at an early age, working alongside her parents who were heavily involved in organizations and campaigns including the United Way of Chicago and Planned Parenthood of Chicago. Daudon graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, with a bachelor of arts. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she began working on a campaign to rezone downtown Corvallis, Oregon against the threat of an outside shopping center decreasing the neighborhood’s economic viability. The commission wanted to preserve the neighborhood’s economic viability against the proposal of a new shopping center. After the commission secured rezoning, the active commission chairman and Daudon’s mentor at the time prompted her to pursue economics and finance. Daudon listened and pursued a Master of Public and Private Management with emphasis on finance and economic development from the Yale School of Organization and Management. She married Marc Daudon, a consultant to international, environmental groups and principal of . They have two grown children and live in the Madrona neighborhood in Seattle
Career
In 1983, Daudon began working in the public finance division of Lehman Brothers. After three years in the New York City offices, Daudon joined Lehman Brothers in Seattle, where she worked regularly with the Port of Seattle. This led to her six-year career and appointment as chief financial officer of the Port of Seattle, where Daudon worked regularly with Port commissioner Paul Schell, who later became mayor of Seattle. In 1998, Schell appointed Daudon as his deputy mayor and chief of staff; a position she held until Schell lost reelection in 2001. As deputy mayor, Daudon focused on overall city strategy and helped manage various initiatives including the 1999 World Trade Organization Protests. After Schell was not reelected, Daudon joined Seattle-Northwest Securities Corporation in 2002 and was appointed president and chief executive officer in 2006. During her ten years at Seattle-Northwest Securities, the company reached profitable margins. In June 2012, Daudon was appointed as the president and chief executive officer of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, advocating a theme of sustainable prosperity focused on infrastructure, education and health care. Primary initiatives include building a Seattle waterfront park, currently estimated at $420 million. The park extends legislation passed that replaces the seawall below the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel carrying Route 99 traffic through downtown Seattle.
Civic and philanthropic involvement
Throughout her career in Seattle, Daudon has held leadership appointments in community and economic development organizations, including: Current Organizational Leadership ': Past Organizational Leadership:'''
