Jason Whalen

Class of 1981

Inducted 2023

A regional and state debate winner in his final two years at NC, Jason earned a B.A. in Economics and Speech Communication at Gonzaga University in 1985. An ROTC graduate at GU, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in May 1985. As a Special Weapons Officer, he served in Germany for three years before being Honorably Discharged from active duty with the rank of Captain in 1989. He then returned to Gonzaga University, where he earned his law degree in 1992.

He served as a law clerk to Washington State Supreme Court Justice Richard P. Guy for a year prior to entering private law practice. After 21 years as an associate attorney and partner for Eisenhower Carlson law practice in Tacoma, Jason joined Ledger Square Law practice in 2015 as a business and real estate litigation attorney for business and individuals.

His extensive community involvement in Pierce County included membership in the “Downtown Tacoma Partnership,” the “Economic Development Board for Tacoma and Pierce County,” and a community team providing support services for students in the Clover Park School District.

His elected office experience began in 2006, when he was elected a member of the Pierce County Charter Review Commission. In 2010, Jason was elected to a four-year term on the Lakewood City Council. He was subsequently re-elected to three more four-year terms on the council. His fellow council members chose Jason in 2013 to serve as Lakewood’s Deputy Mayor. In 2021, Jason was named the Mayor of the City of Lakewood, Washington, for a two-year term.