Alumnus Michael Pellicciotti ’00 takes office as Washington State treasurer

ALFRED, NY – Alfred University alumnus Michael Pellicciotti ’00 took office as treasurer for the state of Washington on Jan. 14. Pellicciotti, a Democrat, defeated Republican incumbent Duane Davidson in the November election and in doing so became the first challenger in state history to defeat an incumbent treasurer.

Pellicciotti, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration (minor in economics) from Alfred University in 2000, was a two-term Washington State House member, representing the state’s 30th legislative district, before winning the election for treasurer. He was elected to the State House in 2016 and was re-elected in 2018.

“I’ve stepped into the state treasurer position during very challenging economic times, but we have a great team in our office, and I look forward to making sure our policies best serve the working families and retirees of our state,” said Pellicciotti.

Of his goals as state treasurer, he said, “I want to help transition us through current COVID economic challenges and see government provide greater financial transparency, so the good work of our office can be more relevant to the everyday lives of the people of our state.”

During his service as state representative, Pellicciotti served on House fiscal committees, including the Capital Budget Committee. Prior to his election to the legislature, he served as an assistant attorney general at the Office of the Washington State Attorney General, managing a state unit that combatted economic fraud in Washington.

At Alfred University, Pellicciotti was honored as an Outstanding Senior Award recipient. Following his graduation from Alfred, he received a U.S. Fulbright Scholarship to Canada, where he earned a master's degree in economic development from Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba, in 2003. He returned to the United States on a full-tuition scholarship to the Gonzaga School of Law, where he received his law degree in 2004.

After clerking for the Associate Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court, Pellicciotti became a state prosecutor. A resident of Federal Way, WA, he was a 2011 recipient of the Alfred University Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement. He recently participated virtually in one of Alfred University’s LEAD 300 leadership classes, in which he gave a presentation discussing how the University could better capitalize on its progressive tradition to build distinction. 

“Alfred provided me not only a great academic foundation in my business and economics studies, but also gave great leadership training,” Pellicciotti said of his time at Alfred University and the role it played in his career success. He has a collection of Alfred University memorabilia, which includes a century-old print of the campus hanging in his office in Olympia, WA. “I feel lucky to have spent such formative years there.”

Pellicciotti is a second generation Alfred University alumnus. His father, Joseph Pellicciotti, earned a B.A. in political science in 1972, and his sister, Anne Pellicciotti, received a B.A. in English (minor in marketing) in 2012.

In the photo above, Michael Pellicciotti ’00 (right) takes the oath of office of treasurer of the state of Washington. Washington Supreme Court Justice Steven González (left) administered the oath during a swearing in ceremony on Jan. 14.