J. Manny Santiago

J. Manny Santiago (he/him) is the Chief of Equity and Community Partnerships for Washington Health Benefit Exchange.

Prior to his current role, Manny served on Gov. Jay Inslee’s cabinet as the inaugural executive director of the Washington State LGBTQ Commission. In this role, he led the work to establish the agency, collaborated with statewide 2SLGBTQIA organizations to expand and strengthen protections, and advised the governor on policy issues related to the community.

Before transitioning into government service, Manny served as executive director of Rainbow Center, the 2SLGBTQIA community center in Pierce County. While there, he expanded the cultural competency training programs, obtained several new contracts to expand support services for victims of crime, and oversaw the production of Tacoma Pride. Prior to this, he served in theologically progressive parishes and campus ministries in Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin and Washington.

A Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum, Manny serves on the Board of Trustees of Tacoma Community College, Tacoma Public Library, and the Tacoma Art Museum, as well as a board member for Tacoma Community House.

Manny graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Puerto Rico — Mayagüez Campus. He studied Theology, obtaining an MDiv from Andover Newton Theological School in Massachusetts, and studied Public Administration at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce. He obtained his diversity and inclusion certification from Cornell University.