Meet Kurt

Kurt Dresner is a resident of Kirkland's Everest Neighborhood and Vice-Chair of its neighborhood association. A trained scientist, his day job as an engineer involves complex software systems that touch billions of users. Outside of work, he is a passionate housing and transportation advocate, a dad to two teens, husband, and dedicated community builder.

Born an Army brat right here in the Puget Sound region, Kurt first came to Kirkland in 2007 during a summer internship while finishing his PhD in computer science at the University of Texas at Austin.  Having never previously lived more than 5 years in the same home, he (and his very pregnant wife) relocated to Kirkland less than two years later to start a family.

Though very involved in company culture efforts at Google where he has worked for 16 years, in 2017 Kurt cofounded Liveable Kirkland to focus on the wider Kirkland community. Through his work with Liveable Kirkland, Kurt has become a knowledgeable, experienced, and trusted voice on issues of housing, transportation, safe streets, sustainability, and more.

Kurt was instrumental in starting and operating Kirkland's volunteer bike valet program, lobbying the city to plan for a new tool-lending library, and hosts a weekly morning coffee gathering on the Cross Kirkland Corridor. He's also sometimes the last one left in the audience in City Council Chambers.

When he's not nerding out over housing, transportation, or community issues, Kurt enjoys running, music, hosting foreign exchange students, learning languages (ASL, Spanish, German), tormenting his kids with spontaneous math lessons, visiting National Parks, and dutifully attending to his rescued cat Patches.