A Vancouver health care administrator and self-described policy wonk announced Thursday that she will run for the 49th District senate seat being vacated by state Sen. Craig Pridemore, D-Vancouver.

Democrat Annette Cleveland, 49, worked as a staffer for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and as a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society before landing her current job at Legacy Health, where she oversees government affairs at the state and federal levels.

Cleveland, a Vancouver native, said she is running for office in part to continue Pridemore’s legacy of strong leadership and political know-how. Pridemore was elected to the Senate in 2004 and has announced he will run for state auditor in the fall.

“What the 49th District needs is someone who has experience in the public policy arena who can be effective right away,” Cleveland said Thursday.

If elected, she said her top priorities would include making sure her community has access to quality health care, schools and jobs.

“I’ve helped promote jobs and economic development, worked with nonprofits, and helped expand our transit and transportation infrastructure,” Cleveland said in a news release. “I have spent nearly 30 years serving our families and communities behind the scenes.”

Cleveland serves on the Association of Washington Business Board of Directors, the Washington State Hospital Association’s Public Policy Advisory Group, the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce’s Public Policy Advisory Committee, and Identity Clark County’s Government Affairs Roundtable. Identity Clark County is a private economic development group based in Vancouver.

Previously, Cleveland worked as a strategic planning administrator for C-Tran. She also worked in the advertising department at The Columbian from 1982 to 1987.

Cleveland lives in Vancouver with her husband and daughter.

Stevie Mathieu: 360-735-4523 or stevie.mathieu@columbian.com or www.facebook.com/reportermathieu or www.twitter.com/col_politics

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