About Kevin

The Leadership Our City Needs Right Now

Schilling is a fourth generation King County resident and third generation Highline area resident. He was born in Swedish Hospital in 1994 (along with his twin sister) to a working class Boeing household.

Schilling attended St. Francis of Assisi School from 1999 to 2008 and graduated from Aviation High School in the Highline School District in 2012. In the fall of 2012, he started community college at South Seattle. He graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Washington State University in history with a concentration in politics in 2017. In May of 2019, he completed a dual M.A./M.Sc. from Columbia University and the London School of Economics and Political Science where he focused on the different approaches to America’s role in the world between Democratic and Republican federal administrations, public-private partnerships in international development, and history of 18th to 20th century economic theory. During his first term on city council, Kevin completed the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executive in State and Local Government program. Currently, Kevin is working toward a Masters in Public Administration at the University of Washington.
He started his working life at the age of 13 at the Highline Performing Arts Center where he worked as a stagehand. From there, he bussed dishes at Mick Kelley’s Irish Pub and 909 Coffee and Wine, beginning his life long relationship with local Burien businesses. In the summers, he ran summer camps at local grade schools in the Archdiocese. In 2012, while full time at South Seattle Community College, he worked as a UFCW 21 represented courtesy clerk at PCC.

After community college, he taught English in far-Western Nepal and backpacked around India. He worked for State Representative Kathy Haigh in 2014 and was a legislative session aide to the Governor in 2015. At WSU, he tutored football players in history, was a research assistant, led recruitment and retention efforts for the College of Arts & Sciences, and served as the senior intern at the Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service. Ultimately graduating as a Top Ten Senior in Community Service, Outstanding Senior of the History Department, and Legislator of the Year in student government.

Kevin moved to New York to begin his graduate education in a dual masters program. At Columbia, he served as his program’s representative to the department. At LSE, he was a Faith Centre “Faith & Leadership” Fellow. Over the last 15 years, he has served in leadership roles with the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar, Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse, Young Americans Theatre Company, 5th Avenue Theatre, and the Seattle International Film Festival. Now, Kevin serves on the Seattle Opera BRAVO Council, the Greater Seattle Business Association’s Policy Council, and frequently joins young professional groups around the region.

Currently he works as for the office of Rep. Derek Kilmer. Prior to working as Congressman Kilmer’s political director, Kevin served as a Youth and Young Adult Minister at St. Francis of Assisi, his parish.

His hobbies include boxing, film, theatre, road trips, trying new food, history books, board games and video games, spending quality time with friends and family. He is Catholic and regularly attends mass at St. Francis and church services around the Archdiocese.

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