‘Voice of Everett’ receives Herald’s top Emerging Leader award

He is the voice of Everett, a city he once considered a “pit stop on the way to Seattle.” Julio Cortes, the city of Everett’s senior communications officer, is the recipient of the 2020 Emerging Leader award.

Cortes, 34, was named the winner during a Zoom event Thursday night. More than 90 people attended virtually.Cortes, who grew up in Wapato east of the Cascade mountains, received a bachelor’s degree in public relations and journalism in 2009 from Western Washington University in Bellingham.