Denise Stiffarm

Denise Stiffarm is the Managing Partner of Pacifica Law Group, a Seattle-based law firm dedicated to serving Pacific Northwest clients and communities. She is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law, and previously served on and chaired the UW President’s Minority Community Advisory Committee.

Denise is the first Native woman to serve on the Board of Regents. She is an enrolled member of the Gros Ventre (Aaniiih/White Clay) Tribe and from the Fort Belknap Indian Community in north-central Montana. Denise earned her B.A. in sociology and criminal justice from Washington State University.

Growing up as part of a tight-knit Native community, with grandparents who served as examples of service, inspired and informed Denise’s lifelong commitment to community engagement. She currently serves on the boards of United Way of King County and the One Roof Foundation, and is a former board member of College Spark Washington, the YWCA of King-Snohomish Counties, and the Seattle Art Museum, among other organizations. In 2020, the Chief Seattle Club, a Native-led housing and human services nonprofit, created the annual Stiffarm Visionary Leadership award. The award honors the Stiffarm family’s contribution to the organization since the 1970s and recognizes Denise’s nearly two decades of service on the organization’s board, including nine years as chair, as well as her wider service to Pacific Northwest communities.

Denise joined Pacifica Law Group as a partner in 2015, and assumed the role of the firm’s managing partner in 2023. She began her career and was a partner at Preston Gates & Ellis and its successor firm, K&L Gates. Her law practice focuses on land use, real estate, and capital planning work for public school districts in Washington, and general counsel representation of several special purpose public entities.

Denise is a first-generation college graduate. She is married to Marc Taylor (Lummi Nation), also a UW Alum.