Get to Know Danny Hagen
If you haven't met Danny yet, you've likely felt his impact. Born and raised in Skagit County, Danny has spent his career — and most of his free time — building something he believes in: a community that's fair, stable, and worth passing on to the next generation.
As your elected Assessor, he brings more than a decade of direct experience in the office, a deep knowledge of how property taxes shape everyday life, and a leadership style rooted in transparency, accountability, and showing up.
The sections below tell you more about who Danny is, how he serves this community, and why he's asking for your vote.
An Experienced Assessor
Danny Hagen was elected Skagit County Assessor in 2022 — a role he's held with a focus on equity, modernization, and earning the public's trust. Prior to that, he worked in the Assessor's Office since 2015, building experience across appraisal, sales analysis, appeals, and public-facing assessment work. During his tenure, he has led innovation in areas such as street-view imagery integration, expanded desktop appraisal capabilities, enhanced online portal access for taxpayers, and increased awareness and improvement of vertical equity practices statewide.
He's professionally active at the state and national level in ways that directly benefit Skagit County. He currently serves as President of the Washington State Association of County Assessors (WSACA) and as Second Vice President of the Washington Association of County Officials (WACO) — roles that put him in the room where assessment policy is shaped and give Skagit County a voice in decisions that matter.
He's a Professional Member of the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) and a frequent speaker at professional conferences, civic groups, and community events. He's presented at national conferences, contributed to professional publications, and spoken to more than 2,000 Skagit County residents over the course of his term about how property taxes work and what rights they have.
With over 200 hours of continuing education, he is a Mass Appraisal Specialist (MAS) designation candidate with the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO). He helped restore and transition the PACS User Conference into a sustainable, user-led training event that now provides effective, affordable, and relevant education to more than 70 Assessor’s Office staff across the state.
His leadership philosophy draws on the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership — a framework he first encountered through Leadership Skagit and has applied ever since. He's particularly drawn to two of those practices: Enable Others to Act and Model the Way. He holds himself to those standards and invites the people around him to hold him accountable to them too.
Danny is Deeply Rooted in Skagit County
Danny lives in Skagit County with his fiancée Falon and their blended family of six kids. He was born in Kirkland in 1987 and moved to Skagit County with his family in 1990 — so this county has been home for essentially his entire life.
He grew up on 40 acres on Bow Hill, in a household where public service wasn't a talking point — it was just how things worked. His father Wesley served as Chief Deputy Assessor for Skagit County. His mother Kathy worked in the Skagit County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Service was modeled through consistency, accountability, and showing up every day.
The commitment Danny's parents had to public service (and that they raised him to value) ran deeper than their personal lives. Wesley and Kathy opened their home to ten foster children over the years, creating stability for kids who needed it. Growing up in that environment gave Danny an early understanding of something he still carries into his work: reliable systems and trustworthy institutions aren't just administrative achievements — they're a form of care.
After playing intercollegiate basketball and studying business administration at California Lutheran University, Danny came home and worked in the trades — managing the family farm, framing houses, manufacturing wire harnesses at Chinook Enterprises, and working in the wood shop at Janicki Industries. Those years gave him a lasting respect for the people whose daily lives depend on fair and predictable rules.
He joined the Assessor's Office after the birth of his first son, drawn initially by the stability and benefits the position offered his growing family. What began as a practical decision became a calling. Through the day-to-day work of property assessment, Danny came to see how the office touches nearly everything: the funding of schools, the stability of housing, the fairness of how costs are shared across a community. He's been building on that understanding ever since.
Danny is Invested in Our Community
Danny's commitment to Skagit County doesn't clock out when the Assessor's Office closes. For years, he's served in roles that reflect what he believes local leadership looks like — not waiting to be asked, but stepping into the work that matters.
Class of 2018 + Volunteer
Danny graduated from Leadership Skagit in 2018 and served as co-class speaker. He then volunteered with the program for seven consecutive years — as advisor, curriculum contributor, and facilitator. His continued involvement came from a conviction that developing thoughtful, ethical leaders is one of the most meaningful investments a community can make in itself.
Board Chair
Chinook Enterprises provides employment, training, and support services for individuals with disabilities and others facing barriers to work. As Board Chair, Danny focuses on governance, financial stewardship, and building an organization that can sustain its mission over the long haul. He's personally familiar with Chinook's work — he worked there himself before his career in public service.
Board Chair
Community Action addresses poverty through practical programs: housing stability, food access, energy assistance, and economic mobility. As Board Chair, Danny helps oversee an organization that touches some of the most vulnerable members of our community. The work reinforces something he believes deeply — that the strength of a community is measured by how it treats the people who are struggling.
Burlington Rotary Club
Danny is an active Rotary member, participating in service projects that bring together public, nonprofit, and business leaders to address local needs.
Coaching, Sports, Hands-On Service
Danny has coached youth sports and served as an assistant basketball coach at La Conner High School. He's volunteered with Skagit Special Olympics. His approach has been consistent: show up, contribute meaningfully, and help build things that last beyond any single season.
