Kem Hunter

After traveling the world in a career military family, Kem attended Stanford on a Naval ROTC scholarship. He graduated in 1967 and then served two tours in Vietnam. In 2020, nearly fifty years after coming home to civilian life, Kem returned to Vietnam on a Citizen Diplomacy Trip sponsored by PeaceTrees. Transformed by this experience, he volunteered to join the mission to work with former adversaries and heal the lingering wounds of war. He views this work as both an honor and a duty, driven by his love and compassion for people whose lives were upended. Kem chairs PeaceTrees’ Governance Committee and sits on the Fundraising and Outreach Committee.

Kem retired from the Seattle Fire Department in 1998. Three years later, he opened a private law practice after graduating from the University of Washington School of Law. After Kem’s second “retirement,” he served his hometown of Index, Washington as mayor and councilmember.