After graduating from the University of Washington in 1970, David Ammons worked for The Associated Press in Seattle for a year and transferred to Olympia in July 1971. That began a 37-year tenure as the longest-serving capitol reporter in state history, much of it as president of the press corps. Ammons covered seven governors, countless legislative sessions, political campaigns and elections, Washington government in all three branches, and breaking news, such as the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, which remains his single favorite story—one that circled the globe reaching millions of readers, along with the St. Helens’ ash cloud. He wrote a statewide column, “Ammons on Politics.” He was a frequent guest on television and radio news programs and was on-air host of TVW’s “Inside Olympia” for five years (2003-2008).

Ammons is an active community member, deeply engaged in the Olympia area. He is active in his church at the local, regional, and national level. He is a volunteer, board member and contributor to SideWalk, and other programs for homeless and hungry people. A gay man, he has a great interest in equality for all people and led efforts to have his church become “open and affirming” for the LGBTQ community. He has a love for heritage and history, and has worked on state heritage and legacy projects, and as board member for the State Capitol Museum, a longtime trustee of the Washington State Historical Society, and a member of the team attempting to create an Olympia historical museum.

For three years, Ammons was mentor/editor to University of Washington journalism students participating in the Olympia Experience program with Washington Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation’s Olympia News Bureau.

Ammons retired in January, 2017, after a long career at the seat of Washington state government in Olympia, and was quickly appointed by Governor Inslee to the Public Disclosure Commission, and is now Chair. He represented the public on the 2018 Legislative Public Records Task Force. He is vice chair of the Washington State Parks Foundation. He has two adult children, Jennifer, an attorney with Northwest Justice Project, and Jonathan, a records management officer for the State Department of Children and Families.