Paul Markoff, a former Department of Homeland Security Acquisition Professional Career Program (DHS APCP) participant, died January 9, 2026, in an avalanche while backcountry snowmobiling in Washington state. He was 38.
According to the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office, Markoff was caught in an avalanche near Longs Pass in northern Kittitas County on the afternoon of January 9. A second man was also killed in the incident, while two others were rescued.
Markoff was born in 1987 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and graduated from Saint David’s School in 2005. Known early on for both academic achievement and musical talent, he played trumpet and remained deeply engaged with music throughout his life. He went on to attend Princeton University, earning a degree in Public and International Affairs in 2009. While at Princeton, he played in the jazz band and spent summers studying Mandarin in China.
After college, Markoff began his career in Washington, D.C., where he participated in the DHS Acquisition Professional Career Program (APCP), a highly selective initiative designed to develop future leaders in federal acquisition and program management. A friend and former DHS Acquisition Professional Career Program director has remembered him as part of the program’s early cohort and a valued member of that professional community.
Markoff later moved to the Pacific Northwest, settling in the Seattle area, where he completed an MBA at the University of Washington and built a career in logistics and finance. Outside of work, he remained committed to service, volunteering with the King County Explorer Search and Rescue Team, supporting operations in the same outdoor environments he loved.
In 2016, Markoff married his wife, Jill, and together they raised two young sons. An avid outdoorsman, Markoff spent much of his free time hiking, mountaineering, skiing, climbing, biking, and exploring the backcountry.
Markoff is survived by his wife, Jill; their two sons; his parents; and two brothers.
A memorial service celebrating his life will be held on January 23.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)
