New WSU Regent appointed

Appointee has experience in tech and business

FORREST HOLT, Evergreen news editor

Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Heather Redman, co-founder of a Seattle-based technology venture capital firm, to the Board of Regents, WSU announced Thursday.

Redman filled a vacant seat on the Board after Regent Laura M. Jennings resigned in late August.

Inslee chose Redman “after extensive review and consultation with a broad range of stakeholders,” Tara Lee, the governor’s deputy communications director, wrote in an email.

Heather Redman

Phil Weiler, WSU’s vice president of marketing and communications, said Redman’s experience in technology and business would be advantageous for the university.

“She’s really interested in innovation and entrepreneurship,” Weiler said, “which is very timely for us.”

WSU President Kirk Schulz has stressed the importance of research advancements and sound fiscal policy since taking office in 2016.

Redman has also served as a board member for Beneficial State Bank, an Oakland-based bank that invests in small and medium businesses and non-profits.

Additionally, she is the chair of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Trustees and executive committee vice chair of the Washington Technology Industry Association, or WTIA.

Weiler said Redman’s long list of titles would not hinder her ability to serve effectively and that he expects her to retain her positions.

Redman would remain vice chair at the WTIA, CEO Michael Schutzler wrote in an email. Alex Pietsch, WSU’s associate vice president for corporate relations, is also on the WTIA’s board, Schutzler wrote, adding that a close relationship benefited both the association and the university.