Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed Fé LopezGaetke and Mary Nam to WSU’s Board of Regents. The appointments take effect starting Tuesday.
Previously the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Law School Admission Council, LopezGaetke is currently the Co-Executive Director at Purpose. Dignity. Action.
She was also formerly the first director of Seattle’s Community Police Commission and president of the Latina/o Bar Association of Washington and OneAmerica.
“My professional development path has afforded me the unique lens of surveying local and national educational trends and impact to underrepresented communities that can help inform Washington State University’s strategic direction,” LopezGaetke said in the press release. “I look forward to working together to continue moving WSU into innovative sustained growth that is accessible to all who attend.”
Nam is a former Emmy Award-winning news anchor and journalist who worked at KOMO-TV in Seattle for 23 years. She worked in local news for 26 total years before retiring from the profession earlier this year.
She has worked with several non-profits, the most well-known being the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She also previously worked as youth mentor with the VOICE Mentor Program and volunteered King County Senior Services’ Sound Generations.
“Students today face both new possibilities and challenges, and I’m honored to join at a pivotal time in the changing landscape of higher education,” Nam said. “I thank Governor Ferguson for this opportunity. And I look forward to working with such a passionate and dedicated Board.”
LopezGaetke and Nam, both WSU graduates, fill in for former WSU Regents Lura Powell and Enrique Cerna. Powell’s term expired in September last year, and Cerna announced his resignation earlier this year in March.
Gov. Ferguson is set to announce another appointment soon to fill in for Sam Hunt, according to the press release. Hunt passed away in April.
