SEATTLE—Humanities Washington, an organization dedicated to providing and encouraging high-quality cultural and educational programming across the state, has elected Karen Munro of Olympia and Lucia Huntington of Spokane to a two-year term as co-chairs, named its 2010 officers and elected seven new representatives to its board of trustees.

Co-chair Karen Munro’s history with the organization dates back to 1973 when she joined Humanities Washington (then named Washington Commission for the Humanities) as its second staff person. She is a multi-term trustee, has served in a variety of leadership positions within the organization, and led Humanities Washington’s successful push to secure first-time state funding in 2007. Munro and her husband, former Secretary of State Ralph Munro, were honored by Humanities Washington Award in 2002 for their significant contributions to the humanities.

Co-chair Lucia Huntington, a retired ESL (English as a Second Language) professor and department chair at Gonzaga University, joined the Humanities Washington board in 2006. Huntington led the organization’s 2008 strategic planning process and has chaired Humanities Washington’s grant committee since early 2009. She served as a Fulbright Lecturer in Croatia and currently serves on the Spokane Arts Commission.

Other officers are as follows:
• John Baule, director of the Yakima Valley Museum (Chair-Elect)
• Meredith Wagner, associate director of the Jefferson County Library in Hadlock (Secretary/Treasurer)
• Diane Douglas, executive director of Seattle CityClub (Executive Officer)
• Cynthia Wells, a community volunteer in Seattle and former vice president at Seafirst Bank (Executive Officer)

Humanities Washington also added seven new trustees to its board:

• David Freece, director of the Cowlitz County Historical Museum (Kelso/Longview)
• Ed Marquand, president and creative director of Marquand Books in Seattle and co-founder/co-director of Mighty Tieton (Seattle/Tieton)
• John Purdy, professor of English at Western Washington University (Bellingham/Deming)
• John Roth, professor emeritus of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College (CMC) and founding director of the Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights (Winthrop)
• Carli Schiffner, dean of Arts and Sciences at Yakima Valley Community College (Yakima)
• Dale Smith, Kent community activist, former Arts/Culture Community Investor for The Boeing Company and board vice president at 4Culture (Kent)
• Ricardo Valdez, director of the University of Washington’s Yakima Valley Community Partnership at Heritage University (Toppenish/Wapato)

Freece and Valdez serve as gubernatorial appointees nominated by Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire. All trustees were elected to three-year terms.

“The guidance and input we gain from our board of directors is crucial to fulfilling our mission,” said Julie Ziegler, executive director of Humanities Washington. “Culturally and geographically, Washington State is extremely diverse. Humanities Washington provides a range of programming to serve the unique needs of different communities. Our new leadership team and incoming trustees bring a range of fresh perspectives and skills from across the state that will enable us to continue to thrive as an organization.”

ABOUT HUMANITIES WASHINGTON
Humanities Washington is a statewide organization dedicated to improving life for individuals and their communities through interdisciplinary cultural and education programs that nurture creativity, promote dialogue and spark critical thinking. In 2008, Humanities Washington served more than two million people in rural and urban communities across the state.

Humanities Washington’s programs include Motheread, a family literacy program; Inquiring Mind, a speakers’ bureau featuring dynamic presenters on a broad array of humanities topics; an Exhibits program which brings Smithsonian exhibitions to small museums; and grants to support grassroots humanities projects in Washington State. For more information on Humanities Washington, please visit www.humanities.org.