WSU News Archive

SPOKANE, Wash. – Former Washington State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, a champion for education throughout her 20-year legislative career, will soon assume a new role in Washington higher education.

 

Brown, who did not run for re-election this year, will become the chancellor at Washington State University Spokane beginning in January.

 

Brown spearheaded the health sciences education and research initiative in Spokane. She is an associate professor in the graduate level Organizational Leadership Program at Gonzaga University.

 

"The energy and momentum surrounding development of the WSU Spokane campus as a hub for high quality academic programs in the health sciences is palpable throughout the community, state and region,” said WSU President Elson S. Floyd. "Dr. Brown is well positioned to maintain that momentum and take the program to the next level. We are proud and happy to welcome her to Washington State University.”

 

Brown said she looks forward to leading one of the most exciting educational initiatives in the state.

 

"I thank President Floyd for this great honor and for the opportunities that lie ahead. The vision he and others have created for a WSU campus as part of the university district is the product of thoughtful discussions and close collaborations,” said Brown. "I look forward to contributing to ongoing conversations on this topic in my new role, and I will especially enjoy continuing my service to our state in this capacity.”

 

Elected to the state Senate in 1996, Brown became Democratic Leader in 2003 – serving as Senate Majority Leader 2005-2012 and Minority Leader 2003-2005. After serving two terms in the House (1992–1996), she was elected to the Senate where, in her first term, she was appointed chair of the Ways and Means Committee.

 

In 2005, she became the first Democratic woman in the state to hold the position of Senate Majority Leader, making her among the longest serving leaders in recent Washington history. Born and raised in Robinson, Ill., Brown studied economics at the University of Illinois, in Champaign-Urbana, and at the University of Colorado, in Boulder, where she earned a Ph.D.

 

Floyd thanked WSU Spokane Chancellor Brian Pitcher and said he looks forward to calling on Pitcher’s expertise in Spokane as well as at WSU’s other urban campuses at Tri-Cities and Vancouver.

 

"Dr. Pitcher has ably led the Spokane campus since 2005 and will continue in a senior role with the WSU Spokane leadership team,” Floyd said. "I want to thank him for the incredible progress he has made for WSU and for his willingness to continue to serve in a larger role.”

 

Pitcher said it has "been an honor to serve as chancellor during these formative years of WSU Spokane. The university and community support has been wonderful, and great opportunity lies ahead. We have excellent students, faculty and staff - and ambitious strategies to implement.”

 

During Pitcher’s tenure, WSU Spokane has refined its focus to become a highly competitive graduate and professional research institution in the health sciences. Construction of the new biomedical and health sciences building is scheduled to be completed in fall 2013. That is the same time that full doctoral programs in nursing, pharmacy, medicine and allied health will be offered in Spokane and a new pilot program offering second-year medical education curriculum there will begin.

 

More information about WSU Spokane is available at http://www.spokane.wsu.edu.

 

Contacts:
Dana Robinson Slote, Senate Democratic Caucus communications director, 360-786-7845, Dana.RobinsonSlote@leg.wa.gov
Brian Pitcher, chancellor, WSU Spokane, 509-358-7551, bpitcher@wsu.edu

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