Phyllis J. Campbell, president and chief executive officer of the Seattle Foundation, will speak at Washington State University’s fall commencement set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 in Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum.
A WSU graduate and former regent of the university, Campbell was born in Spokane and lives in Issaquah. She is a WSU Alumni Achievement Award recipient.
About 600-650 graduates are expected to participate in the ceremony, said Teri Nelson, the university’s commencement coordinator. In recent academic years, about 4,500 undergraduates and some 900 graduate students have earned degrees from WSU.
WSU President V. Lane Rawlins will preside at the event, the fifth fall commencement ceremony in the university’s history since its founding in 1890.
Shuttle bus and Disability Resource Center van service from the parking lot of Lewis Alumni Centre to the coliseum parking lot will be available for those attending the commencement ceremony, Nelson said.
Campbell served as president of US Bank of Washington from 1993-2001. In 2003 she took on her current roles with the Seattle Foundation, created in 1946 to improve the quality of life in the greater Seattle area. She is a member of Safeco, Puget Sound Energy, Alaska Air Group and Nordstrom corporate boards. She has chaired the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Washington Business boards.
Campbell earned a WSU business administration degree in 1973 and an MBA from the University of Washington Executive MBA program. A graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the UW and the Stanford University Executive Management Program, she has received Whitworth College and Gonzaga University honorary doctoral degrees.
Her civic efforts have a focus on education and human services issues. She has led a United Way of King County campaign. She is a Seattle University trustee vice chair of the board of BoardSource, which is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations.
Campbell has been active in Asian-American community causes. Currently she serves as a mentor for the Executive Development Institute, a leadership program for Asian Pacific managers with the desire and potential to hold
executive positions in major corporations and organizations.
Her honors for community service work include the Woman Who Makes A Difference Award from the International Women’s Forum.
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