 Lisa Brown receives her award from WSU Provost Warwick Bayly.
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SPOKANE, Wash. – Washington State University Spokane chancellor Lisa Brown was recognized as Woman of the Year at Tuesday’s Women’s Recognition Luncheon at WSU Pullman.
The annual award recognizes women who have played a key role in creating social change, increasing equality for all and building community.
Before becoming WSU Spokane’s leader in January, Brown served the Washington State Legislature for more than 20 years. She was the first Democratic woman in the Legislature to hold the position of Senate majority leader. She was appointed chair of the Ways and Means Committee in her first Senate term.
She served two terms in the House of Representatives, 1992-96, before she was elected to the Senate. She became a Democratic leader in 2003, serving as Senate majority leader 2005-2012 and minority leader 2003-2005.
Throughout her career, Brown has been an advocate for women’s rights and social justice. She has supported health sciences education and research throughout the state, laying the foundation for WSU’s health sciences campus in Spokane by supporting first-year medical education at WSU Spokane and leading the effort to secure funding for the campus’s new Biomedical and Health Sciences Building, among other initiatives.
“The real quality of being given this honor is in the people I’m sharing it with today,” Brown said. “It makes me part of a community of women who work to benefit the broader society and pay it forward.”
Brown shared the spotlight with six other women who were recognized by WSU as 2013 Women of Distinction. They included Carmento Floyd, wife of WSU president Elson Floyd; administrator Kimberly Green; alumna Judy Rogers; women’s studies student Sina Sam; Honors College dean Libby Walker; and Pullman-based pastor Rev. Kristine Zakarison.
Brown thanked her nominators, colleagues, family and friends for their support. She urged the audience to encourage women to pursue public service opportunities, saying, “Go up to someone who is a leader and ask that woman to run for office.”
About WSU Spokane
WSU Spokane is Washington State University’s urban health sciences campus. Located on the Riverpoint Campus near downtown Spokane, WSU Spokane prepares the state’s future generations of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals and houses world-class research that leads to healthier people and communities. Learn more about WSU’s growing health sciences campus at http://www.spokane.wsu.edu.