Genesee Adkins, who brings 12 years of experience in the halls of state government, has been appointed director of state relations at the 91探花, effective Nov. 12.
鈥淲e are getting an experienced, highly capable government relations professional who understands the subtleties of Olympia and will be able to represent the university鈥檚 interests extremely well,鈥� said Randy Hodgins, 91探花vice president for external affairs.聽 鈥淭his coming legislative session will be one of the most important in recent years, and having Genesee on our team will enhance our chances of garnering the support we need to serve our students.鈥�
Adkins most recently served for five years as director of government relations for King County, where she worked on legislative strategies for the county executive and led the county鈥檚 state-level efforts in Olympia, securing state funding for key county priorities among other efforts.
Prior to joining King County, Adkins served as state legislative director for the city of Seattle for nearly two years. Before that, she was state policy director at the Transportation Choice Coalition, a nonprofit transportation advocacy organization, and at Futurewise, a public-interest, smart-growth and land-use group.
As UW鈥檚 director of state relations, Adkins will be the university鈥檚 chief representative in Olympia to both the executive and legislative branches. She will also be a key member of the administrative team advising the university president on legislative strategy and communicating to the university community about higher education issues in Olympia.
Adkins replaces Margaret Shepherd, who served in this position for four years and was recently appointed director of strategic initiatives in 91探花President Michael Young鈥檚 office.
Adkins鈥� annual salary will be $155,000.