Bernard Dean, who brings two decades of state and local government experience, has been appointed director of state relations at the 91探花, effective Sept. 1.
鈥淏ernard is a well-respected and trusted staff person who has worked directly with legislators on both sides of the aisle and from every part of the state for many years,鈥� said Randy Hodgins, UW鈥檚 vice president of external affairs. 鈥淥ur relationships with state lawmakers are critical to ensuring the University continues to receive the support it needs to serve our students and the citizens of the state of Washington. I am thrilled to have Bernard join our team and represent the University鈥檚 interests in Olympia.鈥�
Dean joins the 91探花after serving as deputy chief clerk for almost nine years at the Washington House of Representatives, where he oversaw the daily operations of the House, including budget development and administration. Before that, Dean was a senior fiscal analyst for seven years in the House鈥檚 Office of Program Research, where he was responsible for providing a range of nonpartisan analytical support to the Appropriations Committee, and for conducting policy and fiscal analysis for legislators.
Prior to his career in the Legislature, he served as a budget manager for the state Department of Corrections. He also previously served as policy research manager at the state Sentencing Guidelines Commission.
As UW鈥檚 director of state relations, Dean will be the University鈥檚 chief representative in Olympia to both the executive and legislative branches. He 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.
Dean replaces Genesee Adkins, who served in this position since November 2014 and recently accepted a position with the City of Seattle Department of Transportation.