Cowles, of Spokane, is chairman and CEO of Cowles Co., overseeing the diversified, family-owned firm’s broadcasting and real estate divisions. She is a longstanding member of the Ruckelshaus Center’s Advisory Board and its executive committee.

She becomes the third chair of the Ruckelshaus Center’s board since the center was established in 2004, succeeding Robert J. Drewel, who served in that role since 2019.

The Ruckelshaus Center is a joint effort of WSU and 91̽��to foster collaborative public policy in the Pacific Northwest. It’s named in honor of William “Bill” Ruckelshaus, the first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. As a politician, Ruckelshaus was renowned for his ability to bring together disparate groups to craft effective policy. He died in 2019.

Today the Ruckelshaus Center leverages the universities’ academic expertise to address important public policy issues, such as housing instability, criminal sentencing guidelines, COVID-19 policy and response, and preserving the state’s coastline.

Cowles has served on a number of regional, state, and national boards, including previously chairing the Board of Regents at WSU.

“Betsy has had an influential role in public policy in the state and the region for decades,” said Tricia Serio, Provost and Executive Vice President at the 91̽��. “Together with new Ruckelshaus Center Director Julia Carboni, we expect the organization’s work to take on even greater importance in the years to come.”

“Through Betsy’s work in business, nonprofit, and governmental arenas, she has demonstrated strong leadership, effectiveness, and collaboration,” said Elizabeth Chilton, WSU Provost and executive vice president. “She also understands the challenges that face our region and seeks to address these challenges through her strong community involvement. I look forward to working with her and the rest of the Advisory Board to find new ways to support Washington communities.”

Cowles became Advisory Board chair on August 28, 2023.

For more information on the work of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, visit

, chair of the 91̽�� will discuss the wild 2016 presidential campaign and its implications for the country in a luncheon Sept. 7 for the .

Domke will be the featured speaker at the center’s sixth annual Chairman’s Circle Luncheon, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the , 1635 Eighth Avenue in Seattle.

“The United States is in a time of tectonic social change, comparable in transformation and turmoil to some of the most defining eras in the nation’s history,” Domke said in advance notes.

“At the heart of this moment are shifting racial patterns in America’s electorate. The impact and implications are omnipresent, from the rise of the Tea Party on the political right to #blacklivesmatter and campus student activism on the left. In November, we will make a presidential choice that will define this nation for generations.”

The Ruckelshaus Center is jointly run by the 91̽�� and Washington State University through the and . Its mission is to be a neutral resource for collaborative problem-solving in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest.

The center is named for , who served as head of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and from 1983 though 1985. He also served as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and attorney general of the United States, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in November 2015.

Tickets are $150, via a tax-deductible donation to the center. To register, and enter “CCL 2016” in the comments box above the red “Add my gift” button.

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Press interested in this event should contact Erin McCarthy, development and communications coordinator for the center, at 206-219-2418 or erin.e.mccarthy@wsu.edu.

Also participating will be members of the , a joint venture between the Evans School and Washington State University that acts as a neutral resource for collaborative problem-solving in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest.

The conference, being held at the Westin Hotel and other area locations, is expected to draw as many as 1,300 participants from 50 nations. The overall theme will be “New Traditions in Public Administration: Reflecting on Challenges, Harnessing Opportunities.”

Its many events will feature scores of presentations and panel discussions, many featuring Evans School faculty and staff.

• will lead discussions on the future role of public service in American universities and on the .
• will lead a talk on public-private partnerships.
• Tamara Schaps, director of , will lead a discussion of integrating millennials into the public sector workforce.
• , associate professor, will discuss expectations in collaborative governance, and , professor, will talk on the choices and trade-offs public managers must make to solve complex political problems.

The Ruckelshaus Center will also be well represented. , center director, will present on fostering collaborative solutions to public policy challenges in the Pacific Northwest, and , associate director, will present on using collaboration to solve complex political problems.

More than 150 other sessions and workshops, many by visiting scholars, will take up matters as diverse as strategies for reducing unemployment of minority and low-income workers, public policy challenges in disaster management, 21^st century infrastructure challenges, and the role of nonprofits in fostering civil society.

Yet more sessions will focus on administrative and management practices, budgeting and accountability, diversity in public service, employment perceptions and practices, public records law, reducing Medicaid costs for states — and, perhaps unsurprisingly, even “emotional labor and burnout for civil servants.”

Formed in 1939, the American Society for Public Administration works to advance the “art, science, teaching and practice of public and nonprofit administration,” its website states, keeping in mind four core values: accountability and performance, professionalism, ethics and social equity.

Visit for a full schedule of conference events.

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To learn more about Evans School participation in the conference, contact J. Paul Blake, director of media and external relations, at 206-543-3958 or jpblake@uw.edu; for more on Ruckelshaus Center participants, contact Kern at 206-428-3021 or m.kern@wsu.edu.