Our Place in Walla Walla #13: Women Leaders

When President Sarah Bolton arrived at Whitman, she joined a community where women’s leadership is a vital part of our strength. In honor of last Friday’s International Women’s Day and the current Women’s History Month in the United States, today we honor and learn from some of the many women leaders all around us.

Of course, leadership can be exercised in many ways. For this column, we are celebrating women who hold visible roles in our region and thus are public figures and sources of inspiration, power, debate and scrutiny. Also, this is only a sample and is not in any way meant to be comprehensive—rather, it’s subjective based on who I’ve gotten to know and work with and admire during my twenty years in Walla Walla.

To begin, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) has many women leaders, some of whom Whitman has been fortunate to work with, including Kat Brigham who was a long-time member of the Board of Trustees and served as board chair during the years when Whitman was building our Memorandum of Agreement with the Tribes. Bobbie Conner is the long-standing Director of the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute who Whitman has hosted on campus numerous times and sought advice from in important decision-making moments. Cor Sams, a member of the Board of Trustees, is leading many of the CTUIR natural resources and water systems campaigns.

Martina Gordon, recently elected CTUIR General Council Secretary, reflected, “While I do not consider myself an expert in the subject matter, I do believe that women are the backbone for many families and communities. Women lead every day even without having the title of a leader. I believe that being in a leadership role is being a servant to those you lead. We are all interconnected and we should strive to make decisions with that at the forefront of our minds.”

Women lead many important local organizations (and have been wonderful supervisors of Whitman interns):

Norma Hernandez (The Health Center), Arlene Alen (Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce), Kathryn Witherington (Downtown Walla Walla Foundation), Abby Muro (Walla Walla Immigrant Rights Coalition), Shawniene Bingham, (Akin), Meghan DeBolt (Blue Zones Project – Walla Walla Valley), Erendira Cruz (Sustainable Living Center), Mary Campbell (Walla Walla Community Council), Christy Lieuallen (United Way of the Blue Mountains), Nancy Riggle (Valley Residential Services), Liz Knapke (Walla Walla Valley Wine) and Dian Ver Valen (Blue Mountain Humane Society), to name a few.

Some local women have regional and statewide leadership roles:

Meagan Anderson-Pira (Akin), Samantha Bowen (Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction), Bertha Clayton (Office of Agricultural and Seasonal Workforce Services for the state Employment Security Department) and Abigail Scholar (Central Washington Justice For Our Neighbors) are examples

Many women hold top level local government positions:

At the City of Walla Walla, Elizabeth Chamberlin (City Manager, the first woman to hold this position), Heather VanTassell (Public Library Director) and Renee Rooker (Walla Walla Housing Authority) come to mind. Jennie Dickinson leads the Port of Columbia County.

The leaders of our local Republican and Democrat parties are both women (Wendi Kregger and Kari Isaacson, respectively).

Perhaps not surprisingly, many women are in elected leadership roles.

Walla Walla County Commissioner Jenny Mayberry recently told me:

“I think it’s so important that women have an opportunity to do anything. I’ve been a firefighter EMT for 22 years and I’m also a County Commissioner. I am the youngest commissioner ever elected and only the second female as a Walla Walla County Commissioner. Doors are open for everybody, they should just not be afraid to step through it and pursue what they want. Women have so many opportunities in Walla Walla. There are so many women that have children and own their own business and are doing amazing and I can say that I am one of those women. It’s 2024 and women can be and do whatever they set their sights on. I encourage everybody to follow your dreams and when one door shuts, just go open another one! Our Walla Walla Valley is full of so many amazing entrepreneurs and leaders.”

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers lives in Spokane and represents Walla Walla in Congress. In local elected roles we also have Amy Schwab (Commissioner of the Port of Walla Walla, the first woman to hold this position), Norma Hernandez (College Place Mayor), Heather Schermann and Monica Boyle (College Place City Council), Barbara Clark (former Walla Walla Mayor), Kathy Mulkerin (Walla Walla School Board) and Ruth Ladderud ’82 (Walla Walla School Board President).

Speaking of alumnae, Whitman alumnae lead many local organizations:

Anne-Marie Zell Schwerin ’85 (YWCA), Danielle Garbe Reser ’97 (Blue Mountain Action Council), Leah Wilson-Velasco ’03 (Walla Walla Symphony), Jessica Cook ’00 (Walla Walla Community College Foundation), and Sandy Garcia ’08 (Legal Counsel for Youth and Children), and Kate Morrison ’95 (Trilogy Recovery Community) are all active and loyal alumni who have mentored hundreds of students over the years.

Christy Krutulis ’92 (Executive Director of Teaching and Learning) thought Whitties would be interested in “the number of Whitman alums who live here and work for Walla Walla Public Schools (WWPS). Many of these alums have had long careers supporting student learning, and others are in the early stages of their career.” (Indeed, my colleague Jennifer Northam ’91 in our Alumni Office told me that at times there have been over a dozen alumnae working in WWPS!)

The number of women in visible leadership positions in our community is much greater now than when I moved here two decades ago. Yet, so many gender-correlated inequities in society still exist (pay differential for example). More leadership by people of all gender identities still needs to be brought to bear on these imbalances, creating opportunities for many forms of education and advocacy.

In closing, Norma Hernandez, the elected Mayor of the City of College Place, wanted Whitman students to know:

“Women have always played a special role in caring for their communities, as many of us see our community as an extension of our families. But what has always been missing are the contributions of younger women leaders—women who are still shaping their own lives and who can add significant excitement, creativity and energy to the community. Women who enter leadership early in their lives often contribute in ways that the older generation of women cannot. The magic that comes with the freshness of entering the world with unique experiences and eyes on success and making a difference is often lost as we move throughout our careers, raise families and establish routines.

“What cannot be understated is the influence and importance of young adults in women rising into leadership roles. There is voting, respect, and providing support to women leaders in ways that allow us to flourish and excel. I know I would not be doing what I do if not for all the young talent and energy that surrounds me. They literally keep me going…”

Whitties, during Women’s History Month I encourage you to meet one (or more) of the women leaders highlighted in this piece or one (or more) of the many other women leaders who I was not able to include! Please let me know if I can assist with those connections. Or, write your own version of this column with women leaders you know and have been inspired by in your lives off and on campus.