The Board of Regents consists of 10 members, one of whom is a student. All Regents are appointed by the Governor of the State of Washington, with the consent of the state senate, and except for the student member, hold their offices for terms of six years. The student member serves a one-year term from July 1 through June 30. The Student Regent position was created by Substitute Senate Bill 5517, passed by the 55th Legislature at the 1998 Regular Session, amending RCW 28B.20.100.
Theodor P. Baseler
Office: Member
Hometown: Seattle
Term Expires: September 30, 2014
Ted Baseler was reappointed to the Board of Regents in 2009. He has been a leader in the Washington wine industry for 25 years, and continues to help build one of the top wine producing regions in the world. He is president and CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, which is among the 10 largest wine companies in the U.S.. Regent Baseler has served as the chairman of the Washington Wine Commission, chairman of the Napa-based Wine Market Council, and director of the Washigton Wine Institute. He has served on the Washington Business Roundtable and the boards of Children's Hospital and Patrons of Northwest Arts. He is also a strong advocate for WSU. He previosuly served on the Board of Regents for a short term after serving on the Board of Trustees for 10 years. He has been recognized with the Alumni Achievement Award and the WSU Foundation Outstanding Service Award. He led the efforts to develop a world class Enology and Viticulture program at WSU, working with the State Legislature for funding. He has also been the driving force behind Chateau Ste. Michelle events that have raised more than $2 million for diversity scholarships. Regent Baseler graduated with a BA from Washington State University and an MS from Northwestern University. His wife JoAnne and many family members are also graduates of WSU.
Scott E. Carson
Office: Member
Hometown: Federal Way
Term Expires: September 30, 2013
Regent Carson is executive vice president of The Boeing Company and president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He is responsible for all of the company's commercial airplanes programs and related services, which in 2006 generated record orders for new business, and revenues of more than $28.4 billion. He is a member of the Boeing Executive Council and serves as Boeing's senior executive in the Pacific Northwest.
Regent Carson graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He later received a master's degree in the same discipline from the University of Washington. He also serves on the board of governors of the WSU Foundation; is chair of the WSU College of Business and Economics national board of advisors; and is on the College of Engineering and Architecture advisory board. He served on the advisory panel for the University of Washington Executive MBA program and, in April 2002, received the Business Leadership award from the program. In January 2004, he became a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Harold A. Cochran
Office: Member
Hometown: Walla Walla
Term Expires: September 30, 2009
Harold Cochran was appointed to the Board of Regents in February 2007. He and his wife Valerie along with their son Eric and his wife Melissa farm 5500 acres near Walla Walla. He was a founding stockholder in Bank of the West, Walla Walla, and later served 13 years on the Board of Directors until the bank was bought by American West Bank. Mr. Cochran is a member of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers and the Walla Walla County Wheat Growers, where he chaired the national legislation committee. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Northwest Grain Growers and the Center for Management Development at Walla Walla Community College. He was also president of the Walla Walla County Crop Improvement Association. Mr. Cochran also currently serves on the Walla Walla High Scool Agriculture Advisory Committee, where he was a volunteer coach for the FFA Agriculture Issues Team and a judge at the State FFA Convention. Mr. Cochran received his bachelor's degree in accounting and his master of education from Gonzaga University.
Elizabeth A. Cowles
Office: Member
Hometown: Spokane
Term Expires: September 30, 2011
Elizabeth A. Cowles was appointed to the Board of Regents in April of 2000. She is chairman of Cowles Publishing Company, a diversified family owned media, forest products, insurance, and real estate company headquartered in Spokane. In addition to working on long-term corporate strategy, she directly oversees several divisions of the company, including broadcasting, a national insurance agency, and real estate. The real estate holdings include River Park Square, a retail and entertainment center in downtown Spokane, the cornerstone of a community-wide effort to revitalize Spokane's downtown. Regent Cowles is active in the community, serving on a number of nonprofit boards, including the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce, The Fox Theater Board, and the Spokane Symphony Society, where she recently finished her term as president. She received a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a law degree from George Washington University, where she is also a trustee.
Derick En'Wezoh
Office: Member (Student Regent)
Hometown: Kennewick
Term Expires: June 30, 2009
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Derick En'Wezoh was appointed to the Board of Regents in July of 2008 as the eleventh Student Regent. A student in the Honors College, Derick is a junior majoring in neuroscience with a pre-med emphasis. A graduate of Kamiakin High School in Kennewick, he was named as a WSU Future Cougars of Color Scholarship recipient in 2006. He has played an active role in the university's multicultural community and was elected an Associated Students of WSU Senator in his sophomore year. He has served as president of a major WSU resident hall and as a Cougar Quest summer camp counselor. Derick has also been active in a number of community service efforts while at WSU, including benefits staged to raise money to assist children in Malawi and Uganda, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and American Red Cross-sponsored blood drives.
Francois X. Forgette
Office: Past Chair of the Board
Hometown: Tri-Cities
Term Expires: September 30, 2013
Francois X. Forgette was appointed to the Board of Regents in May of 2005. He is a partner with the Tri-City law firm of Rettig Osborne Forgette, LLP, which he joined in 1977. His full-time practice includes business, real estate, agriculture, insurance defense and health care and related mediation and civil litigation. Regent Forgette also currently serves as the immediate past chairman of the TRIDEC Board of Directors. TRIDEC is the economic development entity for the Greater Tri-City Area in Benton and Franklin Counties. He is a Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce Board Member. Regent Forgette has also been actively involved in Tri-City education issues. He was named Tri-Citian of the Year in 2001 for his community service. He received the first Proud to be a Lawyer "Hero Award" from the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) in 2000 and the WSBA Board of Governors annual Award for Professionalism in 2001. He was named Kennewick Man of the Year for 2001. Regent Forgette graduated from Seattle Preparatory School in 1970 and the University of Washington in 1974 with a B.A. in English Literature. He then attended Gonzaga Law School in Spokane where he graduated with honors in 1977. He and his wife Debbie live in Kennewick and have two sons, Joseph and Patrick.
Laura M. Jennings
Office: Vice Chair of the Board
Hometown: Seattle
Term Expires: September 30, 2009
Laura Jennings was appointed to the Board of Regents in July of 2005. She currently consults for start-up companies in the Seattle area. Regent Jennings spent 12 years as an executive at Microsoft Corporation, serving as Vice President of Worldwide Strategic Planning, Vice President of MSN and in various other capacities. After leaving Microsoft, she spent 3 years as a Senior Partner with leading international venture capital firm Atlas Venture, where she supervised investments in software start-up companies across their Seattle and Palo Alto offices. Regent Jennings currently serves on the boards of Laird Norton Tyee, SimplyFun LLC, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle and the YWCA of Seattle King County and Snohomish County. She received a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Illinois in 1983 and a master's degree in management from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University in 1988.
Constance M. Niva
Office: Member
Hometown: Everett
Term Expires: September 30, 2014
Connie Niva was appointed to the Board of Regents in June of 2003. Regent Niva just completed two terms on the Washington State Transportation Commission and served on the Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation. She currently serves as a Port Commissioner for the Port of Everett and is a founding member of the board of the Center for Women and Democracy. She served as a member of the Everett City Council from 1986-1990 and was the congressional liaison for the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority from 1990-93. She currently co-chairs the Snohomish County Executive's Citizen Cabinet. Regent Niva worked many years in a variety of capacities as a microbiologist at the University of Washington Medical School and the University of Maryland, and taught microbiology to Arab staff at St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. She also taught "Issues in Local Government" as a visiting professor for Seattle University's public administration program. Regent Niva graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor's degree in bacteriology in 1962 and received a master's degree in public administration from Seattle University in 1992. She was awarded the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce Henry M. Jackson Citizen of the Year Award in 2003 and the United Way of Snohomish County Women Leading the Way Leadership Award in 2002. Regent Niva has four children and is married to Jud Marquardt of LMN Architects.
V. Rafael Stone
Office: Member
Hometown: Seattle
Term Expires: September 30, 2011
Rafael Stone was appointed to the Board of Regents in April of 2000. He is a partner in the law firm of Foster Pepper PLLC, and chairs the firm's Investment Management Practice Group. He has more than 25 years' experience representing institutional investors, advisors, consultants, and U.S. corporations in a wide variety of national and international real estate and private equity investments. Regent Stone is a member of the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys, the Pension Real Estate Association, the American Bar Association, and the Washington State Bar Association. He serves as a member of the Sea-Tac Airport Policy Advisory Committee, the Experience Music Project Board of Directors, the Board of Directors of the Seattle Times and Blethen Corporations, as well as on a number of other public and private boards in a variety of capacities. Regent Stone was the first chair of the African American Heritage Foundation and is a recipient of the Washington State Bar Association's Affirmative Action Award. He received his bachelor's degree, as well as his law degree, from the University of Washington.
Michael C. Worthy
Office: Chair of the Board
Hometown: Vancouver
Term Expires: September 30, 2012
Mike Worthy was appointed to the Board of Regents in October 2006. He served as President and founding Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Clark County, which has been named four times by "Washington CEO Magazine" as one of the best places to work in Washington. Until his appointment as a Regent, Mr. Worthy served on the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board and was chair of the Board's fiscal committee. Included in his past service to WSU were terms on the Chancellor's Advisory Council for Washington State University Vancouver and the Washington State University Foundation. Worthy is a life member and past president of the WSU Alumni Association. He has also served on the boards of the chambers of commerce in Vancouver, Tacoma, Greater Seattle and the University District in Seattle. He was awarded the WSU Alumni Achievement Award in 2002 and the Foundation's Outstanding Service Award in 1996. Mr. Worthy received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Economics from WSU and graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.