Welcome to the CWU Office of Government Relations! Our website is an important part of our commitment to transparency and accountability in public higher education. If you don't see what you need here, please contact us and we'll get you the information you need.

The Department of Public Affairs is CWU's official  liaison with local, state, federal and elected officials for regulatory, budget, and policy matters of all kinds. We can help direct you to the right contact and provide critical background about legislative districts, pending policy issues, and current CWU data.

For the 2013 session of the state legislature, CWU's top capital budget request is construction funding for Science Phase II, a state-of-the-art facility to house geology, physics, and science education programs.

Please contact us whenever you have a question or concern:

• Linda Schactler, Executive Director of Public Affairs

509-963-1384; (M) 509-607-4103; schactler@cwu.edu

• Ann Anderson, Director of Government Relations

509-963-2185; (M) 509-607-1273; anderann@cwu.edu

• Steve DuPont, Government Relations Specialist

509-963-2185; (M) 509-899-5647; duponts@cwu.edu

Budget and Policy Resources

CWU is eager to illuminate the issues, programs, and individuals that make the university a wonderful educational institution and valuable state asset.  Budget and issue summaries are available here. Linda, Ann, and Steve will be happy to track down any additional information you may require.

Meet Our Legislative Team

Executive Director of Public Affairs, Linda Schactler, coordinates all external relations for CWU, including state and federal relations.  She works with the government relations staff in Olympia to ensure speedy and precise responses to legislative information requests on policy, budget, and constituent issues. Linda is the former Director of Communications for the Washington State Senate, and former deputy director of the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board. She holds a BA in English Literature from WSU and an in MA in English Literature from Washington University, St. Louis.

Director of Government Relations, Ann Anderson, is Central's lead staff in Olympia. She served in the Washington State Senate for 12 years where her leadership positions included Senate Majority Whip and Majority Caucus Chairwoman. As a state senator, her committee assignments included the Senate Higher Education and K-12 Education committees. Ann's work in education has been recognized with CWU's Distinguished Alumni Award and the Washington Vocational Education Special Legislative. Ann holds bachelor's and master's in education degrees from CWU.

Steve DuPont, has served CWU as Government Relations Specialist since 2007.   He was the Vice President for Political Affairs for the Associated Students of Central Washington University, in 2006 and 2007. Steve served on the Washington Student Lobby Board of Directors and was awarded the President’s Cabinet Award in 2007 for his effective advocacy on behalf of students. Steve holds a BS in Construction Management from CWU and a Master in Education in Higher Education from the University of Arkansas.

Pablo Gonzalez as legislative intern for the 2013 session. Pablo is a senior majoring in Political Science with an Organizational Communications Minor. He grew up in Zillah and became interested in government because he knew he could affect people’s lives in a positive way by becoming engaged and involved with his local community.  He chose Central Washington University because it was close to home, had a beautiful campus, and small classroom sizes. Welcome Pablo!