Governor Inslee Appoints CWU Alumna to Lead Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs

OLYMPIA, Washington — When Washington Governor Jay Inslee recently asked Lisa van der Lugt to serve as acting Executive Director of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs (CHA), she knew she had to accept.

“I was going through my dad’s things several years ago and found a certificate signed by former Governor Dan Evans appointing him to the committee to create the Commission on Hispanic Affairs,” she said. “When I received the call from Governor Inslee for this opportunity and I thought, ‘Wow.’ I guess you could say things have come full circle.”

The veteran political administrator, a Central Washington University alumna who grew up in Grandview, Washington, points to her late parents as the inspirations for her own career in politics.

Her father, Edelmiro “Ed” Garza, was active in politics and hosted one of the first Spanish-language radio programs in the Yakima Valley, while her mother, Amelia Garza, was the first Latina from Washington state to serve on the Democratic National Committee and was on the Grandview City Council for 13 years.

“My parents were activist parents,” she said. “They were both farmworkers. I was doorbelling with them when I was a child. I can remember going to farmworker camps with my mother when she delivered food and clothing. When I think of my parents I think of them as being role models for how to give back and take care of others.”

Van der Lugt, 55, attended CWU in 1979 and 1980, double-majoring in education and political science.

“I was unable to complete my studies at Central,” she said. “I ran out of money and had to go to work instead.”

While it was a path that ultimately worked for her, she still thinks about returning to school someday to earn her degree.

“When I speak to students, I always tell them, who knows what additional doors might have been opened had I earned my degree?” she said.

Van der Lugt said she has fond memories of the CWU campus, which she described as being just the right size for her.

“I loved the school,” she said. “You could go anywhere on campus and you would know just about everyone. You felt like you were getting a great education, like you would at a much larger school, but the professors were all very real and approachable.

“I remember walking on campus when I first became a student there and thinking to myself that this is just so cool. I’m at a university and I’m attending classes. There was a real sense of community.”

Prior to her new appointment, van der Lugt served as the manager of state efficiency and environmental performance at the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services. She is also the former manager of the Washington State Lean Transformation Conference and served as a special assistant to Governor Inslee.

From 2004-2009, she was chief of staff to Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She also worked as chief of staff to then-Congressman Inslee from 1988 to 1995.

“Lisa is a dedicated public servant who has worked with different constituencies and stakeholders at every step of her career. She grew up in an activist family that worked tirelessly on issues important to the Hispanic community,” Inslee said. “I first met her in Yakima, and I know that she understands the needs of all Washingtonians in each corner of the state.”

Van der Lugt replaces Uriel Iniguez, who had served as the executive director of CHA for 12 years. He resigned to accept a new position at the Department of Labor & Industries as Director of Community Outreach.

Inslee indicated van der Lugt would serve as the interim executive director while his office conducts a search for a permanent director.

Media contact: Richard Moreno, director of content development, 509-963-2714, Richard.Moreno@cwu.edu.

—January 9, 2017