We welcomed Genesee Adkins, new director state relations, this week.
Adkins brings 12 years of experience working in Olympia to our team. Most recently, she served for five years as director of government relations for King County, where she worked on legislative strategies for the county executive and led the county’s state-level efforts in Olympia, securing state funding for key county priorities, among other efforts. Prior to her work for the county, Adkins served as state legislative director for the city of Seattle for nearly two years and as state policy director at the Transportation Choices Coalition, a nonprofit transportation advocacy organization.
As UW’s director of state relations, Adkins will be the university’s chief representative in Olympia to both the executive and legislative branches. She will also be a key member of the administrative team advising the university president on legislative strategy and communicating to the university community about higher education issues in Olympia.
Adkins replaces Margaret Shepherd, who served in this position for four years and was recently appointed director of strategic initiatives in UW President Michael Young’s office.