University of Washington Office of Federal Relations
444 N Capitol St NW, Suite 418
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-624-1420
Fax: 202-624-1429
Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (ET) excluding holidays.
Sarah Castro | Director
smcastro@uw.edu
202-624-1426
Sarah joined the Office of Federal Relations team in July 2011 as Associate Director and was promoted to Director in August 2016. Sarah comes to the UW family after several years as the government relations officer for the University of Missouri System. She has worked on Capitol Hill as a Legislative Director for a House member of the Missouri federal delegation and as a lobbyist at Mercury Public Affairs – a lobby and public relations firm in DC – where she counseled high-profile clients regarding complex legislative, regulatory, and reputational issues. She has in-depth experience with a number of policy issues including energy, telecommunications, education, and many others. She received a JD from the University of Kansas and BA degree from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
Sang Han | Deputy Director
sanghan1@uw.edu
202-624-1424
The Office of Federal Relations welcomed Sang Han to the team in December 2016. Previously serving as Director of Federal Legislative and Association Affairs for the University of Arizona, Sang brings nearly two decades of experience in higher education and research policy and advocacy. During that time, in addition to his work at the University of Arizona, he has served as a key government relations staff at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), the Association of American Universities (AAU), and the American Council on Education (ACE). Sang brings extensive experience working with legislative and executive branches to bring about results and navigate a host of federal issues impacting research universities.
A southern Californian, Sang received his BA from the University of California Berkeley and his MA in Education from the University of Michigan. He enjoys traveling and is looking forward to trips to Seattle and the Pacific Northwest to visit the university and his new niece, who lives in Belltown.
Declan McKnight Sklut | Federal Policy Associate
dsklut4@uw.edu
202-578-5895
The Office of Federal Relations welcomed Declan to the team in August of 2024. He came to the office after a stint working on Capitol Hill as an Intern in the Senate.
Declan is a Washington native who grew up in Spokane, where his family remains today. He attended Gonzaga Preparatory School before studying at Occidental College in Los Angeles, where he captained the baseball team and received a BA in political science. He is proud to work on behalf of the UW and enjoys the chance to travel back to the Pacific Northwest often.