Genesee Adkins, who brings 12 years of experience in Olympia, has been appointed director of state relations at the University of Washington, effective Nov. 12.
“We are getting an experienced, highly capable government relations professional who understands the subtleties of Olympia and will be able to represent the university’s interests extremely well,” said Randy Hodgins, UW vice president for external affairs. “This coming legislative session will be one of the most important in recent years, and having Genesee on our team will enhance our chances of garnering the support we need to serve our students.”
Adkins most recently 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 joining King County, Adkins served as state legislative director for the city of Seattle for nearly two years. Before that, she was state policy director at the Transportation Choice Coalition, a nonprofit transportation advocacy organization, and at Futurewise, a public-interest, smart-growth and land-use group.
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.
Adkins’ annual salary will be $155,000.
