VANCOUVER, Wash. Washington State University Vancouver will welcome Connie Niva, alumna, regent, Washington State University Board of Regents, and retired Port of Everett commissioner, as keynote speaker for its 2011 commencement ceremony at 1 p.m. May 14 at the Sleep Country Amphitheater.
Niva was appointed to the WSU Board of Regents in June of 2003. She recently retired from the Port of Everett Commission and served two terms on the Washington State Transportation Commission. She is a founding member of the Center for Women and Democracy and was a member of the Everett City Council from 1986 1990.
As an alumna, Niva will reminisce about her experiences at WSU before getting down to business. In her address, Niva will challenge 91勛圖窪蹋厙 graduates to think about some of the bigger challenges facing our country such as lack of funding and support nationwide for higher education, a divided government and energy.
These graduates are Cougars, said Niva. As Cougars we expect them to have a positive impact on solving some of these issues we face.
Niva graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor's degree in bacteriology in 1962 and received a master's degree in public administration from Seattle University in 1992. She worked for many years as a microbiologist at the University of Washington Medical School and the University of Maryland. She has taught microbiology at St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and was a visiting professor at Seattle University.
Niva was awarded the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce Henry M. Jackson Citizen of the Year Award in 2003 and the United Way of Snohomish County Women Leading the Way Leadership Award in 2002.
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CONTACT
- Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu
Pictured above: Connie Niva