Gov. Christine Gregoire announces five cabinet appointments

For Immediate Release: March 16, 2005

Gov. Christine Gregoire today announced five new agency directors:

• Liz Luce as director of the Department of Licensing
• Cindi Yates as director of the Department of Revenue
• Sandy Matheson as director of the Department of Retirement Systems
• Christopher Liu as director of the Washington State Lottery
• Eva Santos as director of the Department of Personnel

Liz Luce, Licensing

Luce was Clark County auditor from 1987 to 1999, and most recently was Southwest Washington director for U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell.

The governor said she has asked Luce to give attention to improving customer service, to expanding self-service options on the Internet, and to preventing counterfeit licenses.

Cindi Yates, Revenue

Yates currently is executive director of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC). Before that, she worked for the Department of Corrections, the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee and, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, for the Department of Revenue.

�I want Cindi to ensure that the taxpaying process in Washington is as understandable and simple as possible,� Gregoire said. �That includes making it easier to pay taxes over the Internet or through other self-service options.�

Sandy Matheson, Retirement Systems

Matheson has a varied background as a businesswoman and community volunteer in the Tri-Cities. She has been chairman and president of the Gloria Meek Garlick Foundation, adjunct instructor for Washington State University, owner of a management consulting company, and interim president and board chair of the Tri-City Industrial Development Council.

Said the governor, �As Baby Boomers rapidly approach retirement age and the workload increases, it will be important for the Department of Retirement Systems to find innovate ways to deliver its services, as well as ways to improve and streamline the way it does its work.

Christopher Liu, Lottery

Liu currently is director of retail services for the Washington State Liquor Control Board. Before that, he was in the private sector, including seven years with Sam�s Club International.

Gregoire said she has asked Liu to work closely with the Legislature in figuring out what options should be available to the people of Washington state for their entertainment dollars.

Eva Santos, Personnel

Santos has been director of Labor Relations for the Office of Financial Management for the past year. In addition, she was deputy director of operations for the Department of Labor and Industries from 1999 to 2003.

The governor said she has asked Santos to play a key role in helping agency directors carry out her mandate of cutting 1,000 middle managers from the state�s Washington Management Services system.

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