FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 5, 1996

Lowry announces Arts Commission, community college appointments

OLYMPIA -- Gov. Mike Lowry today announced the following appointments to the Washington State Arts Commission and several community college boards, which govern the institutions' administrative policies:

Thomas Pechar has been appointed to the Washington State Arts Commission. Pechar, Seattle, is the managing director of the Seattle Children's Theater. He has previously worked in theaters in New York and Pennsylvania. Pechar also serves on the Seattle Arts Commission and is president of the ASSITEJ/USA, the United States Center for the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People. His term will end in 1999.

Dr. Dorothy H. Mann has also been named to serve on the Washington State Arts Commission. Dr. Mann, Seattle, is director of the Community Violence Prevention Program and senior fellow in the Institute for Public Policy and Management at the UW's Graduate School of Public Affairs. Among her many community activities, she serves on the governing boards for the Group Health Cooperative, the Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Washington State Hospital Association, Intiman Theatre, YWCA of King and Snohomish Counties and the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Her term expires in 1999.

Frank H. Russell, Ph.D., has been appointed to the Bates Technical Community College Board of Trustees. Russell, a U.S. Army veteran, is president of Tacoma-based Professional Services Unified, Inc. He was named Inc. Magazine's 1994 Northwest Minority Entrepreneur of the Year. Russell earned a Bachelor's Degree in business administration from the University of Puget Sound (UPS), an MBA from Pepperdine University, and his Ph.D. in humanitarian services from UPS. He has been chair of both the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce and the local NAACP, and on the board of the United States Small Business Advisory Committee for Region X, Pierce County Economic Development Board and Pierce County Planning Commission. His term will expire in 2001.

Sheryl S. Hershey has been appointed to the Bellingham Technical College Board of Trustees. Hershey, a human resource manager for a Bellingham cold storage company, serves on local chapter boards of the United Way, the Chamber of Commerce, and the YMCA. She is also a member of the Northwest Human Resources Association. Hershey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. Her term will expire in 2001.

John Michael Emerson has been appointed to the Highline Community College Board of Trustees. Emerson, director of contracts with Boeing, is responsible for all sales contracts with commercial airline customers in the Asia/Pacific region. He has been a Seattle attorney and a submarine officer in the U.S. Navy. He holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations and an MBA from Dartmouth College, as well as a law degree from Stanford University. Emerson is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, Stanford Law Alumni of the Northwest, Highline Community College Foundation, and National Contract Management Association, as well as serving as director, secretary, and treasurer of the Boeing Employees Credit Union. Emerson has also been a loaned executive for United Way of King County, a Big Brother, chairman of his district Boy Scouts and a soccer referee. His term will expire in 2001.

Ronald William Johnson has been appointed to the Peninsula Community College Board of Trustees. Johnson is a teacher and coach at Neah Bay High School and a graduate of Seattle Pacific University. He is the past chair of the North Olympic League and Impact Aid Committee. Johnson is also the past president of the Makah Lutheran Church, the Makah Cultural & Research Center and Makah Museum. Johnson has received the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Meritorious Award and was nominated to the National Native American Athletic Hall of Fame. His term will expire in 2001.

Alexander Swantz has been reappointed to the Walla Walla Community College Board of Trustees. Swantz, a Chehalis High School graduate, received a Bachelor of Sciences degree in agriculture from Washington State College (now Washington State University) and a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of Minnesota. He was also a Princeton Fellow in Public Affairs at Princeton University. His term will expire in 2001.

Phyllis S. Self has been appointed to the Whatcom County Community College Board of Trustees. Self, a mental health therapist, has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University, a Master of Arts in education from Western Reserve University and a Masters of Education in counseling from the University of Arkansas. She is president of the board of directors for the Mount Baker Theater and is on the board of directors for Planned Parenthood of Northwest Washington. Her term will expire in 2001.

For more information, contact the Governor's Communications Office at 360-753-6790.