Board Members

Meet the Board Members

Kim Pearman-GillmanMichael FinleyVicki Wilson Uriel Iñiguez James Murphy

Jay J. ManningRobert WhaleyAuriana Mitchell

Kim Pearman-Gillman, Chair of the Board

Original Appointment: Feb. 21, 2018
Term Expires: Sept. 30, 2023
Hometown: Spokane, WA

Kim Pearman-Gillman is the Senior Vice President of Community and Corporate Relations for Numerica Credit Union. She brings 35 years of senior leadership experience to bear spanning the private, public, and non-profit sectors with extensive strategic expertise in business development, economic development and community relations, project management, marketing, and communications. This diverse business background has included such prominent leadership positions as: Partner & Business Development Executive for McKinstry; Executive VP of Marketing for Itron; Sr. Vice President of Avista Development and Economic Development Advisor for the City of Spokane.

Pearman-Gillman, who graduated from the University of Houston after also attending Rutgers University, has made Spokane her home with her spouse, raising their three daughters here since 1989. She also serves on the Empire Health Foundation Board. Over the past thirty years she has worked alongside three EWU university presidents as well as many faculty members, administrators and students.

“I have seen firsthand the quality, talent and passion of each of these groups and am honored to serve and be a part of EWU’s future,” said Pearman-Gillman.
Pearman-Gillman has gained the reputation as a well-known “connector” and “go to” collaborator in the Spokane area, playing a critical role in several major community and economic development projects, including having spearheaded Spokane’s University District’s formation and development.

“It was a great honor to be chosen to serve on Eastern Washington University’s Board of Trustees,” said Pearman-Gillman. “I’m excited to serve because I believe in EWU and in the importance of its mission as a public university dedicated to top-notch education for all. In particular, I am a deeply committed supporter of the university’s focus on first-generation students and the advancements being made in STEM education.”

James Murphy, Trustee

Original Appointment: Oct. 16, 2012
Term Expires: Sept. 30, 2024
Hometown: Spokane, WA
Profession: Law
Other Assignments: Investment Advisory Committee and EWU Foundation Board

Judge James Murphy earned his BA in political science from Eastern before going on to law school, earning a JD from Gonzaga University in 1973.

Murphy served on the bench for 26 years in Spokane County, retiring as a superior court judge in 2003. He currently serves on the International Court of Arbitration for Sport. Murphy is an avid skier, hiker and camper. He is also extensively involved in USA Track and Field and is a certified official who has officiated the Goodwill Games, the U.S. Olympic Trials and the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a long-time member of the Spokane Sports Commission and the Lands Council.

“As a graduate, I have watched an amazing transformation occur at the university since my days as a student,” Murphy said. “I know this growth was largely made possible by the leadership of an active board of trustees and dedicated leadership provided by staff and the Office of the President. I am proud to be part of such a creative group of people and such a dynamic process.”

Jay J. Manning, Trustee

Original Appointment: Nov. 25, 2015
Term Expires: Sept. 30, 2021 *Reappointed. New dates TBA.
Hometown: Olympia, WA
Profession: Law
Other Assignments: Medals and Awards Committee and Investment Advisory Committee

Jay J. Manning rejoined Cascadia Law Group in 2011 after more than six years as director of the Washington Department of Ecology and Gov. Gregoire’s chief of staff. His practice focuses on environmental and energy matters, providing consulting, legislative and legal assistance.

As chief of staff from 2009-2011, Manning worked closely with the governor and her cabinet and senior staff to address budgetary and public policy challenges facing state government.  As director of ecology from 2005-2009, he focused on managing the state’s water resources, including creation of the Office of Columbia River, guiding the effort to bring the Puget Sound back to good health by 2020, including the creation of the Puget Sound Partnership and addressing climate change and the daunting threat it poses to Washington’s economy and environment.

Manning co-chaired the Washington State Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification in 2012, which led to an executive order directing the state’s implementation of the panel’s recommendations for a coordinated, regional response. Manning is board chair for Washington Environmental Council, vice chair of the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council, a member of the Board of the Ruckelshaus Center, a member of the University of Washington’s College of the Environment Board and—most importantly—a proud Eastern Washington University alum.

Manning has three grown children and two lovely and brilliant grandchildren. He enjoys riding his bicycle, traveling, reading, cooking and spending time with family and friends.

Auriana Mitchell, Trustee

Original Appointment: July 1, 2021
Term Expires: June 30, 2022
Hometown: Cheney, WA
Profession: Student

Auriana Mitchell was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee as the 23rd EWU Student Trustee, at the age of 18, in July of 2021. Auriana brings experience from not only her three years at EWU, but additionally, as a third generation EWU student and local to the Cheney area, with an understanding of the community and EWU as a whole.

Auriana started attending Eastern Washington University at the age of 16 through Running Start. She has senior standing and is working toward her Bachelor of Science in Data Analytics, with minors in Mathematics and Spanish (completed in 2020). She has worked in the EWU Developmental Math Lab since 2019 and is still extremely passionate about helping others in math, a subject she greatly struggled with in high school. In the 2020-2021 school year she worked for the Eastern Washington University College Assistance Migrant Program (EWU CAMP) as a mentor/tutor. Her junior (standing) year she was the Vice-President of the S&A Fee committee where she helped designate over $4 million in funds through 19 programs.

Personally, she has her own photography business where she provides seniors and families with beautiful portraits. She is also an avid performer of the National Anthem, performing at many events including The Spokane Interstate Fair, multiple Spokane Indians Baseball games, and the 2017 WIAA Football State Championship in the Tacoma Dome. In the summer, you can find her wake surfing with her family, where she will one day perfect her 360. Legend has it, in the winter, she can be found holed up in her room, behind a pile of statistics and math books with “Friends” playing on repeat.

“I am truly honored to represent my fellow students on the Eastern Washington University Board of Trustees. If you had told me my sophomore year in high school, before I started Running Start, that I would soon be not only on this Board, but tutoring math, I could have laughed you out of any room. I truly became who I am because of EWU. Because of the professors who convinced me I could make it through calculus when I was in math 104, or the faculty who pushed me to ask the hard questions and dig deeper on the S&A Fee committee. EWU is my home, my family, and my community. I look forward to representing the EWU community through thick and thin, and hope I make you all proud. Go Eags!”

Auriana hopes to be accessible to the entire community and encourages you to email her at trustee.amitchell@ewu.edu and to say hi when you see her on campus. She is passionate about answering questions, and hearing concerns not only among her fellow students but everyone in the EWU family. Additionally, she promises she does not bite, and that she is just another student like all her peers.