EWU Board of Trustees names new chair, vice chair

The Eastern Washington University Board of Trustees has elected longtime education-sector thought leader Christine Johnson as its board chair and Drew Shirk, director of Washington state’s Department of Revenue, as its vice chair.

Johnson and Shirk started their one-year terms on July 1. The board will determine next June whether to extend those terms to a second year.

Johnson has decades of experience in education leadership at both the K-12 and collegiate levels. She retired as chancellor of Community Colleges of Spokane (now Spokane Colleges) in 2022 after serving in that role for 12 years. She says EWU will play a critical role in the region and across the state as its only polytechnic university, especially during this era of challenging economic times at the local and national levels.

“EWU is well-positioned to fulfill what Thomas Jefferson advocated for: higher education as an engine for both our economy and our democracy,” says Johnson, who joined the EWU trustees board in 2023. “The trustees are committed to the same public purposes and have great confidence in the university’s leadership and its team of talented and dedicated employees.”

A trustee since 2024, Shirk has nearly 30 years of experience at the Washinton Department of Revenue. He also worked at the executive director of legislative affairs for former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

“EWU is at a pivotal moment in our history, with great challenges and opportunities,” Shirk says. “As we continue our transition as the region’s polytechnic, helping Eastern continue to lead the region in higher education is truly an honor.”

Johnson succeeds Uriel Iñiguez, a trustee since 2014, as board chairman, while Shirk takes over for Johnson, who has been vice chair the past two years.