Skip to content
Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Author: admin

Demolition to Begin July 2019

If you walk by Parrington Hall, you will notice a great sign of progress: There is a large trailer parked on the lawn, and fencing around the entire building!  That can only mean one thing: DEMO is on the horizon!  Now with a demo permit in hand, our crews are getting ready to start smashing some walls in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned for more photos and updates!

Artist Lisa Little Selected to Create Public Art in a Remodeled Parrington Hall

Established in 1974 under the leadership of former Governor Daniel. J. Evans, the Washington State Art in Public Places (AIPP) program mandates that one-half of one percent of the state’s portion of construction costs for state buildings is designated for the acquisition of public artwork. It is because of this program that we are proud to announce that the remodeled Parrington Hall will be home to a piece of art in the State Art Collection. This, thanks to the Washington State Legislature’s investment of $10M towards the remodel of this historic, state-owned building. 

The Washington State Arts Commission, a state government agency that runs AIPP, facilitates the public art program and guides entities like the Evans School through the artist selection process.  In early 2019, a committee was formed and includes the WA State Arts Commission Program Manager, the University of Washington’s Public Art Coordinator, two members of the Parrington Hall remodel architecture firm, Associate Professor Joaquin Herranz Jr., and Professor and Dean Sandra Archibald.  After reviewing the artists listed in the public artist roster, the Evans School artist selection committee – joined by two Evans School MPA students – interviewed three finalists, ultimately selecting Los Angeles-based architect and artist Lisa Little to create a public art installation for the new building. 

Little was deemed a good fit for the Parrington Hall project based on her experience working with universities, the integration of her engineering, architectural, and artistic background, and her passion for the Evans School’s mission to improve the public and nonprofits sectors through leadership and policy.

The Evans School community is invited to meet Lisa Little and to offer input on the qualities that are important for the creation of public art in Parrington Hall at a set of open meetings. Meetings will be held on July 12th for faculty and staff; and, on July 13th for a breakfast meeting with students.  Please save these dates – more details to come!

Evans School Alum Speaks Out for the Next Generation

Barb Wilson (MPA ’05) was recently featured in a Puget Sound Business Journal video interview for her long history of LGBTQ advocacy, and her current position as the director of governmental affairs at Vulcan Inc.

In her interview, Wilson recounts the campaign work she did in Oregon and Washington to defeat anti-gay ballot initiatives in those states. As the King County organizer for Hands Off Washington, she worked to defeat a measure that threatened the civil rights of state and local employees based on sexual orientation.

In addition to her work as a public advocate, Wilson works on a micro level to ensure that her son and his classmates can “come out as themselves and live their best lives.”

Wilson has this advice for businesses who seek to do more for the LGBTQ community: “I think it starts with people. Supporting employees and their families. Nurturing people at all levels of development. Putting people into leadership. Welcoming all families to employee events. And listening to employees. That naturally leads to things like stepping up to support policies, which is the perspective I tend to look at problems from.”

UW Undergraduate Puts Ideas into Action

In May 2017, then-University of Washington freshman Byron Dondoyano Jr. identified a need for more inclusive, affirming policies after he observed Ramadan as a non-religious student. By fasting from 2:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. with no food, drink, or water right before finals, he experienced first-hand a glimpse of the lived experiences of his Muslim peers. He discovered that this was more than just an issue for Muslim students, but also for Jewish students with finals on Saturdays, and Orthodox Christians observing Christmas in January.

Byron began to research how state law around religious expression was being implemented at the UW. He found that UW policies, and how they are communicated to students, could be strengthened. And, he promptly took action. That same spring quarter, Byron took an undergraduate elective course at the Evans School called “Making Change Happen” (PUB POL 313), which not only helped him understand the process of policy making, policy implementation, and evaluation, it also equipped him with the skills he would need to push his own piece of legislation through from the UW Student Senate to the Washington State Legislature. 

“Part of what I learned was the importance of coalition building. As a non-religious student, my lived experiences were going to be very different from those who observe whatever faith they observe,” Byron explained. “I partnered with Mennah from the Middle Eastern Student Commission to tackle this project. During the entire journey, our coalition grew to include the Jewish Federation, Council for American-Islamic Relations, the Anti-Defamation League, Faith Action Network, Cedar Law PLLC, and State Senator Bob Hasegawa.” 

Now signed into law, Senate Bill 5166 creates more transparency and brings more awareness to religious accommodations, in the same spirit that the ADA created more awareness and support for people with disabilities. It also provides protection for all universities in Washington state from potential lawsuits over discrimination. 

“The elective courses I took at the Evans School changed the way I viewed government and decision making,” Byron noted. “This journey has inspired me to continue to do work in policy, and I plan on pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy or Education Policy in the future.”

Byron is now a junior studying Law, Societies and Justice with a minor in education. He is also a volunteer and part-time teacher at a preschool in his community, and he is working to create more gender and racial representation in early childhood education.

An Update on Parrington Hall

If you’ve walked past Parrington Hall recently, you might be wondering why you don’t hear the sweet sound of demo and construction quite yet. Here’s why:

In November 2018, when our design-build partners sought to submit our initial permits to the city, the city responded with a significant (and unexpected) requirement to substantially increase our investment in the seismic and energy infrastructure for Parrington Hall.  This required us to revisit the project scope, design, and funding plan in order to reconcile the city’s new requirements and the above-and-beyond expenses those requirements would add to the project.  

Over the following six months, our architects, construction firm, and the UW engaged in numerous back-and-forth iterations with the city permitting office to find a compromise that would both 1) achieve our programmatic needs for the future, and 2) fit a scope that we could afford. 

Simultaneously, working with our colleagues in the UW Treasury office over the course of winter term, the Evans School went about putting together a financial plan that would allow us to borrow funds from the UW (above and beyond the extant $20M raised from private sources ($10M) and the State Legislature ($10M)), should it be necessary to complete the project.  In April 2019, the Evans School successfully presented to and received Phase II project approval by the UW Board of Regents, granting us the go-ahead to spend up to $23.8M on this important project. 

This permitting process has unfortunately delayed the remodel project by an estimated three months, meaning the revised plan is for the Evans School to return to Parrington Hall in late summer, 2020.  While we are disappointed by this delay, we also know that our colleagues on campus and our design-build partners have done everything they can to move our project forward as fast as possible. 

So where are we now?  We are very close to having a project plan and scope that achieves our program needs and is also within our budget.  Within the next two weeks we expect this project plan to be submitted to the city for what we hope is the final time.  Once approved, our construction partners will immediately fence off Parrington Hall, set-up their construction trailer, and begin demo.  At that point, we will be able to focus our attention on what will be happening inside a new Parrington Hall – How we will make use of flexible spaces, how furniture will help make it a more comfortable place to work and learn, how we can infuse technology and digital solutions throughout the building for maximum impact, and more.  

While this permitting process has been challenging, and the timeline has been delayed, I remain so very excited about this project and what it will mean for the future of the Evans School.  Our great school has long deserved a learning environment that matches the innovation and the energy of our program.  Thank you for your patience through this process – and for sharing in our excitement for all of the ways this project will serve as an investment in our collective future.  

Evans School Digital Strategies Team Wins Distinguished Staff Award

Congratulations to Molly Jay, John Compton and Ian Gonzalez for receiving the University of Washington’s 2019 Distinguished Staff Award! Molly, John, and Ian were recognized for their achievements in re-imagining, redesigning, and constructing the new “Hallway,” an important resource that allows educators to easily access and source case studies to use in their public policy courses. They share their recognition with gratitude to Nicole Fiorentino and the many student workers who helped to make this project a reality.  

 

They will be honored at the UW’s Awards of Excellence ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on June 13 in Meany Hall for the UW community and general public. The program includes a one-hour ceremony hosted by President Ana Mari Cauce and Provost and Executive Vice President Mark Richards, followed by a reception.

 

Learn more about the process and the winners here.

Cindy Chen and Alyssa McClure selected for 2019 Bonderman Fellowship

Congratulations to MPA students Cindy Chen and Alyssa McClure for being selected for the 2019 Bonderman Fellowship! As Bonderman Travel Fellows, Cindy and Alyssa will be provided the rare opportunity to spend eight months independently exploring two regions and six countries with which they are not familiar.

The broad vision of the Bonderman Fellowship is to inspire individual transformation by expanding fellows’ understanding of themselves and the complex, diverse, and interconnected world we live in. With this vision in mind, each fellow shapes their own learning and travel plan; though, they may not pursue academic study, projects, or research.

Cindy plans to explore what mobility means to people across the world through the ways that people use transit; and, how access to transit increases people’s access to economic, cultural and social opportunities. Cindy hopes to travel to Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, India, Brazil, Colombia and Chile.

Alyssa will dedicate her fellowship to her interest in global events and history. She hopes to gain a more global understanding of public service by visiting geographically and culturally diverse areas where she can witness first-hand how other countries function. Her itinerary includes Morocco, Tanzania, and Argentina, among other locations.

Past Evans School Bonderman Fellows include:

Congratulations Cindy and Alyssa!

Humility in Public Service: A Q&A with Eric Holzapfel, MPA ‘17

At the Evans School, we educate leaders who meet societal challenges with compassion, vision, humility, and authenticity. Eric Holzapfel (MPA ’17) embodies these traits in his work as the Immigration Manager of Entre Hermanos, a Latino LGBTQ nonprofit in Seattle. Read about what has sustained Eric throughout his career as a public servant, and hear his perspective on the necessity of integrating your own life experiences into the work we do for others.

Alumni Profile

Eric Holzapfel, MPA ‘17

___________________________________________

Tell me a little about yourself, and the work you do at Entre Hermanos.

I am a graduate of the MPA program at the Evans School, and I have a Bachelor’s in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Kentucky. I am a native of Ecuador, and I have more than a decade of experience working with Latino and minority communities in criminal justice reform, immigration, youth mentorship, medical access, language rights, civic engagement, and wage theft in the United States and Ecuador.

I have worked as a legislative aid in the Ecuadorean Congress, a medical interpreter-patient advocate, policy writer for a Congressional campaign, and now serve as the Immigration Manager of Entre Hermanos, a Latino LGBTQ nonprofit in Seattle.

In the past year, I’ve led a series of state campaigns including: opposition to “public charge” changes in immigration law, immigration detention/bond reform, and Census funding for community-based outreach.  I also oversee the expansion of our immigration representation of LGBTQ Latinos, particularly among asylum seekers from Central America.

What motivates you to do your work each day?

As a child my parents instilled in me an appreciation for life and the privileges I’ve had. I grew up in Ecuador at a time when child labor, especially on the streets, was common. This reality inspired me to dedicate my life to public service. I get up every morning excited to serve Entre Hermanos’ clients and the immigrant and refugee community of King County.

What’s a piece of advice you’d pass on to someone interested in pursuing a career in public service?

The first piece of advice I’d give is, “Check your ego at the door.” Confidence is important in any career, but I’ve learned that egos (especially in public service) only get in the way.

Second: your life experiences matter. Getting an MPA is a big accomplishment and it certainly provides you with a great skills to enter public service but your life experiences-both personal and professional- are what drive you and give you purpose in your work.

What’s a valuable lesson that you’ve learned from your time in the public service?

I think having a steady-hand is critical to public service. Working in advocacy and in the nonprofit world, you will have so many highs and lows from legislative, funding, and policy victories and losses. It’s important to keep a positive outlook and keep grinding.

Your efforts don’t always bear fruit right away, but when they do it’s so rewarding.

What’s something you’ll always remember about your time at the Evans School?

I’ll always remember my peers at Evans, especially the cohort that formed the Evans People of Color (E-POC) student organization. Our shared experiences in grad school and seeing the work that we’re all doing now is inspiring.

What’s on the horizon for you?

I’m currently helping my organization through a leadership transition and a time of immense growth. I want to continue working to expand legal and holistic services for the Latino LGBTQ community of Washington State. I am so thankful to my co-workers at Entre Hermanos for their endless dedication to promoting the health and well-being of the Latino LGBTQ community who are with me in that effort.