June 6, 2019

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.”