Nancy Bell Evans works tirelessly as a civic volunteer to bring energy, grace, and passion to public and nonprofit service. A leader and innovator, she has been a founder and chair of the Friends of Cancer Lifeline, national chair of the First Ladies’ Mental Health Month, founding trustee of Planned Parenthood of Olympia, and founder of the Governor’s Mansion Foundation.
Her passion for music is reflected in her lifelong commitment to the arts. Evans was a co-founder and board member of the Governor’s Festival of the Arts and has been a trustee of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra for nearly 30 years. In addition, she was a trustee of both the Washington State Capitol Museum and Patrons of South Sound Cultural Activities.
Evans is actively engaged in the community and currently serves on the boards of the Benaroya Hall Music Center, Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation, and KCTS Public Television. Her commitment to higher education and the University of Washington is also noteworthy. She is a former member of the visiting committee for the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, a current member of the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance Advisory Board, and an honorary co-chair of the Evans School’s Campaign.
A Spokane native, Evans earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Whitman College, where she is now a trustee. She and her husband Daniel J. Evans are recipients of the 2001 E. Donnall Thomas Medal of Achievement from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the 2003 First Citizen’s Award from the Seattle-King County Association of Realtors and the Puget Sound Business Journal, and the 2004 Legacy Award from the Rainier Institute. They have three sons and nine grandchildren.