Former Washington lawmaker Sam Hunt joins WSU Board of Regents

Sam Hunt, a longtime member of the Washington Legislature and Washington State University alumnus, will be returning to his alma mater to serve on its Board of Regents.

Appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee, Hunt's term began Dec. 31 and runs through Sept. 30, 2030. He will join his fellow regents for a series of special meetings of the board Jan. 13-15.

Hunt spent more than two decades as an elected member of the Washington Legislature, with 16 years in the House of Representatives and eight in the Senate. Until his term ends in January, he represents the 22^nd Legislative District in the Senate, which is the center of the South Puget Sound and includes Olympia.

Hunt is a former Pasco school teacher and Mayor Pro Tempore. He worked in Washington, D.C. for U.S. Senator Warren G. Magnuson on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Washington Gov. Booth Gardner, and served as a staff member in the Washington State Senate. His work in education includes serving two terms on the North Thurston School Board.

First elected to the House in 2000, he held numerous committee positions during his time as an elected representative, including chairing the State Government & Elections Committee in both the House and Senate, as well as serving on the Ways and Means and Early Learning & K-12 Education Committees. Hunt graduated from WSU in 1967 and completed his fifth-year teaching certificate in 1970.

Hunt succeeds Heather Redman, who concluded her term on the WSU Board of Regents last fall.