Linda Pillo honored with WSU Alumni Achievement Award

Linda Pillo ('78), former Chief of Police for the City of Bellevue, was presented with the Washington State University Alumni Association Alumni Achievement Award at a surprise ceremony on Sept. 13 in Seattle. She was selected for the honor due to her extraordinary contributions to community leadership and civic service.

Pillo retired in 2014 after a 35-year career in law enforcement, where she rose through the ranks in the Bellevue Police Department to serve as the first female Chief of Police in the city's history. Pillo was a trailblazer throughout her career, starting in 1979 as the only female patrol officer in the Mercer Island Police Department. She later applied to the Bellevue Police Department and held several ranks in leadership, eventually directing over 200 commissioned officers during her seven-year tenure as Bellevue Chief of Police.

"I grew up in a very service-oriented household, and it really mattered how you took care of other people and how you could help others," said Pillo. "I wanted a career that was rewarding in that sense, in that you were helping people during some of their toughest moments."

Pillo was instrumental in developing many community outreach programs while moving up the ranks of the police department. Since her retirement, Pillo has served as a consultant with Mercer Group Associates, assisting with executive level recruitment for primarily governmental agency positions.

"A true pioneer in law enforcement and community leadership, Linda Pillo broke barriers as a police officer in the Pacific Northwest and the first female Chief of Police in Bellevue," said Mariah Maki, executive director of the WSU Alumni Association. "Her legacy includes transformative programs like DARE, Bicycle Patrol, and the Bellevue Police Foundation-initiatives that continue to shape public safety across Washington."

Reminiscing about her time at WSU, Pillo fondly recalled the influence of professors in the history and criminal justice departments and the camaraderie from her Alpha Chi Omega sorority sisters.

She also spoke about her internship as a pre-sentence interviewer for King County Probation in the late 1970s and how that experience ultimately shaped her career: "I would encourage students to take advantage of available internships in the criminal justice program, because having that internship opportunity was so eye-opening for me and such a valuable experience in my life," Pillo said.

Pillo joins several other Cougs who have been recognized this year with the Alumni Association's highest honor, including Varinder Bhalla, Gerry Ebalaroza-Tunnell, Loren Koller, Gina Meyers, Michael Bair, Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap, Dan Castles, and Gary Steele.

The WSUAA Alumni Achievement Award was created in 1970 by the WSUAA Board of Directors to recognize alumni who have given outstanding service to WSU and made contributions to their professions and communities. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the Alumni Association. Out of the estimated 250,000 people who have attended WSU since its founding in 1890, just over 500 alumni have received the award.