Civic leader Don Barbieri appointed to WSU board of regents
This item was corrected after WSU revised the length of Barbieri's term and its start date.
Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Spokane business and community leader Don Barbieri to the Washington State University Board of Regents.
“Don Barbieri has spent the majority of his professional and personal career working to improve the quality of life for Washingtonians and other residents of the Pacific Northwest,” Inslee said. “He will be a great addition to the board of regents of our state’s land-grant research university.”
Barbieri’s six-year term begins Jan. 1. He succeeds Connie Niva of Everett, who completed her second five-year term in September.
WSU President Elson S. Floyd, in a press announcement, said: “I welcome Mr. Barbieri to the WSU family and look forward to working with him.
A Spokane native, Barbieri spent his professional career and philanthropic vocation to advancing quality of life throughout the Pacific Northwest. He served as chairman of the board and director of Red Lion Hotels Corp., formerly known as WestCoast Hospitality Corp. and Cavanaughs Hospitality Corp., until his retirement in 2013.
He served as president and CEO there from 1978 until April 2003, when he ran unsuccessfully against 5th Congressional District Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers.
Barbieri served as a member of the Washington State Economic Development Board under three governors while chairing the state Quality of Life Task Force.