Cindy Zehnder, international representative to the Teamsters Union from the Pacific Northwest, was named by Gov. Mike Lowry to the University of Washington Board of Regents on Dec. 19.
Zehnder replaces former Regent David Cohn, who has served on the board for more than 10 years. Lowry also reappointed Mari J. Clack to a second six-year term on the board.
Lowry’s last three appointments to the board have been women. There are now four women on the nine-member board, the most in UW history.
“We have worked to bring diverse life experiences to the University of Washington regents to guide our state’s largest and most prestigious university into the 21st century,” Lowry said. “Cindy Zehnder is another individual who will bring a wealth of talent and a new perspective to the board.”
Zehnder, 47, is secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 741 in King County. She has directed the statewide political action and voter registration programs for the 20 locals and 60,000 members of the state Joint Council of Teamsters.
Zehnder received a B.A. in anthropology in 1972 and M.S. in educational psychology in 1974 from the UW. She has served on the Labor Education and Research Center Advisory Committee for Evergreen State College, the Washington Commission for the Humanities, the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Committee and the labor-management task force on long-term disability for the Department of Labor and Industries and the Washington State Health Care Commission. She lives in Milton.
“Cindy is known for being a problem-solver and works hard and successfully at bringing various parties together,” the governor said.
Clack, 59, is the western regional manager for the Carlisle Collection, Ltd., a direct sales clothing company. A Spokane resident, Clack previously served as special assistant for eastern Washington to former Gov. Booth Gardner. She is on the board of trustees for the YWCA of Spokane, American Association of University Women, Washington Women United Education Foundation, and the League of Women Voters of Spokane.
Lowry’s previous appointments to the UW Board of Regents are former Gov. Dan Evans, former Microsoft executive and civic activist Scott Oki, Pike Place Foundation Director Shelly Yapp and Assistant State Treasurer Ann Daley.