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Debbie Gibbons, manager of Western Washington University Youth Programs, will be retiring after 30 years of service to Western.

A farewell celebration will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 3 in College Hall 137. Light refreshments will be available.

Gibbons started at Western in 1988. She has been an incremental leading force in shaping and expanding Western’s youth offerings in and outside Bellingham.

“Debbie has put so much of herself into developing Youth Programs throughout her career. She has made it what it is today and has set the program on the path to continue to grow,” said Juliet Holzknecht, Extended Education program specialist.

Gibbons has led Western’s Youth Programs for almost the entire duration of its existence at Western. With help from her leadership, Western’s youth offerings have expanded to Anacortes and Poulsbo, in addition to growth of Bellingham programs.

Gibbons has also built connections through helping out with multiple campus committees, such as search committees, PSO leadership, the Campus Safety Committee and MEC. She has also worked in the Bellingham community through Compass 2 Campus, the Assistance League of Bellingham, the Boys & Girls Club of Whatcom County, the Bellingham School District, and the PTA board for Alderwood Elementary School.

One of Gibbons’ impacts to Western’s community include nourishing connections through international and local students through both youth summer program offerings and a high school volunteer program. About 120 international students travel to Bellingham each summer to participate in Western’s youth offerings.

“It’s a great thing she’s done. The high school volunteer program has led to lifelong friendships where students get to know each other,” said Marlene Harlan, senior director of Puget Sound West for Extended Education. “Local students get to know what it’s like to be a Korean high school student and the Korean high school students get to know what it’s like to be an American high school student.”

Other major accomplishments Gibbons has had with Western’s youth offerings include expanding Western’s pre-college program for students College Quest,

Gibbons also worked with Holzknecht and other STEM leaders from Western to create GEMS programs at Western. This work has led to the creation of three different events; GEMS Academy, GEMS Fair, and GEMS Night Out. Regina Barber DeGraaff, STEM Inclusion and Outreach Specialist at Western, helped provide feedback as the GEMS programs were designed.

“I completely respect Debbie. She gets things done,” Barber DeGraaff said. “We’ll bounce ideas and she’ll come back in two weeks and have everything done. She is a clear and kind leader.”

Gibbons has also led the expansion of Western’s College Quest program, a course offering where high school students spend a week living in a dorm at Western’s Bellingham campus. Through Gibbons’ leadership, the program has expanded from having one class offering when it started, to having 11 offerings for students, with at least one offering from each of Western’s colleges.

Students create long-lasting connections with Gibbons. Many students of Western’s youth offerings later come back and enroll their children in the programs, Harlan said.

“Debbie truly believes in what she does and that giving youth at any age access to education is invaluable,” Harlan said.

Gibbons’ last day in office will be Wednesday, May 9.

“Debbie has made Western a better place with care for those around her and her can-do attitude,” Holzknecht said. “She is leaving big shoes to fill but already has plans to volunteer in several community organizations to share her valuable skills and heart in other ways.”

We wish Debbie an enjoyable retirement.