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A retirement party in honor of Sherry Burkey, associate vice president and director of Government Relations in the Office of University Relations and Community Development at Western Washington University, will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, in the Old Main Solarium.

Burkey has served at Western since 2005. Her leadership helped secure legislative funding to enhance Western’s cutting-edge  and establish the  at Western. Burkey also was instrumental in helping Western obtain legislative funding to transition Engineering Technology programs to fully accredited engineering and new state investment to increase the number of �������� computer science graduates. Burkey also led the effort to narrow the FTE student funding gap between Western and other public universities in the state.

“Who would have thought you could make a career out of a passion for higher education and legislative politics? I’ve loved almost every day of my legislative and campus work. It’s been an honor and a privilege to work with all the great people who are Western and the smart and dedicated elected leaders in Olympia,” Burkey said upon announcing her retirement in May.

A graduate of the University of Washington, Burkey worked for more than 20 years at the University of Washington in Seattle as associate vice president for University Relations and director of Government Relations and for University of Washington Medicine as director of External Affairs, before assuming her current position at Western. Burkey also worked in Washington D.C. on the staffs of Washington U.S. Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson, and Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Attendees are requested to RSVP to Lorie McNeill by Friday, Sept. 29, at lorie.mcneill@wwu.edu or 360-650-3482. Anyone wishing to contribute to a gift may do so to McNeill.