Sherman hired as WWU government relations specialist

Brad Sherman has been hired as government relations specialist in the Division of University Relations at Western Washington University. He started working at Western on Jan. 3.

“Brad is a great addition to our government relations team. We feel very fortunate to add a person of his caliber,” said Steve Swan, vice president for University Relations. “He has strong grassroots experience working in the Legislature and comes to us with very strong recommendations. He is a talented professional and an impressive person.”

The government relations specialist provides support for University Relations as it works at the state level with the Governor’s Office, Legislature and state policy, regulatory and fiscal agencies; at the federal level with the U.S. Congress and federal agencies; and in connecting Western with the Bellingham and area communities.
Sherman will work closely with Sherry Burkey, associate vice president for University Relations and director of Government Relations.

“We are really glad to have Brad working with us representing Western. As a recent graduate of Western, and with five years of experience working in Olympia, he has been able to immediately provide valuable assistance to our efforts to promote Western’s agenda,” Burkey said.

Sherman has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Western. Since 2008, he has been a legislative assistant for Rep. Norma Smith in the Washington State House of Representatives, managing the daily operation of district and Olympia offices, as well as constituent communications, case work and policy research. While a student at Western, he served as a Senate intern during the 2007 Legislative Session, working with the Senate Natural Resources, Ocean and Recreation Committee.

Sherman lives in Coupeville with his wife Abbey, and their yellow Labrador retriever. He is an avid sports fan and a volunteer firefighter. His father owns and operates a fourth-generation family farm; his mother is an elementary school teacher and a Western graduate. He has two younger brothers.