Shari Ireton

Shari Ireton has a long and varied work experience, beginning in 1996 as the Director of Development for Planned Parenthood of Spokane and Whitman Counties. Shari then moved to the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project as the Development Director in 1998. In 1999, they became the Assistant to the Director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Center, followed by a role as Communications Specialist for the University of Washington Engineered Biomaterials (UWEB) in 2001. In 2006, they became the Media Relations & Marketing Officer for the University of Washington School of Law. In 2010, they took on the role of Assistant Director of Marketing for UW Professional & Continuing Education, followed by the Director of Communications for the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office in 2012. In 2020, they became the Assistant Dean of Marketing and Communication for the University of Washington School of Nursing, and in 2022 they took on the role of Director of Community Engagement & Strategic Initiatives for the City of Snohomish.

Shari Ireton obtained their M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University between 1994 and 1996. Prior to that, they earned a B.S. degree in Journalism, Communication, Photography, Marketing, and PR from the University of Idaho between 1989 and 1994. Shari has also obtained numerous certifications over the years, including a Strategic Leadership Program from the University of Washington in November 2021, Critical Decision Making for Complex Coordinated Attacks from the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training in March 2019, Master Public Information Officer from FEMA in August 2017, AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice in March 2016, and ICS 300 Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents and ICS 400 Advanced ICS for Expanding Incidents from FEMA in November 2015.