While leading Washington State University’s Division of Governmental Studies and Services (DGSS), Christina Sanders partnered with many state agencies to evaluate programs, facilitate meetings, and conduct applied research.
Now, as new director of WSU Extension’s Community and Economic Development (CED) unit, Sanders is building on those experiences to expand her leadership role.
“When I came to WSU and DGSS, I wanted to make valued contributions to the projects we worked on,” said Sanders, who has served as DGSS director since 2017. “That is still my goal, but in my CED leadership role I’m thinking more about how our unit can provide value to Extension and the university.”
Sanders joined WSU nearly 20 years ago and has a professional background in public administration. She took over as CED director last month from Michael Gaffney, who led the unit for nearly seven years. She will remain director of DGSS, a part of the CED unit.
“I’m very pleased that Christina has taken on this new position,” said Vicki McCracken, director of WSU Extension and associate dean in WSU’s College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. “I’ve known Christina for many years and appreciate her dedication to the mission of WSU and particularly Extension. I’m excited to work more closely with her as CED director.”
Sanders, who has participated in and provided oversight for countless externally funded research projects, prides herself in working closely with agency representatives to provide research services that are customized to their needs. Her work with the Washington State Patrol and the Washington State Fire Training Academy, for example, includes traffic stop and fire training data analysis, survey research, and workforce development.
CED focuses on promoting local business expansion and retention; increasing transfer funds, such as tourism dollars and retirement dollars, within local economies; economic analysis; and increasing exports and local entrepreneur development.
A part of WSU Extension, DGSS is an applied social science research and outreach unit within CED that makes impacts across the state.
Working with the Washington State Fire Training Academy, Sanders and her DGSS colleagues helped run assessments and evaluations to ensure fire academy students got the most out of their experience. Now the WSU team is helping convert some in-person training into online courses that provide the same information in a more readily available format.
“It’s very rewarding work,” Sanders said. “It gives us the chance to help agencies improve themselves, solve problems, and meet the needs of the people they serve.”
Sanders’ dedication and leadership experience led to the position overseeing the CED unit. One of her top goals is to work with CED faculty and staff across the state to revisit the unit’s mission statement and vision, strengthening them to boost the unit’s presence.
“I’m looking forward to building on CED’s existing work,” Sanders said. “This is a natural progression in my career. I’m excited to help and lead those doing valuable work in CED across the state.”