Governor Mike Lowry            March 8, 1939 – May 1, 2017

WAFA Founder

Mike Lowry growing up in eastern Washington always saw the need for housing in farmworker communities. Concern and a heart for public service led to a career helping the people and the environment of the State of Washington.

Governor Lowry served in local, state, and national government during his public career, born in St. John, Eastern Washington in 1939, Governor Lowry attended public schools in Endicott and graduated from Washington State University. After working as the chief fiscal analyst and staff director for the Washington State Legislature’s Senate Ways and Means Committee in 1969-1973, Governor Lowry was the governmental affairs director for the Puget Sound Group Health Cooperative in1974-1975 and served on the King County Council from 1975-1978, chairing it in 1977.
Elected 4 times to the US House of Representatives where he served from 1978 -1989, he went on to served as our 20th Washington State Governor 1993-1997.
In his retirement from public life, Governor Lowry taught at Seattle University’s Institute for Public Service and joined with Governor Dan Evans to promote the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition. He also ran two nonprofit foundations that encouraged citizen participation in government and addressed the needs of the working poor and affordable housing issues and was active in building affordable housing for Washington’s Agricultural workers.

Ivy N. Sigmon 

Executive Director