La Conner High alum named to new WWU liaison post

Laural Ballew studied history while a student at La Conner High.

These days she’s making history.

Ballew, an enrolled member of the Swinomish Tribal Community, created and chaired the Department of Tribal Governance and Business Management at Northwest Indian College.

And now she’s blazing new trails.

The 1974 La Conner High grad is Western Washington University’s first Executive Director of American Indian/Alaska Native and First Nations Relations and Tribal Liaison to the President.

In that role, she represents the WWU president and board of trustees as a liaison and envoy to American Indian/Alaska Native and First Nations governments. She will also advocate for the support and success of American Indian and Alaska Native students at Western, where Ballew earned a bachelor’s degree in 2002.

She later completed work on a master’s degree in Public Administration from The Evergreen State College.

Ballew was selected by WWU following a nationwide search for candidates.

Her hiring has been widely lauded.

“I’ve known Laural in a professional role for over 20 years since the time we both worked at Northwest Indian College,” says Swinomish Tribal Community Education Director Michael Vendiola.

Vendiola says Ballew is a consensus-builder who embraces student-centered learning.

“I’m hopeful that she will not only establish strong support for current American Indian and Alaska Native students,” Vendiola told La Conner Weekly News, “but that she will also enrich the campus community by building stronger relationships with Tribal governments and communities within the region.”

Ballew resides on the Lummi Reservation with her husband of 43 years, Timothy Ballew, Sr.. The couple has two sons, Timothy, II and Raymond.

Her new position is one that Ballew says will integrate her love of family and education.

“As a Native mother, grandmother and alumnus of WWU,” Ballew said in an interview with the Western Today website, “I’m excited to fulfill this new position and continue my role in leadership for equitable and sustaining relationships to support Native students.”

She looks forward to promoting a Tribal presence in higher education.

Donna Gibbs, Vice-President of University Relations & Marketing at WWU, told Western Today that Ballew is ideally suited for the new liaison duties.

“We’re delighted and honored to welcome Laural Ballew to Western in this important inaugural Tribal relations role,” said Gibbs. “Laural has deep experience and relationships having lived among Swinomish and Lummi Nation Tribal communities all of her life and worked with Native organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest, Canada and Alaska.”

Vendiola concurred.

“Laural’s personal and professional connections to Northwest Tribal communities and beyond,” he said, “will greatly enhance her ability to complete the work she is tasked with in her new role at WWU.”

Ballew began at Western Jan. 28 and hit the ground running.

“This,” she stressed, “is a position with wide-ranging responsibility.

“As I’m only a few days into my new position,” she added, “I’ve given a lot of thought on where I would like to begin. My initial energy is to facilitate the concerns addressed by NASU (Native American Student Union) students and future plans for a longhouse.”