Waitsburg Councilmember Jillian Henze elected to the Association of Washington Cities board of directors

OLYMPIA — Councilmember Jillian Henze of Waitsburg was elected to the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Board of Directors by members representing 281 cities and towns in the state. The election was held at the AWC Annual Conference in Vancouver, Washington, held from June 18-21, 2024. Henze will represent the 34 cities and towns in Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Walla Walla, and Whitman counties.

“I’m honored, humbled and so excited to serve Waitsburg and its neighboring cities and towns in southeast Washington on the AWC board,” said Henze. “I look forward to working hard to move AWC forward and to collaborate with city partners to ensure all cities and towns, no matter their size, have the tools we need to make our communities outstanding places to live.”

The AWC board of directors is the association’s governing body, and its 25 members include 23 mayors or city councilmembers. Two are non-elected city officials.

“Councilmember Henze is an active and engaged member of AWC, and her perspective representing a small, rural community in Walla Walla County will be a great asset as we work to bring together the diverse perspectives of all 281 cities and towns in Washington,” said AWC CEO Deanna Dawson. “By working together, we can create strong cities, and a great state.”

Henze was appointed to the Waitsburg City Council to fill a vacated seat on in 2021. She was elected to a full term later that year. She has served on the AWC Legislative Priorities Committee, Bylaws Review Committee, and Statement of Policy Committee. In addition to the Waitsburg City Council, Henze serves as the Director of Communications for the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

More than 450 representatives from over 130 Washington cities and towns attended the AWC Annual Conference to learn about issues critical to the success of cities. This year’s conference theme was “Livable, Loveable Cities.” The keynote speaker, Peter Kageyama, shared his ideas on harnessing the passion people feel for the places they live to help build thriving communities. A conference highlight was a panel of distinguished leaders speaking to civic health and how cities are leading the way through divisive times. Sessions on infrastructure, emergency management, budgeting, legal requirements, the fentanyl crisis, and other vital topics rounded the conference agenda.

Founded in 1933, the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) is a nonprofit corporation representing Washington’s 281 cities and towns. AWC’s mission is to build connections between Washington State’s diverse cities and towns while providing its members with the support needed to thrive through the delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling programs, and nonpartisan advocacy.