Alumna New Chair of WA Democrats

Shasti Conrad, ‘07, continues to be a trailblazer.

Recently, she was named the new chair of the Washington State Democratic Party, the first woman of color and the youngest person ever to be chosen as party chair.

A Sullivan Scholar and 2018 Alumni Award winner (“Outstanding Recent Alumna”), following graduation Conrad became a field organizer for Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign and would go on to join Obama’s administration in the first class of White House interns. This internship was parlayed into a full-time role in the West Wing working with Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett.

In a previous interview with Seattle University Magazine, Conrad discussed the value of community and community building, something that was nurtured at SU.

“Recognizing, creating and valuing meaningful communities has proven a valuable lesson, one I learned during my time at Seattle U,” she says. “I brought that with me to the White House and take it with me wherever I go.”

Read more about Conrad, who was featured in the Winter 2019 edition of Seattle University Magazine (“Legacy of Leadership”).