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Officers
The GPSS Officers provide a critical link between students, administrators, faculty, the community, and the legislature. In the past, GPSS officers have advocated for improved family housing and better childcare on campus. At the state level, our Officers have fought to defeat tuition increases, increase state funding for childcare and mental health services on campus, reduce textbook costs and provide educational debt forgiveness to public interest lawyers.
GPSS Officers set the organization’s goals and implement Senate directives, communicate goals and actions to the University and students, report on progress toward achieving these directives, and account for 19.5 hours per week.
GPSS Officers select graduate student representatives to serve on over 150 University committees. These committees deal with such diverse issues as the quality of academic programs, sexual harassment, campus recycling and ownership of research, to name a few.
GPSS Officers also oversee the running of the Senate and its budget of over $250,000. They attend orientations for new graduate students, fund speakers and departmental programs, and publish a website to keep graduate and professional students informed of issues and events. Most importantly, they hold regular meetings of the Senate, a forum for graduate and professional students to air their concerns and give direction to the officers.
GPSS encourages all graduate and professional students to run for Officer positions. The job will be challenging and unforgettable, and your efforts will forever affect the future of graduate education at this University.
The 2011-2012 GPSS Officers are:
- Charles Plummer, President: gpsspres@uw.edu
- Adam Sherman, Vice President: gpssvp@uw.edu
- Colin Goldfinch, Treasurer: gpsstres@uw.edu
- Melanie Mayock, Secretary: gpsssec@uw.edu
Charles Plummer
After finishing his Masters in Public Administration in 2010, Adam Sherman decided to continue his education by pursuing a law degree. He is currently in his second year at the Law School and is focusing his energy around state and local government. Adam has been involved in student leadership since he was an undergrad at Western Washington University. As an MPA student he was Vice President of the Evans Student Organization helping plan events and bring student organizations together to present a unified voice to the administration. He has also been involved in GPSS for three years both as a senator and as an advocate for graduate and professional students in Olympia and in Washington, D.C. As an aspiring foodie Adam loves to eat around town and try new and bizarre foods. He's also a pretty big fan of college hoops, but he gets into any sport involving Huskies.
Colin Goldfinch is a Master of Health Administration and Master of Public Health student focusing on health systems and policy. This year he will focus on ensuring that GPSS spending is transparent and accountable, that the GPSS provides helpful services like travel grants that are accessible to all students, and throwing great social events that build a real UW graduate student community. He is originally from Montreal, Canada and likes coffee.
Melanie Mayock is pursuing a joint Master of Urban Planning and Master of Public Administration degree at UW. A Seattle native, she lived in Washington, DC for several years where she became a passionate advocate for sustainable transportation and livable communities. Her work experience includes several years with the Sierra Club, Zipcar, and one year as the GPSS Legislative Assistant.
