Gov. Inslee appoints Chase Franklin to WWU Board of Trustees

Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed business executive Chase Franklin to Western Washington University’s Board of Trustees.

“Chase has deep roots to Western and a strong commitment to making sure Western’s students are getting a world-class education,” said Inslee. “He’s a proven innovator and entrepreneur who will be an excellent addition to WWU.”

Franklin’s term on the Board of Trustees begins June 2, and ends Sept. 30, 2019.

“We are thrilled to have Chase Franklin, a seasoned leader and Western alumnus, join our Board of Trustees. His experience as an entrepreneur in highly competitive, talent-based environments will be a wonderful complement to our strong governance team. As Western, and higher education in general, is undergoing transformative shifts in how and to whom it delivers education, Chase’s unique perspective and skill set will be a great asset. I look forward to working together to deliver on Western’s mission to apply our strengths to meet the needs of Washington,” said Western President Bruce Shepard.

 Franklin, who lives in Seattle, received a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Economics from Western in 1986. He has been a highly successful entrepreneur, executive and innovator for over 25 years.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to join Western's Board of Trustees. These are exciting and challenging times for higher education, both in the state of Washington and nationally. I look forward to the opportunity to work with the Board and President Shepard to continue Western's tradition of excellence and innovation,” Franklin said.

Peggy Zoro, chair of Western’s Board of Trustees, said: “We are delighted to welcome Chase Franklin to Western’s Board of Trustees. He will bring substantial expertise as an accomplished entrepreneur and innovator to Western. He is a strong supporter of Western and the university will benefit from his vision and leadership.”

Franklin now is a startup advisor and investor. He previously was: principal consultant for Boone Consultants, president and CEO of Daptiv Inc.; chief of Strategy for Content and Media at Amdocs, and co-founder and CEO of Qpass. Prior to founding Qpass in 1997, Franklin spent more than a decade at Microsoft Corp. in key product development and management positions. He played a notable role in Microsoft’s transition from provider of individual applications to provider of the suite that became Microsoft Office. He was part of the original design team for Word for Windows before taking on the integration and interoperation of the elements of Microsoft Office. He later spearheaded some of Microsoft’s earliest e-commerce strategy and business development initiatives.

Franklin is the recipient of multiple patents relating to the design of Microsoft and Qpass technologies in the areas of commerce, secure payments, business process management and customer management in highly scaled network operating environments.

Franklin and his wife, Teri, endowed the WWU College of Business and Economics’ Allette and Cayden Franklin Excellence in Teaching Award, named for the Franklins’ two children. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the WWU College of Business and Economics’ Center for Excellence in Management Education.

Western Washington University is governed by the eight-member Board of Trustees. Seven members are appointed by the governor with the consent of the Washington State Senate for terms of six year, and one additional University student member, who is appointed annually by the governor for a one-year term.