WWU's Nicholas receives 2016 Rep. Timm Ormsby Citizenship Award

Western Washington University’s Trula Nicholas is one of five 2016 recipients of the Representative Timm Ormsby Award for Faculty Citizenship.

Other recipients are Central Washington University’s Elvin Delgado, Eastern Washington University’s Laurie Morley, Evergreen State College’s Chico Herbison and Washington State University’s Bidisha Mandal.

The award was created in 2013 and named for Rep. Timm Ormsby in recognition of his tireless effort to promote civic leadership across the state. Sponsored by the Washington Council of Faculty Representatives, this award seeks to encourage, recognize, and honor exemplary civic engagement by faculty from each of Washington’s six public baccalaureates. Nominees for the award are solicited by Faculty Governance Leadership at each institution and selected for exceptional achievement.

Nicholas is a statewide leader who supports nonprofit and civic organizations working toward a more just society. Through her determined efforts, the counsel of Washington nonprofits prioritized issues of human rights and disparity of privilege. Through Dr. Nicholas’ work with the Whatcom Council of Nonprofits, diverse stakeholders have come together to better collaborate on meeting the needs of Whatcom County residents. Her commitments to Leadership Whatcom created opportunity for scores of local leaders to expand their thinking on social justice issues. Her skillful moderation of potentially contentious political candidate forums in Whatcom County supported multiple bi-partisan efforts to better bridge the divide between the non-profit and public sectors. She often shares her nonprofit governance expertise with local leaders. She has brought together stakeholders to support community involvement in the Roosevelt neighborhood and the development of community nights at Shuksan Middle School. Her work in the nonprofit sector has directly influenced the ways in which practitioners and leaders work with our state’s most vulnerable populations, leading to significant advancements in how these populations are served.