Laurie Bruce Hutchison Dolan (born 1952) is an American educator and politician who served as a member of the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

for the 22nd legislative district. Prior to her election to the State House, Dolan worked as the policy director for Washington Governor

Christine Gregoire Christine Gregoire (; née O'Grady; born March 24, 1947) is an American attorney and politician who served as the List of governors of Washington, 22nd governor of Washington, from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), D ...

and made two unsuccessful runs for a seat in the

State Senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

Early life and education

Dolan was born in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

and raised in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

. She earned a Bachelor's degree from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, and a Masters and PhD from

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) ( ) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges ...

Career

After graduating from college, Dolan returned to

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...

and became an elementary school teacher. In 1986, Dolan became an Area Director (supervisor of school principals) of Spokane Public Schools. In 2004, Dolan retired from education and ran for the state senate in Eastern Washington. In 2005, Dolan became policy director to then-Governor

. Dolan was elected to the

in 2017, succeeding

Chris Reykdal Christopher Paul Simon Reykdal (born September 12, 1972) is an American educator and politician serving as the 15th Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2017. Previously, he served as a Democratic member of the Washingt ...

, who was elected

Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, or OSPI, is the state education agency for the State of Washington. The agency is bound by the Washington State Legislature to implement state laws regarding education, includin ...

References

Women state legislators in Washington (state) Democratic Party members of the Washington House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Washington State Legislature Living people 21st-century American women politicians 1952 births Gonzaga University alumni University of Washington alumni {{Washington-WARepresentative-stub