Joanne Schwartz

Chehalis Foundation

Founder

Biography

Joanne Schwartz has lived in Chehalis since 1963. She has a long history of community service including 25 years in local government. In 1984 she was the first woman elected to the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners serving two terms. In 1992 her career took her to the City of Chehalis where she spent 17 years serving primarily as the Director of Community Services and Economic Development. She co-founded the Chehalis Foundation in 2003 and has been on its board of directors since 2009. She was a 10-year member of the Centralia College Board of Trustees (appointed in 2008 by Governor Chris Gregoire and reappointed in 2013 by Governor Jay Inslee). She served on the Providence Centralia Hospital Community Ministry Board for 20 years. She was a founding member of the Lewis County Economic Development Council (now the Economic Alliance of Lewis County). Joanne was the 2014 recipient of the Lewis County Economic Development’s Gail and Carolyn Shaw Industrial Award for Leadership and contributions to Lewis County. In 2014, she also received the Providence Centralia Hospital Community Member of Merit Award. In 2018 she received the Trustee of the Year Leadership Award from the Washington State Association of College Trustees. In 2019 she was named a Paul Harris Fellow by The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. In 2022 she was the recipient of an Honorary Bachelor of Applied Science degree from Centralia College. Joanne is a member of the SERTOMA service club (Service to Mankind). She is on the Board of Directors of the Chehalis/Centralia Railroad and Museum and on the Board of Directors of the Industrial Commission. She has three children and four grandchildren.