This week Governor Gregoire appointed seven members to a board of directors to administer a scholarship program for middle-income families.

The members to the board are: Jim Albaugh, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Brad Smith, General Counsel for Microsoft Corp; Mack Hogans, Senior Executive at Weyerhauser Co.; Kimberly Harris, CEO of Puget Sound Energy; Theresa Gillespie, Partner at Trilogy International Partners wireless communications investment company; Jim Sinegal, CEO Costco Wholesale Corp.; and Jerry Grinstein, former CEO of Delta Air Lines.

Esstablished in legislation passed during the 2011 session, the Opportunity Scholarship Program and the Opportunity Expansion Program were created to mitigate the impact of tuition increases, increase the number of baccalaureate degrees in high employer demand and other programs, and invest in programs and students to meet market demand fields of study while filling middle income jobs with a sufficient supply of skilled workers. 

The program is paid for through a public-private partnership. The scholarships are funded through $5 million form the state and $55 million form Boeing and Microsoft.