Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation

  • Home
  • Grants
    • How to Apply
    • Grant Guidelines
    • Eligibility Review
    • Past Grant Recipients
    • Grant Reporting
    • Login
  • Scholarships
    • Horatio Alger Montana Undergraduate Scholarship
    • Dennis Washington Leadership Graduate Scholarship
    • Horatio Alger Career & Technical Scholarship
    • UM Presidential Leadership Scholarship
    • Helen B. Miller Horatio Alger Scholarship
    • Native American Graduate Scholarship
  • Areas of Focus
    • Education
    • Community Service
    • Arts & Culture
    • Health & Human Services
  • News
  • About
    • Dennis and Phyllis
    • Leadership
    • Foundation At-A-Glance
    • Media Guidelines
    • Pay It Forward
    • Pay It Forward Stories 2020
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Recent News / Phyllis J. Washington named Kennedy Center trustee

Phyllis J. Washington named Kennedy Center trustee

August 20, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald J. Trump announced Thursday the appointment of Phyllis J. Washington to the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Phyllis Washington, chairperson of the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, is one of two new appointees to this prestigious governing board, which has 36 presidentially appointed members. Mrs. Washington will serve a six year term.

“I’m truly honored to be selected as a Kennedy Center trustee,” Mrs. Washington said. “The Kennedy Center’s position as a worldwide leader in the performing arts community is unparalleled, and I am thrilled to be involved in the Center’s contribution to the human spirit. I look forward to working with the Kennedy Center to further outreach to rural communities and enhance arts in education promoting the cognitive and social-emotional development of the whole child.”

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is America’s living memorial to President Kennedy and the nation’s busiest performing arts facility. In its seven theaters and on its free Millennium Stage, the Center presents an array of arts performances. Millions around the nation attend Kennedy Center touring productions and tune in to Kennedy Center television and radio broadcasts. The Kennedy Center’s innovative arts education programs offer lifelong learning opportunities in the arts that benefit young people, educators, families, and adults in the national capital area and in every state in the nation.

Mrs. Washington was raised in Great Falls, Montana, and received her B.A. in Education in 1964 from the University of Montana, where she met her husband, Dennis. The Washingtons have been married 55 years and have two children and six grandchildren. Mrs. Washington taught elementary school in Missoula for several years, and later employed her talent as an interior decorator and antiquarian. Mrs. Washington’s interest in education led to the popular Cultural Lecture Series held at Phyllis Washington Antiques/Maison, her antiques business in Palm Desert, California.

Mrs. Washington has had a long-time passion for education, as she and Dennis believe that access to a high-quality education is the single most important determinant to success in life. She has served several terms on the University of Montana Foundation Board of Trustees and chaired a record-setting UM capital campaign, a five-year effort for which she received UM’s 1999 Neil S. Bucklew Presidential Service Award. Mrs. Washington was instrumental in construction of the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education at the University of Montana, designed to train educators in the latest technologies and methods. In 2009, Mrs. Washington was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Education from UM. In 2011, the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education at UM was renamed in recognition of her lifelong support for education. In addition to her commitment to education, as honorary co-chair of the Montana Special Olympics, Mrs. Washington encourages and empowers individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Mrs. Washington also serves on the national board of Young Life, a nondenominational Christian ministry that reaches out to middle school, high school and college-aged kids in all 50 states as well as more than 90 countries around the world. The Washingtons donated a 64,000-acre ranch in Oregon in 1997 that became the Young Life Washington Family Ranch, hosting thousands of youth each summer. Mrs. Washington is an active participant in Kennedy Center activities nationwide, including serving as the Vice-Chair for the National Committee for the Performing Arts. The NCPA was established in 1993 to support, enhance and advocate national arts education through the Kennedy Center. She was also instrumental in the creation of SPARK! Arts Missoula, a national partnership site for the Kennedy Center’s Any Given Child Initiative, a growing network of communities working to transform learning and ensure access to the arts for every public school student.

Full release (PDF, 143kb)

Filed Under: Recent News

Areas of Focus

Archives

  • November 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • November 2019
  • August 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • August 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • August 2017
  • May 2017
  • February 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013

Connect

Address:
The Dennis & Phyllis
Washington Foundation
P.O. Box 16630
Missoula, MT 59808

Find us on Facebook

  • Facebook

Helpful Links

  • Grant Application
  • Grant Guidelines
  • Scholarship Programs
  • Areas of Focus
  • About Dennis and Phyllis

Contact Us

The Dennis & Phyllis
Washington Foundation
P.O. Box 16630
Missoula, MT 59808
Contact Us

Connect With Us

  • Facebook

© 2021 The Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation.

The Foundation is here for you

We understand that many of our nonprofit partners have been or will be affected by concerns related to COVID-19 and we are here support your important work. Please visit this page to see updates on grant policies and learn more about the Foundation’s COVID-19 response.