Staff

John R. Burbank, Executive Director

John Burbank has a Master of Public Administration from the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington and a B.A. from Evergreen State College. Before founding EOI, John was project manager of the Sand Point Community Housing Association, political director of the Washington State Labor Council, staff coordinator for the Washington State Senate, and director for the Community Labor Coalition in Rhode Island. He speaks Finnish and has published in the Journal of Finnish Studies. | Contact John

Marilyn Watkins, Ph.D., Policy Director

Marilyn Watkins earned a Ph.D. in United States history at the University of Michigan and has a B.A. in Social Studies from Harvard University. She is author of Rural Democracy: Family Farmers and Politics in Western Washington, 1890-1925 (Cornell University Press: 1995) and several articles on the community basis of political reform movements. Before joining EOI, Marilyn worked as a historical consultant for Northwest Indian tribes and taught courses in Pacific Northwest and American women's history. | Contact Marilyn

Gary Burris, Senior Policy Associate

Gary Burris earned a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a BA from The Evergreen State College. Prior to joining EOI, Gary was the Assistant Director for Quality in the Department of Early Learning. He also worked for the Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Child Care and Early Learning, the Oregon Commission on Children and Families, The Evergreen State College's Center for Educational Improvement and the Washington legislature. | Contact Gary

Aaron Keating, Communications Director

Aaron Keating holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, and a B.A. in Music from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR. Before joining EOI, Aaron worked as Communications and Technology Manager for Port Jobs, Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Environmental Law and Policy, and Program Director at the YMCA of Tacoma-Kitsap County. | Contact Aaron

Lisa Schubert, Development Officer

Lisa Schubert earned Master's degrees in Education and English from the University of Washington and a BA in English from the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining EOI, she served as the Public Relations Coordinator for the Literacy Network Of Washington, the Executive Director of Wisconsin Literacy, and the Director of Adult Basic Education and WorkFirst at North Seattle Community College. | Contact Lisa

Alex Stone, Communications and Technology Manager

Alex earned his BA in Political Science from Seattle University in 2008. He began as a Summer Intern for EOI, and became a full-time staff member in June of 2010. Prior to joining EOI, Alex worked as an intern for Save Our Wild Salmon and was the President of the Seattle University Rugby Club. | Contact Alex