Staff Biographies

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 also speaks Finnish and has published in the Journal of Finnish Studies.

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 the staff of 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 WA State Legislature.

Aaron Keating, Communications Director

Aaron Keating is a prospective Master of Public Administration degree recipient from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, and has a B.A. in Music from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR. Before joining EOI, Aaron was Communications and Technology Manager for Port Jobs (Seattle, WA) and Outreach Coordinator for the Center for Environmental Law and Policy (Seattle, WA).

Hannah Lidman, Senior Policy Associate

Hannah Lidman earned a Master of Public Administration from Seattle University and a B.A. in Government from Cornell University. Prior to joining the staff of EOI, Hannah conducted policy research and analysis for the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) and the Office of Program Research (OPR) in the Washington State House of Representatives. She also has a background in communications, advocacy, and outreach having worked as a public affairs associate with Pyramid Communications.

Lisa Schubert, Grants and Events Manager

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.

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" (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.