Jo Washburn

AFW honored two recipients on December 9, 2020, during the AFW’s Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award Ceremony: Jo Washburn and Mary Wack. Both Jo and Mary serve as role models and exemplars of effective leadership. They each have made long-lasting impacts at WSU for the betterment of all.

Jo Washburn was a champion for gender equity in athletics. She was part of the group that sued WSU (and won) in 1979 to ensure that women athletes received equal resources promised under state and federal law. Jo, a founding AFW member and WSU Athletics Hall of Fame member, passed away in September. We posthumously award Jo Washburn with the Samuel H. Smith Leadership Award with deep gratitude for her bravery, tenacity, and advocacy that paved the road for so many within and outside of WSU.