Michael Baumgartner was a Senior Advisor for Washington Policy Center in Eastern Washington. He brings deep experience as a policy maker, public servant and former diplomat to the role. He is the current Treasurer of Spokane County overseeing a nearly $1.9 billion investment fund. He previously served eight years as a Washington State Senator and was Chair of the Commerce, Labor & Sports Committee. In the Legislature, Michael played a lead role in establishing a new WSU medical school in Spokane and in securing a historic 20% reduction in the cost of college tuition. During his time in the Senate, Michael received numerous honors, including the prestigious “Champion of Freedom Award” from the Washington Policy Center. He was previously a US State Department Officer in Iraq and a contracted counternarcotics advisor in Afghanistan. 

Michael holds a BA in Economics with minors in Math and French from Washington State University, where he was a Foley Scholar, and a Masters in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard University, where he was also a Teaching Fellow in Economics. His favorite pastimes are his five children and wife Eleanor.