WHITE SALMON — White Salmon Mayor Marla Keethler has been reelected to the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Board of Directors. The election was conducted by city leaders from across Washington state during the AWC Annual Conference, held June 23-26 in Spokane.
“It has been an honor to serve on the AWC Board of Directors,” Keethler said. “I’m proud to represent cities in Eastern Washington with a population less than 5,000 and will continue to collaborate with my fellow board members as we bring our members together and empower all our cities and towns to succeed.”
AWC CEO Deanna Dawson welcomed Keethler’s reelection to the board. “Mayor Keethler is an energetic and effective advocate for Washington’s cities and towns,” said Dawson. “Her strong voice and commitment to tackling challenges head-on help strengthen AWC’s work on behalf of communities across the state.”
The AWC Board of Directors is the association’s governing body. The board comprises 25 directors, 23 of whom are mayors or city councilmembers and two of whom are non-elected city officials representing the Washington City/County Management Association.
Keethler is in her second term as mayor of White Salmon, having been first elected in 2019 and reelected in 2023. She previously served two years on the city council. Keethler has served on AWC’s Small City Advisory Committee and has earned AWC’s Advanced Certificate of Municipal Leadership. Her community involvement includes serving on the boards of the Washington Gorge Action Programs, West Klickitat Community Housing, and the Klickitat County Public Economic Development Authority.
Nearly 550 attendees representing 163 cities and towns across Washington attended the AWC Annual Conference to learn about issues critical to the success of municipal governments. The conference featured over 45 educational sessions on topics ranging from land use planning and public safety funding to preparing for autonomous vehicles and the use of AI tools.
Founded in 1933, AWC is a nonprofit corporation that represents Washington’s cities and towns. AWC’s mission is to build connections between the state’s diverse cities and towns while providing members with the support needed to thrive through the delivery of data-driven education, nationally recognized pooling programs, and nonpartisan advocacy.
A complete list of the members of the AWC Board of Directors is available on the association’s website.
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