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NEWPORT — A 1998 Newport graduate finds herself dubbed one of the Spokane YWCA’s 2026 Women of Achievement Honorees who will be recognized at the Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon Friday, March 6 at the Davenport Grand.
Dr. Lori Hunt, Chief of Staff and Strategy for Spokane Colleges, and sister to Dolly Hunt, Pend Oreille County Prosecuting Attorney, is being honored for her contributions to education.
“I was very fortunate to grow up in a community that made me feel loved and encouraged and I take that responsibility to the students I work with and try my best to help them get on paths to their futures,” Dr. Hunt said in an email. “I had no idea what I wanted to do for a career when I followed Dolly to GU but found myself in education.”
Dr. Hunt earned her Bachelors in Sociology from Gonzaga in 2002, then got her master’s in educational leadership while working in the Tri-Cities from Washington State University in 2013. She returned to Spokane in 2019, completing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership.
As a leader in the Spokane Colleges District overseeing Spokane Falls Community College and Spokane Community College, her work affects sites in six counties and has an over 12,000 square mile footprint.
“Working in education has been a privilege as I get to help students grow and navigate systems that are at times confusing, and I get to see things from a different lens as I continue raising my 14-year-old son,” Dr. Hunt said.
Dr. Hunt has worked at private universities/ colleges, including Gonzaga and Whitman, and at the Washington State University branch in the Tri-Cities running a GEAR UP program in K-12 districts down in Pasco.
She currently lives in Spokane but owns property in Pend Oreille County and frequently visits. She also volunteers for Soroptimist International of Newport and works closely with Rhonda Quandt and the team at Spokane Community Colleges’ Newport Center.
Dr. Hunt’s father, Jim, is a Newport High School and Spokane Community College graduate and her mother, Regine, earned her GED from SCC after learning English and moving to Pend Oreille County from Africa with Mr. Hunt.
“There’s all kinds of different environments, but the breadth of offerings available at the community college reaches so many more,” Dr. Hunt said of educational opportunities. “We serve from cradle to career. Community colleges are open access, very affordable and offer certificates that are flexible and put students on pathways to livable wage careers. Whether students attend with the intent to transfer to a university or complete an AAS towards a trade, there are options.”
Born in Newport, Dr. Hunt started school at the Head Start in Dalkena and attended the Newport School District her entire K-12 career. She said she had, “Wonderful teachers that supported me along the way that I still have the pleasure of seeing in town and around today.”
Those include, but are not limited to, Mrs. Monk, Mrs. Bronson, Mrs. Schultz, Mr. Vaughn, Mr. and Mrs. Sauer, Mr. Copeland, Mr. Stahl and Mr. Frederick. She also credits non teachers in Newport such as Brenda Brown who taught her skills outside of the classroom.
To learn more about Dr. Hunt and the other honorees, go to www.ywcaspokane.org/2026-women- of-achievement-honorees.
