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Kris Lambright | Past President

Class of 1986, Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration

Why I Serve

UW is a family affair. My brother Eric and I were students at the same time along with my mother, Beryl Simpson, who was attending UW School of Law. My father, Jim Lambright, was across campus serving as a UW football coach. I grew up running through the tunnels of Husky Stadium and bouncing up and down on the track mats. When it came time to choose a college, I definitely felt like everything I wanted was right at UW.

I played piccolo in the Husky Marching Band and we practiced Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and football-game Saturdays. It was a big part of my college experience and reinforced the value of hard work and paying attention to details. It takes a lot of dedication to master intricate marching patterns while playing an instrument in front of an entire stadium! I met lifelong friends through that experience and became part of Husky history being able to play at Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl football games.

One of my passions is access to education. I was lucky to grow up in a household where it was assumed I would attend college, and I now realize how much of an advantage that was. Every kid should have the opportunity to pursue higher education no matter their background, income or ethnicity. Seattle has a jewel of a school right in its own backyard. Let’s continue supporting the next generation to be successful leaders.

Biography

Kris Lambright, ’86, recently joined College Spark Washington as Chief Financial Officer. She is excited to support College Spark’s mission of funding programs across Washington state that help low-income students become college-ready and earn their degrees. Before that, Kris worked with the YWCA Seattle-King-Snohomish from 1999 to 2020, serving as Chief Financial Officer since 2004.  As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), her prior work experience includes government, public and private industry accounting. Kris also currently serves as a board member and treasurer for the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants. She was recognized by the Puget Sound Business Journal as 2009’s CFO of the Year. A Northwest native, she lives in Seattle with her husband Tim and enjoys rooting for UW and pro sports teams in addition to walking, gardening and reading.