WA-03: Carolyn Long (D)
PROFILE
About Long:
Carolyn Long grew up working at her family’s small business, John’s Fresh Produce.
After graduating, Long decided to pursue higher education. To help pay for college, she started working at Safeway, first as a courtesy clerk and then running the produce department. As a proud journeyman with UFCW Local 555, she earned enough to pay for her education.
She started working at WSU Vancouver in 1995. She is a tenured professor in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Public Affairs. Her research focuses on American Institutions, Public Law, American Public Policy and Public Civility. As a Fulbright Scholar, she has also taught in Slovenia at the University of Ljubljana School of Social Sciences.
Long has been awarded Washington State University’s President’s Award for Leadership and Engagement (2015), and Washington State University College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Institutional Service Award (2014). In 2015, she was named the inaugural distinguished professor in Civic Education and Public Civility, housed in the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service, a position she voluntarily left to run for office.
In 2017, she was awarded the Iris H-RoC Award, which honors women in Southwest Washington who have promoted civil discourse, teamwork, collaboration, and cooperation.