Laurie Trautman has been named the director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University.

Trautman has been the associate director of the institute since 2014, during which time she worked on a number of research projects.

She has a doctorate in geography from the University of Oregon, a master’s degree in earth science from Montana State University and a bachelor’s degree in environmental economics from Western.

The institute researches issues relating to the Canada-U.S. border.