Jacob Whitish of Shelton, Wash. has been appointed by Gov. Christine Gregoire to the Western Washington University Board of Trustees.

Whitish will serve on the board until June 30, 2012. As a trustee, he will represent all the citizens of Washington but will offer a student’s perspective to the governing board of the university.

“Jacob Whitish is an outstanding leader with a strong commitment to community service. We welcome him to the board and are very pleased that we will have the opportunity for his insights as our new student trustee,” WWU President Bruce Shepard said in a press release.

A senior in Huxley College’s environment disaster reduction and emergency preparedness program, Whitish supplemented his course load with classes in business law, financial accounting, economics and management.