NE Washington’s Debra Hansen Set To Retire In July

Washington State University's Stevens County extension director, Debra Hansen, is retiring next month after more than two decades of community development work in northeast Washington. Hansen helped secure millions of dollars for rural projects in the area, including efforts that led to more than $12 million in broadband fiber investment in central Stevens County.

“I spent my Extension career listening to issues affecting Stevens County and figuring out ways to solve them," Hansen said. “In Extension, we pay attention to the people we live with, shop with, and work with, and we try to make our communities better.”

WSU noted she also played a key role in bringing together local governments, tribes, telecommunications companies, and community groups to expand internet access across the region.

Hansen's Contribution Stretches Beyond NE Washington

Hansen is also known for creating Ripple Effects Mapping, a community evaluation tool now used around the world to measure the long-term impact of local projects.

“We have colleagues conducting REM across the world, helping people find value and meaning in the hard work they do,” Hansen said. “A colleague from Cornell University shared that REM has been effective at measuring deeper impacts and determining organizational purpose over time. That matters a lot in community work.”

Since rolling out in 2010, the tool has reshaped evaluation, research, and meeting facilitation to capture impact, engage stakeholders, and reflect on complex work. The mapping process, she noted, helps groups connect activities to broader outcomes, identify patterns and trends, and see relationships between impacts.

“I love leading REM sessions,” Hansen added. “The participatory approach helps people tell their stories and gives me chills when we all start to see the connections.”

Colleagues said Hansen's collaborative approach helped Stevens County communities identify their own solutions and build stronger partnerships.

She Doesn't Tell You What To Do

Margaret Viebrock, fellow longtime Extension specialist and director of Chelan and Douglas Counties, said Hansen is well known in Stevens County.

“Debra brings a unique community development perspective,” Viebrock said. “She has the research background and the practical application knowledge of how to help communities do something better for themselves. She’s made a difference in community connections and people working together.”

Rather than prescribing solutions, Viebrock said that Hansen has focused on helping communities identify their own goals and pathways forward.

“She’s not someone who says, ‘Do it my way,’” Viebrock said. “She would say, ‘Here are some options, and I can help you with any one of them.’ I think that’s what people like about her.”