Attorney General Nick Brown has named Megan Cotton, currently Governor Bob Ferguson’s Senior Policy Advisor for Transportation, as his office’s new Tribal Director. In this position, Cotton will serve as the AGO’s central bridge between Tribal governments and agency leadership, ensuring Tribal voices, priorities, and sovereignty are fully reflected in the work of this Office.
Cotton is a citizen of the Snoqualmie Tribe and has more than 20 years of experience in transportation issues. She served as tribal liaison and then director of tribal and federal relations for the Washington State Department of Transportation. At WSDOT, Cotton negotiated intergovernmental agreements and worked on Tribal, federal and state relations.
“Megan has demonstrated a commitment to protecting and strengthening government-to-government relationships between tribes and our state,” Brown said. “She will be a fantastic representative for the office in maintaining important relationships with our tribal partners.”
“I am deeply honored and excited to begin working with Attorney General Nick Brown and the dedicated staff of the AGO as the Director of Tribal Relations,” Cotton said. “This role is an opportunity to build on the important work of strengthening government-to-government relationships and advancing meaningful collaboration with Tribal nations. I look forward to working with Tribal Leaders and communities to help ensure that tribal sovereignty, priorities, and perspectives are respected, valued, and reflected in the work of the AGO.”
Cotton holds a bachelor’s degree in Native American studies and a Master of Public Administration from The Evergreen State College. Beyond her service in state government, she has chaired the Snoqualmie Gaming Commission and taught as faculty at Evergreen, where she developed curriculum and led courses on the history, legal foundations, and practice of state, federal, and Tribal government relationships through the college’s Advanced Tribal Relations Certificate program.
Cotton will step into her new role at the AGO on September 16.
[Information provided by the Washington’s Attorney General’s Office. Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst on Unsplash]
