People

Wendy Bohlke, Assistant Attorney General and Senior Counsel, joined the Washington State Office of Attorney General in 1979. Wendy grew up in Prosser, Washington, earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from University of Washington in 1975 and law degree from Willamette University in December 1977.

Bohlke served as Section Chief of the Bellingham Regional Office from its opening in July 1984 until September 2006. As WWU’s legal counsel since 1983, she has managed the full range of issues that come before a general counsel of a vital university.

Bohlke’s professional activities include serving on numerous committees of the Washington State Bar Association, LAW Fund and the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA). She was president of the Whatcom County Bar Association in 1995, served on the board of directors of NACUA from 1999-2002, and is a Life Member of the Board of Directors for LAW Fund.

Bohlke was designated Senior Counsel by Attorney General Ken Eikenberry in 1991. Attorney General Christine Gregoire bestowed upon her the Golden Gavel Award in 1995 and designated Wendy a Steward of Justice in 1999.

Lisa E. Wochos has served as an assistant attorney general in the Bellingham Regional Services Division of the Office of the Attorney General (AGO) since 2001. She has practiced law since 1979, initially in California until 1995 when she relocated to Washington. Since joining the AGO, Lisa has mainly represented public education institutional clients. Her clients are Western Washington University, Skagit Valley College, Whatcom Community College and Education Service District 189. She previously represented Bellingham Technical College, the Department of Social and Health Services and the Department of Licensing. Her practice areas include contracts, employment matters, governance, confidentiality issues and real estate transactions. Prior to joining the AGO, Lisa’s practice had emphasized criminal law (defense), personal injury and employment matters.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin (Madison) and Santa Clara University School of Law, Lisa enjoys hiking, biking, boating, gardening and skiing. Lisa and her husband have three nearly-grown children, two dogs and two llamas. She serves on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Whatcom County and the Lummi Island Boys and Girls Club.

Barbara Lechtanski serves as Western Washington University’s Public Records Officer and University Policy Coordinator. Barbara grew up in Yakima, Washington. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in History from Western Washington University in 1995. She has made her home in Bellingham for the last sixteen years.

Lechtanski worked for the Bellingham Police Department from 1997 – 2008 where she gained her expertise on the Public Records Act of Washington State and processed thousands of public records requests. Lechtanski was also a Regional ACCESS Trainer for the Washington State Patrol from 1998 – 2005. As a trainer, she was able to log numerous classroom hours and to experience a variety of students from all levels of law enforcement across Washington State.

Suzanne Baker, Assistant to Internal Audit and the Assistant Attorney General.

In her 13 years at Western, Baker has served over 7 years in the offices of the President and 6 years in Financial Aid. A few of her roles during this time include, coordinating scholarship programs; assisting in Student Employment; serving as Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees; Rules Coordinator; and providing administrative assistance to Internal Audit and the Assistant Attorneys General. Prior to her service at Western, Baker worked at Whatcom Community College and a local, private law firm. Baker is an avid traveler and enjoys cooking, reading, and cultural events.