Yvonne Esquibel Smith

Yvonne leads strategic fundraising, sponsorships, partnerships, and community engagement to strengthen and sustain local journalism. She also serves as an Honorary Commander for Fairchild Air Force Base and brings a long-standing commitment to public service, with leadership roles on boards and committees including YWCA Spokane, College Success Foundation, the Mayor’s Advisory Board for Diversity, Downtown Spokane Partnership, Inland Northwest Land Conservancy, and the EWU Foundation. During her tenure with YWCA Spokane, Yvonne helped raise more than $1 million and played a key role in elevating the community’s celebration of Women’s History Month by forging partnerships across nonprofits, local government and private enterprise. With a background spanning high-tech, manufacturing and hospitality, she specializes in marketing, business development and strategic initiatives, grounded in a focus on advancing social and economic equity. She is a recipient of the 2018 Leadership Spokane Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award. She also is a proud mother to daughter Isabella and enjoys the outdoors, golf, travel, and time with friends and family.