Spokane County Commissioner Amber Waldref was born and raised in a hard-working family in Northeast Spokane. Her family's long road to the middle class shaped her belief that the economy should work not just for some, but for everyone.
About Amber
Karolina, Nora, Amber & Tom
Born and raised in Spokane, Amber graduated from Gonzaga Prep and Georgetown University and earned her M.A. from Antioch University, Seattle. She is married to high school and collegiate science teacher, Tom Flanagan. They have two teen daughters and are longtime residents of the Logan neighborhood.
Over 20 years of successful Leadership
Amber has engaged local community members and state/national leaders for more than 20 years in designing community solutions and helping organizations invest in people and places to create measurable, positive change. Amber has deep experience in the non-profit sector, advocating for cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, building partnerships at The Lands Council to support clean water and healthy forests, and developing the capacity of The ZoNE initiative at Northeast Community Center to remove barriers to economic opportunity for all children and families.
During her eight years as a Spokane City Councilmember, Amber led efforts to clean up the Spokane River, to improve streets and utilities, and to support small business growth and public safety through targeted investment in the East Sprague District, the Hamilton Street Corridor, and in Downtown Spokane. Amber championed a property crime supervision program for vehicle thefts and state funding to build the Regional Mental Health Stabilization Center. In 2016, Amber led the ballot campaign to increase Spokane Transit service and was instrumental in creating the new all-electric rapid transit City Line, which opened in 2023.
Since her election to the Board of County Commissioners in 2022, Amber has led efforts to work regionally to reduce homelessness and address the opioid epidemic, prioritize funding for affordable housing, engage stakeholders in updating the County’s growth plan, and increase transparency and access to Board of Commissioners meetings and decisions. She is past chair of the Spokane Regional Health District Board and also serves on the Boards of Priority Spokane and the University District Development Authority. She was also appointed to serve on the Governor’s Council on Homelessness.
Read more about Amber’s accomplishments.
Amber has a long history of volunteer and community service. She was appointed to the Governor’s 2020 Census Counts Committee and was responsible for activating Spokane County’s successful Census Count. She served on the Spokane Housing Authority Board, the Washington State University Spokane Advisory Council, the Holy Names Music Center Board of Trustees, and the Spokane County Human Rights Task Force.
