Jennifer Belcher

Jennifer Emerson Belcher (née Marion; January 4, 1944 – March 31, 2022) was an American politician who was the first woman to serve as Washington commissioner of public lands from 1993 to 2001. Belcher previously represented the 22nd district in the Washington House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993. Her major legislative achievements include subsidizing childcare for state employees and furthering equal pay for women in state government. As commissioner of public lands, she oriented the Washington State Department of Natural Resources toward conservation. and Washington's first female senator, Patty Murray.

Career outside politics Belcher lived in Olympia, Washington and worked as a state employee and as president of Management Dynamics, which advised growing businesses.

Death and legacy

After a long illness, Belcher died on March 31, 2022, at the age of 78. One obituary described Belcher's leadership of the DNR as "transformational", both in who was hired and in the department's policies. Leading forest ecologist Jerry Franklin called her "a revolutionary" for changing the DNR's direction with respect to ecological conservation and species protection.