Longtime Washington Grain Commission finance specialist retires
Published 6:31 am Tuesday, December 2, 2025
SPOKANE – Sheila McCrea has retired from the Washington Grain Commission after 36 years.
She started as secretary in 1989, became administrative assistant about 10 years later. She became finance and administrative specialist in 2012.
Her last day was Nov. 26.
“The time was right,” McCrea told Capital Press. “I’m not ready to go out to the back 40 yet, but it was time to move on to something different.”
McCrea plans to “catch up on rest” for the next two months before looking for a new job. “I think I still have a few years left in me.”
McCrea oversaw the commission’s finances.
“It’s so crucial to have a paper trail,” she said. “Having the trail of what you do, because a year later, you may not remember what it was you did and why. Explanations of what you do and when is really crucial to having good audits.”
Auditors would often compliment McCrea during updates to the commission’s board.
“It’s hard work,” she said. “It’s about three months worth of living in three different fiscal years: They’re always wanting to know what happened last year, while you’re living in this year, and then they want to know a little bit of what you expect the next year.”
Joining the commission
McCrea originally interviewed for a position for the Washington Barley Commission, and didn’t get it. A few months later, a position opened up at the Washington Grain Commission, and McCrea’s resume was added to the list of applicants.
She interviewed with then-CEO Tom Mick, who offered her the job. The two commissions merged in 2009.
McCrea’s grandfather raised cattle, sheep and alfalfa in Wyoming, so she was familiar with farming.
“I was already welcoming of that industry, knowing how hard they work against all the inputs,” McCrea said.
‘Extreme accuracy’
Over the years, McCrea watched as the commission introduced seven endowed chairs and greenhouses at Washington State University.
“Very exciting times, to see that money working for perpetuity,” she said. “They found some real stellar people to fill those roles.”
Another forward-thinking change McCrea observed was the adoption of genome and environmental studies to require three years of data before varieties could be selected to appear in the commission-published Preferred Varieties Brochure.
It’s been an “invaluable tool,” so that growers know what to grow, and ensure varieties also meet customer needs for end-use performance and quality.
“I’ve been honored to be able to provide extreme accuracy in safeguarding their grower dollars,” McCrea said of Washington’s grain farmers. “They are public funds, and we have a very great responsibility to the expenditure and saving of those funds.”