1930s
Emery Bator (’38 Bus. Admin.) turned 100 in August, and retired from the Stanford Research Institute in 1975. There are five brothers in the Bator family who went to WSU, and at least 10 nieces and nephews who are also Cougars. Bator and his wife attended the game between California and WSU in 1940.
1960s
David Ensor (’63 Chem. Engr.) specializes in aerosol and air pollution research and is now the Research Triangle Institute International Distinguished Fellow. Ensor has worked with RTI since 1980. and played a part in the founding of the American Association for Aerosol Research as well as the journal Aerosol Science and Technology. He was presented with the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering Distinguished Alumnus Award at WSU this past May.
Robert M. Clark (’68 Police Sci.) retired from Safeco & Liberty Mutual Insurance after 38 years there. He was an Armor Officer for four years in the U.S. Army, touring in both Korea and Germany. Clark and his wife, Tae, have a second home in Mesa, Arizona, where they intend to spend their winters.
1970s
Ruth Oniang’o (’71 Home Ec., ’73 MS Hum. and Nat. Res. Sci.) joined the Board of Advisors of the Virtual Fertilizer Research Center. Oniang’o is founder and leader of the Rural Outreach Programme, an NGO based in Kenya that supports resource-poor farmer groups. She was a member of Kenya’s parliament 2003–2007, a member of the Sasakawa Africa Association Board of Trustees, advisor to the University of Leeds Africa College Initiative, and chair of Kenya’s Food Security Programmes.
Russell J. Anarde (’73 Bus. Admin.) is corporate lead executive for company business at Northrup Grumman Corporation in Colorado. He was in the U.S. Air Force for more than 28 years and retired as brigadier general. He has an MBA from the University of Utah and a master’s in logistics management from the Air Force Institute of Technology.
Bruce L. Johnson (’74 Comm.) married Amy-Beth (Davis) Johnson on August 8, 2010.
Kevin Gould (’77 Bus.) joined the board of directors for the Trans-Pacific Aerospace Company. Gould has worked at Boeing and Adam Aircraft Industries Piper Aircraft, and served as president and CEO of Piper Aircraft from 2009. He has an MBA from Harvard, an MS in management from Stanford University’s Sloan program, and a JD from University of Southern California.
David Myers (’77 MA Soc., ’80 PhD Soc.) is the American Institutes for Research’s president and CEO. The not-for-profit organization conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance in health, education, and workforce productivity.
Michael McCaskey (’78 Ag. Mech.) is vice president/dean of academic affairs at Herkimer County Community College in New York. McCaskey has 23 years as an educator and administrator, recently serving as dean for the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources at SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill.
1980s
Paul Ishii (’81 Bus. Admin.) has been appointed to the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board. He is also on the board of directors of InvestED, a chair of the Washington Lodging Association, and a member of the board of the Downtown Seattle Association.
Dori Familiant (’82 Hotel and Rest. Admin.) is general manager for Hilton in Crystal City, Virginia. He began his career at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts and has nearly 30 years in the hospitality industry in locations around the United States.
Ruth Monahan (’82 For. and Nat. Res.) is Alaska Region Deputy Regional Forester. She has been involved with Forest Service for 30 years and has held various positions including district ranger for Idaho’s Payette National Forest.
Ruth Medsker (’84 Ed.) is interim principal at West Seattle High School. For five years she was education director for Seattle Public Schools and supervised middle and K-8 schools. She has received several awards including the Alliance for Education’s Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence for outstanding leadership.
Michael Fleetwood (’87 Lib. Arts), United States Army Colonel, graduated from the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, Pennsylvania and earned a master’s degree in strategic studies. Fleetwood works as a repairman of aircraft power plants and has 23 years of military service. He also completed a master’s degree in 1995 from Troy State University.
Kristin Bail (’88 Geol.) is deputy forest supervisor for the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona. She has worked with federal land management agencies for 25 years. In 2006, Bail went to Washington, D.C., to serve in the BLM’s Business and Fiscal Resources section.
Rich Cho (’89 Mech. Engr.) is general manager for the Portland Trail Blazers. In 1995, Cho began interning with the SuperSonics while earning a law degree from Pepperdine University. He became the part-time consultant for the Sonics in 1997 and was promoted to assistant general manager in 2000. Prior to working for the NBA, Cho also worked as an engineer at Boeing.
1990s
Robert A. Purvis (’92 MS Hort.) has been testing and evaluating apricot varieties to see how they perform under Idaho conditions and developing a private germplasm repository of various types of apricots and plums. He has also been working to create later-blooming Canadian and U.S. apricots and plums that taste good and are able to endure cold weather.
Yong Wang (’92 MS Chem. Engr., ’93 PhD Chem. Engr.) is a fellow of the American Chemical Society. He is an associate director of the Institute for Interfacial Catalysis at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a Voiland Distinguished Professor at WSU. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He co-authored more than 130 peer reviewed publications, edited six books and topic journal issues, and is an inventor/co-inventor on more than 100 patents.
Terry Goldman (’94 Hotel Rest. Admin.) is president and CEO of the Washington County Visitors Association in Oregon. He is also commissioner on the Metro Exposition and Recreation Commission. He received the SpringHill Suites’ “General Manager of the Year award in 2006, the Oregon Lodging Association’s “Innkeeper of the Year” award in 2008, and the J. Willard Marriott Award of Excellence in 2010.
Jennifer Forsberg (’97 Bus. Admin.) is finance director for the city of Washougal. She worked at the Washington State Auditor’s Office for nine years, first as an auditor and supervisor at the state department’s office in Vancouver, and then as fraud manager for the state department.
Jamie Kern Lima (’99 Bus.) is founder and CEO of IT Cosmetics. The former TV news anchor worked with Brazilian plastic surgeons to develop the business. She and her line of cosmetics have been a part of more than 200 media publications and television features, including the TODAY Show and Rachael Ray. IT Cosmetics is the recipient of the Redbook Magazine MVP Award, the 2009 ICMAD Cosmetic Innovator of the Year Award, and the 2010 Total Beauty award.
Jennifer Mensik (’99 Nursing) was elected director-at-large on The American Nurses Association’s board of directors. Mensik currently lives in Chandler, Arizona, and is a member and president of the Arizona Nurses Association, as well as the system director of clinical practice and research with Banner Health in Phoenix.
2000s
Jason Koontz (’00 PhD Biol.) is associate professor at Augustana College. Koontz is currently researching the hill prairie larkspur, which is known to be located in only three western Illinois counties.
Robert Tick (’00 MBA) is CFO at Nutrastar International Inc., which produces and distributes Chinese Golden Grass. Previously, Tick was CFO and Corporate Secretary for ANDA Networks Inc., a telecom networking equipment supplier in North America and China. He has also worked as corporate controller for Zambeel Inc., is a CPA, and is fluent in Chinese.
Holly (Wysaske) Jones (’02 Engl.) welcomed her son, Ricker William, on May 15, 2010. He joins his older brother Victor and a family of Cougs.
Gail Schaar (’02 Comm./Ad.) is email marketing coordinator at Microsoft/Pentad Solutions in Bellevue. Her career has focused on marketing and event planning. Before accepting her new job, Schaar was a part of the Global Database Marketing team at Expedia.
Jeana Simpson (’02 Ed.) teaches in the Nine Mile Falls School District. She is the fourth recipient of the 2010 Vitt and Mary Ferrucci Distinguished Educator Award in Math, Science, and Technology Education. The WSU Department of Education award includes a paid summer sabbatical to develop a science teaching workshop for K-8 teachers in her district.
Anna Welsh (’03 Bus. Admin.) is married to Jon (’02 Polit. Sci.) and they have three children, Alex, Jack, and Ellie. The couple owns Manzanita Fresh Foods in Manzanita, Oregon.
Amanda Van Lanen (’04 MA and ‘09 PhD U.S. and Pub. Hist.) is assistant professor of history at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania, for the 2010-2011 academic year. Before accepting this position, Van Lanen worked as an instructor and teaching assistant at WSU.
Ashley Kmiecik (’05 Lib. Arts) was chosen by the USA Women’s National Rugby Team to start in the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England last August. She is a fullback with the USA Women Eagles. Kmiecik played and coached rugby at WSU and then moved to Redmond where she played for the Emerald City Mudhens.
Rachel Hamar (’06 Lib. Arts, Hist.) received her law degree from the University of Washington School of Law.
Joshua P. Berning (’08 PhD Econ.) is assistant professor at the University of Connecticut in the Food Marketing Policy Center.
Derrick Low (’08 Gen. Studies) has signed a one-year contract with the Israeli Basketball Super League. Low was a four-year starter at WSU from 2004 to 2008. He has played professionally in France and Australia, and last season played for BC Siauliai in Lithuania where he was named All-Lithuanian LKL Import Player of the Year by Eurobasket.com.
Neil Wilson (’08 Phil.) received the Sam Wilkins Criminal Law Award from Mississippi College School of Law. He was part of the MC Law Team that defeated the University of Mississippi Law School in the Seventh Annual Ogletree Deakins Mississippi Moot Court Championship last April.
Emily Easley (’09 Pub. Rel.) is an account coordinator at Desautel Hege Communications in Spokane. She is also a member of the Spokane Society of Young Professionals.
Sierra Eckman (’09 Bus. Admin.) is a CPA with Opsahl, Dawson & Company in Vancouver, Washington.
Trudy Freese (’09 Engl.) is store manager at The Bookie of WSU Tri-Cities. While a student, she was involved with the Associated Students of WSU Tri-Cities, was a tutor in the Writing Center, and a secretary of the Multicultural Club. After graduating, Freese worked with the American Scholar Theological Society as a public relations advisor.
Brady Prim (’09 Bus.) works for the U.S. Embassy in China and volunteers for the Washington State University Alumni Association. Previously, he was chair of the Students Book Corporation and a winner of the 2009 Big Ten Senior Award in Community Service and the 2009 President’s Award.