1960s

David A. Longanecker (’68 Socio.) authored The Late Truck Driver: Following the Dream, which details how he became a truck driver after retiring from a career in higher education, including six years as assistant secretary of education for higher education under President Bill Clinton.

1970s

Derek Brown (’76 Elec. Eng.) retired after 44 years with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, where he was a senior consulting engineer. He is a member and working group chair for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Hydro Power Subcommittee and provides engineering consulting services.

Alan Gross (’76 MS, ’79 PhD Psych.) is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Mississippi, where he’s served as a faculty member for more than 30 years. His research has been presented at nearly 150 workshops, conferences, and addresses, and he has coauthored five books and 140 peer-reviewed articles. He has also directed 49 theses and 73 dissertations as a mentor.

Frank Andrews (’79 Bacterio., ’83 Vet. Med.) heads the Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. He joined the LSU faculty in 2008 as director of equine health studies and his research focuses on gastric ulcer disease in horses.

1980s

Ken Collins (’84 History), a longtime coach, teacher, principal, and administrator for the Lake Stevens School District, is the new superintendent.

Susan Cary Paganelli (’89 Ed.) was appointed to the Pierce County Council Citizens’ Advisory Board. She is co-owner of VIA Unlimited, a consulting company.

1990s

Peter Mayer (’91 Rec. & Leis. Stu.) is the new director of Washington State Parks and Recreation, where he oversees 124 state parks and approximately 1,000 employees. He had previously served as deputy executive director of Metro Parks Tacoma.

Chuck Arnold (’94 Sport Mgmt.) is president of the Seattle Seahawks. The team extended his contract through 2027 as he enters his fourth season as president.

Bennie L. Harris (’95 MBA) is the chancellor at the University of South Carolina Upstate. He is a former director for the Center of Human Rights at WSU and served in leadership positions at Lipscomb University, DePaul University, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Linhda Sagen (’98 Nutr., ’00 Food Sci.) is the 2021 WSU Alumna of Distinction, an award bestowed at the annual Women of Distinction ceremony, for her work with the Pullman Schools Pantry Program. During her time as president, the program has provided 350 bags of food each week to families in need.

2000s

Micaela (Shelton) Banach (’00 Busi.) is a 2021 Super Lawyer in San Diego, a list cultivated by Super Lawyers Magazine. She is a partner of Noonan Lance Boyer & Banach and past president of the San Diego County Bar Foundation.

Troy Braga (’04 MBA) is the resident director of the Merrill Lynch office in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. A wealth management adviser and senior vice president with the Baldwin-Braga Group, he has worked for Merrill Lynch for six years and is a certified financial planner and a certified plan fiduciary adviser.

Mike McNickle (’04 Pub. Affairs) is the new director of Grays Harbor County Public Health and Social Services. He is responsible for the county’s COVID-19 response as well as homelessness and opioid addiction response.

Kristie Van Boxtel (’06 Int. Des.) is an interior designer at Convergence Architecture in Portland, Oregon.

Jennifer (Smith) Gangwish (’07 Psych.) is transitioning to the chief executive officer position at College Hill, a custom apparel company in Pullman. Smith previously served as vice president and sales manager.

2010s

Becca De Kleine (’11 Hort.) has been re-elected for another three-year term as a board member of the Washington Winegrowers Association. She is director of winemaking and general manager at Four Feathers Wine Estates in Prosser and president of the Washington Wine Technical Group.

Marcus Lathan (’12 Busi.) is a contestant on the 2021 season of The Bachelorette. He is a real estate broker and operations manager at Affinity Property Management in Portland, Oregon.

Emily Uhlig (’14 Biol.) is an associate of Adams Leclair, a litigation law firm in Rochester, New York, where she focuses on commercial and construction cases.

The Western Society of Weed Science awarded Nevin Lawrence (’15 Crop Sci.) this year’s Outstanding Weed Scientist for the Early Career category. He is an integrated weed management specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension Center.

Flor Maldonado (’16 Ag. & Food Sec.) is a board member of the Washington Apple Education Foundation. As a student, she received a scholarship from the WAEF. She and her brothers run their family’s organic orchard company.

Garrett Snedeker (’19 Music) won the Barzun Prize for Youth Engagement for founding a community music program in London. The program teaches students to compose, play, and perform original pieces of music.

2020s

Brynna Jones (’21 Int. Des.) is an interior designer at MMEC Architecture & Interiors in Spokane.

Ethan Sanders (’21 Arch.) is an unlicensed associate architect with MMEC Architecture & Interiors in Spokane.