1970s
A novel by Paul R. Paradise (’75 Gen. Stu.) was a finalist for the 2022 Killer Nashville Claymore Award. His book, Truth Is Always Changing, was recognized in the “Best Investigator” category at a ceremony last summer in Franklin, Tennessee.
1980s
Renee Laegreid (’82 Int. Des.) was named the Andrew Allen Excellence Fellow in Western History at the University of Wyoming. Laegreid is a history professor specializing in the history of the American West with a focus on gender and culture.
1990s
Celeste Mastin (’90 Chem. Eng.) is president and CEO of H.B. Fuller, a manufacturing company. Previously, she was executive vice president and chief operating officer at the company. Mastin has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing and distribution, and has held CEO roles at PetroChoice Lubrication Solutions, Distribution International, and MMI Products. She serves on the board of directors of Granite Construction.
Rochelle L. Haller (’93 English) joined the Seattle office of law firm Fox Rothschild LLP as a partner in the taxation and wealth department. She represents clients in a wide variety of estate and tax planning matters as well as probate and trust administration. Active in several professional organizations, Haller is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, where she serves on the Digital Assets Committee. She is also a member of the American Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, New York Bar Association, King County Bar Association, Estate Planning Counsel of Seattle, and the Uniform Law Commission. Before joining Fox, Haller was a principal at Foster Garvey.
Nancy Krook (’94 Soc. Stu.) is one of the first five members inducted to the Society of Distinguished Alumni, a recognition created to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of WSU Global Campus. She has worked for 23 years as a lead administrative secretary for the Burlington-Edison School District and was recipient of Western Washington University’s Outstanding Distinguished Education Award. She and her husband Frank currently live in the Skagit Valley area. Krook is the mother of two daughters, one of whom is also a WSU alumna.
Alicia (Olfert) Harvey (’96 Hotel & Rest. Admin.) has been appointed by the Montana governor to a second three-year term on the Montana Tourism Advisory Council. She was elected council chair in October and has worked in various leadership roles in the hotel and tourism industry since graduating from WSU.
James Martin (’97 Crim. Jus., Socio.) is branch manager at Herc Rental in Des Moines. He’s also building his own ProSolutions center and recently celebrated his twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with Sharon Martin.
Sharon (Street) Martin (’98 Bus. Ad.) is the director of regulatory operations at Delta Dental of Washington.
2000s
Jason Lee (’00 Busi. Admin.) is chief information security officer at Splunk, a leading data platform for security and observability. Lee has 20 years of experience in technology with a focus on information security and operating mission-critical services. Previously, he was the CISO at Zoom and senior vice president of security operations at Salesforce. He’s also held various security operations roles at Microsoft.
Bernard Lagat (’01 MIS) was inducted to the Inland Northwest Sports Hall of Fame, part of the first induction class since 2019. Lagat was a four-time NCAA champion as a WSU distance runner and helped his team set a collegiate record for the distance medley. He was also a 10-time All-American in track and cross-country and won five Pac-10 championships.
Jaime Shimek (’01 Comm.) is the executive director of communications and external engagement at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Library in Richland, Washington. Shimek has more than 20 years of experience working with federal agencies and government bodies, including serving as the majority clerk for the House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee in Washington, DC.
Candace Baltz (’02 Comm.) has opened Terracotta, a community pottery studio, in downtown Pullman.
Brea Starmer (’05 Comm.) was named to Puget Sound Business Journal’s “2022 40 Under 40.” Starmer is the founder and CEO of Lions + Tigers, a business consulting firm focusing on building a culture of inclusion and enabling part-time and flexible work. Starmer founded the firm in 2015 after she was laid off while pregnant and sought to create the flexibility she wanted from an employer. Teams members at Lions + Tigers are composed of 70 percent women and 33 percent Black, Indigenous, or people of color. Starmer is a member of the Carson College of Business’s marketing advisory board and Women in Cloud.
Shelley Broader (’06 Soc. Sci.) is one of the first five members inducted to WSU Global Campus’s Society of Distinguished Alumni. She has worked as a CEO, executive officer, or board member for Walmart, Michaels Stores and Chico’s. She was named to Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women International” list in 2015 and is a corporate board director for multiple companies, including Dutch Bros. Coffee.
Lisa King (’08 Soc. Sci.) is one of the first five members inducted to WSU Global Campus’s Society of Distinguished Alumni. King founded Hudson Bay Insulation with her husband, Jim King (’80 Busi., Const. Mgmt.), in 1990. She and her husband are benefactors and laureates of WSU. She is also president and chair of the board of directors of the WSU Foundation.
Ricardo Ramirez (’08 PhD Entom.) was honored at a ceremony during Utah State University’s 2022 Inaugural Professor Lecture Series, at which faculty who have been promoted to full professor highlight their accomplishments and academic journeys. The first person in his family to attend college, Ramirez is an entomology specialist and professor in USU’s biology department.
2010s
Stacee Kratovil (’11 Busi.) is senior family advisor at Parcion Private Wealth. She previously served as a vice president at U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management and a senior portfolio manager for BMO Harris Bank.
Michael Herseth (’13 Civ. Eng.) is a civil engineering manager at Ware Malcomb in Seattle.
Katey Koehn (’14 Soc. Sci.) is one of the first five members inducted to WSU Global Campus’s Society of Distinguished Alumni. She’s the director of technical program management for Walmart Global Tech and has also worked for eBay, Yahoo, and Verizon. Koehn is an active member of WSU’s Alumni Association and serves as vice president of the board of directors.
Tag Jacklin (’14 MBA) joined the Coeur d’Alene Bancorp and bankcda board of directors. Jacklin is a board member and president of Jacklin Land Company and Riverbend Commerce Park in Post Falls, Idaho, and a partner in Bighorn Ventures. Jacklin is also the board director for the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce and board director and treasurer for the Coeur d’Alene Area Economic Development Corporation.
Isaiah McElroy (’17 Arch.) is an architectural associate at the design firm BCRA. He supports BCRA’s multifamily residential and retail markets at the Tacoma office.
2020s
Nam Nguyen (’20 Busi.) was named to the 2022 Points of Light Inspiration Honor Roll. Founded by George H. W. Bush Sr., the recognition was created to honor acts of service, kindness, and civic engagements in communities around the world.
Sarah Movius (’21 MCER) received the WSU College of Education’s Ferrucci Distinguished Educator Award for her work with educational escape rooms. Movius previously taught English as a foreign language to students in Mongolia through Peace Corps and has worked as a substitute teacher and paraeducator.
Maddie Comes (’22 DVM) is a staff veterinarian at Double Arrow Veterinary Clinic in Choteau, Montana.
Gary Rubens (’22 Soc. Sci.) is one of the first five members inducted to WSU Global Campus’s Society of Distinguished Alumni. Rubens is an investor and philanthropist whose more than $31 million in donations to the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship have benefited thousands of students who couldn’t otherwise afford college. Rubens himself was originally accepted to WSU in 1981, but his family couldn’t pay for him to go. Forty years later, he finally earned a WSU degree of his own.