1960s
Robert Olds (’64 Vet. Sci., ’67 DVM) received the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
1970s
Gordon Gibbs (’70 Forest Mgt.) runs Gibbs Consulting in Forks, and wrote the 2025 guidebook Basic Training for Managers and Supervisors.
Pamela Tuomi (’70 DVM), who cared for contaminated sea otters after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, received the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
1980s
Kerri Marshall (’81 Zool., ’85 DVM) was appointed to the board of directors for Fear Free, the leading authority in the emotional wellness of companion animals. Marshall invented Trupanion Express, the first real-time direct pay model for pet insurance.
James Abeshima (’85 Mech. Eng.) is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Cleveland-based Austin Company, a construction engineering firm.
Donald Kalkofen (’85 Accounting) is chief financial officer for biotechnology company Genvor, Inc.
Julia Oxford (’85 MS, ’86 PhD Bio. Chem.), the Duane and Lori Steuckle Endowed Chair in Biology at Boise State University, received the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Rena Carlson-Lammers (’86 Vet. Sci., ’89 DVM), former president of the Idaho Veterinary Medical Association, received the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Jeffrey E. Geier (’86 Ag. Econ.) was recognized as a lifetime member for the Inner Circle, which celebrates excellence among professionals in their industries. Geier’s firm, Phoenix Coaching, helps senior executives build effective teams.
Steve Herbig (’86 Hort.), known for tending the rose garden and planting approximately 100,000 plants at Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park, has retired after 38 years at Parks Tacoma.
Phil Ohl (’87 Mat. Sci. & Eng., ’92 MEM Eng. Mgmt.), director of Tri-Cities Angel Alliance, is the 2026 Tri-Citian of the Year.
1990s
Don Kowalchuk (’90 Const. Mgmt.) is executive vice president and general manager of Skanska’s Washington operating unit.
Mike Gruber (’92 Poli. Sci.) is chief operating officer of the Household & Commercial Products Association.
Drew Bledsoe (x’93 Gen. Stu.), former star WSU and NFL quarterback, is the 2026 Honorary Chair of the Auction of Washington Wines.
Mike Worden (’94 Crim. Just.) is undersheriff for Okanogan County.
Eric Saindon (’96 Arch.) was awarded his second Best Visual Effects Oscar at the Academy Awards for his work on Avatar: Fire and Ash. His first Oscar was for Avatar: The Way of Water.
Aaron Schutt (’96 Civ. Eng.) was appointed to the board of directors of Alaska Silver Corp. in May. An Alaska Native, Schutt is currently president and CEO of Doyon Limited, with a broad portfolio of natural resources and other businesses in Alaska.
Kris Strickler (’98 Civ. Eng.) joined engineering and design firm STV as senior vice president and national highways director. Strickler has more than two decades of leadership with the Oregon Department of Transportation and Washington State Department of Transportation.
Dawn Menge (‘99 Soc. Sci.) received the Empowered Woman Award for 2026 from the International Association of Top Professionals.
2000s
Tawny Dotson (’02 Comm.) is the first female president of Mt. San Jacinto College in San Jacinto, California.
Manuel Villafan Jr. (’02 Socio.) is president and CEO at Catholic Charities in Yakima.
Molly London (’04 Kinesio., ’14 Nursing, ’19 DNP), a nationally certified nurse practitioner, joined Inland Orthopaedics in its Express Care clinics in Pullman and Moscow, Idaho.
Eleni Willis (’03 MBA) is the new vice president of risk management for Kitsap Credit Union.
C. Brandon Chapman (’04 Comm.) is the City of Olympia’s new strategic communications director. “Chappy” spent the last 12 years as director of communications with WSU’s College of Education.
Denise Hurst (’04 Music) coordinates music for Walla Walla Public Schools.
Melinda Roberts (’05 MA, ’09 PhD Crim. Just.) serves as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Fresno State University. She previously was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana State University.
Brian Keith (’06 Busi.) is chief marketing officer of Chang Robotics, an automation engineering firm.
2020s
Smita Srivastava (’20 PhD Mgmt.) is associate dean for faculty and research in the Barton School of Business at Wichita State University.
Ryan Booth (’21 PhD History), an assistant professor in the history department at WSU, received the 2026 Library Excellence Award from WSU Libraries.
Lucas Paul LeMaster (’21 Civ. Eng.) was promoted to the rank of captain in the US Army. He’s assigned to the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Carson, Colorado.
Natalie Sturm (’25 PhD Soil Sci.) is farm manager of Dakota Lakes Research Farm near Pierre, South Dakota.