For Lind Olafsdottir, the decision to pursue the WSU/César Ritz Colleges Switzerland joint bachelor’s degree was a natural fit for her long-time interest in food and beverage. Olafsdottir grew up in Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital, and a prime tourist destination. She entered the hospitality industry at 17 when she got a job at Apotek, a popular restaurant known for its mix of Icelandic and European cuisine and award-winning cocktails.

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Before her family moved to Switzerland, Sarah Alwasil grew up living in hotels across Europe and Asia while her father worked as a Saudi Arabian diplomat to the United Nations. The constant shifting of her environment may have contributed to her indecisive personality (self-described), but it also developed her confidence and interest in trying new things.

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As the daughter of a business owner and an accountant, Mathilde Lang could have easily been influenced to find a similar career path. But at 15, while working a summer job in a restaurant, she realized her professional calling lay in hospitality.

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WSU MBA graduate Michelle Kelly has a new accolade to add to her growing list of accomplishments: the Washington State University Alumna Woman of Distinction Award. She was one of six women recognized at WSU’s Women of Distinction ceremony April 19, 2022, for contributing to the personal and professional success of women, creating positive social change, and increasing equity on their campus and in their communities. Kelly shares the story of her professional path since leaving the military and becoming WSU's ROTC military science instructor and the owner of Michelle's Closet, a consignment clothing store in downtown Pullman.

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Murry Mercier, senior living industry market leader for PointClickCare, a leading cloud-based healthcare software provider for acute care and senior care industries, gave the inaugural senior living lecture during Hospitality Week 2022. Mercier, who often went to work with his grandmother who looked after him while she managed a nursing home, shared insights on how he developed a deep regard for seniors and established a successful career in the senior living industry.

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Nolan Thomaswick, a Global Campus accounting student, is one of WSU’s top ten seniors in the campus involvement category. The award recognizes his leadership in student organizations and student government.

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Washington State University recently recognized nine Carson College of Business faculty who received promotion and/or tenure.

“Congratulations to Jesus, Joe, Chris, Xinghua, Alex, Ron, Jenni, Soobin, and Ben! These colleagues represent excellence across all Carson College of Business locations,” says Chip Hunter, Carson College dean. “I encourage you to read more about their individual experiences."

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As one of six Native American business management professors in the United States who study the intersection of Indigenous cultures and business education, Joe Gladstone says Washington’s rich tribal population was a major selling point when he was considering moving back to his home state. As a new career-track assistant professor of management at WSU Everett, he’s looking forward to building the campus's management program. His focus areas include organization behavior, enterprise development, business and society, and management ethics.

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The Carson College honored its first-generation students with a reception and panel discussion. “You belong here,” Stacey Smith-Colon, the Carson Center for Student Success’s assistant director of academic advising, told the audience. “WSU didn’t accept you by mistake. They had faith in your ability to do something no one in your family has done before, and that’s to earn a college degree.” » More ...

Tony Thompson, a new assistant professor of hospitality business management (career track), originally joined the Carson College in 2015 as the Culver hospitality relations manager. In this role, he developed industry connections and coordinated internship and graduate placement opportunities. His boss, Nancy Swanger, who was then the director of the School of Hospitality Business Management, saw something special in the way he could relate to people. One day she asked him to take over her classes; from then on, he discovered a love for teaching.

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