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Dividend The official online magazine of the Carson College of Business

March 2018 – New Hires

Chalayne Foster joined the Office of Development as a new development coordinator and external engagement manager. She oversees the National Board of Advisors and assists with event cultivation opportunities. She is a first generation college graduate and earned her bachelor of science in exercise science and health from the University of Idaho. Her diverse background includes many years of experience working in hospitality, customer service, social media, and marketing management.
Eric Hollenbeck (’09 MBA) is the new communications manager for research in the Office of Marketing, Communications, and Events. He earned his bachelor of science in political science from the University of Idaho. Prior to joining the Carson College of Business marketing communications team, Hollenbeck was the marketing coordinator at Gritman Medical Center and a member of the hospital’s leadership team. He has served on advisory committees for Gritman’s Light a Candle Program, which provides support services to Whitman and Latah County residents who have cancer, and the City of Moscow’s Officer Newbill Kids Safety Fair, an annual event focused on family health and safety on the Palouse.
Suzanne L’Amoureux is the new director of the online MBA program and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Hospitality Business Management. She was previously the associate director of student affairs and chief spokesperson for the online MBA at the University of North Carolina, where she developed program strategy for more than 900 online students worldwide. From 2013 to 2015, L’Amoureux applied her executive leadership experience as an assistant director in the Office of Career Services for the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business, a title she held after she earned her master of business education and master of public policy while on campus.
Angela Lenssen joined the Office of Development  as the new development coordinator and manager of annual giving and stewardship. She has worked at WSU for over six years in marketing and promotions with Summer Session and the University of Idaho/WSU School of Food Science. Since earning her bachelor of science in communications/advertising from the University of Idaho, she has worked in marketing, communications, public relations, and event coordination. Lessen grew up on the Palouse and lives in Pullman with her husband Dwayne and three children. She enjoys photography, music, and volunteer work.
Josue Rodriguez is a new career consultant in the Carson Center for Student Success. He earned both his bachelor of arts in political science and his master of education from Portland State University. His work centers on the importance of integrating both career development and academic achievement for undergraduate students to help them achieve their goals. His background in various student support roles at University of Idaho and Portland State University has given him a broad perspective of how to prepare students for not only graduation, but also for their careers.

December 2017 – New Hires

Carmin Corporan is an administrative assistant II in the Office of Graduate and Online Programs. Her background is in management, customer service, and sales. Most recently, she worked as an assistant manager at Goodwill Industries.
Branden Harris is the new fiscal specialist in the Dean’s office. Born and raised in northern Nevada, he received his B.S. in accounting and finance from the University of Nevada, Reno. He has a background in public accounting and is currently working on his CPA license.
Hans Schnabel is a new academic and student success advisor for certified business students in the Carson Center for Student Success. His educational background includes a B.A. in business administration and management from Eastern Washington University and an M.Sc. in human rights and international politics from the University of Glasgow. He has experience working in college course articulation at Eastern Washington University, Running Start advising at Wenatchee Valley College, and certified student advising at Oregon State University.
Allison Sellers is the new student venture manager in the Center for Entrepreneurship.  She is a first-generation college graduate who holds a B.A. and M.A. in history from Columbus State University and the University of Central Florida, respectively. After graduate school, she began her career in higher education as an events coordinator for professional development events at WSU; most recently, she was a coordinator on the development team at the University of Idaho College of Business and Economics. She brings her experience mentoring students, building relationships, and managing projects to support the growth of the CES and its role as a resource for all WSU students who embrace the entrepreneurial spirit.
Soobin Seo is a new assistant professor of hospitality business management at WSU Everett. Her research mostly focuses on food crisis management and measuring the global impacts of food safety events on firms and consumers. By understanding how consumers respond to food safety-related issues or events, she strives to develop better crisis management tactics or communication strategies. One of her recent interests is utilizing smartphones or social media in crisis communication in relation to food safety events. Seo earned her PhD from Purdue University and taught at The Ohio State University until she joined WSU Everett this year.
Bret Vanness is a new academic advisor in the Carson Center for Student Success. Before coming to Carson College, he coordinated the First-Year Seminar at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and worked at several universities in China teaching business writing, business English and English for specific purposes. His educational background includes a bachelor’s in social work from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and an MA in education from Seattle University.
Courtney Wallen is the new fiscal specialist working with the Office of Graduate and Online Programs. She was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She attended the University of Idaho and graduated with a bachelor’s of science.
Janice Wilson (’83 Bus. Admin.) is a fiscal specialist II in the Dean’s Office. She worked for Community Child Care Center in Pullman for the past 16 years and is a long-time resident of Pullman.

August 2017 New Hires

Xinghua Gao is a new assistant professor of accounting. He teaches courses in accounting information systems and managerial accounting. He is published in academic journals including Contemporary Accounting Research, Review of Accounting Studies, Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, and the Journal of Accounting, Auditing & Finance. Gao had been with Governors State University prior to joining WSU. He obtained his M.B.A. and M.S. in accounting and his PhD in business administration from Wayne State University.
Joan Giese is a new clinical associate professor in the Department of Marketing and International Business. She is returning to WSU after having spent several years on the marketing faculty earlier in her career. She has also been on the marketing faculties at the University of Oregon, Kansas State University, and the University of Montana. Giese received her PhD in marketing at Washington State University. Her research interests in marketing are related to the influences of feelings and design on customer decision making. She is published in several academic journals, including the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Marketing Letters and others. Giese has also served as a marketing consultant to several businesses, agencies, and government organizations.
Shawna Harmon is a new administrative assistant III in the Dean’s Office. She came to the Carson College from the Residence Inn by Marriott in Pullman, where she worked as the front office manager since just after they opened in May of 2014. Shawna, her husband Joe, and their four children moved to the Pullman area in 2009 from Coos Bay, Oregon. In her free time Shawna enjoys swimming, cooking, learning new things, and spending time with her family and friends.
Micah Howard (’16 OMBA) joined the Office of Development as an assistant director of philanthropic engagement. He has experience in fundraising in higher education, sports management, and sales. He previously worked in the NBA G League, Utah Valley University, and Cal State Fullerton. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and his master’s through Carson College’s online MBA program, with an emphasis in finance. Micah loves spending time with his wife and kids, eating great food, playing basketball, and riding his motorcycle.
Elizabeth “Betsy” Howlett is a new professor in the Department of Marketing and International Business and will hold the Gardner O. Hart Distinguished Professorship. Prior to coming to WSU, she was a professor of marketing at the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business, where she has worked since 1995. Previously, she was an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Iowa and at the Stern School of Business, New York University. Her research focuses on consumer preference and public policy. She is published in several academic journals including the Journal of Consumer Research, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, and the Journal of Retailing, as well as in popular press publications. She is a member of the editorial review board of the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing and serves as a reviewer for a number of other journals. Howlett earned her doctorate in marketing at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University.
Alexander S. Kier (Alex) is a new assistant professor of entrepreneurship at WSU Vancouver. His research focuses on imagination in new venture ideation, entrepreneurial decision making/cognition, and escalation of commitment. His research has been published in the Journal of Business Venturing, Academy of Management Perspectives, and Business Horizons. Prior to joining WSU, Alex’s professional experience includes work as a certified public accountant and certified fraud examiner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Grant Thornton.
Debi Mundell is the new graduate program operations manager in the Office of Graduate and Online Programs. She comes to WSU with 29 years of experience in higher education. In her career path, she has worked in all aspects of student services including recruiting, admissions, academic advising, financial aid, career services, student disability services, registrar’s office, restructuring an orientation program, and assisting with graduation. At Boise State University, she was the director of the Student Services Center in the College of Business for nine years and most recently has worked in advising for engineering at WSU. She has a B.S. in business management and a M.Ed. in higher education administration.
Soomin Park is a new clinical assistant professor in the Department of Finance and Management Science. He teaches a course in operations management. He obtained his PhD in operations and supply chain management from State University of New York, Buffalo.
Kahlil Philander is an assistant professor in the School of Hospitality Business Management at WSU Everett. His research interests are in the socio-economic impacts of gambling. Previously, he was the director of social responsibility at the British Columbia Lottery Corporation and an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ (UNLV) International Gaming Institute. He was named to Global Gaming Business Magazine’s 40 under 40 list, and received the Research of the Year Award from the National Council on Problem Gambling. He holds a PhD from UNLV, a master’s in economics from the University of Toronto, and a bachelor of commerce in finance from the University of British Columbia.
Hanjiang Zhang is a new assistant professor of finance. She joined the Carson College from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to that, she taught in the business schools at the University of Texas at Austin and the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Her research interests are mutual funds and investments. She published in top journals such as the Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies and the American Economic Review papers and proceedings. Her work also won top prizes such as the Kepos Capital Award for the Best Paper on Investments at the Western Finance Association 2014 meeting, as well as the Best Paper Award in Investments at the Financial Management Association 2011 European Conference.

March 2017 New Hires

Stacey Smith-Colon is a new academic and student success advisor in the Carson Center for Student Success. She is a first generation college student and earned her B.A. in history from the University of Idaho. Her background includes significant experience with developing, implementing, and evaluating curricular and co-curricular student programming designed to strategically affect access, retention, and completion in higher education. Most recently, she was the associate director of Bridge Idaho at the University of Idaho College of Education.
Chanc Hiatt is the new system administrator in the Office of Technology. He was previously employed with WSU facilities operations as an electrician for four years and for two years as a computer systems administrator. He has over 20 years of experience in switching, routing, server administration, virtual environments, and supporting users. He earned his B.S. in management information systems from the University of Idaho with emphasis in computer science and networking technologies. He looks forward to providing “above and beyond” service for the employees he supports.
Justin Hope is the new front-end web developer in the Office of Technology. He’s worked as a designer for the OT since August 2015 and recently joined the OT as a full-time staff member. He received his B.S. in computer information technology, with an emphasis in visual technologies from Dixie State University, in St. George, Utah. As the front-end web developer, he works closely with faculty members and staff to design web pages and websites for various Carson College departments as well as the college’s online alumni magazine, eDividend.
Stephanie Rink (’02 Neuroscience) is the new assistant to the dean. She came to Pullman after being principal assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at WSU Vancouver. She earned her bachelor’s degree from WSU and her MBA from Marylhurst University. She loves to spend her free time with her husband and two daughters, running, and reading.
Nathan Roberts (’08 History) is a data analyst in the Dean’s Office, providing custom data analysis and reporting of student and faculty data and managing the college’s business research agenda. He has worked as a writer, editor, content manager, and data analyst at several companies on the Palouse.  Most recently, he worked as a research analyst for Decagon Devices Inc. He has also worked in M.A.S.C. building digital collections and in teaching and volunteer service across WSU. Originally from Texas, Roberts attended Austin College and earned his B.S. with honors in economics with a focus on the post Cold War Military-Industrial Complex. He came to WSU for his master’s, studying European socialism.
William Souders is a new academic and student success advisor in the Carson Center for Student Success. He came to the Pullman campus with 18 years of experience in higher education, having served as a graduate instructor with Eastern Washington University and lastly as academic dean for ITT Technical Institute in Spokane WA. He received his B.S. in applied mathematics from University of Oregon and his M.S. in mathematics from Eastern Washington University.
Cat Taylor (’16 English) is the Carson College’s digital measures administrator. She came to the Office of Technology as a graduate assistant in 2015, and after earning her M.A. in English, joined the team full-time. In her role as digital measures administrator, she enjoys working with faculty to help them showcase and report on their academic contributions and accomplishments using DM’s Activity Insight software.

December 2016 New Hires

Carson College of Business portraits Sophia Gaither is the new associate director for employer connections and career outcomes in the Carson Center for Student Success. She oversees the career connections team which embodies employer relations and career education. She previously served as the director of career and professional development for Livingstone College in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has been recognized by colleagues for some of her efforts to improve freshman engagement with career services and access to resources to increase professional development. She earned her B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her M.S. in higher education with a specialization in college administration and leadership.
Chelsea Gese, CCOB Graduate Programs Chelsea Gese (’15 Strategic Communication) is the new admissions coordinator for Graduate Programs. She is a new employee at WSU and has many years of experience working in hospitality, client relations, sales, and customer service. She is passionate about the community she lives in and is excited to be working for her alma mater.
CCoB Portraits Courtney Anne Jackson is the new international study abroad coordinator in the Carson Center for Student Success. She recently moved from Washington D.C., and is originally from Quincy, California. She has previously worked supporting international students with Hult International Business School in San Francisco and with the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) in Bethesda, Maryland. She received her B.A. from Whittier College in Los Angeles County and her M.A. in international education management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
CCoB Portraits Robin Olson is the new college facilities coordinator in the Carson College Office of Technology. She has been with the college for the last three years as a student employee and has recently joined the team full-time. She graduated from WSU last May with a bachelor of arts in interior design with an emphasis in sustainable development.
Carson College of Business portraits Ana Maria Sears (’01 Chemical Engineering) is the new employer relations coordinator in the Carson Center for Student Success. She will work with employers who wish to hire WSU students for internships and career positions. After earning her degree, she postponed a professional career to raise four children with her husband, who owns an investment and insurance business in Pullman.
angie_senter Angela Senter (’02 Agricultural Education; ’10 Education) is the new Carson College event coordinator and is located in the marketing and communications unit. Prior to coming to WSU, she worked for the past seven years as an activity director and health care educator for a local senior living facility.
mitch-_swanger Mitch Swanger (’14 M.A.Ed.) , former graduate recruitment and admissions manager, is now the Graduate Programs coordinator for online programs.