The Carson College of Business has launched Carson Pro, a new lifelong learning initiative designed to provide relevant, noncredit learning opportunities for professionals at every stage of their career.
Offerings under Carson Pro include a series of flexible, self-paced certification programs in finance, management, and marketing, with accounting to follow. Each certificate includes five online modules—five to six hours each—for a total of 25 to 30 hours of instruction. The programs were designed by Carson College faculty and informed by feedback from more than 260 employers to ensure industry relevance.
Carson Pro is open to learners of all backgrounds and no prerequisites are required. Previously available certificates in business of aging and wine business management are transitioning to the new marketplace offered by Carson Pro, creating a one-stop shop for all Carson noncredit learning opportunities. These programs will be fully accessible starting February 2026.
The School of Hospitality Business Management has once again been recognized for its academic and research excellence by achieving top placement in the 2025 Shanghai Rankings for hospitality and tourism management. In the latest Global Ranking on Academic Subjects, WSU was named No. 2 in the US and No. 5 in the world. The rankings underscore the world’s most comprehensive and objective assessments of universities by academic discipline.
Read the WSU Insider feature to learn more.
WSU ranks No. 19 among the world’s top universities for entrepreneurship research productivity, according to the 2025 Global University Entrepreneurship Research Productivity Rankings. Compiled by the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University (TCU), the rankings measure research productivity based on the number of articles faculty publish in the field’s three premier journals — Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice and Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal — over a five-year period (2020–24). The recognition speaks to the strength and consistency of Carson College entrepreneurship programming and faculty.
From left to right, Eric Schlerf, Alexandra Rose, Zoie Rodman, and Arza FirdauziFour Carson accounting students—
Zoie Rodman,
Alexandra Rose,
Eric Schlerf, and
Arza Firdauzi—attended the IMA Student Leadership Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, in November thanks to a $5,000 donation from the Portland Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA PDX). The students, all officers of the WSU Vancouver IMA and Beta Alpha Psi chapter, submitted a budget and one-page pitch letter to secure the support.
Katie Thompsen, Hazel Foronda, and Ryan Crippen pose in front of the Crimson Cafe at WSU Everett.WSU Everett recently opened the Crimson Café, a new student-run coffee shop located on the first floor. The café is managed and staffed by three Carson College of Business students—
Ryan Crippen, a senior in business administration; Hazel Foronda, also a senior in business administration; and
Katie Thompsen, a sophomore in hospitality business management who also serves as director of public relations for ASWSUE. Students and visitors can follow
@wsue.crimsoncafe on Instagram for hours, updates, and specials.
Gary Ballew (’88 Hotel & Rest. Admin., ’94 Civ. & Env. Eng., ’97 MS Env. Eng.) is assistant city manager for Yakima. Previously, Ballew was vice president of economic development for Greater Spokane, Inc., and director of economic development and marketing at the Port of Pasco. He has more than 20 years of experience in economic development.
Liv Bourne (’07 Hosp. Busi. Mgmt., ’18 MBA) was featured in
South Sound Business Journal’s 2025 40 Under 40, which recognizes business leaders for their contributions in the region. Bourne is the director of sales and catering at Alderbrook Resort & Spa in Union, and an adjunct professor in the WSU School of Hospitality Business Management.
Kaila Chang Freitas (’24 Accounting, Mgmt. Info. Sys.) is a new tax associate at KPMG, one of fastest growing Big Four accounting firms in the US. She completed two internships at KPMG while in college.
Dylan Harbo (’23 Accounting) has earned his CPA credentials from the Washington State Board of Accountancy. He is a tax consultant at Deloitte in Seattle.
Meredith Lamb (’24 Accounting, Mgmt. Info. Sys.) relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, to begin her career with Boeing’s Finance Career Foundation Program. This two-year program cultivates future finance leaders through four six-month rotations across various teams and functions within Boeing. It offers a comprehensive view of the finance landscape and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the company’s mission. Lamb is beginning her rotation in labor and overhead accounting within Boeing defense, space, and security.
Andy Lawrence (’25 EMBA) joined the customer experience team at Darktrace as a global success architect. He brings nearly 20 years of experience in security analysis, administration, and engineering leadership to the role, where he focuses on aligning customer experience strategy with product development and driving data-informed outcomes.
Alex Mayer (’25 Accounting, Finance) has a new position as a staff accountant at DZA, a health care accounting and advisory firm located in Spokane Valley, Washington.
Molly Olney (’23 Busi. Admin.) started a new role as a human resources coordinator at The Parking Spot in Chicago. Previously, Olney was a HR coordinator at Levy Restaurants in Seattle, where she managed HR operations for more than 700 event-based employees at Lumen Field.
Ashley Safranski (’11 Comm., ’16 MA Strat. Comm.) is the new chief marketing officer at uConnect, a fast-growing B2B edtech company supporting higher education institutions. She leads marketing, sales development, and growth strategy. She formerly served as uConnect’s vice president of marketing for three and a half years.
Beau Schwieso (’16 Comp. Sci., ’24 MBA) is chief operating officer for Caf2Code, a Microsoft Solutions partner that specializes in enterprise resource planning and digital transformation for businesses. Previously, Schwieso worked as an information systems technician manager for the US Navy, a senior Dynamics AX developer for Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, a senior engineering manager for enVista and H-E-B, and vice president for enterprise solutions delivery at HOLT CAT.
Scott Tingey (’96 Busi. Admin., ’00 MBA) is associate laboratory director for operational systems at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Previously, Tingey was senior director for operations at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, chief operating officer at the Fermi National Accelerator Facility, and director of program and human resource management at the National Biodefense and Countermeasure Center.
Allie Wittenberger (’06 Accounting) is vice president of audit programs for Alaska Airlines. Wittenberger joined Alaska in 2010 as a senior internal auditor, then director of ethics and compliance and manager of financial planning and analysis. She most recently served as Alaska Air Group’s managing director of corporate affairs and compliance.
Robert Crossler, chair of the Department of Management, Information Systems and Entrepreneurship, has been named the Hubman Distinguished Professor of Information Systems, honoring his contributions to the field of management information systems.
Associate Professor
DJ Fairhurst with the Department of Finance and Management Science has been appointed the Maughmer Freedom Philosophy Professor, a role that champions the university as a marketplace of ideas.
Dogan Gursoy, Taco Bell Distinguished Professor in the School of Hospitality Business Management, was quoted in
Newsweek about rising prices at Disney World and how consumers are responding. His recent research with
Mesut Çiçek was also featured in a
VICE Media article exploring how “AI” branding may deter consumers. Their study found that including “AI” in product or service descriptions can reduce consumers’ willingness to buy—especially when trust and transparency are critical. Originally published on the
WSU Insider, the study became WSU’s second most-viewed research story of 2024 and was subsequently cited by
CNN,
The Washington Post,
Business Insider,
Fortune,
Entrepreneur,
MSN, and other major outlets.
Jenny Kim, W. Terry Umbreit Distinguished Professor in the School of Hospitality Business Management, received the 2025 Lifetime Research Achievement Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education. The award honors sustained, exceptional contributions to research in the hospitality and tourism fields.
Stephen Lee, assistant professor with the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship, was one of three expert panelists participating in the Case Centre’s free webinar, “Why Cases Work: Impact and Engagement in the Undergraduate Classroom.” Lee also discussed his research expertise on how emotions influence the way help is received in the workplace with the radio program “Academic Minute.”
Nancy Swanger and Cheryl OliverAssociate Dean for Professional Programs
Cheryl Oliver and Professor
Nancy Swanger, founder of the Granger Cobb Institute for the Business of Aging, were recognized for 25 years of service at WSU.
Li Xu, associate professor of accounting, received a research grant from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Research Institute for her project, Evolution of Fraud Detection Methods in the Technological Era. The grant includes exclusive access to two national fraud databases and will support Xu’s longitudinal study of how fraud detection methods have changed with technological advancements.
Previous Editions’ Points of Pride
