Points of Pride
The Carson College of Business held its inaugural Fuel for Finals food drive, providing free snacks and refreshments to students during finals week. Strong participation allowed the event to extend through the end of the week, helping support student wellbeing during a busy academic period. The Accounting and Finance and Management Science departments were recognized for their contributions to the effort.
The Carson College of Business hosted its first AI @ Carson workshop, where more than 50 business students explored how to apply artificial intelligence across disciplines. The immersive certificate experience focused on practical, job-ready skills designed to help students leverage AI responsibly and creatively. The workshop was supported by the Hubman Endowment.
Kayla Tate (’28 Accounting) earned a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship to participate in a faculty-led study abroad program in Seville, Spain. One of eight WSU recipients, Tate received the US State Department–supported award, which provides up to $5,000 to help Pell Grant–eligible undergraduate students pursue international learning experiences.
Hudson Bedward, a junior majoring in hospitality business management at WSU Everett, has accepted a food and beverage management internship at Seattle Golf Club, where he’ll learn about the operations of one of Seattle’s most prestigious private golf clubs. Bedward also serves as a part-time director of events for the Associated Students of WSU and works part time as a front desk associate at the 360 Hotel Group in Mukilteo.
Tiger Lily Brim (’27 Hosp. Busi. Mgmt.), Margarita Mogilny (’28 Hosp. Busi. Mgmt.), Meghan Sanchez (’26 Busi. Admin., Finance), and Celine Ciotta (’28 Hosp. Busi. Mgmt.) participated as student ambassadors at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles this January. The students connected with industry leaders across hospitality, real estate, finance, and technology, gaining valuable professional development and networking experience. The WSU Office of Corporate Engagement supported their travel to the event.
Celine Ciotta (’28 Hosp. Busi. Mgmt.) accepted a summer housekeeping internship with the Four Seasons Resort and Residences at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Ciotta serves as a student ambassador in the School of Hospitality Business Management and is actively involved in Sigma Iotta and the Society of Innkeepers Hospitality Group. She is a resident advisor on the Pullman campus and provides front and back of house service at catering events in the WSU Marriott Hospitality Culinary Innovation Center.
Olivia Grose, a hospitality business management senior who will graduate in May 2026, recently accepted a position in the Marriott Food and Beverage Voyage program at the St. Regis Deer Valley location. The prestigious program offers recent college graduates 12 to 18 months of full-time immersive job training focused on their discipline, with short rotational experiences in other departments.
The Beta Alpha Psi chapter at WSU Vancouver received a $3,200 grant from the Washington CPA Foundation to support its Essential Skills event series. The program brings professionals from accounting, finance, and information systems to campus to share broadly applicable career skills and connect with students across majors. The grant submission was led by Chapter President Alex Rose (’26 Accounting), outgoing Vice President of Accounting Zoie Rodman (’25 Accounting, Finance), and incoming Vice-President of Accounting Lindsay Hayes (’26 Accounting, Finance). The events are open to all Vancouver campus students.
Keir Lopez (’26 Intl. Busi., Mktg.) earned third place and a prize of $500 at WSU’s annual Sales Competition, hosted by the Center for Professional Sales. 30 students competed using a case developed by industry partner Marsh McLennan Agency, demonstrating their skills in real-world sales scenarios. First and second place went to Anna Olson (’26 Const. Mgmt.) and Jadey Ong (’26 Ani. Sci.) respectively.
Mary Ann (Mia) Claire Ong (’27 MBA) was promoted to education and partnership development manager for the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce. Mia is a veteran of the US Army and has years of experience in marketing and communications.
MBA student, Dr. Varsha Sridhar (’26 MBA) was recently promoted to the director of clinical research at Overlake Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center in Redmond, Washington. Dr. Sridhar holds a medical doctorate from the Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital and has more than a decade of experience in healthcare and the medical industry.
Tiffany Barbre (’96 Accounting) is the senior vice president, corporate controller, and principal accounting officer for Costco.
Cedar Cunningham (’22 Finance) competed with Team USA in the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai. The men’s eight earned a bronze medal, and the team finished fourth in the men’s quadruple sculls, the best result for the US since 1998.
The New Orleans Saints honored Steve Gleason (’00 Bus.) with its inaugural Courage Award. Gleason joined the Saints’ 2025 Hall of Fame class. Gleason played for the Saints from 2000 to 2008. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2011 and, together with his wife Michel, formed Team Gleason to inspire others with the diagnosis.
Jadon Hawkins (’24 Busi.) is the program coordinator for veteran and military-affiliated students at WSU’s Global Campus.
Phung Quang Hung (’02 MBA) is CEO of One Mount Group, one of Vietnam’s largest technological companies. Previously deputy CEO of Techcombank, Hung now leads a technology ecosystem spanning retail, real estate, and financial services, bringing together platforms focused on digital payments, online real estate, and retail distribution across Vietnam.
Phung Le (’14 Accounting) is senior vice president and controller at Riverview Bancorp, Inc. in Vancouver. Le has worked for Riverview Bank in prior roles as a senior accountant and assistant controller since 2019.
Bob Ledford (’86 Busi.) was appointed to the board of directors for Orion Group Holdings, Inc., a specialty construction company in Houston, Texas. Ledford is president and CEO of Prime Electric, an electrical construction contractor in Bellevue.
Richard McFadden (’15 MBA) was recently hired to be vice president and general manager of industrial components at Hengstler-Dynapar. McFadden is a veteran of the US Navy with more than a decade of experience in corporate management and marketing.
Jeff Pierce (’03 Busi.) is president of Johnson Wealth Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson Financial Group. Pierce has previously served as president and chief operating officer at Annex Wealth Management, and as CEO for the Mather Group.
Allyssa Sheppard (’15 Hosp. Busi. Mgmt., Psych.), executive chef of catering services at WSU, was the chief chili curator for Pullman’s 2025 National Lentil Festival.
Andreia Todd (’18 Mktg.) is vice president of global brand marketing at Zefr, a brand suitability and contextual advertising platform.
Colin White (’03 Busi.) opened Spokane Valley Montessori, a nonprofit preschool. White has more than two decades of experience in financial and investment consulting.
Lisa Desmarais transitioned into the role of student engagement and career development manager in the Carson College of Business in December. In this position, she oversees the Career Amplifier Program and career development activities in the Carson Center for Student Success, while continuing to support undergraduate recruitment, the college’s EDGE program, student onboarding, and retention initiatives. Desmarais has worked in advising and recruitment at WSU since 2023.
Dogan Gursoy, WSU Regents Professor and Taco Bell Distinguished Professor of Hospitality Business Management, received the 2026 Founder’s Award at the Graduate Education and Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism, recognizing his significant contributions to research, scholarship, and graduate education in the field. In July 2025, Gursoy also earned the Outstanding Literary Award for Social Scientists at the International Conference on Hospitality and Tourism Management, presented by Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation with support from Emerald Publishing.
Ash Hyman, assistant professor of accounting at WSU Vancouver, received the Washington Society of CPAs Educator of the Year Award. The honor recognizes his dedication to teaching, mentorship, and professional engagement, including his work advising the Nu Theta Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi and supporting students’ connections to professional development, networking, and scholarship opportunities within the accounting field.
Long Nguyen, assistant professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems and Entrepreneurship, received the Best Reviewer Award from AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the peer-review process at one of the leading journals in the human-computer interaction field.