Washington State University Global Campus inducted the first five members of the Society of Distinguished Alumni in a ceremony held at the WSU-Arizona State football game on November 12th.
The Society of Distinguished Alumni was established to honor the achievements of our alumni on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Global Campus. Inductees are prominent business, civic and philanthropic leaders, ardent supporters of the WSU Coug family, and staunch supporters of lifelong learning.
“Over the past 30 years, the WSU Global Campus has been part of the educational and career journeys of many talented and influential people,” said Dave Cillay, WSU Global Campus President. “Establishing an association of distinguished alumni is one way we celebrate these achievements.”
The first five inductees are Shelley Broader, Nancy Krook, Lisa King, Katey Koehn and Gary Rubens, all outstanding business and philanthropic leaders and staunch supporters of the WSU global campus community around the world was.
- Nancy Crook When she completed her WSU degree in 1994, starting at Pullman in the 1960s, she was one of the first three graduates of the WSU Global Campus.
Nancy has a 23-year career as the Chief Administrative Secretary of the Burlington Edison School District and was awarded the Western Washington University’s Distinguished Teaching Excellence Award. In 2011, she and her husband Frank established an endowment scholarship to benefit WSU Global Campus students and were recently recognized as benefactors of the WSU Foundation.
- sherry broad When life took her in a different direction, she shy away from earning a degree from WSU Pullman in 1986. Twenty years later, in 2006, she earned her degree at the WSU Global Campus. did.
Shelly has had an extensive career in businesses focused on the retail sector, having served as CEO, executive officer or director of iconic brands such as Walmart, Michael’s Arts and Crafts and Chico’s Stores. She was named to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women International list in 2015 and currently serves on the boards of several companies, including Dutch Bros. Coffee.
- Lisa King I graduated from WSU Global Campus in 2008. This was almost 30 years after he left WSU Pullman for other work during his junior year.
Lisa and her husband Jim founded Hudson Bay Insulation in 1990. In 2015, when Lisa retired, the two together grew the company to her staff of over 200. Over the years, Lisa has volunteered and financially supported numerous charitable causes throughout her Puget Sound region. Lisa and Jim are her WSU benefactors and awardees, and Lisa is the current President and Chair of the Board of Directors of the WSU Foundation.
- Katie Cohn I graduated from WSU Global Campus in 2014 and was a member of ASWSU Global’s Student Engagement Committee.
Katie has been an information technology industry leader for over 20 years and has worked for prominent companies such as eBay, Yahoo and Verizon. She is an active member of her WSU Alumni Association, serves as Vice President of the Association’s Board of Directors, and currently serves as Director of Technical Program Management for Walmart Global Tech.
- Gary Rubens I graduated from WSU Global Campus in May 2022, reaching my goal of 40 years. He was first accepted into his WSU Pullman in 1981, but at the time the costs were exorbitant.
Gary has worked as an executive for several companies, including Vice President of Lowe’s. He is a philanthropist and a staunch supporter of higher education in Washington, and his Rubens Family Foundation has donated millions of dollars to provide scholarships to students statewide. He currently serves on the board of Washington State Opportunity Scholarships and is the CEO of Athlete Intelligence.
Cillay said: “And we look forward to introducing even more great alums in the years to come.”
