Seen and Heard archive

Rachel Ruggeri
Att. 1992-1995 | Business

Rachel Ruggeri has been promoted to executive vice president and chief financial officer for Starbucks Corporation, making her the 91st female CFO of a Fortune 500 company.
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Randy Castleman
Att. 1993-1996 | Preprofessional (physical therapy)

During a Major League Baseball game, commentators credited Randy Castleman with assistance in the recovery of Los Angeles Dodger’s pitcher Blake Treinen. (Timestamp 0:45)
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Todd Fletcher
1989 | Business

Todd Fletcher has been named the new president of Life Care Centers in America and will begin his new role on Nov. 2, 2020.
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Sarah (Caldwell) Gorton
2015 | Nursing

Sarah Gorton was interviewed about her work in a respiratory cardiology unit during the coronavirus pandemic.
Watch and read more >

Richie Brower
1995 | Theology

Richie Brower develops ActivityOutpost.com for parents of young children looking for activities during physical distancing.
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Brent Davis
2008 | Business administration (pre-law)

Brent Davis was named vice president and chief financial officer for the AdventHealth Central Florida Division—North Region.
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Tim Kosaka

2018 | Business administration
After graduating from college and discovering the challenges of staying connected to the Adventist church as a young person, Tim Kosaka developed Adventist Young Professionals as a way for young Adventists from around the world to share inspirational digital content with each other.
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Ginger Ketting Weller

1985 | Elementary Education
Ginger Ketting Weller named eighth president of the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines
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Kevin Coleman

2009 | New Media Imaging

Coleman develops app to inspire random good deeds and a positive perspective
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Carrie Ojanen

2007 | English and French

Ojanen publishes new book of poetry
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Kevin Wilfley

1979 | Theology
Wilfley receives Excellence in Ministry award
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Archie Harris

1988 | Elementary education
Harris named associate superintendent of education for Upper Columbia Conference
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Elizabeth Jones

2013 | Business and pre-law
Elizabeth Jones announced as a Supreme Court Fellow
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Darryl Fisher
1987 | Aviation

Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation earns Veteran Supporter of the Month honor

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Mathieu Wiliams
2012 | Business administration

Meet Hawaii’s 2019 Teacher of the Year

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Randy Haffner
1989 | Business

Randy Haffner was named president and CEO for AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division.
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Deisy Haid
2010 and 2011 | Social Work

Deisy Haid, WWU assistant professor of social work, was featured in the October/November 2020 issue of the Social Work Advocates magazine.
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Kyle King
2006 | Health

Kyle King has been named president of Adventist Health Portland.
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Aaron Poole
2009 | Business

Aaron Poole was named chief financial officer for St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Idaho. 
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Elias Lozano
1987 | Engineering

Elias Lozano was featured in the September 2020 issue of MD Tech Review in an article about Esvyda, a telehealth and remote patient monitoring system, where he works as the CEO. (pg. 24-25)
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Katie Wagner
2020 | Theology

Katie Wagner was named as the first Adventist Health mission leadership intern.
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Philip Phillips
1979 | Chemistry and Mathematics

Philip Phillips was named to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in the mathematical and physical sciences class, physics section.
Read more online and in the Summer 2020 Westwind >

Paddy McCoy
1999 | Religion and speech communication

Paddy McCoy will lead Crosswalk PDX, a new church in Portland, Oregon.
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Christy Billock
Att. 1990–93 | Preprofessional (occupational therapy)

Christy Billock was interviewed on ABC7 News on April 10, 2020, regarding strategies to copy with stress brought on by life changes as a result of COVID-19.
Watch here >

Vesna Dodge

1997 | English and history
Vesna Dodge has been promoted to the position of executive vice president/Baker Boyer asset management for Baker Boyer Bank.
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Bethany Logan Ropa

2006 | French
Logan Ropa featured in American Builders Quarterly for leadership and pioneering work at UBS Investment Bank
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Tom Evans

1990 | Theology and Speech Communication

Evans named Outreach Ministries Director for Oregon Conference
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Jason Courtright
1996 | Mechanical Engineering

Tom Hamel
1996 | Mechanical Engineering

Wes Georges
1997 | Mechanical Engineering

Colorado Springs defense contractor Apogee Engineering lands $190 million in contracts.
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Brandon Spangler

2016 and 2017 | Social Work
Counselor draws on personal experience
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Myron and Candace Isemeinger

1986 | Theology, Education
Myron Iseminger, World Church Undersecretary, returns to Egypt as new field president
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Elta Jackson-Henry

1995 and 1996 | Social Work
Jackson-Henry shares personal experiences during MSNBC Town Hall segment on racism in America
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Matthew Klein
2008 | Engineering

People of Reclamation: Meet Matthew Klein, Professional Engineer

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Don Zabudsky
1994 | Business

Don Zabudsky was recently promoted to executive director at Morgan Stanley and was selected by Forbes as one of Oregon’s Best-in-State Wealth Advisors 2020. 
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Joyce Wilkens
1978 | Office Administration

Joyce Wilkens was featured in Spokane-based publications INLANDER and The Spokesman-Review and shared about her new book Poetry Pie. 
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Aric Cooksley
2002 | Speech Communications

Aric Cooksley was featured in Valley Journal for his leadership in building a Boys and Girls Club center in Polson, Montana.
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Kirt Onthank
2006 and 2008 | Biology

Kirt Onthank was interviewed by the South Whidbey Record for helping to identify a rare seven-armed octopus found on a Whidbey Island beach in Washington state.
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Christy Billock
Att. 1990–93 | Preprofessional (occupational therapy)

Christy Billock received the Award of Excellence from the Occupational Therapy Association of California, which recognizes an occupational therapy practitioner who has made significant contributions to the advancement of the profession.
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Anthony Stahl
1990 | Business administration

Anthony Stahl was named president of Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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Carrie Ayagaduk Ojanen
2007 | English and French

Carrie Ayagaduk Ojanen’s poem “the pomegranate’s decimation” was posted on poets.org, part of the Academy of American Poets.
Read more and listen here >

Victoria Burghart
2016 | Biology

Victoria Burghart, during her fourth year of medical school studying psychiatry at Loma Linda University, was interviewed on the podcast “Psychiatry & Psychotherapy” on the topic “Is Social Media Good for Mental Health?”
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Carl Wilkens

1981 | Industrial Education
Carl Wilkens was awarded the 2019 Abarinzi b’lgihango (Protectors of Friendship Pact) award for his courage in protecting thousands of Rwandans during the 1994 genocide and for promoting reconciliation in its aftermath.
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Lori Ciccarelli Stotko

1981 | Communication Media
Lori Ciccarelli Stotko’s book  “Myself, My Responsibility: Tools to Self-advocate” was named as a finalist in the 2019 Best Book Awards, Children's Educational category, sponsored by American Book Fest
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Michael Woodruff
2013 | Business Administration

Christopher Lindsey
2016 | Biology

Woodruff and Lindsey break record by documenting 146 bird species in Pend Oreille County in 24 hours
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Jason Wells

1996 | English, religion minor

Wells to preside over Ukiah Valley and Howard Memorial in the new year
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Andray Abrahamain

2000 | History and mass communications
Abrahamain named 2018–19 Stanford University Koret Fellow
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David Vixie
1977 | Elementary education

Pioneer Days teaches immigrant history with fun and games

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Jason Sutterlund
Att. 1987-1992 | Communication

Jason Satterlund was interviewed by The New York Times about his live-action fan film about Obi-Wan Kenobi with nearly 6 million views.
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Rosalie Contreras
1997 | Music and Business

Rosalie Contreras has been appointed vice president of public affairs for The Juilliard School.
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Randy Folkenberg
2016 | Theology

Chantel (Mote) Folkenberg
2015 and 2016 | Social Work

And five additional WWU alumni!

Seven WWU alumni were featured in the film “Worth It: A Michigan Ski Film (Documentary)” that was named Spotlight winner by Outdoor TV.
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Jon Rittenbach
Att. 1992–95 | Biology

Micaiah Kuzma
1998 | Biology

Micaiah Kuzma and Jon Rittenbach were featured in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin for running the virtual Boston Marathon in September. Rittenbach ran the virtual race on a treadmill, and Kuzma ran outdoors in Walla Walla.
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Todd Schoepflin
1997 | Engineering

Todd Schoepflin is a principal engineer at Amazon and served as one of the system architects for Amazon One, Amazon’s technology to use your palm for contactless identity service. 
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Sonja Rootvik
2014 | Art

Sonja Rootvik (and the entire Rootvik family) was featured in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin where she shared about fishing adventures in Alaska and the resulting tight-knit family bonds.
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Joey Barajas
2018 | Theology

Joey Barajas shared the story of how he went from poker player to pastor in the August 2020 issue of Adventist Journey.
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Joel Libby
2004 | Art

Joel Libby’s painting of New York Giants pitcher Christy Mathewson is on display in the Art of Baseball exhibit in the Frank and Peggy Steele Art Gallery at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
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Darryl Masson
2013 | Physics

Daryl Masson coauthored a paper on the search for dark matter, specifically “curious and unexpected events and in the background of the experiment XENON1T.” The research paper, “Observation of Excess Electronic Recoil Events in XENON1T,” has been submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
News summary and research paper >

Dennis Huynh
2006 | Graphic Design

Dennis Huynh, creative director for BuzzFeed News, was a medal finalist and copresenter of the digital awards for the 55th Annual Society of Publication Designers Awards Gala.
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Mindi Irvine
Att. 1988–90 | Preprofessional (physical therapy)

Mindi Irvine was featured in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin for her work to provide free health care during the COVID-19 pandemic for those on the front lines caring for us.
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Jessica Craik Coffee
2003 | Technology, concentration in graphic design

Jessica Coffee’s work on itty-bitty dollhouse home design is featured in The New York Times.
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Eric and Katie Harris

2008 | Business and Automotive Service
2012 | Nursing
Eric and Katie Harris were featured in the Gleaner, the magazine of the North Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, for their work to establish Bear Canyon Farm, a working farm at Mount Ellis Academy in Bozeman, Mont.
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Lauren Graham

2004 | Social work
Master of social work graduate Lauren Graham was named the 2019 Social Worker of the Year in Wyoming by the National Association of Social Workers
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Sara Archer

1991 | Communication
Archer receives Women in Business Inspirational Woman Contest from Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce
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Annette Gibson

1968 | Business administration
Gibson coauthors textbook on business ethics
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Karl Haffner

1985 | Business and Theology
Haffner named vice president for student experience at Loma Linda University Health
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Jay Wintermeyer

1996 | Mass communication major

Wintermeyer named communication director for North Pacific Union Conference
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Craig Foster

1990 | Business administration, history minor 
Sheltair aviation announces Craig Foster as general manager of their new FBO at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (KBJC)

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