2020 DEAN’S REVIEW
DEAN’S MESSAGE I am continually impressed by the faculty and staff at Whitworth University – from the music department, with its remarkable composition program and excellent orchestra, to the theology department, whose faculty served as my professors when I was enrolled in its master’s program, to the historians on the second floor of Weyerhaeuser, who are amazing scholars and superb conversationalists. Whitworth faculty members are the most engaging people I have met in my 25 years in higher education. The intellectual spark that so characterizes Whitworth is no less present within the School of Business, where our professors have dedicated their lives to educating and developing students. So, I was not surprised when, without missing a beat, WSB faculty made the switch to distance learning in the middle of the spring semester. As it turned out, many of our instructors had taught extensively in distance programs at other institutions before coming to Whitworth and were familiar with the excellent platforms and technologies that we were to use. In addition, mock interviews, career treks, classroom visits by business leaders and even internships were moved online. Even in the early phase of adapting to online instruction, distance learning at Whitworth was far more advanced than what I experienced in teaching online courses a decade ago. Our faculty made every effort to be accessible to students and engage with them in meaningful ways, understanding that part of the value of a Whitworth education is that we help students become critical thinkers and problem-solvers who can hit the ground running as they enter the professional world. Flexibility, adaptability and careful preparation are lifelong lessons that were undoubtedly taken away by the Class of 2020. Even before the switch to distance learning, our students demonstrated a knack for these qualities. For example, 30 students from the School of Business and computer science department joined ideas and skill sets to launch the inaugural Whitworth
StartUp 2020 entrepreneurship competition, and for the sixth consecutive year our student team won the regional Chartered Financial Analyst Institute Research Challenge. Our students readily tackle new challenges and consistently excel in situations where high expectations precede them. Finally, I am grateful that Christian belief and practice is welcome and encouraged at Whitworth. Given the unusual challenges the world has faced this year, our students have access to many spiritual resources from the Christian tradition. May God bless you as you navigate these same challenges.
Tim Wilkinson, Ph.D. Professor and Charles L. Boppell Dean
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For the sixth consecutive year, Whitworth’s student team took first place in the regional Chartered Financial Analyst Institute Research Challenge. From left, Kyle Schmit ’21, Jacob Dunning ’20, Lauren McGeorge ’20, Gabriel Morales ’21 and Jason Fajardo ’21.
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DEAN’S MESSAGE
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YEAR IN REVIEW
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MBA CONNECTIONS CONTINUE
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ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT: FINDING HER NEXT ACT
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
10 BUSINESS CLUB FLOURISHES 11 A POWERFUL PANEL 12 THE LEADERSHIP MINOR 13 LEADERSHIP STUDENTS RALLY BEHIND CLASSMATE 14 FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS 15 ADVISORY BOARD On the cover: From left, interns Mason Caird ’20, Nathan Conley ’20 and Kyle Shepard ’21 collaborate while working at Medcurity, a software-as-a-service startup that helps healthcare organizations comply with complex privacy and security requirements.
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YEAR IN REVIEW: PRE-COVID-19 SPOKANE INVESTMENT FORUM
Washington Trust Bank sponsored the third annual Spokane Investment Forum in partnership with the Whitworth Student Investment Group. Patrick Bannworth ’16 of Washington Trust moderated the panel’s discussion of current economic issues, exploring the different views of professionals from Ten Capital, Payden & Rygel and Washington Trust.
SPOKANE CAREER TREK
The Spokane Career Trek took more than 20 students to six business and organizations in the Spokane area. Students met with representatives from the City of Spokane and received a tour of the newly renovated Pavilion with Riverfront Park Director Jon Moog and HR Analyst Pam Bergin ’08.
APPLE’S SHAREHOLDER MEETING
Hunter Smit ’19, MBA ’20 connected with Apple CEO Tim Cook for a second time: “My passion for Apple has brought me to where I am today. Tim’s leadership style has inspired me to lead humbly and always put others first. Above all, the experience of meeting my role model has taught me to always shoot for the stars and never stop trying because anything is possible.”
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WHITWORTH STARTUP 2020
Alumni from etailz Inc. partnered with Whitworth to facilitate a weekend of entrepreneurship in practice on campus. Students delivered pitches, conducted market research and received coaching from local entrepreneurs before presenting their business ventures and goto-market strategies to a judging panel of professionals. The winning team presented a road trip app promoting business and recreation called Who Knew?
YEAR IN REVIEW: POST-COVID-19 MBA PROGRAM
Associate Professor Dawn Keig utilized a lightboard to instruct students in her MBA course. “It offered a nice break from the standard ‘talking head’ and annotated PowerPoint-style video lectures,” she says. “The lightboard is a large, specially lit, glass whiteboard set in front of a black background, enabling the speaker to write directly on the glass while the technology ‘flips’ the images from the video, appearing straightforward for viewers.” INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
Associate Professor Todd Friends employed multiple platforms to teach International Business. “Transitioning to virtual communication and mediums is normal for international work; therefore, the international business course transitioned to a combination of asynchronous and synchronous teaching methods,” he says. “Blackboard Panopto recorded lecture topics, and online case practice and quizzes were asynchronous and accessed by the students whenever they wished. Once a week, the class met live via Webex for interaction, questions and project coaching.”
ACCOUNTING MOCK INTERVIEWS
SEATTLE CAREER TREK
The School of Business coordinated three rounds of virtual mock interviews for accounting students with representatives from Deloitte, CliftonLarsonAllen, and Anderson, Peretti & Co.
Alumni working at Amazon, Nordstrom, Visit Seattle, TriNet, WestRiver Group, Agman and more participated in live chat sessions with Whitworth students to discuss their career paths, company insights and professional knowledge. 5
MBA CONNECTIONS CONTINUE A cohort 500-strong and growing, the MBA alumni society is a vast network of career and community connections created and sustained by the graduates of the Whitworth MBA program. Get involved in Spokane, and chances are you will connect with one of the society’s ambassadors, who just might connect you to your next big thing.
base. Through the MBA Alumni Society scholarship program, MBA students have received over $15,000 in financial support to help them reach their fullest potential. To the same end, the MBA Alumni Society provides an annual calendar of events and a portfolio of career resources for current and graduated students.
In 2017, a small group of graduating MBA students challenged each other to preserve the connections and relationships they had built with their peers and instructors. These connections are central to a Whitworth education, and alumni didn’t want to miss them in the years to come.
Heather Sulpizio ’18, current MBA Alumni Society president, recalls her educational experience and why she commits herself to leadership in the MBA Alumni Society: “During my undergrad, I could sit in a class for six weeks and no one would speak to each other unless required.” In her Whitworth MBA classes, everything changed. “I immediately felt welcomed and felt that it was a community,” she says.
Jeff Watson ’17 says this small band of achievers aspired to “create a larger group of individuals who all look out for one another, Whitworth and the communities we serve.” And from their determination, the MBA Alumni Society was born. The society’s first order of business was to invest in the future of the MBA program and its ever-growing student
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That community continues to grow and change the game for Spokane leaders seeking connections. Visit the MBA Alumni Society website at whitworth.edu/MBA-alumni to see how our alumni are making an impact near you.
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G N I D N FI
For Kim Cooper ’15, the decision to continue her education by enrolling in Whitworth’s School of Continuing Studies was no laughing matter, yet her story makes everyone smile. “I was a clown for 10 years as the owner of a children’s birthday party and event business before I came to Whitworth,” she says. After selling the event business to a franchise in 2008, Cooper left “Kimmie the Clown” behind and went to work in a call center. Eventually, Cooper requested a meeting with Christie Anderson, director of the continuing studies business programs, to see what Whitworth had to offer. Reflecting on that meeting, Cooper comments on how Anderson “makes sure the education is the right fit for the student.” As Anderson says, “It was clear to me that Kim had a mind for business. I never want students to spend
HER NEX T
any time in a class or program that doesn’t move them forward in achieving their dreams, so I spend time asking the important questions about what they want to do on the other end of their time here. Then I match their degree program with their aspirations.” Working full time while earning her degree, Cooper chose the adult evening program for “the ability to take one class at a time.” Later, when she needed to step away from the program for two years in order to care for her mother, she says, “Christie and the whole Whitworth team were very supportive.” Cooper returned to finish what she had started, graduating in 2015 with a bachelor of arts in organizational management. She has since entered a new, rewarding career in financial services. “I help people realize their financial dreams,” Cooper says. “I offer a number of financial services that help individuals with their life and retirement goals.” Cooper is appreciative of how her Whitworth degree helped her move forward into a new career. “When I had my exit interview at graduation, I recall sharing how much I enjoyed and appreciated the way the program is designed for working adults,” Cooper says. “I often recommend the program to people who wish to continue their education.”
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
KENDRA WEYHRAUCH ’09 Senior Manager, Services Systems & Tools, Salesforce JOHN LOVE ’54 President, J.E. Love Co. After graduating from Whitworth College and being commissioned in the United States Navy, I fulfilled my active-duty commitment. Upon parting from active-duty service, it was a natural progression to rejoin the family business of manufacturing agricultural equipment. Operating an ag-manufacturing company is an exercise in working with people to produce a product that has benefits to the end user. Design, production and marketing all need to coordinate to that end. It has been rewarding to be part of a team that has provided equipment nationally and careers locally. Looking back – some 60 years – at the time spent at Whitworth, I have an appreciation for the insightful instructors that provided more than just a business education, but also instilled that basic understanding of being part of something larger than self. Persistence, determination and never losing sight of the fact that people are your most important asset are the lessons I reflect on most.
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As an economics and international business student, I enjoyed all of my business courses during my time at Whitworth, but none was more transformational for me than Todd Friends’ Operations class. I discovered a passion that I didn’t know I had for applying my organizational skills to business platforms. I’ve been with Salesforce for nearly 10 years. I was referred by a fellow Whitworthian and started in a customer support role back in 2010 when the economy was still in shambles. I have moved around within the company many times, though always in an operational role. Upon returning from my maternity leave recently, I was ready to pivot to a role that allowed me to expand my technological knowledge, so I accepted a new position. I am currently administering services tools to scale Salesforce’s massive services organization for decades to come. It’s exciting work! I love this company, and I’ll always be grateful for the education I received at Whitworth and the networking that allowed me to land my dream job.
TIM MUINDI ’95 Senior Director, Treasury, ServiceNow President/CEO, Muindi Foundation
DARIA BROWN ’98 Certified Public Accountant, Fruci & Associates PS Owner, Once Upon a Shoe LLC When talking about their responsibilities, some people like to say that they wear multiple hats. About me, however, you might say I wear multiple shoes. As a certified public accountant, I enjoy working directly with individual and business clients on everything from tax return preparation and planning to consulting on various accounting issues throughout the year. My second “fulltime” career is as a business owner of a retail shoe store. We provide comfortable, stylish and quality products for both men and women in a fun, personal environment. This enterprise is a dream come true and fulfills a need in our community. I am thankful for the time I had at Whitworth. Amazing professors and students helped mold me into the person I am today. It was my home away from home and allowed me to focus on learning in a safe, loving, Christ-centered environment. As a current member of the Whitworth Business Advisory Board and president of the National Association of Women Business Owners – Northwest Chapter, I am grateful for the opportunity to give back time and resources in order to encourage others to follow their dreams.
I worked night audit at a hotel before finding a job as an accountant – a job that changed my life and career trajectory. I’m a firm believer that the path that you take is not going to be a straight line – it’s a long, winding road. My team at ServiceNow ensures that the business has the financial resources needed to execute its strategic plans while simultaneously protecting against risk and serving in an advisory capacity for leadership and operations teams. For every dollar that comes in and goes out, our team is part of that process. We like to think of ourselves as the plumbing of the business: If no one notices, that’s a good thing! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine starting a nonprofit. But I was searching for an opportunity to give back, and my wife and I found a way. We formalized the Muindi Foundation two years ago with a primary goal of working with the homeless to provide for their basic needs: food and hygiene kits. Born from a passion for serving homeless people, we started by packing sandwiches at home and serving lunches in downtown San Jose, Calif. It was just us to start; then family, friends and other people joined us in building relationships with the homeless and connecting them with resources in the city.
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BUSINESS CLUB FLOURISHES By Chelsea Gossen ’22
Whitworth’s Business Club experienced unprecedented growth this year, both in club membership and student impact. As club president, I collaborated with Vice President Mitchell Anderson ’22 and Marketing Coordinator Rylee Goff ’20 to adopt a team-based approach to leadership, which fostered a committed, inclusive reputation and facilitated a steady stream of high-quality club activities. In addition to balancing our individual coursework and jobs, we set high goals for the Business Club, motivated by a shared desire to support each other and our fellow Whitworth students. The Business Club encourages all students, regardless of major, to join in the opportunities we offer to those seeking professional development. Every week, our interdisciplinary group of students gathered to listen to guest speakers, participate in panels and workshops, and navigate career paths. As a result, committed participation flourished this year, increasing weekly attendance rates tenfold.
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As a team, the Business Club leadership accomplished more as a unit than any one of us could have alone. We strategically planned our calendar of events based on the interests of members, industry trends and professional connections. We facilitated two field trips to local businesses, hosted three professional development workshops and organized seven guest speaker panels, bringing more than a dozen professionals to campus to share their experiences and insights with students. Our ability to collaborate attracted future Business Club leaders, generating a succession process to ensure continued growth. Hanna Mendenhall ’23, a business administration major concentrating in marketing, began serving as a special projects coordinator and will take over as marketing coordinator for Goff. In the upcoming year, the team will continue to grow with a focus on external relations and community involvement.
A Powerful Panel By Rylee Goff ’20
Last spring, about 65 students turned out to engage with a panel of five female executives from within the Spokane business community. The Whitworth Business Club coordinated the inspiring Women in Leadership event in collaboration with the Dean’s Executive Speaker Series. The panelists, who are executives in predominately maleled industries, were eager to share their knowledge and advice with students. They were: Marty Dickinson, chief marketing officer at STCU; Keva Sonderen, co-president of Sonderen Packaging; Kitara Johnson, chief development/ diversity officer at Excelsior Wellness Center (pictured at right); Jennifer Lehn, chief operations officer at Numerica Credit Union; and Kristin Goff, president of Wendle Motors. Stephanie Melton ’20 says she thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the diverse experiences and challenges the women have navigated throughout their careers. “I loved hearing each of their different approaches to leadership,” she says. “It was powerful to see all these important women in our community come together to share and encourage students.” Members of the Whitworth community learned from panelists as they spoke on topics like traits great leaders possess, challenges they faced in their careers, and worklife balance, as well as gave tips and suggestions for aspiring leaders. Panelist Jennifer Lehn says, “I believe it’s critical for a leader to have values and moral standards firmly in place, and to refuse to compromise those. At the same time, the business world, and the world in general, changes all the time in terms of how we get things done. I believe a key to success is embracing that kind of change, while keeping the value foundation constant.” This event left attendees with a greater vision of exceptional leadership in the Spokane community and motivated participants to become better versions of themselves personally and professionally. Panelist Kitara Johnson noted, “Tonight was truly a blessing for me, and I walk away from tonight full because I am not alone and there are some incredibly strong women working and serving in our community.”
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THE LEADERSHIP MINOR
CHANGING YOURSELF CHANGES OTHERS By Hollie Blue ’20
Whitworth’s leadership minor was unlike anything I have ever experienced. When reflecting on good leadership, it’s easy to get stuck on discussing what it means to be a good boss, but throughout my leadership courses, my fellow students and I learned that being a leader stretches far beyond that and into all of our relationships. In the Transforming Leadership course, Associate Professor David Sloan incorporates life lessons into each class. As Mikah Loomis ’20 says, Sloan “teaches how to use interpersonal skills to evoke positive leadership, but also teaches how to be a good friend, spouse and co-worker.” Sloan taught us to be mindful of the relationships or “systems” in our lives and showed us techniques to help us lead in them. We explored techniques including how to use intentional steps that lead to forgiveness, and how to have five to 10 positive interactions for every negative one. These are especially helpful in building the trust needed to offer critical feedback.
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A committee of School of Business faculty worked collaboratively to revamp this invigorating 18-credit minor that includes applied leadership courses and electives to help students better understand the context for effective leadership in a diverse society. Sloan says he hopes “students learn how to manage themselves in their systems, which is based on the idea that you can only change yourself, but when you change yourself, it is impossible for those in your relationship systems to stay the same.” Not only did we learn incredibly relevant content, but each course allowed us to address issues occurring in our systems, paving the way for constructive dialogue as a group. The reason I say the leadership minor was unlike anything I have ever experienced is because, without a doubt, studying leadership impacted each student’s system, helping students experience positive changes within their teams, families and friendships.
Leadership Students Rally Behind Classmate
Find Nicholas DeCaro’s Island Style Food on social media for a list of locations.
By Alyssa Meier ’22
Something significant happens when students share their stories with one another. I experienced this firsthand in Visiting Instructor Kevin Parker’s Principles of Service & Leadership course. While studying leadership in ministry, politics and business, I left each class feeling as though I had learned as much about myself as the course content.
story of loss and hardship, our class felt inspired to put our leadership skills to work and develop a strategic plan for DeCaro’s food truck venture, Island Style Food. The class determined that the strategic plan should include five aspects of DeCaro’s business: data analytics, marketing, human resources, business development planning and mission goal forecasting. The incredible result of our efforts showed at the end of the semester when each team presented concrete deliverables for DeCaro to utilize in his business. “This experience taught me position or title do not make you a leader if you turn around and nobody is following you,” DeCaro says, “but if you lead by serving others, they will follow your lead. I was vulnerable and shared my story to hopefully inspire the class; everyone rallied behind me to not only build a business, but build friendships.”
Parker says, “It is important to know ourselves and to know the people we lead with, as trust is a huge component in leadership.” For this reason, we began each class by sharing personal stories, creating a community based on trust and vulnerability – a rare experience at the undergraduate level. After hearing classmate Nicholas DeCaro ’20’s life
The ordinary class I expected became an opportunity to rise as a leader, adapt and serve a fellow classmate. Parker says this class embodied the goal of the leadership minor by “building a community of leadership scholars that will relationally last long after completing the program.” To do that, we all learned an important leadership concept: People are people, not objects, and everyone has a story to tell.
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FACULTY & STAFF HIGHLIGHTS
Carol Simon, Ph.D., retired this past summer after serving for seven years as the university’s provost & executive vice president. During her tenure, Whitworth added dozens of talented new members to Whitworth’s already strong faculty, many of whom teach in the School of Business. Having found it a challenge to work on booklength projects while being an administrator, she is looking forward to more time to write. Associate Professor Vange Ocasio Hochheimer was a keynote speaker and panelist at the 22nd Annual Economic Forecast presented by Greater Spokane Incorporated and the Journal of Business. She spoke alongside Grant Forsyth of Avista Corp. and John Mitchell of M&H Economic Consultants. “I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to a large audience of community leaders about the importance of an educated labor force and economic growth in the region,” she says. “I enjoyed working with Grant and John to prepare for what turned out to be one of the largest audiences I have addressed in my career.” Assistant Professor Zuan “Zach” Sun completed his first year at Whitworth, teaching courses in management and business analytics. He is currently performing research in health information exchange (HIE) among health provider organizations in the United States. He finished an empirical study that investigated the use of community HIE networks in U.S. hospitals from two theoretical lenses: transaction cost economics and institutional theory. Assistant Professor Robin Henager received the Richard L.D. Morse Mid-Career Award from the American Council on Consumer Interests for her excellence in research and education. “I am thrilled to accept this award,” she says. “ACCI has been the main research conference for my field of research, and I have attended every year since I was a student. Many colleagues over the years have been given this award, and I am truly honored to be among them.”
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WSB ADVISORY BOARD 2019-20 GREGG AMEND ’97 Spokane Partner in Charge Moss Adams LLP
CAROLYN KADYK ’03 Executive Director MultiCare INW Foundation
OCTAVIO MORALES Retired, CEO Tierpoint
DARIA BROWN ’98 CPA Fruci & Associates, PS
DAVID KIMMET ’98 President Rehn & Associates
TRAVIS PREWITT ’73 President of Investments UBS Financial Services Inc.
RANDY CLARK Consultant
JAMES KING ’12 Audit Manager Deloitte
BARBARA RICHTER ’77 Retired, Center of Excellence Leader Procter & Gamble
LARRY LARISON President Columbia Management System
KEN ROBERTS ’68 Chief Investment Strategist Palouse Capital Management
RAY LAWTON Business Transition Specialist Lawton Printing
DAVE ROGERS Retired, General Manager – Climate Change Chevron Corp.
BILL CONDON ’03 Managing Director Colliers International BILL CURRY ’73 Board Chair Huntron Instruments MARTY DICKINSON Chief Marketing Officer STCU PETER ENKEMA ’69 Sales Associate Coldwell Banker Tomlinson ANDREW ERICKSON ’84 Retired, Sales Representative/Partner Washington Fruit & Produce Co. KRISTIN GOFF President Wendle Motors Inc. BOB INGERSOLL ’67 Retired, Corporate Vice President – Contracts & Pricing Boeing
JENNIFER LEHN Chief Operations Officer Numerica Credit Union DANIEL MAHONEY Retired, CEO Fastor Systems (acquired by Smart Modular Technology) JIM MASTERSON CEO LightEdge Solutions TIM MITROVICH ’01 CEO/Chief Investment Officer Ten Capital HOLLY MONTGOMERY Vice President/Wealth Management Banker US Bank
DAN SANFORD ’65 Emeritus Professor, International Management Whitworth University FRED STOCKTON Retired, Global Service Line Director Keywords Studios AARON VACCARO ’14 Investment Analyst WestRiver Group TIM WILKINSON Charles L. Boppell Dean School of Business Whitworth University
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