In his fifth year on the WWU Alumni Association Board of Directors, we are pleased to announce Chris Witherspoon is taking the helm as president. Chris is president and chief growth officer at DNA, a Seattle-based advertising and branding firm. A 1994 graduate of the College of Business and Economics, Chris earned a bachelor’s in business administration with a marketing concentration. While at Western, he was a proud member of the Vikings Football Team. In addition to leading the board, Chris and his wife Kathy, who met at Western, support WWU scholarships. In his Seattle community Chris has served on the boards for Pacific Science Center, Seattle Sports Commission and Issaquah Girls Basketball Association.
The Alumni Board has spent the past two years talking with hundreds of alumni to ask “What can we do to be of value to you and the university?”
Those conversations helped the board create the following strategic objectives:
• Increase engagement with each of you and introduce students to the Alumni Association and our network of Western grads earlier in their academic career
• Elevate the benefits that matter to you, our alums
• Use data to drive decision-making, direction and future engagement
As a result, here’s what you can expect from your WWU Alumni Association’s new direction:
• An invitation to participate in the alumni survey
• A different menu of program and event offerings
• Opportunity for facilitated professional development, networking, and mentoring
Why is this work important? Because like Western, the university’s Alumni Association isn’t your typical alumni organization. Our students and alumni are special, and what makes the Western experience unique is the community built around that individualism.
I’ll work alongside Chris, and our Alumni Association Board, to get Western Engaged (WE) in supporting our alumni success alongside our university’s goals for student success.
Go Vikings!
