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Class Notes

Class Notes include professional accomplishments, awards, retirements, weddings, obituaries and other news about Western Washington University alumni; they’re gathered from published reports and communication from alumni themselves.

If you have an update you’d like us to share in Class Notes, please email it to window@wwu.edu. Tell us what’s new with you, and we’ll publish it in the next edition and online.

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Class Notes (General)

Brenda Crabtree - 1993

Brenda Crabtree (Xyolholemo:t), B.A., and '97, M.A., anthropology, was recently honored with the Order of British Columbia for her work and leadership in Indigenous arts and for her advocacy of Indigenous artists. Crabtree is the former director of Aboriginal Programs at Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver, 

Alex Halverson - 2018

Alex Halverson, B.A., journalism-news/editorial, recently became a business reporter for the Seattle Times. Previously he worked at the Puget Sound Business Journal and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 

Robert King - 1977

Robert King, M.A., English, recently retired from the English faculty at Utah State University's Tooele campus, where he spent more than four decades teaching English and American studies. 

Paul Wickline - 1991

Paul Wickline, BAE, English and theatre, is an administrator at College of the Canyons, a community college in Santa Clarita, California, and recently became the associate vice president for the college's Canyon Country campus. 

Nichole Oleson - 2006

Cameron Miller, '99, B.S., industrial technology, is the chief executive of Business Strategy and Innovation at the Non-GMO Project, which offers a verification program for foods that contain no genetically modified organisms. Nichole Oleson, B.S., PE: pre-physical therapy, is also on the non-profit's executive team as the chief executive of People and Finance.  

Cameron Miller - 1999

Cameron Miller, B.S., industrial technology, is the chief executive of Business Strategy and Innovation at the Non-GMO Project, which offers a verification program for foods that contain no genetically modified organisms. Nichole Oleson, '06, B.S., PE: pre-physical therapy, is also on the non-profit's executive team as the chief executive of People and Finance.  

Eric Lewis - 1990

Eric Lewis, B.A., psychology, was recently appointed to serve on the Blaine City Council. He is also a member of the Blaine Community Theatre and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 9474 in Custer. 

Nicholas Bley - 1996

Nicholas Bley, B.S., business administration - finance, was recently selected as the new executive vice president and chief operating officer of Heritage Bank. 

Andrew Tsao - 1996

Andrew Tsao, B.S., biochemistry, is the chief product and analytics officer for Audible, a global audio entertainment company. 

Paul Redekop - 1966

Paul Redekop, M.Ed., a retired elementary school teacher and administrator in the Abbotsford, British Columbia, area, celebrated his 100th birthday in September.  

Peter Dworkin - 1996

Attorney Peter Dworkin, B.A., political science, recently joined the board of directors at Pacific Financial Corporation and the board of Bank of the Pacific. 

Ezra Alexander - 2003

Ezra Alexander, M.Ed., school administration, became head of school at North Jakarta Intercultural School in Indonesia. 

Bill Wilson - 1995

Bill Wilson, M.Ed., school administration, became the superintendent of the Florence-Penrose School District in Fremont County, Colorado.

Rondi Nordal - 2020

Rondi Nordal, B.S., environmental science, just finished a Master's of Marine Affairs degree at the University of Washington and received a Washington Sea Grant Hershman Fellowship to work with Puget Sound Partnership on supporting the social and ecological well-being of Puget Sound. 

William Hodder - 1970

William Hodder, 76, a longtime track coach and teacher of history and drafting at White River High School in Buckley, on Sept. 9, 2024. 

Anna-Karin Roo - 2001

Anna-Karin Roo, B.S., biology - marine emphasis, completed her Ph.D. in language literacy and technology at Washington State University in 2018 and has worked for several years with the University of Science and Technology, China, to help graduate students develop English fluency. She recently joined the State Department's English Language Specialist Program for a six-week project in teaching and curriculum development at Cochin University of Science and Technology in India. 

Rebecca Chapman - 1995

Rebecca (Vicars) Chapman, B.A., political science, has worked for the Pierce County Council for the last seven years, after spending almost 10 years in the UK. She is a policy analyst, focusing on budget. She and her supervisor, also a WWU grad, like to reminisce about Bellingham. Rebecca has dual citizenship and hopes to retire in the U.K. with her British husband.

Wayne Lee - 1972

Wayne Lee, B.A., English, M.A., speech communication, has two books coming out in early 2025. His memoir, "Service Husband: A Caregiver’s Journey Through Disability, Suicide and Recovery," is forthcoming from Mercury HeartLink Press in late January, and his sixth poetry collection, "Dining on Salt: Four Seasons of Septets," is forthcoming from Cornerstone Press, in April.

María A Sigüenza - 2010

María A Sigüenza, B.A., psychology, the executive director of the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs, recently became a member of Western's Board of Trustees. In September she was appointed as acting executive director of the Washington State Women's Commission. 

George Gleason - 1969

George Gleason, PE-exercise and sport science, is a retired middle school teacher and coach and has been the official scorekeeper for WWU men's basketball games for more than 27 seasons.