Dear Colleagues,
Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season.
As you can feel, we’re back in full swing and excited for the spring 2026 semester. Last week, we welcomed 70 nursing students to the Spokane campus and had the privilege of meeting them during orientation. Hearing their stories about why they chose Washington State University to pursue their nursing education was truly inspiring.
These interactions remind us how fortunate we are to work for a land-grant institution that values access and opportunity and is committed to serving the entire state of Washington. Despite the changes we navigated last semester, our mission remains clear: serving the state’s healthcare needs, celebrating successes, and communicating the impact of our graduates on communities and the economy. Our community-based health sciences enterprise is unique—and irreplaceable.
We are grateful for the newly composed leadership team’s commitment to this mission, collaboration, engagement, and transparent communication. Joining us are:
- Amanda Boyd – Executive Director for Native American Programs
- Chantell Cosner – Director, Marketing and Strategic Communications
- Julie Crea – Executive Director for Finance, Provost’s Office
- Romando Nash – Vice Provost for Student Affairs
- Kristina Peterson-Wilson – Vice Provost for Academic Administration & Chief of Staff
- Nicole Pratapas – Vice Chancellor for Development
- Jennifer Robinson – Associate Vice President of Interprofessional Education
This team is rounded out by Dori Borjesson (Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine), Julia Carboni (Executive Director, Ruckelshaus Center), Kim Christen (Vice President for Research), Ann Dyer (Library Director, Health Sciences Library Spokane), Pam Scott (Vice President for System Communications and Strategy), and Patti Stauffer (Director for Health Sciences Public Policy & Advocacy). Each has played a key role in maintaining momentum for our Health Sciences enterprise and ensuring its integration within the broader WSU system—an approach that will enhance operational efficiency.
As you know, each administrative unit has been carefully assessed, and leadership team members are developing budgets and will be preparing for fiscal year reductions, particularly considering the State’s proposed budget as recently communicated by President Cantwell. In partnership with Leslie Brunelli (Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations), we are committed to creating a plan that is fiscally responsible and aligned with our land-grant mission. This work will take time, and decisions will be communicated as they are finalized.
Toward this end, we are pleased to confirm the following:
- The campus research office now reports to WSU’s Office of Research, led by Kim Christen.
- Campus Safety and Security (under Jeremy Young) is overseen by WSU Pullman’s Police Department, led by Dawn Daniels.
- Campus Student Affairs (under Peter Gitau) reports to the Provost’s Office and is led by Romando Nash.
- The Health Sciences Library (under Ann Dyer) has joined the WSU Libraries enterprise, led by Trevor Bond.
- As announced last semester, the Spokane Information Technology team shifted its reporting to Tony Opheim (Vice President for Information Technology Services and Chief Information Officer), and Bryan Valley transitioned from his Spokane-focused responsibilities to include an expanded system engineering oversight role effective December 11, 2025.
- Spokane Facilities Operations (under Stan Lewis) now reports to WSU Facilities Services, led by Olivia Yang.
- The Spokane Finance Office is now led by Julie Crea, Executive Director for Finance in the Provost’s Office.
- Spokane Parking and Transportation is now led by Cody Wilson, Director for Transportation Services.
Finally, our Senior Vice Provost for Health Sciences will be announced next week. We look forward to welcoming this individual and sharing more in the coming weeks.
If you have any questions, please contact us at provost@wsu.edu. We will continue to provide updates throughout the semester.
Thank you for your dedication and impactful contributions to WSU. We look forward to continued collaboration across the Health Sciences enterprise and amplifying the importance of your work.
Best regards,
T. Chris Riley-Tillman
Provost and Executive Vice President
Julie Akers
Interim Dean
College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Anne Mason
Interim Dean
College of Nursing
James Record
Dean
Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine