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NEW HIRES

• Reagan Thompson is the new convention development manager for Visit Tri-Cities. She will promote the Tri-Cities as a destination for meetings, conventions and events, and also will foster relationships with local hotels, businesses and prospective clients. Thompson has a degree in business administration from Whitworth University. She previously worked with the city of Spokane for two years in event coordination at Riverfront Park.
• Century 21 Tri-Cities has hired four new agents. Marc Racho has a decade of experience as a web developer. After attending a first-time home buyers class, he switched to pursuing real estate. Melyssa Stephenson has six years of experience in coordinating a monthly women’s service group. She has also helped to lead local bi-monthly youth activity programs with the aim of developing emotional skills for elementary school-aged children. Cailyn Taylor has more than 10 years of experience selling homes in Washington, Oregon and Arizona. She has worked not only as an agent, but also as an interior designer and a marketing director for a builder. LeeAnn Howes has spent more than 30 years teaching in the Tri-Cities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in education.
• Account Sense has hired CPA Laura Murphy as a senior tax accountant. She received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in geology and spent eight years in that field. Murphy then spent 17 years owning a digital photograph business. After pursuing a master’s degree in accounting, she worked for seven years at a Las Vegas accounting firm. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and will use her expertise to help business, partnership and individual clients with proactive tax planning and compliance services.
• EXIT Realty Tri-Cities Life has hired Kaysey Anderson as a real estate broker.
• Rod Muzzy has joined Fulcrum Wealth Management Group as a financial advisor. Muzzy has over 10 years of experience as a financial advisor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Oregon University. Muzzy will serve clients both virtually and locally in his new role.

PROMOTION

• Cynthia N. Garcia is the Benton-Franklin Workforce Development Council’s new executive director. She has more than 13 years of experience in workforce development, program coordination and management. Garcia also recently served as the interim executive director of BFWDC. She has a bachelor’s degree from Washington State University, a certification as a Workforce Development Professional and she was awarded Workforce Development Professional of the Year for Washington in 2023 by the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals.

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Gen. James Mattis, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and retired four-star Marine Corps general, will be the inaugural recipient of Washington State University’s Thomas S. Foley Award for Distinguished Public Service. Born in Pullman, Mattis’ long military career began in 1969, when he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve, and included tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, before retiring from active service in 2013. He served as Secretary of Defense from 2017-19. The award will be presented April 9 at a fundraising event for WSU’s Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service, which will be held at the John J. Hemmingson Center on the Gonzaga University campus. Mattis, a native of Richland, also will be the keynote speaker for the event.
• The U.S. Department of Energy recognized six Environmental Management teams with Achievement Awards, including two teams at Hanford:
  • The 105K East Reactor Interim Safe Storage Project Team at Hanford Site received recognition for placing the K East Reactor in safe storage both ahead of schedule and under budget. Completion of this construction was key to the Environmental Management’s 2022 construction priorities and represents a significant accomplishment.
  • The Hanford Site Holistic Negotiations Team won an award for reaching a conceptual agreement with the Washington State Department of Ecology and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to treat, immobilize and dispose of Hanford’s tank waste. The agreement comes after three years of discussions through over 70 mediated sessions.
• JoLyn Glenn, a Chiawana High School music teacher, is the Columbia Basin Music Educators Association Teacher of the Year. The award is given by fellow music educators in the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla, and it celebrates Glenn’s contributions to music education. Lauren Edmondson, Chiawana’s director of orchestras/guitar lab, says, “she not only brings her passion for music to the choir classroom but extends it to the entire school through lunchtime karaoke sessions for staff and students.” Glenn has been at the Pasco since 2012.
• Matt Riesenweber, a financial advisor at Cornerstone Wealth Strategies, has been included in LPL Financial's Summit Club for 2024. This recognition celebrates advisors with growth trajectories and excellence in financial guidance. Riesenweber’s work in the Tri-Cities includes retirement and financial planning and money management. He has been affiliated with LPL Financial since 2015.
• Shelley Kennedy, a financial advisor with Edward Jones, was ranked among Forbes’ 2024 Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-in-State. She was ranked 29 in Washington. Kennedy is the only Tri-Cities advisor on Washington’s list. The list was compiled by SHOOK Research using financial data and interviews of candidates nominated by their firms.
• The Ben Franklin Transit Marketing & Communications Department received a first place AdWheel Award by the American Public Transportation Association. BFT’s Mechanic Recruitment Video, their winning entry, was recognized in the Best Electronic Media for Workfoce Development category. The AdWheel Awards recognize excellence in marketing and communications among APTA members. BFT’s video will move into the next phase of the competition.
• The city of Richland received two state awards during the Washington Economic Development Association’s winter conference. The 2024 Innovation in Economics Development award recognizes the city’s use of the Targeted Urban Area Exemption. Mandy Wallner, economic development manager, also received the 2024 Emerging Professional in Economic Development award for her contribution to the community and promise as a future leader in the industry.
• The Port of Kennewick and its project partners have won a Governor’s Smart Communities Award in the category of Smart Partnerships for their collaborative effort to restore and revitalize Clover Island. The project began in 2008 and helped stabilize a mile of Columbia River shoreline for development, build a lighthouse and add public amenities, including a riverwalk, art installations, a boat launch and more.
• Mark Holyoak, CEO of Lourdes Health, was recognized by the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety as a Certified Professional in Patient Safety. The credential required passing a rigorous, evidence-based exam on patient safety science and application.

CERTIFICATION

• Omar Cardenas with Account Sense PLLC has obtained a CPA license. Since starting with Account Sense in 2020, he has advanced from a bookkeeper to a tax preparer, and now is a CPA. Cardenas has an accounting degree from the University of Oregon.

APPOINTMENT

• Jonathan Napier has been appointed by the Health Physics Society as a delegate to the International Radiation Protection Association’s General Assembly, where he will serve a four-year term. Napier is an environmental health physicist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Previously, he worked at the Washington State Department of Health. Napier has been a member of HPS for 13 years and has expertise in environmental impacts to human health, waste, spent nuclear fuel, transportation and decommissioning. He has a PhD in radiation health physics from Oregon State University and is a certified health physicist.

FUNDRAISERS

• More than $20,000 was raised for Washington State University Tri-Cities' Carson College of Business at the Point to Success Fundraising Brunch held in February. The featured speaker was Scott Crump and 55 guests were in attendance. The Carson College of Business has more than 40 students enrolled in a variety of business-related majors.
• Rollarena Skating Center’s 70th Anniversary Party raised $7,135 for Safe Harbor’s My Friends’ Place through admissions and concessions. Rollarena is matching that amount to donate a total of $14,270. This fundraiser has been a tradition for Rollarena since its 60th anniversary; $47,000 has been raised since then, including this year’s event. My Friends’ Place is a local homeless shelter for teenagers.