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PROMOTIONS

• Stephanie Schleif has been selected as the Washington Department of Ecology’s Nuclear Waste Program manager. Schleif served as the deputy program manager since 2019 and has been with the program since 2013. She has more than 15 years of experience in environmental regulation, including an engineering position at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Schleif has expertise in Hanford’s application of the Resource, Conservation and Recovery Act and dangerous waste permitting processes, as well as the Tri-Party Agreement. 
• Melanie Norton has been promoted to district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Seattle District Office. In this role, she will oversee the agency’s operations in Washington state (excluding the Vancouver metropolitan area) and northern Idaho with an intent to strengthen the business ecosystem. Norton began work with the SBA 11 years ago and has most recently served as deputy district director for the Seattle Office. She also has worked as the regional communications director for Region 10 and as an economic development specialist.
• Brett Zimmerman is ALLWEST’s new chief operations officer. Zimmerman joined ALLWEST in 2009 as a field technician and has served in various positions from special inspector to department manager. In 2022 he was promoted to director of environmental services. Zimmerman also served as the interim Hayden Area manager during an unexpected leadership transition in 2023.
• Chris Mortensen is the new deputy fire chief for the city of Pasco Fire Department. He has 18 years of experience in emergency service. Mortensen attended the paramedic school at Columbia Basin College and he spent time serving in Grant County and the city of Moses Lake before returning to Pasco in 2016. He also is a member of Leadership Tri-Cities Class 27 and serves on the SARC Board.

HONORS AND AWARDS

• Jason Wilkinson of Prodigy Homes has become a certified builder. He has been a homebuilder since 1998 and co-founded Prodigy Homes with his wife in 2007. He currently serves as president of the Homes Builders Association of Tri-Cities and received the BIAW STAR Builder Award in 2023. Prodigy Homes has received several honors in the Parade of Homes, with 10 consecutive “Best Workmanship” awards, six “People’s Choice” awards and three “Best in Parade” awards.
• Hanford High School teacher Ed Ufford has been named Teacher of the Year by the Washington Industrial Technology Education Association. He also has received the Ken Pattie Award for 25 years or more of teaching. Ufford has worked with Career and Technical Education students through manufacturing and woodworking classes at Hanford High for the last 30 years. In the 2020-21 school year, he helped secure a grant to bring a new course to the school. Ufford also works as a guitar and ukelele building instructor and hosted a STEM Ukelele Building workshop at Hanford last year for educators from across Washington.  
• Sonja Yearsley of Sonja Photography in Kennewick has received several awards from the Professional Photographers of Washington’s 2024 Photographic Competition. Yearsley won the People’s Choice Award, as well as both the Jentoft Trophy and Best Wildlife Trophy for her entry titled “Get Your Own Dinner.”
• Washington State University Tri-Cities has recognized six Women of Distinction for their contributions to the campus and the Tri-Cities community. The following winners show leadership in their area of expertise, serve as role models to other women, advocate for positive social change and demonstrate commitment to WSU Tri-Cities’ mission:
  • Michelle Whitney, superintendent of the Pasco School District, won the Woman of Distinction Legacy Award.
  • Naima Chambers, CEO and founder of the Tri-Cities Diversity and Inclusion Council and manager of Equity, Inclusion and Organizational Change with the Oregon Department of Correction, won the Woman of Distinction Community Member Award.
  • Kathryn Brault, owner and former diabetes specialist at Tri-Cities Diabetes, won the Woman of Distinction Alumna Award.
  • Ameera Fayad, assistant clinical professor at WSU Tri-Cities College of Nursing won the Woman of Distinction Faculty Award.
  • Reem Osman, computer science and mathematics student at WSU Tri-Cities, won the Woman of Distinction Student Award.
  • Laura Sanchez, director of student services at WSU Tri-Cities, won the Woman of Distinction Staff Member Award.
• Matt Riesenweber has been honored as one of “Barron’s” 2024 Top 1,200 Financial Advisors in America, chosen out of 6,000 financial professionals. Riesenweber is an independent LPL Financial advisor and is the CEO and Wealth Advisor of Cornerstone Wealth Strategies. He was recognized as the 22nd advisor in Washington. Riesenweber has 21 years of experience in financial services and provides a full range of financial services.

NEW HIRES

• Lilian Paulla has joined Lourdes Counseling Center as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. She is a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner with more than 20 years of nursing experience with both psychiatric and medical patients. She has a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Texas – Arlington. At Lourdes, she treats patients for various psychiatric needs such as depressive mood disorders, psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders, borderline personality disorder, ADHD and other conditions.
• Prosser Memorial Health has hired Certified Physician Assistant Rebecca Wray. She received her bachelor’s degree in 2016 and graduated from Idaho State University’s physician assistant program in 2019. Wray spent six years working as a family medicine primary care provider at Yakima Valley Farmworkers Clinic and more recently spent time at Best Med Clinics in Tri-Cities. With PMH, she will provide orthopedic services at Prosser Orthopedic Center and wound care at Prosser Memorial Hospital’s Wound Care Center.
• Hayden McEachen has joined Petersen Hastings Wealth Advisors as an associate wealth advisor. He received his bachelor’s degree in finance from Linfield University and he holds a Certificate of Spanish Fluency from Linfield. McEachen has experience working as a financial representative for a national wealth management firm.
• Janel Miles is the new controller at Columbia Ability Alliance. Miles has more than 15 years of experience as a licensed certified public accountant. She graduated from Washington State University and spent nearly 10 years working as the hospital administrator at Mid-Columbia and Yakima Pet Emergency Services. In her role as controller, Miles will oversee the organization’s accounting records and ensure financial transparency.
• Craig Meidl has been selected as the interim chief of police for the city of Richland. He has over 30 years of law enforcement experience, including seven years as the city of Spokane’s chief of police. Meidl is also a U.S. Marine Corps Active Reserves veteran, he holds a Master of Arts in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University and he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. Meidl is expected to serve in this role for three to six months as the city searches for a permanent police chief.
• Janeen Reding is the new director of people services for Trios Health. She has more than 23 years of experience in helping people services teams become more efficient. Reding has a background in culture transformation and Workday HRIS implementation and optimization, labor relations and career development. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Great Falls and her master’s from Indiana State University. She later received her doctorate in organizational leadership and development from Grand Canyon University.
• Ron Icayan is the new federal group manager at Meier Architecture and Engineering. Icayan has over 32 years of experience in engineering and project management, including managing project teams in a portfolio of projects for federal, industrial, chemical and food and beverage clients. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Washington State University. In his new role, Icayan will provide leadership and support to Meier and its clients.
• Prosser Memorial Health has hired Dr. Jack Brandabur as a gastroenterologist at Prosser Digestive Health Center. He has worked at the Virginia-Mason Medical Center in Seattle and was the medical director for the Swedish Digestive Health Institute as well as the executive medical director for the Providence Digestive Health Institute. Brandabur worked most recently at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

ACCREDITATIONS

• Columbia Ability Alliance has received a three-year accreditation by CARF International for its employment services program. This is the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded, indicating Columbia Ability Alliance’s substantial conformance to CARF standards. The organization underwent a rigorous peer-review process to gain the accreditation. CARF is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services.
• The Columbia Birth Center in Richland has received accreditation from the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers. It is the only birth center in Eastern Washington and one of only 117 birth centers in the nation to receive the accreditation.

RETIREMENT

• Richland’s public works director Pete Rogalsky is retiring after 30 years of service. He has helped complete hundreds of initiatives and projects supporting the city’s infrastructure, including the construction of the Duportail Bridge, reconstruction of The Parkway, the Queensgate roundabouts and many other projects. Rogalsky began working for the city in 1994 as a civil engineer in the water and waste utilities department. He was later promoted to city engineer and became the public works director in November 2004. In 2023, Rogalsky was awarded the city’s Impact Player of the Year award.

DONATIONS

• STCU’s Here for Good foundation donated to 15 community organizations over a 12-week period. The donations totaled $160,000 and focused on education, workforce development, mentoring and food insecurity. Several Tri-Cities organizations were included on the list. B5 of Kennewick received $20,000, Communities in Schools of Benton-Franklin received $10,000, Forge Youth Mentoring received $10,000 and Grace Kitchen received $10,000.