Skip to content

Dear Cougs,

For the past three and a half years I’ve had the incredible privilege of leading CougsFirst! and working with an amazing board and team. That being said, the time has come for new leadership to bring in the next chapter of our network. This wasn’t an easy choice, but the desire to spend more time with my family and to pursue new entrepreneurial ventures at this time in my career couldn’t be passed up. 

As an entrepreneur at heart, excitement comes to me from building and growing things and I’m proud of where we are today. I feel as if I’ve accomplished what I set out to do in taking a group of dedicated volunteers and building an amazing staff and high functioning non-profit. CougsFirst! is in a strong position for continued success, and I’m excited to support the transition and help recruit and collaborate with the next Executive Director. 

I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Glenn O., Jack Thompson, Dustin Benson, Max Baer, and the entire board for trusting me with the opportunity to lead this organization. Their support, vision, and commitment have been invaluable to me and the WSU community. You have shown me the meaning of being a great Coug and I hope to pass that along to future Cougs throughout my career. 

I’d also like to express my deepest gratitude to Angela Lenssen, Corissa Cruzen, and all of our members and partners. Your passion, hard work, and belief in this mission are what have made our success and growth possible. I truly can’t thank you enough for making this job feel less like work and more like my calling.

Though I’m stepping away from this Executive Director role, I’m not stepping away from CougsFirst!. I’ll always be a part of this incredible community and will continue to support the organization however I can. You’ll see me at the Shows, the QB Classic, and the After Hours events and continuing to support the mission by Thinking CougsFirst! for products, services, and hiring. 

Serving as Executive Director has been one of the greatest honors of my career. I continue to believe wholeheartedly in the mission of CougsFirst and the powerful network we’ve built together. Being able to work with and for WSU Alumni has been such a blessing. 

Thank you to Coug Nation for the support, wonderful memories and the Cougar spirit that makes CougsFirst! so special.