APPOINTMENT

• Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson has appointed Moussa Jaraysi to the Eastern Washington University Board of Trustees. Jaraysi, a retired environmental and civil engineer, lives in the Tri-Cities and began his four-year board term on May 7. Before retiring in 2020, he worked in both public and private sector positions for more than 40 years, developing, promoting and negotiating environmental cleanup strategies. He most recently worked as vice president of environmental and strategic integration with Jacobs Engineering. He has a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the Polytechnic of Central London and a master’s in management and leadership from Western Governors University. Jaraysi spent 17 years on the Columbia Basin College Foundation Board and eight years on the Leadership Tri-Cities Board. On EWU’s board, he replaces Tri-Citian Vicki Wilson, a retired software engineering service manager who served on the board for more than 13 years.

GRANTS

• Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia received a $10,000 grant from Battelle. This funding will support the foundation’s Read Up! Stop the Summer Slide program. This annual program distributes more than 10,000 books to children in the Mid-Columbia.

• Richland School District and Kennewick School District each received a $11,300 grant from Battelle to support digital literacy for students. Richland’s grant will support the district’s, “AI Stakeholder Cohort to Establish RSD Practices, Beliefs and Guidelines for AI, Digital, and Media Literacy,” a project that brings together educators, students, families and community partners to develop shared guidance for the safe, ethical and effective use of artificial intelligence and digital tools in classrooms.

Kennewick’s will fund professional learning for school staff on using AI tools in designing individualized learning, feedback and data analysis to improve student literacy and math outcomes.

• Generational Care in Richland received a $10,000 grant from Battelle to support Healthy Ages, a program dedicated to promoting health, wellness, education and independence for older adults throughout Benton and Franklin counties.

BOARDS

• Three officers were elected to Energy Northwest’s Participants Review Board: Mike Massey of Benton PUD; Roger Wright of Franklin PUD; and Lauren McCloy of Okanogan County PUD. They will serve a three-year term on the nine-member board. The board also elected Sid Logan, Snohomish County PUD, as chair; Roger Wright, Franklin PUD, as vice chair; and Shan Rowbotham, Kittitas County PUD, as secretary. Officers serve a one-year term. The board reviews Columbia Generating Station’s annual budget and fuel management plans, as well as nuclear construction and purchases of more than $500,000.

• Numerica Credit Union, which has several Tri-Cities branches, has announced four board of directors nominees, which will be confirmed during Numerica’s annual membership meeting on June 17: Dan Springer, who currently serves as chief operating officer for MultiCare’s Inland Northwest Region Hospitals; Christine Varela, a partner and co-owner of DH, a statewide strategic communications agency; Vanessa Moos, founder and owner of Regatta Strategy Group; and Yvonne Esquibel Smith, who serves as director of development and community engagement for Comma Community Journalism Lab.

PROMOTIONS

• Angela Swenseid has been promoted to chief financial officer at the Liberty Lake-based credit union that has several branches in the Tri-Cities. She joined STCU in 2010, shortly after earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Eastern Washington University. After performing various roles in the finance and accounting department, she was promoted to director in 2019. Four years later, she was named senior vice president of accounting and finance while also receiving her Master of Business Administration from Washington State University, covering costs through the tuition reimbursement program offered to any STCU employee who wants to further their education. Swenseid succeeds STCU President and CEO Lindsey Myhre as CFO. Myhre held the position prior to being named president and CEO last year.

• Baker Boyer in Kennewick has promoted both Marisol Gonzalez and Gary Grant to vice president. Gonzalez and Grant both served as business advisors at Baker Boyer, where they work closely with business owners to provide personalized financial guidance and long-term strategic support. Gonzalez joined Baker Boyer with more than 20 years of banking experience and a strong background in commercial lending and small business development. She holds both an Master in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Western Governors University and has earned multiple industry certifications in business lending and financial analysis. Grant brings nearly two decades of experience in banking and business development to his role. Since beginning his banking career in 2006, Grant has held positions ranging from business development officer and commercial loan officer to branch manager and business banker. Both also are involved in community nonprofits: Gonzalez volunteers with the American Red Cross, Junior Achievement and the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. Grant serves on the board of the Epilepsy Foundation of Washington and supports the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin Counties.

CERTIFICATIONS

• Shalom United Church of Christ in Richland earned a Welcoming Inclusive Supportive and Engaged (WISE) designation for mental health awareness from the Mental Health Network of the United Church of Christ. This milestone recognizes the congregation’s ongoing dedication to eradicating stigma and providing a safe, supportive environment for individuals and families navigating mental health challenges. The church has committed to integrating mental health inclusion into its worship services, educational programming and congregational care.

• The Richland Police Department completed an accreditation program that certifies it is operating under best practices and standards for law enforcement. The program is administered by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs and covers a four-year period. The department’s 2026 accreditation follows its previous accreditation in 2001. Benefits of accreditation include administrative and operational effectiveness, fair recruitment and employment practices, better records management, improved use of technology, health and safety, training, codes of conduct and other law enforcement functions. The effort was led internally by Lt. John Raby, the department’s administrative services lieutenant, who oversees the agency’s accreditation program.

RETIREMENT

• Tri-CU Credit Union’s president Doug Wadsworth has announced he is retiring in early 2027. He has been with the credit union since 2008 and founded the nonprofit Endangered Small Credit Union Defense last year to help protect small credit unions. He was also named a Tri-City Person of Influence in 2026. Tri-CU Credit Union’s board selected the current vice president of Lending, Trevor Galey, to fill Wadsworth’s position, effective January 2027. Wadsworth will focus on training Galey for the rest of this year to ensure a smooth transition. 

• Anna Hahn is retiring as clinical director from the Support Advocacy & Resource Center (SARC) in Richland. She originally worked for SARC from 2001-09, first as a sexual assault advocate, then crisis program director and mental health counselor. Hahn, a licensed mental health, began as the clinical director in January 2017. Her last day is June 30.

NEW HIRES

• James Cervini is the new director and principal architect, operational technology cybersecurity at OSC Technical Solutions in Richland. He brings expertise in industrial control system architecture, cyber-physical resilience and operational technology security, with experience spanning several critical infrastructure sectors including energy, water, defense, chemical and manufacturing.

• Tayte Koussa was recently appointed as the director of therapy services at Trios Health. She will oversee therapy operations across two outpatient therapy clinics and multiple service lines, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation, and lactation services in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Koussa, born and raised in the Tri-Cities, earned her doctorate in occupational therapy from Creighton University and brings a decade of hospital-based rehabilitation experience spanning inpatient, outpatient and NICU settings.

• Sharmaine S. Haughton was appointed as director of people services at Trios Health. She is responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction, including employee relations, talent acquisition and assessment, compensation management and more. Haughton has more than 15 years of experience driving innovative HR strategies that support organizational growth and employee success.

• Dr. Isabella Flores-Merritt is a new board certified general surgeon at Good Shepherd General Surgery in Hermiston. She has more than 22 years of surgical experience and provides a wide range of surgical services, including minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic assisted procedures.

• Dr. Matthew Lyons is the new board-certified cardiologist at Good Shepherd Cardiology in Hermiston. He has more than 16 years of cardiology experience and he specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of cardiovascular conditions, including coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation and more.

AWARDS & HONORS

• Rasheal McNabb of Trios Health in Kennewick and Patrick Jones of Lourdes Health in Pasco were chosen to be their facilities’ 2026 Mercy Award winner. The Mercy Award is given to one employee from each Lifepoint Health facility who profoundly touches the lives of others. McNabb joined the Trios Birth Center in 2012 as a labor and delivery nurse. She leads the Birth Center’s bereavement program and “Little Hearts” Memorial Service, providing comfort and support to families experiencing infant loss, while also advancing patient safety through staff emergency preparedness training initiatives. Jones has been with Lourdes since 1997, and he holds extensive knowledge of the Lourdes campus and its history. He has spent years ensuring the safety, security and well-being of patients, staff and visitors. Each facility winner will be considered for Lifepoint’s 2026 companywide award.

• Chelsea White of Trios Health is the recipient of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. She has served patients and families in the intensive care unit at Trios Health since 2024 and is recognized for her outstanding teamwork, leadership and commitment to delivering high-quality patient care during critical situations. White was nominated following a situation in which a patient rapidly declined and required immediate, intensive intervention, despite already managing her own ICU patient assignment.

• Scott Whalen, a mechanical engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, is the recipient of the U.S. Department of Energy National Innovator of the Year award. He is a prolific inventor with 23 granted and 13 pending U.S. patents; his signature patented achievement, Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion, or ShAPE, uses extreme deformation to transform solid metal feedstocks directly into useful machined parts without melting them. This award is his third such national accolade. He was named a Distinguished Inventor by Battelle, which operates PNNL for DOE, in 2025. Before that, he was PNNL’s Inventor of the Year in 2023. His teams have received two R&D 100 Awards, which annually recognize the most significant technology innovations of the year.

• Matt Riesenweber of Cornerstone Wealth Strategies in Kennewick was named one of Barron’s 2026 top 1,500 Financial Advisors in America. Advisors are evaluated on a range of criteria, including assets under management, revenue generated for their firms, regulatory record, quality of practice and philanthropic work. He was ranked No. 19 in the state.

• Jason Johnson of 509 Wealth Management, which has an office in Kennewick, earned a spot on the Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list for the seventh time. Advisors are selected based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes in-depth interviews, industry experience, client retention data, compliance records and a focus on best practices. He was ranked No. 6 in the state.

• Carol Travis, an agriculture science, FFA and ASB teacher at New Horizons High School in Pasco, has been selected as a 2026-27 National FFA Teacher Ambassador, becoming the only educator from the state selected for this year’s national cohort. As an ambassador, Travis will collaborate with ag educators from across the nation. 

DONATIONS

• United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties collected 17,000 diapers and 21,000 wipes during a recent community-wide diaper drive. The donations were sourced from individuals, businesses and community partners and the goods will be distributed to local organizations serving vulnerable children and caregivers, such as Elijah Family Homes and the Diaper Bank.

• United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties received a $25,000 cornerstone contribution from Bechtel. This contribution will assist the nonprofit’s as the focus on initiatives such as early childhood learning programs, enhancing student success and access to essential services for families facing hardship.

• The Patterson Foundation has donated $10,000 to Kennewick’s Grace Clinic, which provides free medical, dental and mental health services to uninsured adults in the Tri-Cities. The foundation supports nonprofits that provide dental care to underserved communities and is funded primarily by current and former employees of Patterson Companies Inc., which connects dental and animal health customers to the latest products, technologies, services and innovative business solutions.

• The Wildhorse Foundation awarded $495,000 in quarterly grant funding to organizations throughout the Northwest. Locally, Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton and Franklin counties in Pasco received $5,000 for life and work readiness, and Therapeutic Riding of Tri-Cities (TROT) in Kennewick received $8,298 for its adaptive riding program and equine/facility support.

• Legends Casino Hotel has announced that through its Yakama Cares program that it has distributed more than $500,000 to 108 nonprofits, including several in the Tri-Cities: Camp Woods Legacy, $10,000, Pasco; Prosser Memorial Health Foundation, $10,000; Columbia Basin College Foundation, $6,000, Pasco; Rascal Rodeo, $6,000, Pasco; Fourth Dimension Living Foundations, $5,000, Pasco; Kadlec Tri-Cities Cancer Center, $5,000, Kennewick; Kadlec, $5,000, Kennewick; Therapeutic Riding of Tri-Cities, $5,000, Kennewick; United Methodist Church Martha’s Cupboard, $5,000, Richland; Big Bro Joe Foundation, $4,000, Kennewick; Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton & Franklin Counties, $4,000, Pasco; Lutheran Community Services Northwest, $4,000, Kennewick; Friends of Mid-Columbia Libraries, $3,000, Kennewick; Pet Overpopulation Prevention, $3,000, Pasco; Restore City Church, $3,000, Pasco; United Way of Benton & Franklin Counties, $3,000, Kennewick; Tri-Cities TNR (Trap Neuter Return), $2,500, Kennewick; Hearthfire Animal Rescue Team (HART), $2,250, Richland; YMCA of the Greater Tri-Cities, $4,000, Richland; Prevent Homeless Pets, $1,500, Benton City.