by Lorna Harris

From July 27th to August 1st, 2025, Eastern Washington University proudly hosted a Washington Business Week (WBW) summer camp for 49 high school students on the Cheney campus. This marked the program’s first return to the east side of the state since 2019. Students lived on campus and were able to experience college student life, and 57% received a scholarship to attend. Throughout the week, students from across the state immersed themselves in a hands-on, team-based experience designed to simulate the real world of business. Divided into teams known as “companies,” students collaborated to manage their own mock businesses, and provided stockholder presentations which culminated in a trade show.

Local professionals volunteered their time as Company Advisors, providing coaching, mentoring, and facilitated learning throughout the week. The WBW program featured a dynamic mix of guest speakers, interactive sessions, and team-building activities focused on key themes such as leadership, teamwork, and entrepreneurship. Participants earned two college credits, walking away not just with valuable knowledge, but a head start on their academic journey. In fact, 56% of participants left the camp interested in attending Eastern Washington University!

We couldn’t provide this opportunity without the support of EWU Admissions, Housing and Residential Life, College of Professional Programs, School of Business, the Washington Business Week team, and all the faculty, staff, and students who worked and volunteered to make this a meaningful experience. Looking forward to our second camp in summer 2026!

By Brynne Irish

The College of Professional Programs is excited to recognize Camden Triplett for April’s Student Spotlight. Camden is a junior dual-majoring in Management and Marketing in the School of Business.

Camden is in his junior year here at EWU, dual-majoring in Management and Marketing with a minor in Economics. He plans to receive his Bachelor’s degree in June of 2026. He recently received certification as a Microsoft Office Specialist in Excel. He is currently a full-time student working part-time at a restaurant and is in the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity here at EWU.

Growing up in Cheney, WA, Camden always had a strong connection to the local community. When it came time to choose a college, he decided on Eastern Washington University not only because it was close to home but because it was the best option financially for him and his family. It was not just the cost that helped him make this decision, but also EWU’s business program stood out to him as a strong beginning for his future.

Deciding on a direction after high school wasn’t easy. Camden admitted that figuring out what school to go to and for what career path was a challenge. However, during his senior year of high school Camden took a business communication class where he was introduced to different areas of the business industry, such as management and marketing. Through this class, he realized that communication and people skills are not just important in the business world but valuable in everyday life. Camden explained, “I knew studying business would help me develop those skills and be in a field that has endless opportunities and growth.” That realization is what sparked his interest in pursuing a business degree.

Through his experience at EWU so far, Camden shared that there have been many faculty who have helped him and have made his experience more enjoyable in his program.

My professor John Dunlop had great teaching tactics and made the Operations Management course really fascinating. Additionally, Professor Jeffrey Culver had an engaging classroom and made the Business Statistics 2 course easier to understand & learn.

Next, Camden described how one of his best accomplishments is his work ethic. As a full-time student who also works part-time, and stays actively involved in his fraternity, his schedule can be very busy.

Throughout my time in college, I’ve learned that the most important part of having a busy schedule is figuring out how to manage it well…That process has really improved and strengthened my work ethic, which is something I am very proud of.

Through hard work and dedication, he has learned how to better manage his time and balance the demands of school, work, extracurriculars, and his personal life. This is a skill that will continue to form his professional and personal growth.

As part of the business program, Camden shared one thing that surprised him which was learning how the human brain processes information better in groups of three. This means seeing three subjects or points at once. He said that “when presenting and having more than three paragraphs or visual aids, it can get overwhelming. So, I thought that was really useful to know, especially when presenting, teaching or holding meetings.”

As Camden is a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity here at EWU, he encourages other students to check out Eastern’s Greek life. He shared that “joining a fraternity or sorority can help you develop your social skills, make friends, and help you stay academically focused.”

Lastly, 5 years from now, Camden sees himself working for a company that he is passionate about in a management position located in either the Seattle or San Diego areas.

The College of Professional Programs is pleased to acknowledge Camden Triplett for his academic focus, dedication, and involvement as CPP’s April Student Spotlight!

By Brynne Irish

The College of Professional Programs is excited to congratulate Kimarie Fox on her acceptance to the X-Culture Global Business Week Conference!

Kimarie is a senior at Eastern Washington University, majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Workforce Management and is now expected to graduate in June 2025. Originally from Tucson, Arizona, Kimarie moved to Spokane when she was 14 years old.

In Winter Quarter 2025, Kimarie took the IBUS 470 International Business course with Professor Abrahim Soleimani, and had the opportunity to participate in an X-Culture Project. She explained how this project teaches students how to work with people from other countries to create a professional report helping a company with an issue or to improve in some way. Kimarie mentioned that she was in a group with the following international students: Lauren from North Carolina, Shashank from India, Vicky from Hong Kong (studies in Canada), and Emilien from France.

Kimarie expressed how she enjoyed meeting new people from different countries, but that they did experience struggles working on this project in coordinating Zoom meetings because of all of the different time zones. However, she shared that they made it work and still managed to write an outstanding report. Kimarie took on a leadership role in her group, and she ended the project with a high peer evaluation score. This led her to being invited to apply to the X-Culture Global Business Week Conference in Vaasa, Finland.

I decided to apply even though I might not be able to afford it, because the invitation itself would be a great accomplishment to share with future employers.

The X-Culture website describes the X-Culture Global Business Week (Global Symposium) as an event that brings participants together from across the globe, chosen from the best of the best. Students from around the world from international teams that meet initially online and finally in person, to finalize their work in solving a real business problem. The selection process is competitive, with a limit of 150 students. Preferences are dependent on student applicants who have demonstrated excellence in past X-Culture programs, with consideration given to maximizing geographic and cultural diversity.

Kimarie’s X-Culture team chose the company Vivavoce, which is a medical clinic in Italy that specializes in speech therapy, other vocal cord related treatments, and rehabilitation. Their goal was to expand their services to other markets in different countries and once they analyzed those markets, they ended up recommending Japan. Kimarie credits Professor Abrahim Soleimani as being very helpful in assisting her group through any questions, feedback, or concerns they had.

Professor Soleimani had a Zoom call meeting with me, assisting me with any edits I should make, which I then relayed to my team. I could not have done it without his help.

After completing and mastering this class project, Kimarie was encouraged to apply to the X-Culture Global Business Week Conference in Vaasa Finland, and she was accepted! She states that, “This achievement means so much to me because it feels like my hard work was worth it. I was so excited when I found out and wanted to tell everyone I know.” This accomplishment additionally led Kimarie to start thinking more about if International Business is something she would enjoy pursuing in the future.

I really challenged myself with this project because of the leadership role I took on. I am normally not much of a leader, but I wanted to show myself that I am capable so that I can advocate for myself in my future career that I am leadership material, and that paid off as well.

For anyone else who may be interested in the X-Culture Project, Kimarie advises those students to step out of their comfort zone. She states, “while you can’t force anyone in your group to work hard, you control how hard you work and that matters.” She also recommends holding yourself and others accountable because it is important to make sure you finish the project with an end result you are proud of. She added that “this project is unique and so helpful for people that want to pursue International Business, it is worth participating in.”

Lastly, Kimarie added that she loves the Interdisciplinary Studies program because she is continuing to gain knowledge in multiple subject areas, which has allowed her more flexibility when job searching. Her long-term goal is to start a career and eventually be able to buy her own home.

The College of Professional Programs is thrilled to recognize and honor Kimarie Fox for her accomplishments and acceptance to the 2025 X-Culture Global Business Week Conference in Vaasa, Finland.

The guest speaker series started in Spring 2024 continues this fall, bringing in fresh local business and entrepreneurial voices to discuss the future of work and entrepreneurship in Spokane. Co-sponsored by the The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis (IPPEA), The School of Business, and The College Of Professional Programs, these speaker events bring together EWU students, local industry representatives, business leaders, alumni, and community members at the Catalyst Building in Spokane. Generous funding has been provided by Washington Trust Bank to support the speaker series. The events start at approximately 5:00 pm and are followed by a networking reception. Please join us! Alumni and community members are welcome to attend.

Charlotte Nemec, President and CEO of Canopy Credit opened this fall’s speaker series in October. If you missed it, you can watch the recorded live stream on Youtube here.

The next speaker event will be held Wednesday November 13th from 5 – 6:50 pm at the Catalyst Building (free parking). The guest speaker is Richard Denenny, President and CEO of Moat Metrics. A lawyer with deep experience in start-ups, Richard’s work at Moat Metrics, a startup in Spokane, focuses on using IP (internet protocol) in novel ways to help companies grow.

Visit the Speaker Series website for details on upcoming events.

The College of Professional Programs recognized Excellence Award winners at the fall retreat held on Friday November 1st. With 9 award categories covering faculty, staff, and community partners, 19 nominations were received! Thank you to all who submitted nominations, and congratulations to our nominees and award recipients!

2024 CPP Excellence Award Recipients

• Classified Employee Excellence Award
  • Jeni Lutey, Education
• Exempt Employee Excellence Award
  • Stephanie Lauritzen, Education
• Faculty Excellence in Scholarly & Creative Activities Award
  • Rajeev Dwivedi, Business
• Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award
  • Jeffrey Culver, Business
• Faculty Excellence in Service Activities Award
  • Kevin Criswell, Psychology
• Campus Partner Excellence Award
  • Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis (IPPEA)
• Community Partner Excellence
  • Spokane Teachers Credit Union (STCU)
  • Canvas Church in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
• Team Excellence
  • Office of Field Experience, Education

Congratulations to the 2024 winners of the annually awarded faculty Excellence in Research and Excellence in Teaching awards in the Schools of Business and Professional Accounting.

• Dr. Habib Islam, Assistant Professor in the School of Business, received the Excellence in Research Award
• Eldonna Shaw-Davis, Lecturer in the School of Business, received the Excellence in Teaching Award

On Wednesday April 3rd, 2024, EWU will be celebrating Giving Joy Day!  This annual event is an opportunity for new and returning gifters to give to programmatic and scholarships funds at any financial level, supporting student success and providing opportunities for current and future Eagles!

• In 2023-2024, 103 CPP students received EWU scholarships totaling nearly $312,000.

Here are testimonial videos from our students on the impact of receiving scholarship funds:

Explore funding opportunities by scholarship or program by clicking the button below.

]]> https://www.ewu.edu/cpp/news/beta-alpha-psi-chapter-places-3rd-in-best-practices-competition/ Tue, 20 Feb 2024 19:57:34 +0000 https://www.ewu.edu/cpp/?post_type=stories&p=19652 Congratulations are in order for the Delta Sigma Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) at EWU!  At the organization’s mid-year meeting in San Diego, they placed 3rd in the Best Practices competition in the Community Service area for their work as volunteer financial auditors for the Spokane County Superior Court Guardianship Monitoring Program.  The Spokane...]]>

Congratulations are in order for the Delta Sigma Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) at EWU!  At the organization’s mid-year meeting in San Diego, they placed 3rd in the Best Practices competition in the Community Service area for their work as volunteer financial auditors for the Spokane County Superior Court Guardianship Monitoring Program.  The Spokane County Superior Court website states that “financial auditors review court-ordered accountings of the vulnerable individual’s finances, submitted to the court by the guardian/conservator/trustee, to ensure that the vulnerable individual’s finances are being handled properly and in their best interest.”

Student members Finnegan Syrie (senior finance major and BAP Chapter President), Marin Johnson (Masters in Professional Accounting Student and BAP VP), and Thilmer Maland (junior Professional Accounting major and BAP member) presented at the mid-year meeting,  and were joined by BAP Advisor Dr. Bill Shaw, Assistant Professor of Professional Accounting and Associate Dean for CPP.

Shaw states that the chapter “finished behind Cal State Fullerton (1st) and University of Nebraska (2nd)” and that “the mid-year meeting saw ten schools selected to present their work. Those ten schools were selected in early December from all the proposals submitted.”

To apply to become a “Candidate” Member of the Beta Alpha Psi Chapter, click here.

To view BAP events on EagleSync, click here.

To Learn more about volunteering opportunities through the Guardianship Monitoring Program, click here.

The top three teams received a share of $1,000 prize money, with the first-place team winning $500, the second-place team winning $300 and the third-place team winning $200. College of Business Associate Dean, Shuming “Sherry” Bai presented the winning teams with their awards.

First Place

Mr. Fix-it

Brittney Smith: “My product is designed to send engine codes through an application directly to an independent automotive repair shop in real-time. My product will provide a managerial tool which can help aid in the decision-making process, save valuable time of management, provide an on-demand monitoring system to their customers, and assist them in educating their customers.”

Second Place

Kitchenware Assistant Drawer

Leya Depriest, Eric Eide, Nathan Clark: “The Assistant will help with full utilization of the drawer and its contents. The drawer will be a drop-in unit with no install required. The target market will be anyone with a drawer that needs help accessing it or want a cool upgrade to their kitchen.”

Third Place

The Boozy Bee

Brenna Bayless, Taylor Scott, Mariah Stearns: “The Boozy Bee is a sit-down bar and bakery that is guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth, help you unwind from your day, or kick off your night out. We are an innovative bakery that will bring some sugar and spice to the Pacific Northwest, through an array of cupcake and alcoholic drink combinations. Our cupcakes are uniquely designed with creative flavors that taste great for any occasion.”

External Judges

Local business professionals and EWU faculty and staff volunteered as judges for the event:

• Ryan Arnold, Director of Regional Entrepreneurship Strategy at North Idaho College
• Jimmy Wade, Venture Center Program Coordinator, North Idaho College
• Joel Nania, Manager, Spokane Office U.S. Small Business Administration
• Sam Breeze, Partner and Patent Attorney, Lee & Hayes
• Mark Pond, Spokane Public Library
• Chris Wood, Ten X Ventures
• Megan Hulsey, Business Lender, Craft3
• Daniel Clark, Business Expansion Consultancy Partners S.C.
• Michael Ebinger, PhD, Director, WSU Center for Innovation
• Tanner Chaffin, Owner, Purfect Logos, LLC
• Cory Santiago, Founder and Inventor, Bear Minimum
• Charlie Wolff, Business Development Manager, City of Spokane
• Michele Stocking, Assistant Vice President, Washington Trust Bank
• John Dunlop, Whitworth University
• Brian Paul Caffrey, Heartstrings The Phone App, LLC
• Allison Glasunow, PhD, Associate Attorney at Perkins Coie LLP
• Renee LaRocca, Managing Partner Foresight Product Management LLC
• George Tanner, Idaho Entrepreneurship Director and Senior Instructor University of Idaho
• Heidi Medford, PhD, Innovation Advancement and Partnerships Washington State University
• Timothy Ledford, Founder and CEO Safeguard Equipment

EWU Faculty & Staff

• Shuming Bai, PhD, Associate Dean and Professor of Finance
• Taylor Kensel, MFA, Interim Assistant Director for Student Research & Community Engagement
• Patricia Nemetz-Mills, PhD, Professor of Strategic and Operation Management
• Eldonna Shaw-Davis, Management Faculty
• Ken Tucker, Director of Philanthropy
• Duanning Zhou, PhD, Professor of MIS, Chair of Information System and Business Analytics Department

Marta came to EWU as an international undergraduate transfer student from the University of Belgrade in Serbia. She earned a degree in finance. After gaining some real-world work experience in corporate finance in banking, Marta felt ready to tackle a graduate degree and returned to Eastern for her MBA. Little did she know she would embrace a major career shift in the midst of her graduate studies. She is now a Risk Analyst at Avista. “I like to go with my gut feeling. I am not afraid of change,” Marta states. Learning new skills at work at the same time she was taking grad classes was a challenge. “But I enjoy going to school while I work, you look at learning in a different way. You see immediately how you can apply the knowledge.”

There are some interesting differences between study at EWU and the University of Belgrade. One major difference is the availability of the professors. “We attended large lectures in Serbia and the professors were not always available outside of class. Also, the examination process is very different,” Marta explains. Final exams were mostly oral and usually consisted of four questions, depending on the subject. Marta confides that it could be stressful especially if she picked a question she was a bit shaky on.

Marta appreciates the smaller classes here at EWU and the availability of her professors. She also appreciates the acceptance she has always felt with her EWU community and in the larger business world of Spokane. She always felt she was given equal and fair opportunity. Happily, Marta’s self-motivation and thirst for new challenges allow her to excel in these opportunities.