Member News

RICHLAND, Wash. – Sandra Haynes, a senior administrator at Metropolitan State University of Denver, is the new chancellor of Washington State University Tri-Cities.
 
WSU President Kirk Schulz announced Haynes’ hiring Monday, Dec. 18. She will begin her duties on March 1.
 
As chancellor, Haynes will function as the chief executive officer, representing the campus in the community, guiding campus growth and advocating for WSU Tri-Cities within the WSU statewide system of campuses.
 
Haynes currently is deputy provost and vice president of academic affairs and a professor in the Department of Human Services at MSU Denver. She oversees all academic affairs units. Previously she was dean of the university’s College of Professional Studies for 13 years.
 
Ideal skills to advance goals
 
“Sandra’s leadership skills and collaborative approach to building innovative partnerships promises an exciting future for WSU Tri-Cities as we continue to grow enrollment, academic programs and facilities,” Schulz said. “Her expertise also will shape the pivotal role WSU Tri-Cities will play in achieving our systemwide goal of becoming a top 25 public research university by 2030.”
 
Expanding WSU’s partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, as well as continuing to ensure access to higher education for residents of eastern Washington, are among the priorities the president has identified for the new chancellor.
 
“I am honored and humbled to be selected as chancellor of WSU Tri-Cities,” Haynes said. “I look forward to playing a role in the important contributions the campus makes in the Columbia Basin area through quality instruction and the advancement of life-changing research. I am also excited to join the vibrant and engaged Tri-Cities community.”
 
Haynes’ achievements at Metropolitan State University Denver include identifying alternative sources of funding for the university by creating public-private partnerships and interdisciplinary programs to meet community and workforce needs. She also established best practices for the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty.
 
Haynes is a licensed psychologist and has authored several articles and book chapters. Her research interests range from topics in neuropsychology to philosophical issues regarding punishment to applied topics in human services and psychology and in higher education. She earned her doctorate and master’s degrees in experimental neuropsychology at Colorado State University, where she also competed a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
 
Haynes was one of four finalists for the chancellorship following a nationwide search. The finalists recently visited the WSU Tri-Cities and Pullman campuses, where they met students, faculty, staff and members of the community. Haynes replaces H. Keith Moo-Young, who served as chancellor for more than four years.
 
WSU Tri-Cities
 
WSU Tri-Cities enrolls 1,937 students, more than 70 percent of whom study STEM-related academic disciplines. The campus offers 20 undergraduate and 33 graduate degrees.
 
WSU Tri-Cities student body is the most diverse among the university’s six campuses, with 38.9 percent of students identifying as minorities. WSU Tri-Cities hosts six university colleges, including Nursing, Medicine, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, and Agricultural, Human and Natural Sciences, as well as the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
 
The campus is home to the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, a WSU-PNNL managed research and teaching laboratory.
In 2015, the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center, one of the most technologically advanced wine science centers in the world, opened at WSU Tri-Cities.
 
Construction of on-campus housing recently began and is expected to open next August.
 
The campus is also home to the region’s largest alternative teaching certification program and the Hanford History Project.
 
See WSU News, https://news.wsu.edu/2017/12/18/sandra-haynes-named-wsu-tri-cities-chancellor

Hanford contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA) was recently recognized by Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman as part of the 2017 Corporations for Communities Award. Corporations for Communities honors extraordinary Washington businesses that give their best efforts in helping their communities.
 
As the recipient of an Honorable Mention award, MSA was recognized for its corporate giving and community outreach program, MSA Cares, as well as the outstanding efforts by employees to raise money for and donate volunteer time to non-profit organizations in our community.
 
Secretary Wyman noted, “Washington is blessed to have so many caring companies that give back to their communities in a variety of ways. This awards program is a great way to recognize companies that go above and beyond to make a difference.”
 
In recent years, MSA has more than doubled the number of employees who participate in volunteer activities. President Bob Wilkinson is proud of the impact MSA continues to make, “As individuals and as a company, MSA makes a positive difference in the Tri-Cities. We value the effort our employees and their families personally invest in giving back. We’re proud to accept this honorable mention from Secretary Wyman and look forward to continuing to help the community.”
 
More information about the award and recipients can be found here.

For the 15th consecutive year, Benton PUD received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting award from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for Benton PUD’s 2016 comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR).  

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a governmental entity and its management.  The CAFR has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program including demonstrating a spirit of full disclosure to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR. 

The Government Finance Officers Association is a non-profit professional association serving approximately 19,000 government finance professionals.

​Benton PUD serves over 53,000 customers electricity and wholesale broadband in Kennewick, Prosser, Finley, Benton City and surrounding areas in Benton County with offices located at 2721 W. 10th Avenue in Kennewick and 250 N. Gap Road in Prosser. 

​Eight researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are leading the way in solving the world's biggest challenges, as evidenced by other researchers referencing their papers.

These citations are tracked by Clarivate Analytics (formerly part of Thomson Reuters), which analyzed publication and citation statistics between 2005-2015. Clarivate Analytics annually releases a list of scientists from around the world whose citations rank in the top one percent within 21 subject areas. It features the most frequently cited researchers as determined by the extent to which their papers have supported, influenced, inspired and challenged other researchers around the globe.

Energy Storage
Four of the PNNL scientists were recognized in the categories of chemistry and material sciences for their publications and citations on energy storage or battery research.

• Jun Liu serves as director of the Department of Energy's Battery500 Consortium, a collaboration among national laboratories, academia and industry to develop smaller, lighter and less expensive electric vehicle batteries. Liu is a Battelle fellow who has more than 55 U.S. patents and 400 peer-reviewed publications. Liu has appeared on the list since 2014.
• Yuyan Shao is an electrochemist and materials scientist focused on electrochemical energy storage and conversion for both transportation and stationary applications. He has more than 100 publications and 40 patents and patent applications. Shao has appeared on the list twice.
• Jie Xiao is a chief scientist who also holds a joint appointment at the University of Arkansas. Xiao leads research into practical applications and fundamental study of energy storage materials and systems, from micro-batteries for acoustic fish tags to advanced battery technologies for vehicle electrification and stationary applications. She has more than 100 published peer-reviewed journal papers as well as 18 energy storage patents and patent applications.
• Ji-Guang (Jason) Zhang is a PNNL laboratory fellow focused on development of energy storage devices, including lithium-ion batteries; thin-film, solid-state batteries; lithium-sulfur batteries; lithium-air batteries; and electrochemical devices. He holds 23 patents, with another 17 pending, and has published more than 250 journal papers. Zhang was recognized this year in both the materials science and engineering fields, and he has appeared on the list twice.
  
  

Atmospheric Science
Two PNNL scientists were recognized in the geosciences category for their ongoing work to better understand the impact of clouds and small particles in the atmosphere on climate.

• Steven Ghan is a climate scientist whose work involves a combination of development, evaluation and application of parameterizations for climate models. He works with other team members to understand the atmospheric processes that drive regional and global Earth systems, with a primary focus on climate, aerosol and cloud physics. Ghan has more than 175 publications cited more than 11,000 times.
• Philip Rasch serves as the chief scientist for climate science at PNNL and is internationally known for his work in general circulation, atmospheric chemistry and climate modeling. He is particularly interested in the role of aerosols and clouds in the atmosphere and has worked on the processes that describe these components of the atmosphere, the computational details that are needed to describe them in computer models and on their impact on climate.
  
  

Biology and Health
Two PNNL scientists were recognized for important contributions in pharmacology & toxicology and chemistry that have important implications for human health.

• Yuehe Lin, a Washington State University professor who holds a joint appointment at PNNL as a laboratory fellow, is a leader in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology, electrochemistry, chemical sensors and biosensors. The technologies he's developing can detect important molecules in biological systems, explosives and pesticides and could deliver drugs to fight diseases like cancer. Lin was recognized in the chemistry category.
• Justin Teeguarden is a chief scientist for exposure science at PNNL who also holds a joint appointment at Oregon State University. He has more than 75 peer-reviewed publications, has co-authored National Academy of Sciences reports and serves on the Environmental Protection Agency's Board of Scientific Counselors Homeland Security Subcommittee.

​The eight PNNL scientists join more than 3,300 researchers on the highly cited researcher list whose work is cited at a level markedly higher than average for their fields.

​i3 Global, an independent media services firm that offers award-winning branding, marketing and communication strategies in both federal and commercial marketspaces has been awarded THREE Gold Awards in the 2017 MarCom Awards. This Kennewick based firm was selected in this international competition based on its extraordinary results achieved from an internal rebranding campaign for i3 Global, and for branding and website design for its client, Tri-City Water Follies.

Hosted by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP), the 2017 MarCom Awards honor excellence in marketing and communications disciplines while recognizing the creativity, hard work and generosity of industry professionals. Winning companies are selected from approximately 6,000 entries across 322 categories.

i3 Global was awarded the Gold Award in the branding refresh category for an internal re-branding campaign. They also received two Gold Award for work with their client, Tri-City Water Follies. These were in the categories of website redesign and implementation of a strategic branding campaign.
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“It isn’t every day that teams win three MarCom Gold awards,” said Kris Lapp, president of i-3 Global. These awards reflect the talent of the individuals we have on our media team and we are proud to have provided creative services for an important community event like the Tri-City Water Follies.”