The Notable Alumni Award at WSU Vancouver A beautifully set formal banquet dinner table with white plates, red napkins, and dessert cake slices
WSU Vancouver

Notable Alumni Award

Honoring Excellence

The Notable Alumni Award at WSU Vancouver celebrates the exceptional achievements and enduring leadership of our graduates. This prestigious honor recognizes alumni who translate their education into meaningful action, demonstrating a profound commitment to professional excellence and community enrichment. By highlighting those who embody the university mission through dedicated service and personal integrity, the award serves as an inspiration to current students and the entire Cougar community.

Recipients are selected based on their significant professional accomplishments, extensive volunteer service, and continued engagement with the university. These individuals represent the diverse success stories of our alumni network, showcasing how a WSU Vancouver education fosters the skills necessary to tackle complex challenges and improve the lives of others. Current university employees are not eligible for nomination, ensuring the focus remains on the broad impact our alumni make within their respective fields and communities.

WSU Vancouver Notable Alumni Award

Honors alumni who have made significant contributions to society, and whose accomplishments, affiliations, careers and/or community service reflect WSU Vancouver’s legacy of excellence. The award began in 2014 with 25 notable alumni selected as part of WSU Vancouver’s 25th anniversary celebration. Each spring, a committee chooses one notable alumna/alumnus for the year.

Bryan-Stebbins

2025 Notable Alumni Award Recipient

Bryan Stebbins

2025 Notable Alumni Award Recipient: Bryan Stebbins

Washington State University Vancouver presents the 2025 Notable Alumni Award to Bryan Stebbins, Master of Public Affairs, Class of 2020. This award recognizes alumni whose accomplishments, service and leadership reflect WSU Vancouver’s legacy of excellence and commitment to improving lives through education and community engagement.

Bryan’s career and volunteer service embody the Cougar spirit—brave, resilient and dedicated to creating opportunities that strengthen our communities.

In his professional life, Bryan has built a career rooted in public service and community connection. He spent a decade working for U.S. Senator Patty Murray, cultivating relationships with elected officials, community organizations and constituents across Southwest Washington. Today, he serves as public affairs manager at PointNorth, a minority- and woman-owned consulting firm based in Vancouver, where he contributes to one of the nation’s largest infrastructure projects: the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program. In this role, Bryan helps amplify community voices, foster collaboration and ensure that major projects reflect the needs of the people they serve.

Bryan’s commitment to giving back is equally evident in his volunteer leadership. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Clark County Historical Museum, helping preserve and share the region’s diverse heritage. He is also a member of the Love and Justice Alliance and the City of Vancouver’s 2045 Comprehensive Plan Community Team, working alongside others to shape policies and programs that strengthen civic participation and inclusion. Previously, he served as Board President of the Queer Youth Resource Center, where he worked to expand programs and support for LGBTQ+ youth and allies across Southwest Washington.

Bryan’s dedication to WSU Vancouver and its students is deeply felt. He generously supports the Cougar Food Pantry and the LGBTQ+ Empowerment Endowed Scholarship, a scholarship available to all students designed to expand access to higher education. This scholarship helps ensure that future generations of students will have lasting support in pursuing their academic goals, especially those who may face barriers to higher education. In addition to his philanthropic support, Bryan showed his Cougar Pride by helping to welcome students back to campus at the Wave the Flag event this fall and mentors WSU Vancouver interns, offering the kind of guidance he once wished for at the start of his own career.

Behind all of Bryan’s accomplishments lies a spirit of humility and service. Friends describe him as courageous and compassionate—someone who consistently puts others first and leads with integrity. Whether helping a family member in need, mentoring an intern or speaking up for those whose perspectives are too often overlooked, Bryan acts with conviction and care.

Reflecting on his time at WSU Vancouver, Bryan credits his graduate studies for sharpening his skills and strengthening his resolve to serve the public good. “What I love about WSU Vancouver is you get the small, private university experience but the resources of a large, state land-grant, Tier 1 research institution,” he shared. “This place made my life as a student and as an alumnus richer, and I’m grateful for it.”

Bryan’s impact extends far beyond titles or positions. His legacy is found in the opportunities he creates for others, the communities he helps to build and the example he sets for what it means to live one’s values every day.

Bryan’s contributions reflect his extraordinary character and embody the mission and spirit of Washington State University Vancouver.

Past Notable Alumni Award Recipients

The Notable Alumni Award program traces its roots back to the university’s 25th anniversary, initially celebrating a foundational cohort of distinguished graduates. WSU Vancouver continues this tradition by selecting one individual annually who demonstrates exceptional leadership and service. Explore the history of our honorees and the diverse ways they contribute to their professions and the broader community.

2024 recipient

2023 recipient

2022 recipient

2021 recipient, B.A. 2001, M.A. 2003

2020 recipient, B.A. 2017

2019 recipient, M.P.A. 2014

2018 recipient, B.A. 2015

2017 recipient, MN 2013

2016 recipient, MBA 2010

2015 recipient, MBA 2009

The 2014 inaugural cohort included 25 notable alumni: Ron Wysaske, Kellie Henderson, Jonathan DeHart, Donna Sinclair, Jeff Olson, Alyson Galloway Rotter, Elson Strahan, Paris Powell, Tamara Roark Shoup, Caroline Heldman, Joe Winton, Cynthia Ann Meyer, Sunrise O’Mahoney, Sam Freshner, Kelly Love, Cheryl Snodgrass, Kim Abegglen, Christina Reyes, Jennifer Cullison, Christopher Nye, Cynthia Myers, Mike Bomar, Bryn Murdock Browning, Alex Dondanville, and D’Alene White.