Transition team to help facilitate onboarding of next university president

The Office of the President announced the formation of a presidential transition team charged with supporting the upcoming change in university leadership. The 10-person team is composed of members of the Washington State University community who bring a breadth of knowledge and experience in higher education. They will work closely with university stakeholders to ensure an onboarding process that is both reflective of the university's land grant mission and reaffirms its values in the search for the 12th president of WSU.

The transition team will report to the Board of Regents Chair Lisa Keohokalole Schauer, who will guide the group's search. The team will be co-chaired by Ginger Druffel, chief of staff for the Office of the President, and Mel Netzhammer, chancellor of the WSU Vancouver campus.

From January through the fall of 2025, the group will focus on key priorities to support continuity across the system, including engaging with partners, providing insight relative to strategic initiatives, and preserving university traditions. The team will collaborate with campus constituents, university leadership, and the Board of Regents as part of that work.

Once the successful candidate is named, the Office of the President will launch a website to share updates on the groups' activities and intake requests to meet with the incoming president. Each request will be reviewed and evaluated by the transition team to determine how it might align with the broader onboarding strategy.

The co-chairs look forward to the contributions and perspectives each team member will bring throughout this process and are eager to hear from the university community on how they might like to engage with the next president.

Presidential Transition Team

• Ginger Druffel chief of staff, Office of the President co-chair
• Mel Netzhammer chancellor, WSU Vancouver co-chair
• Marty Dickinson Board of Regents
• Chris Riley-Tillman provost, executive vice president
• Mike Connell VP Advancement, CEO WSU Foundation
• Kylie Condosta communications coordinator, Office of the President
• Chris Mulick senior director of State Relations, External Affairs and Government Relations
• Kristina Peterson-Wilson vice provost for Academic Administration and chief of staff, Office of the Provost
• Eric Shelden associate professor, School of Molecular Biosciences and past chair of Faculty Senate Leadership
• Nikki Winfree senior strategist, WSU Foundation