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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Business Beat

Banking

    Spokane Federal Credit Union has named Charlotte Nemec as president and CEO. Nemec served on the human resources team for 10 years before being promoted to vice president of administration in 2004. She most recently served as executive vice president for the credit union.

    Trevor Young has been hired as vice president and commercial lending manager for Mountain West Bank. Young has previously worked at U.S. Bank, Sterling Bank and Century 21 Commercial and will lead a team of commercial lenders, credit analysts and commercial loan associates in his new position.

Education

Kirk Besmer has been named Gonzaga University’s Alphonse A. and Geraldine F. Arnold Distinguished Professor, recognizing a professor’s contributions to liberal arts education. For his annual Arnold Lectures each of the next three years, Besmer has selected the theme “Technology and the Human Condition,” exploring how a liberal arts education can help the understanding of technology’s impact on society. Besmer is an associate professor of philosophy and has been with Gonzaga since 2003.

Gonzaga University has recognized faculty members at its annual Academic Honors Convocation. Faculty award recipients include: Rob Donnelly, history, Academic Citizenship; Danielle Xu, finance, and Tim Olsen, business, Collaborative Work; Dan Stewart, entrepreneurship, Diversity Leadership; Brian Cooney, English, public humanities, Open (tenured); Katey Roden, English, digital humanities, Open (non-tenure-track); Matt Rindge, religious studies, Professional Contribution (tenured); Melody Alsaker, mathematics, Professional Contribution (tenure-track); Dan Bradley, philosophy, Teaching Excellence (tenured); Sara Diaz, women’s and gender studies, Teaching Excellence (tenure-track); Kathy Nitta, teacher education, Teaching Excellence (non-tenure-track) and Monica Bartlett, psychology, Community Engaged Learning Faculty of the Year. At the same event, Gonzaga also recognized 11 faculty members as faculty emeriti. They are: Stephen Balzarini, history; George Eddy Birrer, accounting; Scott Burnham, law; Sister Joy Milos, religious studies; Theodore Nitz, history; Kent Hickman, finance; Mary McFarland, nursing; Thomas McLaughlin, special education; Gail Nord, mathematics; Charles Salina, educational leadership and administration and Rose Mary Volbrecht, philosophy.

Law

John Drake and Levi Liljenquist have been promoted to partners at Witherspoon Brajcich McPhee PLLC. Drake focuses on complex civil litigation and appellate law and has been with the firm since 2016. Liljenquist specializes in estate planning and probate, taxation, real estate and business and commercial law. He has been with the firm since 2017.

Senior living

Terek Beckman, executive director at Garden Plaza in Post Falls, has been awarded one of two Chairman’s Awards by Century Park Associates, a senior living company. Garden Plaza offers both independent living and assisted-living options.