About Us
Staff Directory
Alphabetical by last name
Tom Dorr, Director, tom[dot]dorr[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 123
Before coming to Western, Tom owned and managed businesses ranging from start-up to turnarounds. In 2007 he received the prestigious "The Ron Battles Award" from the Washington State Small Business Development Center for his commitment to client service, innovation and continuous improvement. He has been recognized numerous times for his role in bringing in more than $5 million in investments into our local economy and for his involvement with saving or creating 100 or more jobs.
Tom also serves on the St. Lukes Foundation Board and speaks to businesses and community groups throughout the United States annually.
Meg Greenfield, Assistant Director of Operations, meg[dot]greenfield[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 102
Meg comes to us with nearly a decade of experience in the telecommunications industry, aiding startups and large organizations in customer service and infrastructure development. Her core competencies include: client interface design, guerilla marketing, lifecycle management, and operations.
Previously Meg co-owned and managed Blue Frog Internet, based in Rochester, New York where she led it to a multimillion dollar company in two years. Prior to Blue Frog, she taught at both the Univerity of Iowa and Syracuse University. Meg received a master's in business administration in finance, at the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester.
In her spare time Meg runs, bikes and raises a son.
Eric Grimstead, Business Strategist, eric[dot]grimstead[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 132
Eric has over 15 years experience in marketing, business development, accounting, and he has also been a small business owner. He has earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Puget Sound.
Jennifer Hill, Senior Research Analyst, jenn[dot]hill[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 112
Jennifer received her bachelor's of science from Nebraska Wesleyan University in political science. She spent the next seven years working as a small business owner and then manager for a national retail store giving her a background in operations, finance and human resources. In 2004, Jennifer graduated from Tulane University with a master's in public health in international health and development. She has worked as a researcher and analyst in Africa and the U.S. Jennifer joined the CEV in 2007.
Claus Joens, Research Analyst, claus[dot]joens[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 104
Claus joined the group after moving to the area with his family in 2009. After working in his family's business for 10 years, he moved on to accumulate more than 20 years experience with Ford Motor Company, primarily at the corporate level. Claus has held positions in accounting, auditing, collections, credit, financial analysis, sales and marketing, operations management, business analysis, project management, and strategic planning. He also has extensive operational and software development experience, and a passion for business education and community development.
Claus also has fuduciary experience serving as a personal representative in Spokane County. He obtained his bachelor's of arts in finance and economics from Eastern Washington University and an M.B.A. from Gonzaga University.
Jenny Kern, Senior Research Analyst, jenny[dot]kern[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 105
Jenny received her B.A. from Western Washington University in business administration in 2007. She spent several years in the tourism industry in Juneau, Alaska and has a strong background in project management, business analysis and marketing. She also has experience in IT implementations and enhancements.
Debra Lee, Business Strategist, debra[dot]lee[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 133
Debra joined the group in 2007. Previously Deb served in senior management positions in real estate, oil refining, and hotel management. She has over 18 years of business experience in Honolulu and an equal amount of time in Bellingham. Deb earned her M.B.A.from the University of Hawaii.
Jennifer MacQuarrie, Administrative Assistant, Jennifer[dot]Macquarrie[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 134
Jennifer joined the CEV in 2008, re-entering the workforce after a hiatus to raise her children. Her professional background is in direct marketing and corporate communications, primarily in the travel industry, but also in retail and publishing. She has served in a leadership role for several non-profits and will soon become trained as a mediator in order to volunteer her services for “creative conflict resolution.”
James McCafferty, Business Strategist, james[dot]mccafferty[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 124
Lee McClain, Business Strategist, lee[dot]mcclain[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 122
Lee McClain has been teaching at Western Washington University and has been an independent business consultant since 1991. He teaches a wide variety of areas including finance, information systems, computer applications, telecommunications, statistics, and international business in the College of Business and Economics.
McClain has an MBA in Finance from Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a financial analyst for Exxon Corporation and ARCO. He also served as a controller for a Bellingham company for three years. McClain spent eight years as a C-130 navigator in the U.S. Airforce before completing his MBA.
David McKee, CEV Graduate Assistant, david[at]mckee[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 107
David earned a bachelor's of science in chemical engineering and a bachelor's of arts in economics from the University of Washington. His professional experience includes 15 years of engineering, engineering management, and operations management in the electronics materials and thermal management industries. David has extensive international experience including factory management in Mexico and global engineering management responsibility.
Throughout his career David has specialized in new product introduction, project management and organizational change. He is currently enrolled in the traditional M.B.A. program at WWU and is focusing on adding strategic planning skills to his operational experience.
Debbye Omlie, Communications Manager, debbye[dot]omlie[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 126
Debbye is an award-winning communicator has over 10 years experience in numerous aspects of communication encompassing marketing and public relations both domestically and internationally. She has worked for several hospitals, a Fortune 500 in the computer industry and her family’s businesses. Debbye has also owned her own business in the fashion industry. She has been instrumental in getting her company’s products on designer cat-walks in New York City and in Vogue, GQ, Seventeen, and numerous trade magazines.
Debbye earned a bachelor’s of business administration from the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor in Texas and a master’s of mass communication from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. She now enjoys project management and strategically aligning communications with organizational goals. Debbye’s latest passion is business communication using social media.
Raksha Rathnam, CEV Graduate Assistant, raksha[dot]rathnam[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 110
Raksha has a bachelor's degree with a focus in finance and post graduate certification in sales and marketing, both from India. She was involved in sales and marketing, inventory management and accounting in her family's business for four years. During this period, she also set up her own business that was an auxiliary unit to the family business. Raksha brings this experience along with the knowledge she is currently gaining through the M.B.A. program at WWU.
Ashley Zender, ashley[dot]zender[at]wwu[dot]edu, 360-733-4014, ext. 101
A Bellingham native, Ashley has a passion for business with practical experience in the banking industry working at Peoples Bank and Whatcom Educational Credit Union.
Ashley was selected as the lead market researcher for a $30,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, while working on her M.B.A. On the year-long project she managed the development and implementation of a viral marketing campaign, focus groups, survey development and the extensive data analysis of student trends and behaviors.
Ashley earned her bachelors degree in finance at the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington and her masters in business administration in finance and marketing at Western Washington University.