Alumni Association Annual Election

If you graduated, attended, or have ever worked for Walla Walla University in a non-student capacity, you are eligible to vote. Up to two alumni can vote using the same form. Note that voting will be via this online form only. Please vote and encourage your alumni family and friends to vote!

For questions or to vote over the phone or email, please contact (509) 527-2631 or alumni@wallawalla.edu.

 

Candidates


President Elect (one position, two candidates)

The president-elect will serve one year as president-elect, one year as president, and one year as Alumni Association board chair.

 

RICH TYLER '94 graduated with a Mass Communications degree and a minor in Speech and Aviation. He has great memories of his senior year at WWC as the ASWWC President. After graduation, Rich went on to work at Loma Linda University and then Portland Adventist Academy until he landed his childhood dream job, as a firefighter for the City of Portland. He recently retired from the fire service, after 25 years serving the citizens of Portland, and responding to incidents throughout the State of Oregon. Rich's daughter Alexandra graduated from WWU last year, 2023, and is now in Medical School at Loma Linda University. His son Ryan is completing his senior year at King's Way Christian High School and is looking to attend WWU in the fall. Rich enjoys any outside activities, traveling, and bringing his positive energy everywhere he goes.

 

JERRY WOODS ’97 graduated with honors with a B.A. in Mass Communications.  He has worked in broadcasting for the past 32 years after getting his start on-campus at KGTS/Positive Life Radio.  Today, he anchors the morning show at WGTS 91.9 in Washington, DC.  He is married to Crystal and has two daughters, Adilynn and Maya.  Adilynn plans to attend Walla Walla University in a year. Jerry is passionate about sharing the opportunities to grow and learn that Walla Walla provided for him.

 


JIMMY JOHNSON '97 graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting. For the past 24 years, he has worked for the Upper Columbia Conference as an assistant treasurer and most recently as corporation treasurer. He is married to Debbie and together they have three children: Chloe ’20, Tori, a freshman at Walla Walla University, and Jack, a sophomore at Upper Columbia Academy. Jimmy enjoys leading worship music, water skiing, camping, and reading.

 


At-large board positions (two positions)

Board positions will serve a three-year term.

 

KARLI HART ’18 graduated from WWU with a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary teaching certification and has been teaching high school English in the Walla Walla area since then. Currently, she teaches English at Walla Walla High School. In 2023, she earned her master’s degree in education in Curriculum and Instruction from Eastern Washington University. In her spare time, she enjoys rock climbing and water sports, reading, traveling, and spending time with friends, family, and a new puppy. 

 

LORRAINE JACOBS ’89 graduated with a B.A. in History and a minor in German. Following graduation, she worked for 10 years at WWC as the Accounts Payable Supervisor. In 2000, she returned to Oregon to attend Willamette University College of Law where she got her J.D. in 2003. For the past 21 years she’s been working for the Oregon State Bar where she currently serves as the Coordinating Attorney Editor for the Legal Publications Department. Lorraine has two passions in life: Animals and genealogy. Her love for animals and their well-being is expressed through her volunteer work with FIDO Pet Food Bank.  She also loves to photograph wildlife whenever she gets the chance. In her “spare” time she delves into her genealogy, which fulfills her love of both history and research. Lorraine still considers WWU home and maintains close friendships with a number of people from her WWC days. She returns several times a year to help with and attend various university events. She’s also accompanied WWU groups on four short-term mission trips to Tanzania and Thailand. She shares her home and heart with two rescue kitties, Frasier and Niles.

 

BILL GERBER ’84 graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He then captained a commercial salmon fishing boat off the coast of BC for 14 years. Next, the natural transition of becoming a ‘fisher of men’ took place when he left his nets and became an ambidextrous Development Director for Fraser Valley Adventist Academy. For the last 13 years he has been the Director of Camp Hope for the BC Conference. He and his wife Bonnie ’84 have a daughter Bethany (2015) married to Rob (2014), and a son Beau (2019) all WWU graduates, and have a sophomore daughter Brooklyn currently at WWU. He loves being a grandpa to granddaughters Eliza and Goldie. He enjoys visiting and speaking at smaller BC churches, collecting trumpets and axes, playing ice hockey, and watching for unique opportunities to touch someone’s life.

 

DAVID JEWKES ’74 earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Following graduation, he began his career in Adventist Education and recently retired after 46 years of teaching, including nine years in the WWU Department of Mathematics. He has two sons, Jeremy ’06 and Ben ’09. David enjoys sailing, photography, music, and automobiles. He is currently the President of Lynden Music Festival, a 501(c)(3) organization in Washington State.