Executive MBA Leadership Summit
The Next Wave of Leadership Thinking
2026 Speakers
Jolene DiSalvo (WSU BA ‘83)
President, Business Operations & Planning at Columbia Hospitality
Jolene is the president of a leading Seattle-based hospitality management company. During her 17 years with Columbia Hospitality, she has played a key role in driving strategic growth and operational excellence across the organization. Her areas of oversight include internal communications, enterprise planning across hotels and resorts, conference centers, distinctive venues, golf, and residential communities, as well as asset management, risk and compliance, procurement, and brand partnership initiatives. Jolene spent 11 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where she played a key role in the growth of W Hotels and ultimately served as Vice President of Brand Marketing, leading global marketing for W Hotels, St. Regis, and The Luxury Collection.
Christiaan G. Brown (WSU BA ‘98)
Senior Vice President at Raffetto Herman Strategic Communications (RH Strategic)
As the Senior VP of Client Services at RH Strategic, Christiaan provides strategic counsel on executive communications, corporate reputation, stakeholder trust, and other high-stakes business issues. Over the past 25 years, his experience has spanned both corporate and agency roles, including serving as Vice President of Corporate Communications at Accolade. He has worked with executives at established companies and emerging innovators alike, helping organizations strengthen reputation and make confident decisions during periods of uncertainty. A graduate of Washington State University, Christiaan enjoys mentoring professionals and sharing practical lessons on building trust, communicating with authenticity, and guiding organizations through change.
Jake Connley
Senior Manager, Leadership Capability – North America at Mondelēz International
Jake is a global Organizational Performance Strategist with expertise in guiding international work teams and orchestrating corporate-wide initiatives in leadership development, organizational performance, change management, and emerging technology adoption. Jake has more than a decade of experience executing learning strategies in corporate environments, including work with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies such as Cargill, Caterpillar, GXO Logistics, Nike, Adidas, Starbucks, Hasbro, Intel, and many others. He holds a master’s degree in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning, and is currently a PhD candidate in Leadership and Organizational Development at the University of Idaho.
Christina Hutto (WSU EMBA ‘21)
Google Alliances Lead at RapidScale
Christina Hutto is a global technology executive with more than 20 years of experience leading strategic partnerships, alliances, and go-to-market initiatives across the cloud and AI ecosystem. Throughout her career, she has worked with industry leaders including Google Cloud, Microsoft, AWS, and Salesforce, helping organizations accelerate growth through innovation and strategic collaboration. She is passionate about helping organizations understand the practical impact of artificial intelligence and the opportunities it creates for businesses, leaders, and the future of work. In addition to her work in technology, Christina is the owner of Hugs & Mini Donuts, a woman-owned family business that reflects her passion for entrepreneurship and innovation.
Nolan Yaws
Director of Workforce Strategy & Programs at Workforce Southwest Washington
Nolan currently has the pleasure of serving as the Director of Workforce Strategy & Programs for a local workforce development board that supports Clark, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum counties. In his role, Nolan oversees a variety of programs and initiatives that help job seekers gain access to high-quality employment and ensure that businesses have access to a highly-skilled workforce. Prior to joining WSW in 2022, Nolan worked for WSU Vancouver for nearly 8 years in a few different roles, including serving as Senior Manager for Experiential Learning & Community Engagement and an adjunct instructor for the Carson College of Business. Nolan earned a Master of Science in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Miami University.
Riley Eckert (WSU EMBA ‘25)
Co-Founder of Seattle Creative Foundry
Riley is a marketing leader, creative facilitator, and co-founder of Seattle Creative Foundry. She has spent more than 15 years leading marketing strategy and cross-functional teams for globally recognized brands such as Amazon and Ocean Spray Cranberries. She helps organizations navigate complexity, align around shared goals, and deliver meaningful business results. Today, she blends her corporate experience with a passion for helping individuals and teams build confidence, spark innovation, and reconnect with the creative potential they already possess.
Lacy Muhich
Co-Founder of Seattle Creative Foundry
Lacy is a creative leader, brand strategist, lifelong artist, and co-founder of Seattle Creative Foundry. She spent more than 15 years leading teams and shaping brands, most recently serving as Creative Director of Global Brand for one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms in the world, where she helped evolve the company’s brand system and develop tools used by thousands of creatives and marketers worldwide. Throughout her career, Lacy has partnered with executive leaders to solve complex business challenges through creativity, collaboration, and strategic design.
What Past Attendees Had to Say:
“It was an excellent networking setting and great place to catch up with former students and instructors.”
“The networking was invaluable.”
“I found the experience/content to be relevant and valuable.”
“The conference was wonderful. All of the content was useful to me and appropriately interactive. Still, the best part was getting to meet some of my classmates and professors face to face.”
“The format, network, and content was all first-class. This made my EMBA program all the more worthwhile.”
“A great way to stay connected to the program and continue education.”
For conference questions, please contact
Holly Connley
Career Consultant for Professional Programs
holly.connley@wsu.edu
