New Hires & Promotions

Eastern Washington University has hired Max Baca as vice president for business and strategy. Baca recently served as executive vice president for finance, administration, and government relations at New Mexico Highlands University, in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

The City of Spokane has hired Lissa Mascio as deputy police ombudsperson. Mascio most recently served as a deputy and acting legislative and policy director for the New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate.

Cindy Willman has been promoted to senior vice president at Spokane Valley-based State Bank Northwest. Willman most recently worked as assistant vice president at State Bank.

TEN Capital Wealth Advisors has appointed Mike Nilson as financial advisor at the Spokane firm. Nilson previously worked as director of performance and nutrition for Gonzaga University.

GeoEngineers Inc. has expanded its Spokane team with one hire and one promotion. Madisyn Duilio has been hired as marketing coordinator. Duilio recently graduated from Washington State University with a bachelor’s degree in digital technology and culture. April Smith has been promoted to director of marketing. Smith previously worked as marketing manager.

Awards & Designations

The American Institute of Architects, in partnership with the American Library Association, has awarded Liberty Park Library the AIA/ALA Library Building Award for 2025. The award recognizes the library for its sustainable, resilient, and inclusive design.

The Urban Land Institute has named The Hive as a special mention for the ULI Americas Award for Excellence for 2025. The Hive received the designation for its success as a community hub for gathering, training, and creating.

Lisa Schwartzenburg and Gonzaga University have been given the PLANSPONSOR 2025 Plan Sponsor of the Year award. The award recognizes Gonzaga’s Target Date Retirement Fund, whose development was led by Schwartzenburg.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, in partnership with the Recreation and Conservation Office, will award over $1 million in No Child Left Inside (NCLI) grants to 15 organizations across the state. The NCLI grants will support 1,400 youth and 140,000 hours of recreational and educational outdoor-based programs.

Spokane County has received $13.2 million in grants from Washington State’s Recreation and Conservation Funding Board. The funds will be used for parks and trails development, wildlife habitat conservation, and farming and forestry land maintenance.

Philanthropy

No-Li Brewhouse and Spokane Firefighters Local 29 are partnering to donate $25,000 to the Red & Blue Foundation and $5,000 to the Spokane Fire Fighter Crisis Fund in memory of the fallen firefighters affected by the Canfield Mountain tragedy in Coeur d’ Alene. The brewery’s Fight Fire with Beer campaign will include the Fight Fire Weekend event on July 18 and 19, monthly pint night sales, and more.