Advisory Council Tri-Cities

Patrick S. Jensen, Ph.D. is Chief Executive Officer at Cadwell, a leading global medical device company that develops, manufactures, sells, and supports advanced monitoring and diagnostic solutions for the neurology market. Cadwell, located in Kennewick, WA., has a mission to help patients around the world through the introduction of innovative medical technology.

Before joining Cadwell in 2016, Dr. Jensen spent nine years in executive leadership roles at Spacelabs Healthcare, a publicly traded patient monitoring company based in Snoqualmie, WA. Dr. Jensen has also held leadership roles at Talyst, a market leading hospital pharmacy automation company, at Integriti Systems, an acute care vital signs monitoring company, and at Advanced Imaging Technologies, a medical imaging company located in Richland, WA. Prior to working with medical device companies, Dr. Jensen co-directed the Microsurgery Advanced Design Lab (MADLAB) at Johns Hopkins University and was a Research Engineer at Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories in Richland, WA.

Dr. Jensen holds 12 patents and has authored 23 peer-reviewed publications on surgical devices, intraoperative diagnostics, and surgical robotics. He is skilled in creating and leading strong teams, developing high quality products, driving company growth, and most importantly, delighting customers.

Dr. Jensen earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Oregon State University; and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. He grew up in the Tri-Cities, WA where he currently lives with his wife, Tia. They have three children.

Dr. Steven Ashby has served as the Director of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) since April 2015. He is responsible for establishing the Laboratory’s vision and setting its strategic direction. Under his leadership, PNNL’s exceptional staff are advancing the frontiers of science and addressing complex challenges in energy, the environment, and national security. In particular, the Laboratory is providing national leadership in climate science, the power grid, nuclear nonproliferation, and environmental remediation.

Dr. Ashby previously served as PNNL’s Deputy Director for Science and Technology, and was responsible for integrating PNNL’s science and technology capabilities to meet national needs.

Before joining PNNL in 2008, Dr. Ashby spent nearly 21 years at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), ultimately serving as Deputy Principal Associate Director for Science and Technology. He previously oversaw the activities of the 500-person Computing Applications and Research Department. Dr. Ashby was the founding director of LLNL’s Center for Applied Scientific Computing, which was established in 1996 and has since matured into one of the world’s premier scientific computing research organizations.

In 2013, Dr. Ashby was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the mathematics section for “exceptional technical contributions and scientific leadership in applied mathematics and computational science, particularly the development of novel numerical methods and robust software for parallel computers, as well as for exemplary service to the field of computational science and engineering.” He also was elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in 2013.

He holds a B.S. in Mathematics/Computer Science from the Santa Clara University. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Rep. Matt Boehnke (pronounced BAY-nkee) is serving his second term representing the 8th Legislative District, which includes Richland, West Richland and Kennewick.

Matt was raised in Kennewick, graduating from Kamiakin High School in 1986. He then attended Eastern Washington University, where he graduated as an ROTC-Distinguished Military Graduate and received his active-duty commission in the U.S. Army Aviation branch in 1990. He spent the next 21 years in the service, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring and moving back to Kennewick.

Since 2015, Matt has served as the director and lead professor of the cybersecurity division at Columbia Basin College. He also owns a cybersecurity consulting business. Before joining the Legislature, he served for three years on the Kennewick City Council.

In the House, Matt is serving on three committees, including in a leadership role as the ranking minority member of the Community and Economic Development Committee. He is also a member of the House Appropriations and Environment and Energy committees.

Matt and his wife, Dawn, have been married for more than 30 years. They have two sons, Matthew and Brandon.

Community Service: Arts Commissioner; Sunrise Rotarian; Water Follies Air Show Director; Tri City Americans Billet Family; Bethlehem Lutheran Church; Lifetime member of the American Legion; National Rifle Association; Veterans of Foreign Wars; Member of the Washington Education Association; and Member of the Columbia Basin Veterans Coalition.

John Eschenberg has 30 years of industry experience in a variety of highly regulated defense, commercial and government settings. He has demonstrated achievement in leading the execution of large-value environmental cleanup project portfolios, nuclear facility operations and multi-billion dollar, first-of-a-kind construction projects. John has a proven ability to build long-term relationships with internal and external stakeholders by establishing a high level of confidence and trust throughout the duration of some of the largest and most complex construction projects in the U.S.

He is presently the President and Project Manager of Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC where he leads the $7.1 billion contract.  His team is responsible for the management of Hanford’s radioactive and hazardous waste tanks, in addition to integrating the site-wide efforts to initiate the tank waste treatment mission at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford Site. He is corporately aligned to AECOM’s Management Services Division as a Senior Vice President in the Nuclear and Environment strategic business unit.

Before joining AECOM, he worked as Director of Capital Projects and Infrastructure for PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP where he was leading the firm’s third-party advisory efforts for new nuclear plant construction both domestically and internationally. He was also responsible for leading several advisory efforts for capital projects related to nuclear plant decommissioning, license transfer, dry fuel storage campaigns, and independent spent fuel storage installations.  Eschenberg spent part of his career as a Senior Executive within the DOE while playing a lead role in managing large federal investments in science, national security and environmental remediation.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Maryland, is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Va., and the Executive Management Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2009, he was recognized as the Executive of the Year by the National Management Association.

Francois X. Forgette is a long-time resident and active community member of the Tri-Cities. After decades of practicing law, Fran retired in late 2019 from Tri-City law firm of Rettig Forgette Iller Bowers. His full-time practice included business, real estate, agriculture, insurance defense and health care and related mediation and civil litigation. Fran also served on the WSU Board of Regents from May 2005 through March 2014.

Fran graduated from Seattle Preparatory School in 1970 and the University of Washington in 1974 with a B.A. in English Literature. He then attended Gonzaga Law School in Spokane where he graduated with honors in 1977.

George Garlick is the President and CEO of George Garlick Enterprises. He has lived in the Tri-Cities since 1962, when he accepted a position at Hanford Laboratories. He began teaching 30 local students who were working on their Master’s degree. In 1967 and with the approval of Battelle, he became Director of the Center for Graduate Study, where he raised funds to build the first campus of what is now Washington State University Tri-Cities campus. While in the position Garlick established the first faculty recognition, student graduation recognitions and the first ability for local students to meet the residency requirements at WSU. Through his work at George Garlick Enterprises he has developed and formed companies related to real estate development primarily in the Tri-Cities Science and Technology Park for which he was one of the founding members in 1990. The 600,000 sq. ft. Stevens Center Business Park provides facility support to assist the local major companies in meeting their objectives on the Hanford Project. This Park also includes a Montessori School, Corporate Fitness Center, lakes and recreational areas. Garlick is also active in many community boards and committees, including the Tri-City Chaplaincy, CREST and TRIDEC, and he was named Tri-Citian of the Year in 2007. He also founded the Gloria Meek Garlick Foundation in honor of his sister-in-law who passed away from cancer. The Foundation will provide medical imaging systems manufactured in the Tri Cities for use by underserved peoples.

Garlick earned his Ph. D. degree in Electrical Engineering and Solid State Physics from Iowa State University.

Brian Hartman, Project Director, has more than 40 years of experience in designing, constructing, and commissioning major projects for both government and commercial customers. He joined Bechtel in 1982 and the WTP Project in 2023. He is a Bechtel Senior Vice President.

Brian began his career working in nuclear power plant design. He then advanced through roles of increasing responsibility for design and construction engineering. Brian served in roles ranging from Technical Specialist in Distributed Control Systems to Engineering Supervisor to Field Engineer to Chief engineer for Instrumentation and Control to Project Manager. He was also the Manager of Engineering for the NS&E and Power Business units, Manager of Functions for the Infrastructure Business unit, and Project Development/Operations Manager for the Power Business unit. Most recently, Brian served as the Corporate Manager of Engineering and Technology. In this role, Brian was responsible for the oversight and management of the company’s global engineering and technology functions.

Brian earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee and is a registered professional engineer in Maryland.

John Hayfield is Senior Vice President, Manager of Business of Nuclear and Environment for AECOM’s Management Services Group. He provides overall leadership in the pursuit of new business, capture strategies, teaming, and proposal preparation.

With more than 25 years of experience in the Department of Energy and the nuclear industry, John served as President of NuVision Engineering’s Government Group and President and CEO of Mid-Columbia Engineering, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NuVision Engineering (NVE) prior to joining AECOM. In this role, he was responsible for the overall management and performance of all government operations at NuVision Engineering’s three facilities located in Pittsburgh, PA, Mooresville, NC and Richland, WA.

Beginning his professional career at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford Site, John rapidly earned positions of increased and broadened responsibilities, eventually serving as the Operations Manager and then later Deputy Plant Manager for the Plutonium Uranium Extraction (PUREX) Facility. In 1999, he was named President and General Manager of WorleyParsons Polestar, who provided specialized technical and analytical consulting for DOE and the commercial nuclear power industry and, in 2011, John was named WorleyParsons Global Director of Nuclear Materials and Decommissioning.

As a recognized technical expert in the field of nuclear facility deactivation including the formulation of DOE’s processes and policies in this subject area during the 1990’s, John has participated in many of the highest profile deactivation and decommissioning projects, particularly in the early strategic stages, the DOE has executed to date.

John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Washington State University.

Laurie Hollick is Vice President of Contracts and Procurement for AECOM’s ~ $5 Billion Management Services Nuclear and Environment Strategic Business Unit (N&E), located in Aiken, South Carolina.  Laurie provides contract administration and procurement management leadership for federal and commercial contracting throughout all phases of the acquisition process, from strategy development through the opportunity phase, contract award, performance and closeout.

In addition, she operates as Chief of Staff for AECOM’s Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC, (WRPS) which manages the Hanford Tank Operations Contract for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in Richland, WA. She is also responsible for WRPS Human Resources, Employee Concerns, Communications and Public Relations.

Laurie has held several corporate senior leadership roles in large nuclear energy and environmental management programs and projects for AECOM’s legacy companies, spanning:

–  Government contract management and negotiations for U.S. and international projects

• Management of corporate level and DOE site business and infrastructure support services, and
• Management of strategic business development initiatives, planning and operations.

Laurie began her career with the Westinghouse Advanced Reactors Division in marketing and later in program control.  She managed engineering administration for the Westinghouse Advanced Energy Systems Division and was the proposal manager for Westinghouse’s first successful bid to manage and operate the DOE’s Savannah River Site.

She is a summa cum laude graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Technical Writing and Business Administration.  She received her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

Laurie currently serves on the Board of the Association of Washington Businesses and the Washington State University Advisory Council Tri-Cities.

Dr. Wayne J. Martin is the Interim Chief Operating Officer for the National Security Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He is responsible for capability and staff development, including staff recruiting, retention, project management and expert delivery processes, and facilities, infrastructure, and operations within the directorate. PNNL’s National Security Directorate provides the science and technologies to support the detection of weapons of mass destruction, help the United States manage its nonproliferation treaties, and secure our nation’s borders.

Dr. Martin has contributed to a variety of basic and applied research areas including environmental remediation, contaminant fate and transport, geologic sequestration, and water treatment. His research interests focus on projects related to hazardous, toxic, and radioactive wastes designed to increase understanding of contaminant migration within the environment.

At PNNL since 1978, Dr. Martin has served as line manager, researcher and principal investigator, product line manager, and project manager for projects related to environmental science and national security. He was recently the Director of the Project Management Office responsible for overseeing risk mitigation, implementation, and the safety and success of more than 100 research projects in the chemical, biological, and nuclear surety and signatures sciences.

Dr. Martin is a strong advocate for nurturing and influencing young people in taking on scientific and technological endeavors. He mentors graduate students at PNNL and strongly encourages staff to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities for students in the local community. He is a past recipient of PNNL’s prestigious Laboratory Director’s Award (Fitzner-Eberhardt Award) for his outstanding contributions to science and engineering education.

Dr. Martin has given numerous technical, social, and educational presentations, and has authored more than 35 publications in science journals, conference proceedings, and government and private documents. He has received numerous awards, but considers one of the most significant to be being named the 2011 Washington State University Tri-Cities Distinguished Alumni of the Year.

He received a Ph.D. in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences from Washington State University, an M.S. in Radiological Sciences with an emphasis in environmental transport from the University of Washington, and a B.S. in Wildlife Management and a minor in Chemistry from Washington State University

Jeff & Vicki Gordon’s daughter, Katie, grew up with the vineyard and winery. So it was only fitting that after she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Washington State University in 1998, she lend her talent to the family farm and winery. Before returning to the family operation, she worked as Marketing Coordinator for the Washington State Potato Commission for four years. During that time, she married Marc Nelson. In 2002 Marc and Katie moved on to join the family business.
She is now an integral part of the winery operation, overseeing marketing activities nationwide. Her inherent knowledge of the agricultural and wine industries has given her the tools necessary to grow the Gordon Estate brand.

Phillip Ohl retired from full-time work after the sale of his engineering company in 2016. He and his wife, Diane say that they are thirty-three years into their three-year plan for the Tri-Cities. Since selling his company he has worked as an entrepreneur/investor and served as a director on several for-profit corporations in markets ranging from healthcare, to industrial mining, to retail grocery, and internet software-as-a-service. In addition, Phil has served the Tri-Cities on many non-profit boards including the Washington State STEM Education Foundation. 

Phil’s history with WSU includes a BS in Materials Science & Engineering from WSU Pullman, a Master of Engineering Management from WSU Tri-Cities, and serving as a member of the WSU Mechanical and Materials Engineering Advisory Board and a member of the WSU Tri-Cities, Executive in Residence program. Phil also met his wife in the WSU Pullman dorms and raised his two daughters to be WSU Alumni. 

Dr. Traci Pierce has served as superintendent of Kennewick School District since January 2020.

Prior to coming to Kennewick, Dr. Pierce spent the past 24 years in Lake Washington School District, in Redmond, Washington. There she served as a teacher, assistant principal and principal at the junior high level prior to moving to district level administration. At the district level, she oversaw a variety of programs and departments over the years including instructional technology, literacy, curriculum and assessment, special services, and K-12 schools. She served as superintendent in Lake Washington for six years, and in 2018, she was recognized with the Washington State PTA Outstanding Educator award.

Dr. Pierce earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and teaching certificate from the University of Washington and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and principal certification from City University. In 2009, she earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and superintendent’s credential from the University of Washington.

Dr. Pierce grew up in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and has family in Kennewick and Richland. She and her husband Sherman have been married for 27 years and reside in Kennewick.

Lura J. Powell was appointed to the Board of Regents in March 2014. She was appointed to be the first chair of the Board of Trustees of the Washington State Life Sciences Discovery Fund Authority by Governor Christine Gregoire in 2006 and served in that position until June 30, 2013. In 2011, she was chair of the Washington State Redistricting Commission, which is formed once every ten years to redraw the state’s legislative and congressional district boundaries based on Census results.

Regent Powell is the former Director of the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and was a Senior Vice President of Battelle. Prior to her DOE service, she was Director of the Advanced Technology Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce, where she was responsible for selection and management of a high-risk technology investment portfolio that spanned the full range of technology sectors. She also chaired the Biotechnology Research Committee of the National Science and Technology Council, which coordinated biotechnology research across the federal government. Following her government service, she was President and CEO of Advanced Imaging Technologies, Inc.

Regent Powell is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Washington Technology Alliance,  Avista Corporation and the Tri-Cities Washington Development Council (TRIDEC). She received a B.S. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Maryland and is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

 An excellent education facilitated many challenging, rewarding and mostly fun work experiences that are continuing.

Ray’s education, BS, ChE (UT-Austin), MBA (U of WA), and Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering (MIT), together with some very dedicated and helpful leaders and mentors opened many doors of opportunity along the way. His jobs have spanned a broad range including that of managing a 2,000-employee Exxon company with a broad reach world-wide. He has been co-owner, co-founder and managing director of six start-ups and a director and senior executive of three multi-national companies and one regional company. He has three patents and is currently working on a fourth patent application.  He has been honored as a representative of the many local community volunteers with the 1999 Tri-Citian of the Year designation and one national recognition as a nuclear materials expert. Working closely with WSU President Sam Smith and his leadership team, Ray, along with enthusiastic local leaders helped WSU get state approval for and then launch WSU Tri-Cities. Ray his spouse, Marilyn, have been active in WSU Tri-Cities’ Advisory Councils nearly continuously since inception with Ray serving as Vice-Chair and then Chair of the first Council and both served among the first Tri-Cities’ WSU Foundation Trustees.  Their 33-year old “management and technology best practices” company, RKRI, uses a teaming approach with U.S. subject matter experts from throughout the U.S. to solve challenging problems for public, private and government entities.

Bob Schuetz joined Energy Northwest as Columbia Generating Station’s Maintenance Manager in September 2013 and was named Chief Executive Officer in August 2021. Prior to joining Energy Northwest, he served as Maintenance Manager while on loan as an employee of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO).

Bob served as a submarine officer in the United States Navy for 28 years.  His assignments include Commanding Officer of the attack submarine USS HYMAN G RICKOVER and Commander Submarine Squadrons Seventeen and Nineteen in Silverdale, WA.  His final assignment was Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff for Commander Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet.  Upon retirement, Bob was a Plant Evaluation Team Leader at INPO and began his loaned assignment to Columbia Generating Station in January 2012.  He was promoted to Plant General Manager in September 2014 and to Site Vice President in May 2018.

Bob holds a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Oklahoma, and a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University. He has an SRO Management Certification on both PWRs and BWRs and is a licensed Professional Engineer.

Energy Northwest is a joint operating agency serving the needs of public power by providing reliable, low-cost electricity while promoting public power activities in the region.  It has received numerous awards and recognition for its hiring of veterans, employee philanthropy, and community service.  Energy Northwest was also recognized by the Association of Washington Business as the “2016 Employer of the Year” for its innovative job retention, creation, and compensation plans that foster a thriving work environment.

Kevin W. Smith became manager of the Office of River Protection (ORP) in December 2012.  Kevin is responsible for management of two of the largest projects in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Environmental Management portfolio, the Tank Farms and Waste Treatment Plant projects, and an annual budget of $1.4B.  As manager, he leads a federal and support service staff of ~250 employees and oversees ~5,000 contractor employees and their mission activities.    

Smith’s career spans 40 years with a number of senior leadership positions with the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy.  Prior to his current role, Smith served as manager of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Los Alamos Site Office (LASO).  As the manager, he was responsible for administering the Los Alamos National Laboratory management and operations (M&O) contract and federal activities on the site.  These responsibilities included oversight of security, quality assurance, environmental compliance, health, safety, nonproliferation missions, national security missions, and nuclear operations.

His previous positions since joining DOE in 2004 include acting manager of NNSA’s Kansas City Plant, deputy manager of the Y-12 NNSA Site Office, and assistant manager for the Nuclear Material Stabilization Project at the Savannah River Site with responsibility for oversight of the Savannah River National Laboratory.

Prior to joining DOE, Smith served in the U.S. Air Force in a number of capacities including as Air Combat Command’s Director of Safety where he was responsible for the flying, weapons, and industrial safety programs for ~100,000 personnel.  He also served as an
F-16 fighter squadron commander, deputy chief of staff for operations for U.S. Forces Korea, and the commander of 49th Operations Group at Holloman Air Force Base NM.  He flew a number of aircraft to include the F-4, F-16, and the F-117 Stealth Fighter.

A native of Olympia, Washington, Smith is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a bachelor’s degree in physics.  He also holds a bachelor degree in mathematics and a master of science degree in management, from Troy State University.  He and his wife, Dorothy, live in Richland, Washington.