Each year, the Central Washington University Alumni Association recognizes a group of individuals for their personal accomplishments, professional achievements, community service involvement, and/or contributions made to the university by presenting them with a Distinguished Alumni Award.
“Our newest group of Distinguished Alumni awardees have made remarkable contributions to their respective fields that bring immense pride to our university,” Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations Casey Ross said. “These outstanding individuals exemplify the spirit of excellence and innovation that defines Central, serving as inspirational role models for current and future generations of students. We are fortunate to have them as part of our Wildcat community!”
Meet the most recent group of CWU Distinguished Alumni honorees who were recognized in fall 2023.
Major General Richard Appelhans (’93), Political Science
Major General Appelhans serves as the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Earlier in his career, he served as the Director of Intelligence for U.S. Forces Korea and the Deputy Director of Intelligence for the Combined Forces Command.
Brigit Clary (’92), Law and Justice and Sociology
Clary was named the first female police chief for the City of Richland in 2022. Before she retired in early 2024, she secured several grants to support new officer wellness programs and was responsible for the successful rebrand of the Richland Police Department in early 2023.
Madalon Lalley (’64), English
Lalley was named professor emeritus at CWU after teaching in the Department of Education for 12 years. She helped the department flourish by holding many different roles and later served on the CWU Foundation Board. Lalley and her husband, Rod, are active members of the Wildcat community, generously supporting the university and the next generation of Wildcats in many ways, including the support of student scholarships.
Richard Wang (’08), Business Administration
Wang founded Coding Dojo, a virtual software development coding bootcamp, and is committed to creating economic mobility for underserved communities. The goal of his business is to increase opportunities for people to participate in the digital economy. In 2021, Wang was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Pacific Northwest. He also was recently recognized by the Puget Sound Business Journal with a 40 Under 40 Award.
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