Western makes pair of key hires in student-support positions
Jon Stubblefield appointed Western Success Scholars’ Program Manager
Jon Stubblefield has been appointed as Program Manager of the Western Success Scholars program at Western Washington University. Jon assumed his new role on January 22.
“I am excited to have Jon join our unit’s leadership team and to strengthen the foundation of this program and to increase the number of students supported by the WSS team. His previous appointments at Western have prepared him well to assume this role and with a strong understanding of the needs of our WSS students,” said Sara Wilson, executive director of Western's Student Success Initiatives unit.
The Western Success Scholars program is committed to improving the education outcomes for students who have experienced foster care or homelessness by providing services and support to meet their needs through transition, graduation, and post-graduate planning. The program was launched in Fall 2019 to improve graduation rates for youth served by the program, with financial support from the East Seattle Foundation. The program was awarded permanent funding in 2022.
“I’m thrilled to join the team that supports this program and helps students both individually and structurally, and I’m excited to build upon the great work that has taken place since the program was launched at WWU over 4 years ago,” said Stubblefield.
Stubblefield has a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication and a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Missouri State University. He has worked at Western for the past 4 years, as a Supervising Residence Director, as Western’s Basic Needs Resource Navigator, and most recently as a Financial Aid Counselor.
Before coming to Western, Stubblefield served in a variety of student affairs positions in Missouri, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington state, bringing more than 12 years of experience to Western’s campus.
Jessica Larson Returns to Western as the associate director of the Academic Advising & Student Achievement Center
After a competitive search process, the Academic Advising & Student Achievement Center is excited to announce that Jessica Larson will be its new Associate Director as of January 22. Jessica brings over ten years of higher education experience including seven years of direct advising and leadership from Whatcom Community College (WCC).
Her most recent position at WCC was the Associate Director of Academic Advising & Career Services. Jessica completed her undergraduate degree at WWU and then went onto graduate with a Master of Education degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. In addition to her familiarity with WWU as an alum, she has advised hundreds of WCC students who have transferred onto WWU.
“We have had an exciting first quarter with our new Center, which launched in early September and the new physical space opened the first week of fall quarter after a substantial construction project. Our team is eager to have this critical leadership role filled and I am personally excited to welcome Jessica. She brings a positive collaborative approach and a student-centered vision that is critical for the work we do to support students and their academic success,” said Meagan Bryson, director of the Academic Advising & Student Achievement Center (AASAC).
The AASAC’s mission is to engage, support, and empower students to accomplish their goals and achieve success at WWU and beyond. The Center offers academic advising and planning services, learning assistance programs for academic and personal support, and conducts outreach to support students with unique needs and identities.