1.26.22

Notable news at the WSU Foundation

New staff members

The WSU Foundation recently hired two new team members. Please welcome:

 

Ryan Bowie

Ryan has joined the WSU Foundation as director of development for the Kansas City metropolitan area. He will work with WSU alumni and others in the KC area to help them engage with and support Wichita State. Ryan has 18 years of experience in higher education, including nine years in development at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, his hometown. His most recent position was admissions advisor with Cleveland University-Kansas City.

Ryan earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Central Missouri. He and his wife, Jalonna, have three daughters and live in Lees Summit, Missouri. When he’s not working, he is actively supporting his daughters’ participation in volleyball, soccer and basketball competitive teams. A devoted Kansas City Chiefs fan, he also enjoys coaching youth sports, hunting, fishing and golfing. He’s excited about supporting WSU students, faculty and community.

 

Arely Navarrete Velazquez

Arely’s title is director of stewardship. She will help coordinate and carry out the Foundation’s work to inform donors about the impact of their giving, engage them in university life and show gratitude for their support. Arely is a 2017 graduate of Wichita State, with bachelor’s degrees in political science and Spanish. She’s currently working on her MBA at Wichita State.

Arely has worked for nonprofit organizations since graduating, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, the National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. Arely was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and grew up in northwest Kansas, the daughter of immigrant parents. Running is one of her hobbies. She has completed three half-marathons and hopes to begin training soon for a full marathon. Regarding her decision to join the WSU Foundation, she says: “I am grateful for the many opportunities I received and the wonderful friendships and mentors I met while attending WSU. Working at the Foundation is truly an amazing opportunity to show gratitude.”

 
 

Retirement news

 

Lori Linenberger

Lori will retire in February, closing out 10 years of service to the WSU Foundation. After a 25-year career in journalism, most of it working for The Wichita Eagle, Lori was hired as a communications specialist and proposal writer for the Foundation. She worked closely with the development staff to prepare written funding proposals to share with prospective donors and also wrote most of the content for the Foundation’s monthly newsletter, Horizon. She became director of communications in 2019.

Lori’s tenure at the Foundation covered an exciting period of growth and development at Wichita State, including the birth of the Innovation Campus, the addition of three new residence halls and other major projects such as the Rhatigan Student Center renovation, and the rise of the men’s basketball program, including trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2012 to 2018 and again in 2021. “The work the WSU Foundation does each and every day to help Wichita State advance is incredible, and I’m proud to have been a part of that mission for 10 years,” Lori says.