Freidenrich Receives WSU award

PULLMAN Wash.—Shari Halldorson Freidenrich (’82 Bus. Adm.), City Treasurer of Huntington Beach, Calif., received a Washington State University Alumni Achievement Award Oct. 15 at the Alumni Association Lifetime Members Reception in the Lewis Alumni Centre.

The past president of the alumni association was recognized for her longtime service to her alma mater and for her work in Huntington Beach.

Freidenrich joined the alumni board of directors in 1986 as deputy director of the southern California district, one of WSU’s most active districts. A decade later, she was elected city treasurer of the 87^th largest city in the United States, collecting 77 percent of the votes.

As alumni president (1999-2000), she worked with more than 40 alumni directors and their deputies from 40 districts nationwide.

“We want to provide alumni with the best services possible by supporting scholarships and encouraging excellence to enhance the quality and recognition of WSU,” she said.

During her presidency, the association awarded 10 new $2,500 Alumni Leadership Awards, one for each out-of-state alumni district. Another 20 were awarded in Washington.

As Huntington Beach treasurer, Freidenrich oversees a staff of more than 20, and a budget of $1.2 million. She is active in the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Soroptomists, and the California Treasurers Association and represents the city at many community events.

A South Bend High School valedictorian, Freidenrich graduated summa cum laude from WSU. She was a sprinter on the women’s varsity track and field team, was a member the senior honor/service society Mortar Board and served as president of the accounting honor society Beta Alpha Psi. She has returned to WSU many times to speak to the accounting club and interviewed prospective graduates for jobs when she was with the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche.