Mark Schuster (’95 Accounting) has a lofty goal for Washington State University Tri-Cities and its status in the region.
“I literally want every business in the Tri-Cities to know about what we’re doing here,” he said.
It’s a fitting objective for the Richland native, Cougar alum, and former Lamb Weston executive, who joins WSU Tri-Cities this month as the director of industry connected programs. As part of his newly created position, Schuster will help oversee two industry-focused programs — the Career Center and Cougar Tracks.
The Career Center, located in the Learning Commons area of the Consolidated Information Center, serves as a campus resource for students looking to advance their hiring potential through a range of tailored services and events. The center also connects students with job, internship, and cooperative education opportunities, which is one key area Schuster seeks to expand upon.
“We want every student in the Tri-Cities campus who wants an internship or business-related job before they graduate to get one, because internships do lead to careers,” Schuster said. “How can we best let the business community know that we have this tremendous pool of talented students who want to work for them?”
Cougar Tracks is WSU Tri-Cities’ continuing education and workforce development program, offering workshops and customized training programs — both for businesses and independent learners — aimed at equipping students with in-demand market skills that will differentiate them from other job seekers. Courses are offered in a variety of online and in-person delivery formats.
“The goal of Cougar Tracks is to really go hand-in-hand with the business community: What does the business community want and need from continuing education?” Schuster said.
Schuster brings nearly 30 years of industry experience to the role, and involvement in regional economic development.
Day-to-day coordination for the Career Center and Cougar Tracks programs will remain under the current leadership of John Navarro and Michelle Hrycauk Nassif, respectively.
“John and Michelle are doing amazing work in those spaces,” Schuster said. “We’ve spent time talking about what does the future look like in both those areas. There’s only upside to go, and I’m excited to be part of that.”
Schuster brings nearly 30 years of industry experience to the role. After graduating from WSU Pullman in 1995, he spent most of his career at Lamb Weston, holding management and executive leadership positions spanning factory operations, corporate finance, sales, and global manufacturing and supply chain logistics.
From 2014 to 2016, he helped establish and lead a new Lamb Weston manufacturing facility in Inner Mongolia, an experience that broadened his global perspective.
“Up to that point, I’d lived in Richland and Pullman. And then I added Shangdu, Inner Mongolia, and Beijing, China, to that list,” Schuster said. “So you never know where you’re going to end up.”
In addition to his corporate background, Schuster has been deeply involved in regional economic development, serving on the boards of the Tri-City Development Council and the Association of Washington Business.
“He knows this area and he understands the business and industry side of things, so we’re very excited to have him,” said Kate McAteer, WSU Tri-Cities vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, noting her enthusiasm for bringing the Career Center and Cougar Tracks programs under a shared leadership structure. “We’ve got someone coming in who has led and developed successful teams in the industry.”
While his goal of reaching every Tri-Cities business is ambitious, Schuster emphasizes that it will require broad community involvement.
“I want you to have that feeling of, ‘Hey, how can I help drive the mission forward? How can I help those students right now?’” he said. “Remember what it’s like to be in those shoes and then think about how can I — as a Coug, or a Tri-Citian, or a business owner, or a business member — help that group succeed?”
