We are excited to announce Elisha Hardekopf, Campus Director and Facilitator of BaCE Program at WSU Vancouver, as a Crimson Spirit Award Recipient.

Elisha’s nominator had many great words to say. Elisha brings a genuine and sincere countenance to her work through her positivity, care, and concern for others. In her role as the Director and Facilitator of Building a Community of Equity (BaCE), Elisha expertly guides BaCE participants through the seminars and workshops, flawlessly facilitating group dynamics and discussions.

Elisha’s commitment to the Vancouver campus strategic plan is unmatched; it is her desire to bring each of us into a space where we can learn, develop, exchange ideas, and move our campus community forward that sets her apart. In each of her campus-wide email communications, Elisha always ties her objectives back to our collective commitment to support the university’s strategic goals. She outlines ways in which we can engage and get involved both on a personal and collective level in support of the campus’ priorities related to Vancouver’s Strategic Plan, Goal 4, and makes opportunities available to all of us- regardless of where we are in our professional development. Elisha is dynamic, innovative in her approach to programming, and always makes herself available to support others. She embodies the spirit of a Coug, and shows her commitment to our institution through her thoughts, words, and actions; particularly those of providing education through activities that benefits society, sharing her expertise to boost individuals and our community at large.

Though Elisha is not in my department, she was the first and only person I turned to as I was looking for a Women in Business: Her Impact, Our Inspiration panel moderator for our Women’s History Month event. My team and I met with Elisha several times in advance of the event to discuss various approaches to questions, themes, and an order of flow. Elisha offered fantastic ideas, which we would not have come to otherwise. We were able to create an organized and impactful flow of questions that allowed our audience to hear powerful stories of resilience, what it means to be a woman in the business world, and how to navigate various business industries. Elisha went above and beyond her role to help and support us at this event and in the months leading up to it, to ensure that the panel discussion was the best it could be. Elisha expertly navigated challenging topics, created a safe space for our panelists and our audience to share their personal experiences, and tied everything together so that it made everything flow very well. Because of her extra effort and involvement, our event was a huge success.

This is only one example of many, of the outstanding contributions that Elisha provides to the wider WSU community. The way that Elisha organizes events, supports every unit on this campus through her role, and extends opportunities to others is remarkable. She works tirelessly to bring people together, and I can think of no one more deserving of the Crimson Spirit Award than Elisha Hardekopf.