SPOKANE, Wash. – An accomplished pharmacist and clinical associate professor at the College of Pharmacy has been appointed to a new administrative faculty position overseeing a new pharmacy chapter of the WSU Alumni Association and fundraising for the college.
Linda Garrelts MacLean, a 1978 WSU pharmacy graduate, stepped into the new position of associate dean for advancement on Nov. 1. She has been on faculty at the college since 2002, has served as chair of the pharmacotherapy department and has been the associate dean for professional education for nearly two years. A search is beginning to find a replacement associate dean for professional education.
“Strengthening ties to the alumni base and broadening our development efforts are important to our future success,” said College of Pharmacy Dean Gary M. Pollack. “The associate dean for advancement is a model that is used at many other universities and I felt it would work well for us. As a well-known and well-liked alumnus of this college, I believe Linda will make an excellent executive director of our new alumni association.”
“I am honored to serve the WSU College of Pharmacy in this way,” MacLean said. “My interest in entrepreneurial activities will blend nicely with these new responsibilities. I sincerely look forward to working closely with our alums and developing new relationships with other friends of the college. It is a very exciting time to begin this work as the profession of pharmacy advances.”
MacLean owned Jones Pharmacy in Spokane for many years until she sold it several years ago. She is nationally recognized in the pharmacy profession and in 1997 and 1999 national pharmacy magazines named her among the top most influential pharmacists in the country. She was president of the Washington State Pharmacy Association in 1997-1998 and has continued to be active in state and national pharmacy organizations, including the National Community Pharmacists Association.
She coached the WSU pharmacy students who won the NCPA business plan competition in 2006 and 2010. She teaches business management and leadership and does research in diabetes care.