College of Arts and Humanities

Advisory Board

Ted King

Paramount Studios Parks and Resorts

 A creative leader of design and production teams focused on development, production and installation of live entertainment, multi-media, rides and attractions for the Themed Entertainment Industry worldwide, Ted King began his career as a performer, writer and producer for the Walt Disney Company. It was during this time at Disney where Ted developed a love and passion for story telling through the platform of multi-media, music and soundtrack content.

In a distinguished career spanning 35 years, Ted has brought that passion to every facet of themed entertainment in the creative development and production of attractions such as "The Starquest Adventure" for Samsung, Taejon Korea Asian Expo, "King Kong," "The Ghostbusters Show," "The Funtastick World of Hanna Barbera" for Universal Studios, Florida, "Jurassic Park, The Ride" for Universal Studios Hollywood and "Caesar's Magical Empire," a spectacular themed dining and entertainment attraction at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Working in Japan with the Sanrio Company, Ted oversaw show development, media and soundtrack production for two large scale theme park projects, “Sanrio Puroland” and “Harmonyland”.

Ted produced music, soundtrack and multi media content for Paramount Pictures “Star Trek the Experience,” Las Vegas, “The Race for Atlantis” (IMAX first 3-D motion base simulator experience) and “Asteroid Adventure”, (IMAX first hi-definition ride film) at Phantasialand, Germany. In addition, Ted supervised creative development and production on “Hershey’s Really Big 3D Movie” for Hershey Chocolate World and “The Mask” special effects show for Warner’s Movie World in Madrid, Spain.

Ted composed and produced songs and underscore for the $50 million “EFX” show at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas and also conceived, co-wrote and directed “Mistify,” SeaWorld Orlando’s multimillion-dollar fountain and fireworks spectacular, one of the most successful live entertainment offerings in the park’s history. Ted also developed and produced music and multi-media content for the $200 million Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and Dollywood Park’s award winning “Mystery Mine” themed roller coaster. Ted lead design and production teams in the development, production and installation of multi-media show packages for “Festive Walk” at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore and oversaw creative development on shows and attractions for the Studio City Casino Resort, in Macau.

Most recently Ted served as Executive Media Producer supervising all Music and Soundtrack production for the billion-dollar Warner Bros. World Theme Park in Abu Dhabi. Ted is currently working with Paramount Studios Parks and Resorts leading creative development of show and attraction content for projects in South Korea and the PRC.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Ted is a proud 1977 graduate of Central Washington University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education. In 1996, Ted was honored with the College of Arts and Humanities “Distinguished Alumni Award”.

Sharon Miracle

Sharon is the President and CEO of the Yakima Valley Community Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2018, she was the director of Corporate Communications for Tree Top, a large agricultural cooperative with more than 1,000 employees along the west coast.

Sharon’s early career roles include director of development for Heritage College prior to its university status and executive director of the Yakima Community Cancer Program. Her career path led her to Wyoming, where for nearly a decade she held dual roles as a healthcare and foundation executive. She was vice president of Development and Planning at Wyoming Medical Center and executive director of its foundation. Sharon moved on to a much larger health system in Colorado where she directed communications and marketing and was deeply involved in leadership development and the establishment of a new hospital for Memorial Health System in Colorado Springs.

After returning to her home state of Washington in 2007, Sharon re-assimilated into the Yakima community where she served as the chair of the board of directors for the Yakima Valley Museum and for Yakima Valley Tourism. She is currently on the Yakima YMCA Board of Directors and is an active Rotarian. Sharon holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing Management from Central Washington University and completed extensive graduate work, most recently at Gonzaga University in communication and leadership.

Nancy Remak

Seattle, WA

Nancy Remak considers herself a "professional volunteer" because she has spent most of her days volunteering in the community. Remak worked with seniors at a retirement home (since 1999) and is a lunch buddy at the local elementary school (since 1999). Nancy also serves on the community advisory board at EvergreenHealth (since 1990) as well as participates in events at this Kirkland hospital. She is on two advisory boards at the University of Washington (History Department since 2007) and the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance (since 2013). She is honored to be joining Central Washington University’s College of Arts and Humanities Advisory Board. Her husband, Ben, is a CWU grad, and both feel very connected to the University.

Remak received BA and MPA degrees from the UW. Since she majored in History and Political Science, she greatly values a liberal arts education. Nancy tries whenever possible to encourage students to recognize the skills gained from a liberal arts education including communication skills and critical thinking.

Mentoring students, as well as establishing scholarships, has been so rewarding to both her husband and Nancy. They have one daughter who is 26 years old. She has a degree in Journalism and works for a public relations firm working with non-profits (a great example of someone who has thrived with a liberal arts degree).

Derek Sandison

Washington State Department of Agriculture - Director

Derek was appointed Director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture by Governor Jay Inslee in 2015 and confirmed by the Washington State Senate in the same year. He manages a staff of approximately 1,000 employees with an annual operating budget of about $110 million. In his capacity, Derek supports the state’s agricultural industry, the second largest sector of the state’s economy. The department is responsible for the safety of processed foods, the inspection of commodities, protection against plant and animal pests and diseases, management of pesticides and fertilizers, and promotion of sound international trade policies.

Prior to his current role, Derek served as the first Director of the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Office of Columbia River (OCR), the state entity created to implement the 2006 Columbia River Water Supply Management Act. Under Director Sandison’s leadership, OCR developed nearly 400,000 acre-feet of additional water supply for farms, municipalities, and fish in Central and Eastern Washington. He initiated and Odessa Ground Water Replacement Project to address the decline of groundwater in the Washington portion of the Columbia Basin and was the principal architect of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan.

In addition, Derek served as Director of the Department of Ecology’s Central Region covering seven east-slope cascades counties. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice-President of Adolfson Associates, Inc., an environmental consulting firm.

Derek received a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Central Washington State College in 1974 and a Master’s of Science degree in Resource Management from CWU in 1993. He is a lifetime member of the CWU alumni association and is a member of the CWU Foundation’s Crimson C. Derek also serves on the board of directors for the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Waters.

Wendy Cooper

English Language Learner (ELL) Teacher for the North Thurston School District.

I was born in El Salvador but grew up everywhere. I was born in El Salvador but grew up everywhere. Faced with adversity early in life, my family and I fled the civil war in 1980 and moved to Mexico. We lived there for almost five years and eventually landed in Los Angeles, California where I graduated from Manual Arts High School. Right after high school, I enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17. In 2013, I retired from the Army after 21 years of service. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland University College, my Master of Arts from Brandman University, and my teaching certification through St. Martin’s University, with endorsements in English as a Second Language (ESL) and Social Studies.

I have always been passionate about teaching. I felt I could make a difference in the lives of students. I decided to become an ELL teacher because I used to be an ELL student. I know firsthand the struggles one goes through when one doesn’t speak the language. I wanted to help English language learners improve their English skills and build a strong academic foundation. I felt I could make a positive impact on students and their families, especially if they can relate to me.

I am very fortunate to come from a very diverse cultural background. My time in the military exposed me to all sorts of people from all walks of life. I have lived in many parts of the world, from Central America to the Middle East. Even though my specialty in the military was Logistics, through my 21 years, I gained a wealth of knowledge and experience from working in different environments and with different kinds of people.

I have been married to Eric Cooper for almost 24 years. Two of our sons have attended CWU. My oldest son graduated from CWU in 2020 and the other one is scheduled to graduate and be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army this summer, 2021. I love different challenges and adventures, so, when I am not teaching, I am outside enjoying the outdoors or traveling. I especially enjoy hiking and biking. I also do a lot of volunteer work and one of the organizations that I enjoyed volunteering for is the Washington Trails Association. It is hard work to maintain trails, but so rewarding!

Dr. Chris Bigelow

Executive Director of Race and Educational Justice Department for the Northshore School District.

Dr. Chris Bigelow was born and raised in Burlington, North Carolina. After graduating from High School in 1981 he enlisted and served four years in the United State Army. While serving in the military at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Dr. Bigelow started his college career at nearby Steilacoom Community College (now Pierce Community College) before transferring to Central Washington University (CWU) to pursue a BA in History and Education. After graduating from CWU in 1989. Dr. Bigelow began his teaching career as a Social Studies teacher. He taught and coached various sports at the high school and junior high level. Dr. Bigelow earned his master's degree in Administrative Leadership in 1996 and has worked as a building principal at the high school and junior high level in the Kent, Northshore, and Seattle school districts. Shortly after earning his Doctorate (Ed.D) in Education Leadership in 2006, Dr. Bigelow accepted a position as the Director of Student Services in the Northshore School District. Dr. Bigelow currently holds the position as the Executive Director of Race and Educational Justice Department for the Northshore School District.

Since assuming the role of Executive Director of Race and Educational Justice Department, Dr. Bigelow has established a framework that has advanced the social justice work of the district. This includes district policies and procedures as well as classroom practices. Dr. Bigelow provides leadership in developing, implementing, and evaluating the progress of equity, inclusion, and social justice initiatives throughout the school’s curriculum, instruction, and community. He acts as a resource, guide, and strategic planner, helping the district and the school to be a community that values a diversity of people, perspectives, and ideas. Northshore Race and Educational Justice Department is sought after and recognized by school districts throughout the country for its work in helping district and school leadership as well as teachers and staff to be deliberate in addressing and strengthening efforts in recognizing systemic racism, unconscious or implicit bias and how they are built into the organization in innocuous beliefs and practices. Dr. Bigelow strongly believes we all need to think about our work through the lens of dismantling systems that perpetuate inequity.

Dr. Bigelow has spent over three decades in various teaching and administrative positions and has held membership in various professional associations to include, Member of the Professional Educators Advisory Board (PEAB) for City University, Board Member for the Northshore/Shoreline Community Network, Chair and Board Member of King-Co Athletic Eligibility Committee, Executive Board Member of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).

Dr. Bigelow and his wife Teresa are both Central Washington University graduates and were married in 1987. Teresa graduated with a Mechanical Engineering BS and is a past recipient of the Central Washington University Distinguish Alumni Award, 2019. They live in Bothell, Washington and have two wonderful children including a son, Talon, who is a graduate from Portland State University and a daughter, Sina, who is also a graduate of Central Washington University. Both are currently living and employed in Oregon. Chris brings his wisdom and many years of experience working on diversity and social justice issues to the Advisory Board.