Dec. 1, 2021
CWU Auxiliary Enterprises Executive Director Receives Regional Mentor Award
Joseph Pearson, executive director of CWU Auxiliary Services, received a regional mentorship award this fall.
CWU Auxiliary Enterprises Executive Director Joseph Pearson received the Regional Mentor Award from the National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS) in October during the organization’s national conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Pearson was humbled to receive the award, saying: “I was just surprised to be selected as an award recipient; it means a lot that someone has recognized the effort I try to put into building the organization and individuals.”
Each year, the NACAS West regional board of directors selects winners for several awards, including the Regional Volunteer of the Year, the Regional Rising Star Award, and the Regional Mentor Award.
Pearson has been a member of NACAS since 2010 and has served on the membership committee for the past five years, first as the vice chair, then as chair.
He also served on the conference planning committee for the C3X National Conference in 2019 at Phoenix, Arizona. He recently was invited to participate as a subject-matter expert to review the Certified Auxiliary Services Professional (CASP) exam. The pre-requisite to receive the CASP Certification tests professionals on a wide range of content related to auxiliary services.
When considering the value of participating in a national professional organization, Pearson believes “there are two things that are of value.” The first is that “you get the value of bringing knowledge back to the university,” getting to know the trends, seeing what other institutions are doing, and hearing innovative ideas from business partners. “The other benefit,” he noted, “is really the giving back part.”
For Pearson, knowledge-sharing and mentoring are an essential part of being in any profession.
“I’ve been doing this for over 20 years now, so I think I have a little bit of experience that could potentially help someone else who is struggling with the same types of issues,” he said.
Media contact: David Leder, Department of Public Affairs, 509-963-1518.