RICH HADLEY AWARDED POSTHUMOUSLY THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT’S 2023 IMPACT AWARD

SPOKANE, Wash., November 2, 2023—Rich Hadley, a much-admired leader in the Spokane community—who passed in March this year—was awarded posthumously the University District’s 2023 Impact Award.

Launched in 2017, the Impact Award honors those who serve by example, who are highly effective leaders and selfless collaborators, who inspire and spark social change, and who are deliberative, transformative, and truly invested in the well-being of the University District (UD) community. Previous Impact Award recipients include Dave and Mari Clack (2017), Kim Pearman-Gillman (2019), Dean Allen (2020), Jim Sheehan (2021), and Kim Zentz (2022).

Rich was a major driver in the establishment of the University District, which transformed an all-but-abandoned part of Spokane into a hub for education, collaboration, and innovation. Teresa Dugger, University District board chair notes, “Rich was an expansive thinker and visionary leader for Greater Spokane from 1993-2014, and in this role, he worked tirelessly to build and sustain economic vitality not only in Spokane but also throughout the entire state.”

Rich also was a fierce advocate for healthcare, healthcare professionals, and medical education and understood the vital role access to quality care plays in the lives of every member of our community.

Longtime friend, colleague, and WSU Health Sciences Spokane executive VP and chancellor Daryll DeWald notes, “Thanks to Rich’s tireless work to bring the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine into existence, ten years from now approximately 1,000 WSU physicians will have completed their medical training, as well as thousands more nurses and pharmacists. The simple math tells us that over the years, Rich’s efforts will impact millions of lives in our region. What an impressive legacy.”

Photo: Rita Hadley and family with at left Teresa Dugger, UD Board Chair and at right, Daryll DeWald, Executive VP and Chancellor, WSU Health Sciences Spokane