Washington State University alumni Tom Holmberg, Tiffany Paup Sanders and Liz Pritchard will be honored by the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication as 2024 Hall of Achievement Award recipients at the 48th Murrow Symposium held April 3-4.
The Hall of Achievement honors and recognizes outstanding achievements of select graduates. This year, Glenn Johnson will receive the inaugural service award that recognizes individuals who have made a meaningful and deep contribution to the Murrow Community, creating a legacy of impact and inspiration.
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT
TOM HOLMBERG
Tom Holmberg (’83 Comm.), a seasoned director, producer, and manager at KHQ-TV and SWX-TV in Spokane, Washington, has left an indelible mark on the local media landscape throughout his four-decade career. A proud graduate of the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication, Holmberg began his journey in 1983 at KHQ TV, contributing significantly to the station’s market-leading news coverage.
In 2007, Holmberg expanded his role as the Executive Producer of SWX, a regional sports and weather channel, highlighting his versatility in media production. His efforts include building dedicated sports production trailers and overseeing the executive production, crewing, and direction of numerous sporting events across multiple markets. Since 2000, he has directed Gonzaga men’s basketball games, becoming an instrumental part of Spokane’s vibrant sports culture.
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT
TIFFANY PAUP SANDERS
Tiffany Paup Sanders (’95 Comm. & French Lit.) is currently the Corporate Affairs Manager and spokesperson for the Fred Meyer and QFC Divisions of Kroger. She holds dual degrees from Washington State University in Broadcast Journalism and French Foreign Language and Literatures and excelled as a varsity track and field scholarship athlete.
Before joining the grocery business, Sanders’ broadcasting career spanned over 15 years in Seattle, Tucson, and the Tri-Cities as a Chief Weather Meteorologist and news reporter. Transitioning from her broadcast journalism career, Sanders joined Fred Meyer and QFC in 2020. She now represents and advocates for 42,000 associates in 191 Fred Meyer & QFC Stores across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. Sanders directs all corporate communications, media and community relations and philanthropy programs.
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT
LIZ PRITCHARD
Liz Pritchard (’80 Comm.) is a media industry veteran who most recently served as the Vice President, Sales Training and Development, for Fox Television Stations Sales in New York, a division of the Fox Corporation. She retired in 2021 after a 40-year career in media sales.
At Fox, Pritchard was responsible for design and management of the sales training program, which produced top performing account executives, sales managers, and Vice Presidents within the division. Pritchard also served as project management lead for sales, traffic, and automation systems utilized by the station group and was part of an executive management transition team deployed to assist when new stations were acquired by Fox.
SERVICE AWARD
GLENN JOHNSON
Glenn Johnson taught classes in television news, communication management and other courses for 35 years at Washington State University. Retiring as a professor emeritus and the Les Smith Distinguished Professor of Media Management in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication in 2014, he mentored and inspired countless students and that mentoring continued after he left WSU. Johnson received the Edward L. Bliss Distinguished Broadcast Journalism Educator, the top national award named after a Murrow colleague, and was the first educator inducted into the Silver Circle by the Seattle chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The WSU Alumni Association presented him with the honorary alumnus award and the WSU Foundation gave him the Outstanding Service Award.
Well known as the “Voice of the Cougs,” Johnson has been the public address announcer for Cougar football and men’s basketball since 1980 and continues in that role. He started the iconic phrase with fan participation, “And that’s another, Cougar First Down” in 1983.