The Employer of the Year Award is a full circle moment for FBH Vice President and Cougar Alum Mary Stone-Smith.
“Once a Coug, always a Coug” and for Mary Stone-Smith, that spirit has come full circle.
For Mary, longtime Vice President of Catholic Community Services of Western Washington’s (CCSWW) Family Behavioral Health system, returning to Washington State University wasn’t just about receiving an award. It was a homecoming.
Her connection to WSU runs deep, woven through generations of family, friendships, and formative moments. “It’s truly a family affair,” Mary says. Between her sisters, their spouses, and a new generation of Coug graduates, the crimson and gray legacy is strong. She met her husband there. Her mother and uncles studied there. Between her and her sisters, seven of eight children also graduated from WSU. She jokes there’s “one in every family,” a daughter who chose the University of Washington.
Walking the Pullman campus still feels like stepping into a living scrapbook. Mary returns whenever she can, revisiting her old classrooms, her student home on Greek Row, and favorite haunts that feel more like old friends than places. Much has changed. The old “Bookie” student bookstore has given way to the expansive Compton Union Building, but the heart of the campus remains. Even familiar faces endure, including Butch T. Cougar, still greeting students with the same school spirit Mary remembers.
It was here, on the rolling hills of the Palouse, that Mary’s life’s work began. WSU helped launch a career dedicated to strengthening families and supporting communities through behavioral health care. That journey led her to CCSWW, where she has helped grow the Family Behavioral Health (FBH) system into a vital regional resource.
Today, FBH provides mental health and substance use treatment services to more than 20,000 individuals each year across Western Washington, and the need continues to rise. Families facing complex challenges are reaching out in greater numbers, seeking compassionate, professional care. CCSWW’s teams meet that demand every day, offering stability, healing, and hope when it’s needed most.
This growing impact is one reason CCSWW was named Employer of the Year by WSU, but the recognition didn’t happen overnight.
Behind the scenes, years of relationship building helped lay the foundation. CCSWW recruiter Karla Lacktorin has been a consistent presence at WSU job fairs across the state, from Pullman to Vancouver to Bellevue, connecting with students, sharing opportunities, and building trust. Through ongoing communication and genuine engagement, she has helped create a strong pipeline between the university and CCSWW’s behavioral health programs.
That investment is delivering even stronger results today. Since 2020, CCSWW’s Family Behavioral Health system has hired 49 WSU graduates. Of those, all but 6 remain with the organization, an exceptional retention rate, and several have already advanced into leadership roles within FBH. This reflects not only strong recruitment, but also meaningful career growth and long term opportunity within the system.
CCSWW is also now recognized as a Crimson Employer Partner with WSU, further formalizing the deep and growing connection between the university and the organization’s behavioral health workforce.
Karla may not be a Coug herself, but she embraces the community wholeheartedly. Her dedication, paired with Mary’s enduring love for her alma mater, has turned recruitment into a mission driven partnership.
Each year, WSU selects a single organization for its Employer of the Year honor. This recognition reflects not only CCSWW’s commitment to hiring and supporting graduates, but also its investment in the next generation of behavioral health professionals. As WSU Employer Relations Manager Aimee Tejeda Lunn shared, “Your support has a profound impact on our students, and we are excited to recognize the difference you are making in the Coug community.”
The celebration in Pullman reflected both the partnership and the sense of homecoming at the heart of Mary’s story. The afternoon began with the CCSWW team arriving on campus, welcomed by staff before heading out on a tour, giving Mary a chance to revisit the places that shaped her journey.
From there, the momentum carried into a lively meet and greet with campus partners, strengthening the relationships that have fueled this enduring bond. Soon after, guests gathered for the main event at the CUB, where the CCSWW FBH team was officially recognized as Employer of the Year, an honor that felt like both a milestone and a beginning.
And now, that connection is only growing stronger.
From a student discovering her calling on the Palouse to a leader shaping behavioral health services across the region, Mary’s journey is a testament to the lasting power of community, education, and purpose.
Because in the end, “once a Coug, always a Coug,” and sometimes, that Coug comes home to change lives.
