The SPU Voices Podcast

Sharelle Klaus '92 is the founder and CEO of DRY Botanical Bubbly, formerly DRY Soda, and the author of the Guide to Zero-Proof Cocktails . DRY Botanical Bubbly is sold in more than 9,000 stores and top restaurants in Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco include it as a featured menu item. Recently, it appeared as a featured cocktail in SPU’s Behold! A Sacred Sounds of Music Virtual Experi...

Industrial-organizational psychologist and SPU professor Dr. Helen Chung defines "work narrative" and shares personal stories that illuminate how narratives are influenced by motivations. Hear more about her story and work on this episode of the SPU Voices Podcast .

Channah Hanberg ’03 graduated with a degree in business administration and started working in radio and TV advertising soon after. She is the general sales manager for Spirit 105.3 FM at CRISTA Media. In this interview, she shares how radio is still relevant despite alternative audio sources and how the COVID pandemic has shifted listener behaviors. Hear more about her story and work on this episo...

This episode, we sat down with Dr. Ryan Ellis. He serves as Seattle Pacific University's Director of Choirs, in addition to the music director at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Bellevue, and artistic director of Choral Sounds Northwest of Northwest Associated Arts. Prior to starting a doctorate at the University of Washington, Dr. Ellis was director of the Bermuda Chamber Choir and c...

Dr. Danny Helseth directs the symphonic wind ensemble at Seattle Pacific University. He's recognized as an exciting and spirited euphonium soloist, and has been a featured artist throughout the United States, Japan, Europe, and China. A champion of music education, Professor Helseth has presented masterclasses and clinics to students of all ages throughout the United States and Asia. He holds...

Conductor, violinist, composer, pedagogue, and musicologist, Christopher T. F. Hanson enjoys working with a large variety of musicians and educators in multiple communities from around the world. As a violinist and composer, Christopher Hanson has premiered several works in multiple genres and serves as the chief arranger and first violinist of the Sacred Ensemble with Dr. Shana Mashego. Christoph...

Beth Ann Bonnecroy is in demand as a conductor, singer, and teacher of voice. Her foundation as a singer and extensive experience as a voice teacher shapes her priorities as a conductor as well. Healthy singing and the development of a singer's personal vocal technique are emphasized in her choir she conducts and it contributes to the free and beautiful sound her choirs achieve. She joined SP...

Phillip Ferrell II has been making music for most of his life, both vocally and as a keyboardist. He began professional training at the age of 12, first studying classical music and ultimately jazz. Eventually, Phillip became as fascinated with the technical aspect of creating music as he had been performing it. Consequently, he began working with bands and singers all over the country. He continu...

We sat down with Dr. Brian Chin. He's a musician, educator, and cultural entrepreneur. Trained in western cultural jazz and world traditions, Brian's musical focus is only part of his larger vision as the founder and executive director of Common Tone Arts and the chair of the Music Department at Seattle Pacific University. With a wide array of musical activities, Brian moves seamlessly b...

Listen to Carlene Brown, professor of music and director of music therapy, tell us how music can be used to help both body and mind.

As if teaching, conducting, performing, writing, and singing the national anthem for the Seattle Sounders didn’t keep Dr. Stephen Michael Newby busy enough, he has embarked on a journey of radical reconciliation that brought him from Michigan to Seattle to a graveyard in Georgia.

Pam Marmon graduated with her master of business administration from SPU in 2012. She's the CEO of Marmon Consulting, a change management firm that provides strategy and execution services, to help companies transform. Pam is also the founder of Threefold Tribe, a consulting firm that helps growing churches multiply. From fortune 50 to startups, Pam brings unparalleled change expertise and in...

Recognized in The New Yorker , TIME , The Seattle Times , Image , and Christianity Today for his writing on cinema, Jeffrey Overstreet, an Assistant Professor of English and writing at Seattle Pacific University, teaches creative writing, English literature, academic writing, and film studies. He earned his BA in English literature and his MFA in creative writing from SPU. Overstreet is the author...

Megan Swanson Chao '09 is the U.S. executive director and co-founder of Hope for Life in Rwanda. Her organization helps Rwandan children escape homelessness and back into healthy families through outreach, rehabilitation, and reintegration. Her role as the ministry’s U.S. executive director and co-founder, Megan was recognized as Seattle Pacific’s GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) 2018 Alum...

Across the nation, college costs rise every year, representing a consistent barrier to students accessing the college of their choice. Over the last decade, the average cost of college has risen by more than 25 percent. We caught up with Assistant VP for Enrollment Operations and Student Financial Services Jordan Grant to discuss SPU's big "Tuition Reimagined" announcement. Beginnin...

Pike Place Market Foundation Executive Director Lillian Sherman ’91 shares some history about Pike Place, including the little known fact that people live there, and how the Pike Place Market Foundation cares for them. She also highlights how vendors have adapted during the coronavirus pandemic, including the famous fish throwers and popular flower sellers.

Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Cindy Price talks about preparing for the upcoming school year and the best way help the college-aged people handle change.

Richard Dahlstrom '79 has been the senior pastor at Bethany Community Church for 25 years. Richard talks about his road to being a pastor, things he learned in the Alps while on sabbatical, and his advice for pastors.

Bruce Congdon, professor emeritus of biology, draws on his 35 years of higher education experience to help explain his views on the intersection of science and faith.

This episode will be different from previous episodes. We invite you to listen to a recent chapel that was held on-campus titled, “Prayer and Lament”. Hear from Chaplain Lisa Ishihara, Dr. Stephen Newby, Caenisha Warren, Ashlee’ Thomas, Kelsey Rorem, and Priscilla Onyedikachi Ozodo as they share their experiences, and the experiences of students, on our campus with race and injustice. Listen to th...

Listen to Carlene Brown, professor of music and director of music therapy, tell us how music can be used to help both body and mind.

In April of 2019, Melissa Glenn '05 became the first library social services provider in Washington state. Melissa is a licensed mental health counselor who graduated from SPU in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. After earning a master’s in counseling psychology from The Seattle School in 2012, she worked in a variety of community mental health and education settings before joining...

Learn how answering his call has taken Donald from health care, to the military, to getting his Master of Divinity degree.

When Danny Ciaccio was an SPU student, he started working as a game day media assistant for both the Sounders and the Seahawks, while also being the sports editor for The Falcon student newspaper. After graduating in 2015 with a degree in communication journalism, Danny worked his way up within the Sounders FC organization to his current role as manager of social media, giving him a front row seat...

Take a break from the news and walk down memory lane with the Browns and Stubberts as they share beloved memories of their time at Seattle Pacific University.