Central’s Graham Annex board room has been named the Rankin Nakahara Board Room in honor of longtime Central supporters Dr. William (Bill) L. Rankin ’69 and Lori F. Nakahara, his wife. The announcement was made at the Central College board of trustees meeting this fall. Rankin became a member of the board of trustees last spring.
Rankin studied psychology at Central, served in the military and received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Washington State University in 1976. He worked for Battelle Seattle Research Centers and Boeing before starting his consulting firm. At Boeing, Rankin developed products and processes to support Boeing customers and the aviation industry. Rankin currently is president of William L. Rankin Consulting, Inc., offering worldwide consulting for individual and organizational performance.
Nakahara, still employed at Boeing, serves as a program manager for regulatory affairs. Nakahara holds two degrees in engineering (University of Washington and Washington State University)/
Rankin and Nakahara have established two endowed scholarships at Central, the Mr. and Mrs. S. Bert Baron Scholarship and the William L. Rankin and Lori F. Nakahara Scholarship. They supported the construction of the Roe Center by providing gifts to name three spaces, and they also are members of the Heritage Roll of Honor in recognition of their documented planned gift to Central.
