New director named to lead WSU Dining Services

Jason Butcherite, an experienced executive chef and culinary educator, has been named as the director of Dining Services at Washington State University Pullman. He will officially begin his duties in mid-December.

Butcherite's appointment comes after a national search, prompted when current Dining Services Director Sarah Larson announced last spring she was planning to step down from the position. Larson will continue to provide leadership in Student Affairs.

Butcherite is currently serving as the associate director of residential dining in WSU's Dining Services, a role he has held since 2022. His previous positions include serving as an adjunct faculty member in Hospitality Management at Lake Tahoe Community College, assistant director in the Marriott Hospitality & Culinary Innovation Center in WSU's School of Hospitality Business Management, and executive chef in WSU's Hillside Café and Pullman's South Fork Public House. Butcherite is a graduate of WSU's Hospitality and Business Management program and earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Western Governors University.

In his associate director role, Butcherite provides leadership for the residential dining program which has a multi-million dollar operational budget, 50 staff members, and around 500 student employees.

"I'm excited to work with Jason in this new capacity, said Sean Greene, associate vice chancellor for facilities and operations in Student Affairs. "He has a very good understanding of our dining operation, and he has a deep commitment to serving students."

Greene said Butcherite is taking the reins during a critical time for Dining Services as early planning is underway to make improvements to Southside Café, as well as master planning for the entire housing and dining system. Butcherite's institutional knowledge and student-focused approach, he said, will be very helpful in guiding the teams through those projects.

Butcherite said he is honored and excited to become the next director of Dining Services. One of his top priorities during the transition will be filling the position he is vacating. Among the projects he has planned for spring, he will work on aligning Dining Services' work with the new Student Affairs strategic plan, opening Little Caesars in the Compton Union Building food court, and overseeing facility upgrades at several Dining locations.

"To be the leader, helping to facilitate change to better serve our students, is a privilege," Butcherite said. "I'm appreciative of all the opportunities, mentorship, and support I have received during my tenure at WSU that have prepared me for this role."

Greene said the Dining Services team consistently voiced their support for Butcherite throughout the search process.

"His overall work productivity is impressive to everyone," Greene said. "He has many ideas about how Dining can better serve students in the future and has high aspirations for what Dining services can be."