Business Advisory Board Member

Bruce Bethards

Bruce Bethards has spent most of his business career in the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry working for leading companies including Procter & Gamble and ConAgra Foods. In 2011, he moved from the Midwest to Seattle to help launch the CPG division for Starbucks Coffee Co. that was later acquired by Nestle Foods in 2018. Most recently, he was the director of commercial development for Nestlé Coffee Partners leading sales operations strategy for Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee and Nescafé brands.
 
He grew up in Michigan and received his B.A. from Albion College and his MBA from the University of Michigan. His children – twin sons Ben ('20) and Jake ('20) and his daughter Grace ('22) – are all graduates of Whitworth University. All three were members of the Pirates tennis teams during their college tenures. Bethards and his wife, Karen, served on the Whitworth Parent & Student Advisory Council from 2016-22. They also attended the President's Gathering in Phoenix in February 2020. He resides on Mercer Island, Wash., and enjoys tennis, golf and hiking. He serves on the community outreach leadership team at Bellevue Presbyterian Church.