Community Heroes
The College of Health and Human Services at Fresno State honored its 2015 Community Heroes in April for their impactful and dedicated work within their fields. Five of the 11 honorees were Fresno State alumni, including:
Kathy Yoshida (1981), director of interpreting at the Deaf and Hard of hearing Service Center of Fresno.
Paul Smith (1995), a physical therapist at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno and the vice president of the California Physical Therapy Assocation.
Victor Hugo Manriquez (2000, ’10), a physical education teacher who formed the Trucha Camp Physical Education Program implemented in Sanger Unified School District.
Brenna Hughes (2006), team lead in acute speech-language pathology at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, who organized the first Central Valley Concussion Consortium.
Debbie Tuttle (2014), a nurse practitioner at California Oncology, who graduated with the first class in Fresno State’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program.
1950s
Edward Marouk (1951) had bronze artwork on display in the group exhibit “1915-2015: Tradition, Legacy, Culture” at the Fresno Art Museum.
Helen Ramirez (1954) was inducted into the California Social Work Hall of Distinction in October.
1960s
Bob Fraley (1961), former Fresno State track and field coach, co-authored the student-athlete journal “Searching for Victory” with his grandson, Trevor Groom. Fraley was inducted to the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008, the year he retired.
Dal Henderson (1966) exhibited his artworks titled “Serious Stuff” at the Kings Art Center at the Marcellus Gallery in Hanford.
Gary J. Hill (1967) was recognized by the State Bar of California for 20 years as a specialist in workers’ compensation law.
Roy J. Kendall (1969) had several autumn photos published on The Fresno Bee website.
Sean McCleneghan (1964) retired after a 32-year career as a journalism professor at New Mexico State University. He is a former sports editor for The Collegian at Fresno State.
Louise H. McGrew (1969, ’98) was recognized by Continental Who’s Who as a Pinnacle Professional in education.
Janice Noga (1968) reads for her one-woman show, “Janka,” a play written by her husband, Oscar Speace (1971), about his mother’s Holocaust tragedy. The play will be an off-Broadway production in New York.
Robert H. Oliver (1966) was recognized by the State Bar of California for 20 years as a specialist in estate, probate and estate planning law.
Ray Steele Jr. (1968)
was recognized by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce as the 2015 Leon S. Peters Award winner in March.
A Fowler native, Steele worked more than four decades for the McClatchy Company, including serving as publisher of The Fresno Bee from 2001-2008. Steele was the 2005 recipient of the Fresno State Alumni Association’s Outstanding Alumnus Award, presented on behalf of the College of Arts and Humanities.
The Peters Award, established in 1984, recognizes business success and leadership, public service, contributions and investments in the Fresno area.
“I’m honored to be in the same group as many of the people who are on this stage today and have received
the Leon S. Peters Award,” Steele said in a Fresno Chamber of Commerce video. “These are people, one, with a passion for their community. They want to do something that improves their community. Two, they’ve been very successful in whatever business venture they’ve been involved in. But I think people who have passion and vision, and then can have some leadership qualities to bring people together to identify problems and solve problems, make for good community leaders.”
1970s
Andrea Abbate (1978) had an adaptation of her play, “Random Acts,” scripted into a comedy by AMC.
Steve Adams (1974) is now director of growing operations and grower relations at Boskovich Farms.
Robert Dugan Aguilar (1972) is a photographer whose published works and exhibitions have documented Native American life.
Pandora Grewe Carlucci (1972) received the Donald A. Gatzke Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Association of University Administrators for her authorship of “Understanding the Full-Time, Non-Tenure-Track Faculty Appointment.”
Christine (Vartanian) Datian (1974, ’77) was highlighted in the December issue of The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. Datian’s Armenian rice pilaf with raisins and almonds was featured in The New York Times online food blog, “Cooking.”
Jean Fuller (1972), senator, was chosen by Republicans in the California Senate as their new leader. She is the first woman to hold a top Senate post.
Randy George (1977) is the new marketing manager for Betts Company in Fresno.
Roger George (1975), a three-time All-American in track and field at Fresno State and an alternate member of the 1976 Olympic decathlon team, owns and operates Roger’s Guide Service, specializing in striped bass fishing trips to the San Luis Reservoir. He’s also the fishing column editor for The Fresno Bee.
Bill Jones (1971) is board chairman for Pacific Ethanol, a company he co-founded in 2006, which has production facilities in Madera; Stockton; Boardman, Oregon; and Burley, Idaho.
David Koehler (1970) will step down in June as director of the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust.
Jimmy Maxey (1973) is now chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.
James “Mac” Mechem (1971) showcased his artwork at Fig Tree Gallery in Fresno.
Mike Mendoza (1974) is principal at St. Rose McCarthy Catholic School in Hanford.
Diane Milutinovich (1970), a nationally recognized advocate for women’s athletics during her 27 years at Fresno State, was inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame in November.
Eliot Nahigian (1973) was recognized by the State Bar of California for 20 years as a specialist in estate, probate and estate planning law.
Ronald H. Nishinaka (1973) was elected board president of the State Center Community College District. He was previously an instructor at Reedley College.
Linda Penner (1978) was profiled in the November/December issue of Central Valley Luxury magazine. She chairs the board of state and community corrections for the state of California.
Rebecca L. (Foster) Prentice (1976), senior vice president/general counsel for Paramount Pictures Corp. in Los Angeles, was named to The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100 list.
Ken Vogel (1970) was inducted into the Lodi Community Hall of Fame for his government service.
David J. Weiland (1972) joined Coleman & Horowitt, LLP, as a partner and chairman for the litigation department.
1980s
Jeff Bortolussi (1980), a raisin farmer, was featured on PBS cooking show “Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking” in January.
Brock Dale Buche (1985, ’95) is now a principal engineer for Provost & Pritchard Consulting Groups in Fresno.
Cal Cain (1988), a former Fresno State baseball player and member of the Cincinnati Reds organization, is now senior vice president and loan officer for Cen Cal Business Finance Group.
Daniel Chacon (1989, ’96), associate professor at University of Texas, is the creator of a radio show at KTEP-FM that showcases creative writing.
Brian Decker (1980) was named a 2014 top performer by Colliers International.
Henry Ellard (1985), former Fresno State and NFL wide receiver, won the triple jump in the men’s 50-59 division at the USA Track and Field National Masters Championship in July.
Lisa Gamoian (1981) was elected Fresno County Superior Court judge.
Steven Jolly (1988), managing director of investments for the Fresno office of Wells Fargo Advisors, was named one of the firm’s President’s Premier Advisors for the 20th straight year.
Pat LaRocca (1983) was profiled in the January/February issue of Central Valley Luxury magazine. He and his wife, Marina (Mattucci) LaRocca (1992), own and operate FIVE restaurant in Fresno.
Evie (De Boer) Locke (1986) and her husband, Ron, received first- and second-place awards for their Top O’ the Morn Farms milk products at the National Dairy Products Contest in Madison, Wisconsin.
Francine Oputa – 7 (1985, 2012, ’13), Ph.D., director of the Central Valley Cultural Heritage Institute, spoke at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at Fresno State.
Peter Orlando (1986), senior vice president of the retail division, was named a top producer of 2014 by Newmark Grubb Pearson Commercial and Retail California, a division of Pearson Realty.
Warren Paboojian (1980) was inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers on March 20 in Santa Barbara. The academy’s membership is limited to 500 active U.S. trial lawyers under age 70. He is a partner in Baradat & Paboojian Inc. in Fresno.
Stephone Paige (1982), a former Fresno State football player who once appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the Kansas City Chiefs, is now spokesperson and public relations adviser for the Central Valley Sports Report website.
Walt Plachta (1986) is now chairman of the Economic Development Board serving Fresno County. He is branch manager for the Fresno office of CEI Engineering Associates, Inc.
Claire Tamo (1986) is now chief financial officer for The Permanente Federation.
Jeff Tedford (1982), former Fresno State quarterback and Cal head coach, was inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame in November. He is now head coach for the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League.
Tom Warnert (1984) is now vice president for industrial and heat transistor sales with LAKOS Separators and Filtration Solutions.
Elizabeth Wilson (1985) is now chief business officer for Parlier Unified School District. She previously worked at Paso Robles Joint Unified School District.
1990s
Oghenekome “Kome” Joseph Ajise (1993) was appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown as chief deputy director for the Califorina Department of Transportation.
Carlos Ambris (1997) is now senior litigation attorney for Stockton law firm Herum Crabtree Suntag.
Nicholas Audino (1997) was named a top producer of 2014 by Newmark Grubb Pearson Commercial and Retail California, a division of Pearson Realty.
Peter Beck (1997) now teaches ethnic studies at Rutherford B. Gaston Middle School in Fresno. He previously taught at Hoover High School.
Laura Berg (1998), a four-time softball Olympian, had her No. 44 jersey retired before the Bulldogs hosted Oregon State, the team she’s now coaching.
Stephanie Callison (1999) is now media buyer at JP Marketing in Fresno.
Jose Cañas (1995) joined MaloneBailey, LLP as senior audit manager.
Jonathan Daggett (1999) was named a top producer for 2014 by Pearson Realty. He is a senior vice president with the firm.
Danny (1994), David (1993) and Damacio Diaz (1996) were portrayed in the Disney movie “McFarland, USA,” the story of a high school cross country state championship in a small Central Valley town.
Marcus DiBuduo (1999), a patent attorney, joined Dowling Aaron, Inc. as a preferred shareholder.
Ernesto R. Escoto (1996, ’98) is now director of counseling and wellness at the University of Florida.
Jethro Franklin (1990) is now defensive line coach for the Oakland Raiders. He was previously an assistant at the University of Miami.
Sonja Monique Brown Givens (1996, ’98) is now associate vice president for academic affairs at Medaille College in Buffalo, New York.
Henry “Hank” Gutierrez (1993, 2001), principal at Fowler High School, was named Administrator of the Year by the Fresno County Office of Education.
Daryl Jordan (1994) is now director of engineering services/city engineer for the city of Ceres.
Karen S. Kirk (1992) is now vice president of business development at Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group, which provides a range of engineering & consulting services throughout California.
Stanley Kjar Jr. (1999), senior vice president, was named a top producer for 2014 by Pearson Realty.
Keith Kramer (1993) and Rob Krider (2006) were featured on BBC America show “Mud, Sweat and Gears” for their endurance racing success.
Shawn Luna (1995, 2006) is now family medicine physician assistant at Adventist Health/Community Care in Kerman.
Mark Mathis (1993) is now general manager for agent/broker sales for Homes.com.
David Morrison (1993) is now planning director for Napa County.
Joanna Odabashian (1997) is now president of the local chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors.
Lou Pecora (1994) was nominated for an Oscar for his work as the visual effects supervisor on “X-Men:
Days of Future Past.”
Karen Philbrick (1996) is now director for the Mineta Transportation Institue at San Jose State University.
Alicia Rios (1999) is director of California Centers for International Trade Development for the State Center Community College District.
Peter Robertson (1992, ’95, 2005) is now festival director emeritus for Fresno Reel Pride. He co-founded the annual film festival as a student in 1990.
Lou O. Saephan (1999) is now assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the Parlier Unified School District.
David Santesteban, (1995), Ph.D, is now head soccer coach for the University of the Virgin Islands.
Steve Sobonya (1992) is now health and fitness adviser for the Central Valley Sports Report, which helps athletes with resources to obtain scholarships and grants through athletics.
Arto Soebiantoro (1995) founded the Gambaranbrand Network, a branding company in Indonesia.
Geraud Smith (1997) is now regional vice president for Wells Fargo’s Bakersfield Regional Commercial Banking Office.
Lewis Smith (1996), senior vice president of the retail division, was named a top producer of 2014 by Newmark Grubb Pearson Commercial and Retail California, a division of Pearson Realty.
Jenny Q Ta (1992) is founder and CEO of Sqeeqee.com, a social e-commerce platform, which combines features of social networking, e-commerce and entertainment in one site. She was founder and CEO of Titan Securities and was a driving force behind Vantage Investments.
Art Trask (1993) was inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame in November. He won four Professional Bowlers Association titles.
Brian Turner (1994), director of creative writing at Sierra Nevada College and a prize-winning poet, authored “My Life as a Foreign Country.”
Chris Williams (1994) is now superintendent for Paso Robles Joint Unified School District.
2000s
Miguel Angel Arias (2008) is now a trustee for the State Center Community College District.
Marc Barrie (2006, ’08, ’13) is now chief of the Central Valley Regional Office for the High Speed Rail Authority.
Benjamin Bergquam (2007) is now communications and marketing director for California Turf Warehouse, a synthetic grass showroom.
Alphonse Savator DeRose (2003) is head winemaker for family-owned DeRose Vineyards in Hollister.
Friderica Widyasari Dewi (2004), former model and actress, is now director of development for the Indonesia Stock Exchange.
Brian Domingos Jr. (2005) opened a new Premier Valley Realty office near Fashion Fair Mall. He is president-elect of the Fresno State Alumni Association.
Juan J. Gonzales (2004) and Brian M. Law, California Highway Patrol officers, were memorialized on a stretch of Highway 99. Both died in the line of duty in February 2014 when their cruiser crashed near Kingsburg.
Brad Harper (2003), a former Fresno State baseball player, finished No. 1 in new customer sales for Curtis 1000.
Ryan (2002) and wife Ashley Jacobsen (2003) established a $25,000 endowment to benefit agricultural students.
Ryan Kapsimallis (2007) joined the Fitzgerald Schorr Firm in Omaha, Nebraska.
Jessica Lawrence (2008) was named to Fresno State’s University Advisory Board.
Cody Lyman (2001) is now assistant vice president, commercial loan officer for Central Valley Community Bank.
Ruem Malasarn (2000) is head athletic trainer for Cal Poly Pomona.
Chris Marklund (2007) is now associate legislative director for public lands at the National Association of Countries, based in Washington, D.C.
Kevin McPhaill (2000) is now president and CEO for Sierra Bancorp and Bank of the Sierra.
Gregory J. Norys (2003) is now an associate in the litigation department for Coleman & Horowitt, LLP.
Henry T. Perea (2001), of the California State Assembly, was presented the 2014 Internet Champion Award from the Internet Association.
Crystal (Cortez) Rodriguez (2009), speech-language pathologist for the California Cancer Center in Fresno, won the California Speech Language and Hearing Association District 5 Outstanding Achievement award.
Ernesto Saavedra (2008) is now editor of the Community Alliance newspaper.
Pedro Santana (2004), director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Central Valley, Inc., was featured in The Business Journal on Feb. 14.
Jeffrey Schultz (2001) spoke at Fresno State’s Spring Reading Series on March 6. He is director of creative writing at Pepperdine University and has a collection, “What Ridiculous Things We Can Ask of Each Other.”
Joshua D. Scroggin (2004) is now social media officer at CoastHills Credit Union. He previously worked for the San Luis Obispo Tribune for nine years.
Jennifer (Matzen) Stemwedel (2002, ’08) is now director of student affairs at California Health Sciences University.
Veronyca M. Tiscareno (2002) is now profesor of early childhood education at Sierra College in Tahoe-Truckee.
Angela Vega (2006) is now Comcast director of government affairs for the Central Valley.
Philip Vieira (2009), a Ph.D. student at UC Riverside, is head brewer at Seven Brethren Brewery, which is part of Brew Crew Inc.
Debra Bradley Walker (2004) is now small business development officer for the Fresno River Park Commercial Team of Central Valley Community Bank.
Mark A. Weaver (2009) was awarded the 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers Younger Member Forum Officer Award.
2010s
Anthony Dakuras (2014) is head instructor and founder of Santa Maria All-American Wrestling.
Nadine Dubina (2013) is now an intern with the U.S. Olympic Committee, working with the Coaching Education Department at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Gilbert Felix (2012) serves as council assistant for Fresno City Council member Esmeralda Soria (District 1).
Joseph Geller (2012) is now viticulture instructor at Surry Community College.
Shayne Jay Jetter (2014) is now winemaker at Toca Madera Winery.
Megan Lerma (2013) is now outreach and new media assistant at JP Marketing.
Devon Mathis (2013) is now assembly member for the 26th district.
Lauryn Moles (2014) is the costume intern at Midland Community Theatre.
Scott Morehead (2010), of Agrian, Inc., was named a Rising Star by the Agriculture Retailers Association.
Paul Mortanian (2011) is now at the Gourmet Trading Co. in Los Angeles.
Mussie Petros (2014) joined Cornerstone Structural Engineering Group in Fresno as an engineer in training.
Allison Pierce (2012) was appointed by the Tulare County Board of Supervisors as the new Step-up Program administrator.
Laura Quiroz (2012) is a volleyball coach and teaches advanced placement English at Parlier High School.
Angela Sasaki (2014) is now an account executive for One Putt Broadcasting.
Jenna Smith (2013) was selected for a Peace Corps assignment in Madagascar.
Veronica Stumpf (2011) received Fresno’s Leading Young Professionals FLYPer of the Year award for her work on “That Fresno Blog.”
Cynthia Teniente-Matson (2013), Ph.D., is now president for Texas A&M-San Antonio.
Meghan Thomason (2010) is now women’s golf coach at California State University, Bakersfield.
Ryan Stiner (2011) raised $12,000 for the Autism Center at Fresno State by running from San Francisco to Fresno.
Jeremy Walrack (2011) co-founded Golfmoose.com, a new website for discount-minded golfers with promotions at more than 20 courses in California.
Brendan Wilson (2011) is now a physical therapist for Biosports Physical Therapy in Wenatchee, Washington.
Yer Yang (2014) started the Hmong Cultural Heritage Center along with her husband.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
Kevin Cooper (2006, ’07) and Rosemary Abdelshahid got engaged Dec. 20 in New York City.
David W. D’Morias married Saraah McConahey in June in Lockeford.
Leonardo Flores (2012) announced his engagement to Lynne Modzelesky.
Eddie (2005) and Brenna (Wylie) Hughes (2006) welcomed their son, Wylie, in November.
Shoua Lee (2008) married Blake Lyon on June 7.
Katie Johnson (2003, ’11) married Seth Schall on Aug. 6 in Paso Robles.
Katlyn O’Dell (2010) and Isaac Martinez announced their engagement.
Casey Olson (2010) married Kara Marchese on Oct. 4 in Nevada.
Levy Randolph (2014), now engaged to Tiffany Rogers (2007), was named the national champion of the American Farm Bureau Federation and Young Farmers and Ranchers Collegiate Discussion.
Sylas Wright (2004) married Becky Regan on Sept. 6.
FACULTY/STAFF
Jefferson Beavers (1996, 2007) is now communication specialist for the MFA Program in Creative Writing.
Gena (Strang) Behrens (1988), a three-time All-America softball player at Fresno State, is now executive assistant for the vice president of University advancement.
Steven Church, national award-winning author, published “Ultrasonic,” a book of nonfiction essays.
Cary Edmondson (2002) received the District Case VII bronze circle of excellence award in photography.
Chris Fiorentino (1987, ’93) received the Fresno’s Leading Young Professionals Service Award.
Todd Graves (2003) received the District Case VII bronze circle of excellence award in design, invitations category.
David Hembree is now director of development for student affairs at Fresno State, managing fundraising efforts. He previously served as director at YMCA.
Javier Morales (1997) is now assistant director of business development for the Fresno State Alumni Association.
Mike Pronovost (2014), project manager of Fresno State’s DISCOVERe tablet program, was recognized by the United Nations as one of the world’s top entrepreneurs under age 35.
Frank Puccio (2005) is now manager of finance and administration for the Division of Continuing and Global Education.
