‘Thy Sons and Daughters Hail Thee Great, Our Alma Mater, Fresno State’
1970s
Don Cameron (1975), president of the California State Board of Food and general manager of Terranova Ranch, Inc., wrote an opinion piece on Proposition 4 for The Fresno Bee.
Jim Costa (1974) is now the U.S. Representative for California’s 21st Congressional District.
Carolyn Loder (1975) has been appointed as Board of Directors for K2 Gold Corporation, a North American mineral exploration company in British Columbia, Canada.
Paul Munter (1975), chief accountant of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has announced his retirement from federal service.
Jan Setnor (1976), retired U.S. Air Force colonel, is now president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology.
Dianne Solis (1979), a freelance journalist, wrote an article on the roots of deportation for Palabra, a multimedia platform that delivers informative journalism about Latino and other communities.
1980s
Gena Behrens (1988), a former All-American softball player at Fresno State, is now chief operating officer of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce.
Aaron Busch (1988), Vacaville city manager, announced his retirement after 37 years in municipal government.
Sean Canfield (1983), University High School teacher and academic decathlon coach, retired after 40 years.
Craig Castro (1982), president and CEO of Community Health System, retired after 23 years with the health system.
Alan Kandel (1987), an independent publisher of The Daily Kos, wrote an opinion piece on uniform curricula within the CSU system.
Corey Liggans Miller (1980) is the artistic director of the nonprofit Silicon Valley Gay Men’s Chorus in San Jose.
Lorna Roush (1988) is chief financial officer for Schultz Ranch in Burrel of Southwestern Fresno County.
Daniel Silva (1983), journalist and author, released a new book, “A Death in Cornwall,” the 24th installment in his mystery series.
Jeff Smutny (1986) is now executive director of the American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute in Benson, NC.
David You (1980), a living history practitioner with the American Civil War Association, was interviewed on historical battle reenactments and the living history experience.
1990s
Louis Baca (1997) is a member of the Vanguard Carceral Journalism Guild writing corps.
Lance Bessey (1991) has released a faith-based children’s book titled “Easter Bunny and Chick (The Play).”
Lori Chavez-DeRemer (1990) was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the head of the Labor Department.
Cathleen Figura (1991), chief operating officer at Jeffrey Scott Agency, was featured in The Business Journal as an executive profile.
Tara Gomez (1998) is owner and winemaker of Camins 2 Dream, which was named one of the world’s most influential indigenous-owned wineries by Wine Enthusiast.
Sonja Irawaty (1999), an abstract painter, had her artwork, “Life, Love and Cherry Blossom,” featured in an Indonesian exhibition.
Maria Magana (1999), an elementary teacher at Stone Corral Elementary School in Visalia, was named Educator of the Week by Your Central Valley.
Felipe Magos (1991), a teacher at Lincoln Elementary in Madera, was named Educator of the Week by Your Central Valley.
Elisa Silva (1991), kindergarten teacher at Steinbeck Elementary in Fresno, was named Educator of the Week by Your Central Valley.
Douglas Verissimo (1995) is now commander of the Naval Air Force Atlantic in Norfolk, VA.
Matt Webster (1998) is now CTO of Epoch Concepts LLC in Littleton, CO.
Derek Winning (1999) has been appointed as the interim director of the Tulare County Regional Transit Agency (TCRTA).
2000s
Paul Armendariz III (2006), is interim assistant city manager in Clovis.
Anthony Ayerza (2000) is now executive director for the Fresno County Superintendent of Schools CTE/ROP department.
Mario Capote (2001), director of instrumental music at Tulare Union High School, was named Educator of the Week by Your Central Valley.
Jon Cartwright (2000) and others have helped to provide scholarships for Porterville Military Academy graduates in recent years.
Nayamin Martinez Cossio (2009) was awarded a $350,000 grant from the James Irvine Foundation.
Analiese Domingos (2009) was featured as an executive profile in The Business Journal for her work as a trauma therapist in private practice.
Lesa Eidman (2002) is now president and CEO of California Agricultural Leadership Foundation.
Shanda Fulbright (2003) is running a new online course titled “Expedition to Reality: Exploring Worldviews and Major World Religions.”
Nathan Gilbert (2003) is now the regional director at Better Business Bureau, serving the Pacific Southwest, Central and Inland California.
Steve Goff (2001), winemaker and vineyard manager for Colene Clemens in Newberg, OR, was featured for his new wines in Owen Bargreen.
Sherrie Holzer (2006) was featured in The Paso Robles Press for her work as a winemaker at Rava Wines in Paso Robles.
Nigel Kirk (2001) is now small business lending manager for Access Plus Capital, a U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution serving Central California.
Derek Lapsley (2008) is now vice president of operations at Yamabe & Horn Engineering in Fresno, a professional service civil engineering firm.
Ben Letizia (2005), the founder and president of Heritage Crop Sciences in Fresno, is partnering with a Chilean company to introduce new antibacterial products for plants.
Nicole Marin (2009) is now vice president of administrative services at Mendocino College in Ukiah.
Martin Ortiz (2008) is now president and general manager of ABC30 in Fresno.
Edward Reese (2008) is now a primary care physician at Mercy Southeast Primary Care in Dexter, MO.
Vincent Ricchiuti (2005) is now chief operating officer of P-R Farms and Enzo Olive Oil Company in Madera, CA.
Rohi Zacharia (2006) is now Madera’s District 1 city councilmember.
2010s
Tamara Berry (2013), a first-grade teacher at Clovis Elementary School, was named Educator of the Week by Your Central Valley.
Michael Cook (2015), viticulture regional specialist at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in College Station, TX, was a speaker at the annual East Texas Fruit,
Nut and Vegetable Conference.
Thomas W. Gaffery IV (2009) is now assistant city manager for Tulare.
Aaron Judge (2014), the reigning American League MVP, presented a $2,500 grant to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo through the All Rise Foundation.
Sandeep Malhi (2012), the first Punjabi police officer in the Bakersfield Police Department, was interviewed on his role in building a bridge between the Indian American community by behindthebadge.com.
Seth G. Mehrten (2010) is now a shareholder in the Fresno office of Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management.
Sarah Fawn Montgomery (2010), nonfiction writer and essayist, held an in-person reading and Q&A session for students at Ithaca College in New York.
Matthew Morse (2010) is now vice president and general manager Nexstar Media Group operations in Fresno.
Jackie Nakashian (2019) is now director of community service and health programs for the California Table Grape Commission in Fresno.
James Olson (2010), director of Olson Trading Company, will participate in the 2025 National Walnut Growers Conference.
Andrew Rich (2015), the head softball coach at Idaho State, was the unanimous selection for Big Sky Coach of the Year after he led the Bengals to a co-conference championship.
Carlos Sanchez (2011) was named an ArteVism fellow by the Pan Valley Institute.
David Tangipa (2018), a former tight end for the Fresno State football team, was elected to the California State Assembly for District 8.
Dominic Tyburski (2011) is now public works director for the County of Madera.
2020s
Chase Benedetti (2024) is owner of Noc Box Coffee Studio in Fresno.
Brian Childs (2022) is now senior director of international student and scholar services at Haenicke Institute in Kalamazoo, MI.
Omar Hernandez (2020) is now a board member for West Hills Community College District in Coalinga.
Noah Martinez (2022) was named FLYPer of the Year by Fresno’s Leading Young Professionals, a nonprofit dedicated to the professional and civic development of young leaders in Fresno.
Ricky McCoy (2020), a former defensive lineman on the Fresno State football team, was interviewed by ABC 30 about his first year coaching the Roosevelt High football team in Fresno.
Megan Medina (2024) was featured by Your Central Valley story for her ceramic work and success during Fresno’s Arthop in 2024.
Justine Osilla (2022), founder and winemaker for Kabayan Wines, was interviewed by Forbes on her journey as a Filipino winemaker.
Brenna Pratt (2021) is now head winemaker at Midnight Cellars in Paso Robles.
Nikko Remigio represented the Bulldogs at Super Bowl LIX as a wide receiver and kick returner for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bulldog Born, Bulldog Wed
(A) Kristen (Andreasen) Battles (2012) and Eric Battles (2012) welcomed their third child, Rome, on Oct. 17.
(B) Amanda Holder (1995) married Claude Swain in November 2023 and had their wedding featured in California Wedding Day.
(C) Michael Melkonian (2015) and Danielle Goulart (2016) were married on Feb. 22 at The Grand 1401 in Fresno. An ardent Red Waver, Melkonian and his groomsmen sported Fresno State socks to add the perfect touch of Bulldog spirit to an already festive wedding day.
(D) Chelsea Robles married Andy Meek on March 8 in Brooklyn, New York.
(E) David Ruby (1984) and Patricia Ruby (1985) celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on Feb. 16 with a trip to New York City.
