CLASS NOTES
1940s
Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg (1944) was appointed to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors.
Rodger Jensen (1941), a World War II veteran and Central Valley native, spoke about his experience in combat for a segment titled “The Last Mission” that aired on KGPE (CBS 47).
1960s
Helen Davidson (1965) turned 100 years old while celebrating her 25th birthday on Leap Day.
Judy Sue Dixson (1966) was featured in the October/November 2023 issue of Forbes Magazine for being inducted into Marquis Who’s Who.
Bob Smittcamp (1963), the former co-owner of Wawona Packing Company and chairman and CEO of Lyons Magnus food service company, was the first person to be honored posthumously with the Leon S. Peters Legacy Award.
Ross Spence (1965), the co-founder of Matua Wines in New Zealand, celebrated 50 years since the company planted its first vines.
1970s
Richard Aguirre (1978) was reelected as Goshen City clerk-treasurer in Goshen, Indiana.
Jay Fowler (1979) is the owner of Fowler’s Construction Company in Clovis.
Akinsanya Kambon (1974, ’76) received the $100,000 Mohn Award for artistic excellence for his powerful ceramic sculptures, the Hammer Museum announced.
Carolyn Clark Loder (1975) was appointed to the K2 Gold Corporation Board of Directors.
Jim Schulte (1973) received the Eagles of Excellence Award from Woodland College for his work as an adjunct faculty member in environmental horticulture and plant propagation.
1980s
Randy Ataíde (1982), an entrepreneur and former professor at Point Loma Nazarene University, created the first scholarship fund through the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute at Fresno State.
Brad Barker (1982) is now chief information officer at Fresno Pacific University.
Sam Cobb (1984) was interviewed by KESQ-TV in Palm Springs about his passion for growing dates and how he plans to pass on his knowledge of date farming to generations to come.
Valerie Davis (1983) is now board clerk for the Fresno Unified School District Board of Education.
Nick Dokoozlian (1980), vice president of winegrowing research at E. & J. Gallo Winery in Modesto, received the 2024 Rich Smith Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the American grape and wine industry.
Helder Domingos (1980), president and CEO of Westech & Sol-Tech Systems, was named Business Person of the Year by the Clovis Chamber of Commerce.
Kristy Farmer (1985) owns Central Coast Home Concierge in Carmel.
Brad S. Fischer (1981) retired from his position as senior vice president for operations area manager at Premier Valley Bank.
Mike Hamzy (1986), is celebrating 40 years as owner of Harbison International, Inc., a leading supplier of refractories products and services.
Jonathan Held (1980) has been appointed to the Missouri Wine and Grape Board.
Christine Ennis Jones (1985) received the statewide Technology Administrator of the Year award the Association of California School Administrators for her work in Palmdale School District.
Lesley Lang-Lopez (1989) is now senior vice president of Cen-Cal Business Finance in Santa Maria.
Ammar Shaikh Mahmood (1984) is now chairman of Oldtown White Coffee’s Halal Committee in Malaysia.
Peter Orlando (1986) is now CEO of commercial real estate leader Pearson Companies.
Bret Rathwick (1988) is now vice president, relationship manager at Western Alliance Bank’s Costa Mesa office.
Denise Skidmore (1989) is now a member of The Holstein Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
Joe Wirt (1986) retired from California News Publishers Association Services, Inc.
Mike Wise (1988) was a senior writer for The Undefeated, a digital property of ESPN.
Christina Wyneken (1984), a certified public accountant, held a seminar on how to effectively manage regulatory compliance for small family businesses and optimize tax strategies.
1990s
Sonja M. Brown (1996) is now the associate vice chancellor for academic and faculty affairs at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.
Matt Cholakian (1999) is now an account manager for business development with Prinova USA.
Karl Domm (1993) is a licensed financial adviser and president of Clovis Wealth Partners.
Lori Gambero (1994) is now principal at Arroyo Seco Junior High School in Santa Clarita.
Michael Hair, Jr. (1996) has been appointed to the board of directors for Mission Bank in Bakersfield.
Jill Maze (1999) is a mental health counselor at College of the Sequoias.
Matt J. Navo (1993) is executive director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence.
Gary Thiara (1990) was elected to the 2024-25 UnitedAg Board of Directors.
Phong Yang (1995) is now associate vice president for strategic enrollment management at Fresno State.
2000s
Justin Bruch (2007) is the president, chief operating officer and founder of Clear Frontier, an agricultural business in Omaha, Nebraska.
Giachino Chiaromonte (2001), a former standout linebacker on the Fresno State football team, was sworn in as the new chief of the Madera Police Department.
Nora Crow (2005) serves as the chief financial officer for Fresno’s Chaffee Zoo.
Anissa De La Cruz (2002) is wardenof Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla.
Geno Delerio (2007) is the president of DC Home Improvements in Fresno.
Sara Frauenheim (2009) is now chief development officer for Saint Agnes Medical Center.
Karen K. Gill (2008) is an attorney and owner of Gill Estate Law, PC in Fresno.
Sally Gomez (2001) is now head librarian of the Fresno County Public Library.
Bryan Harley (2007) is the executive director for Community Media Access Collaborative in Fresno.
Daniel Hartwig (2003) is now president for the California Fresh Fruit Association.
Brock Heasley (2004), director, was featured in the podcast “Aaron Unscripted” for his new sci-fi film “The Shift.”
Tumani Heights (2005), a Fresno Unified School District liaison for foster and homeless students, received the Barnett Award for selfless service that enhances the community at the Fresno County 2023 Educator of the Year awards.
Stephanie Huddleston became the first female police chief in Hanford history.
Kevin Jordan (2001), a former Fresno State football standout, opened the Cookie Plug shop at Campus Pointe near Fresno State.
Jesse Katz (2007), of Aperture Cellars, was featured in the Forbes newsletter about his success as a winemaker in Sonoma. He broke the world record for the highest-priced wine ever sold at an auction with a $1 million 6-liter bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Ana Jovel Melendez (2005) is now deputy secretary of legislative affairs at the California Environmental Protection Agency.
Will Oliver (2009) is the president and CEO of Fresno County Economic Development Corporation.
Andre Pecina (2000) is now superintendent of Corcoran Unified School District.
Caty Perez (2005) is now senior philanthropy officer for the Central Valley Community Foundation.
Diane Phakonekham (2005), president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California, was named the 2024 Woman of the Year for the 31st Assembly District.
Ashley Phillips (2005) is the new Dr. California America 2024. She will compete for the Dr. America title in October.
Susie Rico-Vasquez (2001), a health educator at Fresno County Department of Public Health, was recognized as a 2023 Health and Human Services Hero by Fresno State.
Megan Ruble (2009) is the president of California Applicants’ Attorney Association in Sacramento.
Patrick Russell (2001) joined Mule-Hide Products Co. Inc. as a territory manager.
Gerardo Serrato (2006) is the new commander of the California Highway Patrol’s Dublin office.
Matilda Soria (2000), senior director of early care and education in the Office of the Fresno County Superintedent of Schools, was named Administrator of the Year at the Fresno County 2023 Educator of the Year awards.
Pamela L. Souders (2007), a manager and surgical critical care nurse practitioner for the Medical College of Wisconsin, was inducted into Marquis Who’s Who.
Bret Swain (2008) is now public works director in Scotts Valley.
Theodore Taneleon Jr. (2006), band director at Parlier High School, was selected to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
Sevag Tateosian (2004) is co-owner of Facelogic Spa in Clovis.
Stephanie Terrizzi (2005) is an owner of Giornata Il Campo Rosso, a winery based in Paso Robles.
Frank Wittwer (2005) was honored through a display of the F/A-18A Hornet outside the Main Gate and Gate 2 of Arnold Air Force Base.
Courtney Young (2001), a speech-language pathologist at Community Regional Medical Center, was presented the first TULIP award for going above and beyond for her patients and colleagues.
2010s
Chris Carter (2011), a Fresno State football standout and seven-year NFL veteran, is now assistant general manager for recruiting and personnel for UCLA football.
Robert DeSoto (2016) is now the general manager of Learfield’s Wyoming Sports Properties.
Erika R. Gamez (2014) is the music director of the all-female musical “Lizzie” in Hartford, Connecticut.
Eric D. Hadden (2014) is now director for the Water, Energy, and Technology Center at Fresno State.
Cactus Sam Harris (2012), an organist and director of worship for University Presbyterian Church, was recognized as a 2023 Difference Maker by GV Wire.
Nathan Kandler (2016) is a winemaker at Thomas Fogarty Winery in Santa Cruz.
Andrea Kelly (2015) is co-executive director of FoodLink in Tulare County.
Nicolas Madrigal (2012) joined the City of Fresno’s Office of Community Affairs as a liaison for the Latino community.
Jessica Morales-Cabrera (2014) is a senior program manager with Power California.
Lyn Myers (2014) is now chief operating officer for the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.
Elizabeth Ochoa (2011) was honored as the Region 7 California League of Schools Elementary Educator of the Year for 2023-24.
Constantine Pappas (2014) made his debut on Broadway in “Harmony” at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York.
Thurabudeen Sahul (2016) is a power electronics mechanical engineer at MagniX in Seattle.
Alex Soto (2019) is the media education specialist for Community Media Access Collaborative.
Erica Stancliff (2010) is a winemaker for Trombetta Wines in Sonoma.
Dustin Thompson (2017) is the Veterans Resource Center student services coordinator at Merced College.
Malarie Thompson (2012) won the 2023 North Carolina Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Ag Award.
Zachary Worden (2015) is the head of sales for Arable, a crop intelligence company in San Francisco.
2020s
Payton Allen (2023) is now head baseball coach at Mt. Whitney High School in Visalia.
DaRon Bland, former Fresno State cornerback, was selected to his first Pro Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys after leading the NFL with nine interceptions.
Oscar Duran (2022) is senior geomatics analyst for Towill. Inc. in Fresno.
Alex Garcia (2021) was elected as mayor of Wasco.
Anissa Martinez (2022) joined Great Day at KMPH 26 as a news reporter.
Kelsey McKenny (2023) is senior vice president at Newmark Pearson Commercial in Fresno.
Raymond Pun (2020) was elected 2024-25 president of the American Library Association.
Zaeem Shaikh (2022) is a reporter covering breaking news for The Dallas Morning News.
Mariela Vasquez Herrera (2023) is a field organizer with Project California.
Bulldog Born, Bulldog Wed
(1) Madison (Casagrande) Ehresman (2015) and Tyler Ehresman welcomed their daughter, Elliot, on Nov. 10.
(2) Taylor Westerman (2015) and Dominic Breshears (2016) welcomed their first child, Dempsey Devine Breshears, on March 14.
(3) John Yergat (2003) and Janet Yergat (2017) were married on Aug. 8 in Peninsula Papagayo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
