2020 Award Recipients
Nadira Helmand Akbari ‘04
B.A. Art
Vice President
Avison Young
Nadira was the first in her family to attend college and graduated with her bachelor’s degree in three years. Shortly after, she co-founded a residential real estate brokerage and discovered her passion for commercial real estate. From there, Nadira moved on to JDSU, a Fortune 500 company, and helped manage their global real estate portfolio, with more than 2 million square feet and 80 sites. Nadira was instrumental in aligning and reducing footprint, streamlining internal real estate processes, winning numerous accolades and awards for her achievements. Nadira was a founding member of a women-owned commercial brokerage firm in Silicon Valley. At Avison Young, she focuses on tenant representation for both local and national corporations. She has mentored and empowered countless women and young leaders to succeed in the real estate industry through her roles as co-chair of the Young Leaders Group for CoreNet NorCal and received the “Young Leader of the Year award” in 2016.
Sana Ali ‘16
M.S. Computer Science
Senior Analytics Engineer
Epicor
Innately passionate about philanthropy, Sana is a Pakistani-American who has been actively involved in humanitarian work. She has pioneered blood donation campaigns, supported special education, volunteered for natural disaster relief efforts, and published articles about social awareness. Her recent venture aims to help daily wage workers survive through the COVID-19 pandemic by providing them financial aid that covers their basic needs. She has founded a donation group that has helped 700-plus daily wage workers in Pakistan and continues to create a positive impact. The group has 1,000 active members and boasts complete transparency in donations. Sana holds a master’s degree in computer science from Cal State East Bay. In her current role as a senior analytics engineer at Epicor, she combines powerful storytelling with technology to create analytics that help businesses make data-driven decisions.
Angelica G. Allen ‘17
B.A. English
Author
Barnes and Noble Press
Angelica is a Seventh-Day Adventist from Fremont, CA and author of four books: "Untitled," "The Summer of Oh Nine," "Deflate the Nightingale," and her latest released this year, "But What is a Family”. She is a Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants and Colin Kaepernick fan who graduated with her bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing from Cal State East Bay in 2017, and her associates degree in liberal arts from Chabot College in 2014. Angelica is also the creator of two new genres, the Millennial Fiction genre and the Millennial Poetry genre which are both defined as letting millennials know they can overcome any obstacle with Seventh-Day Adventism, complex protagonists, powerful storylines, the original illustrations she drew and coded languages she created spoken amongst the characters. She can be found on social media as @AngelicaGAllen and her books are available for purchase on Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com or Apple iBooks.
Dr. Shaily Arora ‘08
B.S. Biological Science
Acting Associate Director for Safety
Food and Drug Administration
In 2002, Shaily immigrated to the United States from a small city in India. Her zeal to succeed, metamorphosed her from a traditional Indian daughter to one fulfilling the American dream by working tirelessly. She worked multiple jobs to support her family while pursuing her undergraduate degree and science research at renowned institutions. After earning a bachelor’s degree in cell and molecular biology (summa cum laude), Shaily obtained a doctor of pharmacy degree from UCSF (where she received the “Bowl of Hygeia” award) and completed residency, specializing in hematology-oncology. While at UCSF, she discovered her interest for public health and joined the FDA in 2014. She has worked on numerous projects involving international regulatory agencies, responded to Congressional and media inquiries, and has acquired a robust grasp of the drug development process, including pre- and post-market oversight. As an Acting Associate Director for Safety, she continues to uphold the mission of promoting and protecting public health.
Mohammed Beig ‘11
B.S. Business Administration
Chief Financial Officer
Janie & Jack
Mohammed is a finance executive with experience leading corporate finance, logistics, real estate, store operations, restructuring, and full-cycle mergers and acquisitions. After starting his career at KPMG dealing with mergers and acquisitions, he successfully helped lead the mergers of Gymboree and Crazy 8 stores to The Children’s Place, and Janie and Jack to The Gap.
Rahul Chandra ‘08
B.S. Engineering & Mathematics
Associate Vice President, Operations
Energy Recovery, Inc.
Rahul is an operations executive at Energy Recovery, Inc., a cleantech company in the desalination space, where he leverages his expertise to enable access to clean drinking water to millions of people worldwide. In addition to earning a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from CSUEB, he obtained his MBA at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, one of the foremost colleges in the world for business education. Over the years, Rahul has continued to give back to CSUEB, having hired or mentored dozens of students. In addition to serving on the Industrial Advisory Board for the CSUEB engineering school and guest lecturing on multiple occasions, Rahul taught two full semester courses while continuing to work. During his stint as an adjunct professor, he was able to impart upon senior students how to transition to a professional work force and create a stronger bond with local businesses and the industrial engineering program.
Raven Davis ‘14
B.A. Communication
Mission Engagement Specialist
Sound Generations
Raven Davis has worked in broadcast media for well over a decade as a freelance videographer, production technician, edit coordinator and content producer. She is currently the Mission Engagement Specialist for the Marketing and Philanthropy team at Sound Generations, a nonprofit focusing on supporting older adults on their aging journey. Outside of work, she is an enrichment instructor for King County (in the Greater Seattle Area) where she teaches middle school students video production and storytelling basics. Her education at CSUEB laid the groundwork for her strong leadership, interpersonal skills and passion for media production. That passion was nurtured through the Department of Communication by Kevin Pina, Dr. Mary Cardaras, Dr. Gale Young, and Melissa Merencillo (40 under 40 class of 2019). Raven is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and recently earned her Master of Communication degree from the University of Washington, where she graduated cum laude.
Christina de Leon ‘14
B.S. Criminal Justice Administration
Program Manager
State of California
Christina has always held a high regard for those who do the right thing regardless of who is looking or listening. In 2012, Christina started her career in law enforcement as a public safety dispatcher with the State of California. Because of her high and positive energy, drive, and passion, she was given opportunities to work with various units within her state agency to ensure and improve transparency, public safety, service, and security. Christina has held positions with the Recruitment Unit; where she oversaw recruitment efforts for the entire state and managed the department’s only youth program: The Explorer Program, with the Office of Accreditation; where she managed the Public Safety Communications Program for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), and currently holds a position with the Office of Internal Affairs ensuring best practices are aligned with departmental policies and state and federal laws. Christina has been successful in every project coordinated and improved every program she has managed.
Brad Dugan ‘06
B.S. Business Administration
Director, Ticketing & Public Events
San Francisco 49ers
Brad joined the 49ers organization as an intern in 2006, just weeks after graduating cum laude with a B.S. in Business Administration. In 2014, he was instrumental in the opening of Levi’s® Stadium, one of the world’s premier sports and entertainment venues. As director of ticketing, Brad manages 49ers and Levi's® Stadium event ticketing, single game sales strategy, seat license and ticket invoicing, forecasting and reporting. As the director of public events, he oversees the end-to-end, booking-to-settlement process for large scale non-NFL events at Levi's® Stadium. Now in his 15th NFL season, Brad is a respected industry leader in the areas of emerging ticket technologies, box office management, new venues, inventory and dynamic pricing strategy. He has had the pleasure of working four Super Bowls, the 2019 College Football National Championship, WrestleMania 31, and hundreds of football games, concerts, and other stadium events.
Anuradha Dwarakanath ‘11
Master of Business Administration
Senior Program Manager
Lam Research
Anu believes that organizations with a solid program management structure adds strategic value and brings out competitive differentiation. This stems from her vast experience in leading program management and execution, focusing on process efficiency and business transformation. As a member of Lam Research’s Program Management Office (PMO), Anu combines her engineering background with the MBA education from CSUEB to drive highly cross functional projects worth millions of dollars and of strategic value to her company. Anu is also a certified Indian classical dancer and an accomplished performing artist, who is invited for artistic collaboration in the Bay Area. With a strong passion to impart this ancient knowledge, Anu founded Pragathi Natyalaya in 2018, her dance school based in San Jose. In addition, she co-founded an energetic neighborhood group for Asian Indians in North San Jose. Through this group she fulfils her passion to enable an active forum for community engagement & upliftment.
Melvin Faulks ‘17
B.A. Sociology & Ethnic Studies
Program Coordinator
Roots Community Health Center
Melvin double majored in sociology and ethnic studies with a concentration in genders and sexualities in communities of color. During his time at Cal State East Bay, he served as the director of programs for the Black Student Union and the director of educational activities and programs for the Xi Pi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., and Orientation Team leader for the 2017 year. He also holds membership with the Tau Sigma National Honor Society for Transfer Students and Alpha Kappa Delta Honor Society for Sociology Majors. For the past three years, Melvin has served as a volunteer HIV test counselor with the Berkeley Free Clinic providing free HIV testing and linkage to care in clinic, at homeless encampment sites, and local homeless shelters within the Berkeley/Oakland community. Additionally, Melvin is currently a premedical post baccalaureate student and will be applying to medical school in 2022.
Chad M. Galvan ‘11, ‘13
B.S. Health Sciences; M.S. Healthcare Administration
VP of Financial Planning
Dash Investments
Having managed several coordinated care and long-term care programs, Chad has collaborated with numerous healthcare systems, social services agencies, and senior living communities throughout the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area. After working with hundreds of patients and their loved ones, he came to experience the detrimental impact healthcare costs and financial hardships could have on individuals and their families. Wanting to help people to avoid such situations, Chad then immersed himself into financial planning and the financial services industry. Drawing from his prior experiences, he now serves as the Vice President of Financial Planning for Dash Investments, where he provides financial planning and guidance for clients of all ages and backgrounds. Chad seeks to continue providing financial resources and education that help others fulfill a financially healthy lifestyle.
Takija Gardner ‘05, ‘09
B.A. Sociology & Criminal Justice Administration; MPA
Division Vice President
YMCA of San Francisco
Takija is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, who currently resides in the greater Bay Area, with her husband, James Gardner and three children. For the past 18 years, Takija has worked for the YMCA of San Francisco. Takija is currently a district vice president, supporting organizational sustainability, governmental affairs and financial development. She also serves as the senior executive sponsor to the Diversity, Inclusion and Global Engagement Steering Committee, leading organization change focused on social equity and becoming an anti-racist organization. Outside of her normal scope of work, Takija lends support to community development through her active volunteer involvement with various boards, professional leadership organizations, and social movements. Takija is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and The Links, Incorporated.
Srikanth Guttikonda ‘10
B.S. Physics & Mathematics
Artist, CFO, and Co-founder
Looking Up Arts Foundation, Inc.
An immigrant from South India, Srikanth moved to the United States with a growing attraction towards intellectual pursuits. He amassed research and work experience in physics and computer science for CSUEB, UC Berkeley, Intel Corp and Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP, but he still searched for more. In 2018, Srikanth co-founded Looking Up Arts Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at creating community via large-scale, public art. Srikanth currently serves as CFO, while directing the foundation’s LED arts. In the last three years, Srikanth has made quite a splash in the local and international LED art scene. He recently created “Pink Torch” for 2020's San Francisco LGBT Pride, and is currently building an installation for the Bayview Opera House. Philanthropically, Srikanth’s interests lie in fostering his arts community. He has a track record of helping emerging artists and founders, lending them his growing expertise in art fabrication and operational/legal affairs.
Riza Khalil Hernandez ‘06
B.S. Finance
Founder/Chief Financial Advisor
EntreFolio Wealth Management
Riza is a business leader, a community organizer and an advocate for financial literacy and youth education. Her journey after earning her bachelor’s degree in business administration at CSUEB led to working for several major Wall Street firms. Taking all the best practices from these firms, she founded an independent financial advisory firm, EntreFolio Wealth Management. She is a force for bringing financial equity to her community through education and planning. Her partnership with Oakland Promise, Oakland Public Education Fund, Rotary Club of Oakland and Leadership Oakland, drives her passion for youth education and community growth. Every year, she models a business financial plan with Oakland high schoolers through the Rotary Club of Oakland’s Enterprise Institute as they design a business from the ground up. She is a mentor, an educator of business enterprise and an active member of her community.
Peter Hladun ‘05, ‘10
B.S. Industrial Engineering; M.S. Engineering Management
Vice President & General Manager
Cork Supply USA
Peter earned both his bachelor’s in industrial engineering and master’s in engineering at Cal State East Bay. Most of his career has been centered in the wine industry and he is currently leading Cork Supply USA as vice president and general manager where he has full profit and loss responsibility as well as leads a team of 55 people. Peter has continued Cork Supply’s legacy as the leading supplier of packaging to the wine and spirits industry with the goal of creating a memory with every bottle of wine opened. Peter’s career also included the pleasure of teaching two Engineering courses at CSUEB, earning a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma and completing Stanford’s Executive Education Leading Change & Organizational Renewal course.
Samuel Huckaby ‘13
M.S. Construction Management
Vice President, Construction
Vantage Data Centers
Samuel Huckaby has a passion for construction and mentorship. He serves as the vice president, construction for Vantage Data Centers. He is leading their North America project execution. Prior to joining Vantage, Samuel was a project and scheduling manager at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he delivered multiple high-tech facilities. His career achievements include delivering $280 million in projects at San Jose State University and numerous projects while at Turner Construction and O’Conner Construction Management. He has served as a lecturer at CSUEB, where he instructed classes in the construction management program. Samuel is an active board member for TGG Solutions. He has earned various certifications, including the Design-Build Institute of America Professional and the Project Leadership Institute from the Stanford Center for Professional Development. A graduate from CSUEB with a Master of Science in construction management. He holds a Bachelor of Science in concrete industry management from Middle Tennessee State University.
Prince Jackson ‘14
B.A. Multimedia Design
GoodKnight Life
Owner and Host
Prince began GoodKnight Life, a podcast network, in 2017. In 2019, he created Knight Light: A Horror Movie Podcast which is now on the Bloody Disgusting Podcast Network. Currently, Knight Light sits on the Top 25 Film Review list on Apple Podcast. Prince is also a film critic for the horror genre, and continues shining the light on the Black perspective in horror.
Eric Lau ‘06
B.S. Business Administration
Market Leader, Senior Vice President
Bank of the West
Eric is second generation Chinese and the first male in the Lau family lineage to ever graduate. Although born in the United States, Eric holds high values of his heritage. After graduating from Cal State East Bay in 2006, Eric got into the business of financial planning where he had helped many individuals and families with establishing their financial grounds and achieving their financial dreams. Today, Eric is the market leader, senior vice president for Bank of the West Wealth Management responsible for market growth of San Francisco. Outside of work, He also volunteers his time advocating in the Asian American communities. Eric currently volunteers his time with the business council at Asian Health Services and serves as a board member with the Chinese Real Estate Association of America. Eric believes in giving back when he can and living a life of impact.
Alexandria Leavenworth ‘13
B.A. Communication
Promotion Manager
KSBW 8 & Central Coast ABC, Hearst Television
Alexandria graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, with an emphasis in media production. While attending Cal State East Bay, she was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma national sorority and arts and life editor for 'The Pioneer' newspaper. After graduating, Alexandria worked for numerous corporations including the San Jose Giants and Pebble Beach Company; covering a variety of live sporting events such as the 2019 U.S. Open and annual AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. She also co-owns and operates “Stars and Guitars,” an ACM and CMA accredited website centered around all things country music. In 2017, Alexandria received her Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She currently resides in Monterey, California where she works as the promotion manager for KSBW 8 NBC and Central Coast ABC under Hearst Television.
Peter Limata ‘15, ‘16
B.A. Liberal Studies; Teaching Credential
Teacher
Oakland Unified School District
Peter grew up in Lusaka, Zambia and is a proud alumnus of the Bachelors Plus Early Pathway (BPEP) at Cal State East Bay, class of 2015. The invaluable teacher training in public schools set Peter on this path that he so dearly loves. He teaches second grade at Emerson Elementary School in Oakland, California. Peter has dedicated himself to work in underserved communities. He treasures his community and the love that comes with teaching. His desire is to see every student be given the best chance possible to succeed. Peter values the power of representation in both his private and professional life and he wishes to embody that in all he does.
Aaron Lin ‘18
B.S. Computer Engineering
Project Engineering Specialist
UPS
Aaron is the Co-founder of Startup East Bay, a mentorship network of community-minded students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Cal State East Bay, dedicated to promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in the East Bay and beyond, through community building events. We follow the mantra of gathering the community, sharing resources, and building ideas. From student leader to chair of Oakland-East Bay Section at the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (IEEE), Aaron has applied what he learned from Startup East Bay into the organization for the last 5-plus years. After graduation, he led the Young Professionals Affinity Group within the section, along with advising American Marketing Association at Cal State East Bay. Aaron currently works at UPS as a project engineering specialist, the team is responsible for doubling the capacity of the Richmond facility. Aaron would like to dedicate this award to Jerry Chang, founder of Startup East Bay.
Nicole Mason ‘19
Master of Business Administration
Owner & Founder
One Mason Lane LLC
Nicole Mason is a brand marketing authority who provides innovative strategies that produce stellar growth and fine-tuned customer touchpoints. As a Fortune 500 growth-marketing executive, she shares her flair for the avant-garde in award-winning strategic product management, new business development, and go-to-market tactics. This and more have captivated the retail, fashion, beauty industries, and beyond. Nicole’s innovative marketing career includes piloting new technology – beauty augmented reality, artificial intelligence/chat, and mobile checkout – to meet the ever-changing needs and expectations of today’s tech-savvy customers. She has a proven track record in talent acquisition, team development, and driving diversity & inclusion in work environments. Nicole advocates for the professional development of women and girls through her volunteer work with the GrassRoots Community Foundation. Nicole was named among the 2016 Brand Innovators 40 under 40 in Brand Marketing and currently serves on the board of directors for the Fashion Incubator of San Francisco.
Kristine Massey ‘04, ‘06, ‘07
B.A. British Literature; Teaching Credential; M.A. English
Dean of Advancement
Dallas College
Dr. Kristine Massey is a senior administrator at Dallas College located in Dallas, Texas, where she oversees grants and fundraising efforts. Prior to this role, Kristine was an English teacher and program director at Hayward High School; an instructor at Robert College, a prestigious Turkish institution in Istanbul, Turkey; and a research assistant and consultant for the Center for Community College Student Engagement. Kristine’s professional and academic endeavors have focused on how structural inequities impact underserved student populations. She has presented at state, national, and international conferences and published in peer-reviewed publications on various topics related to educational access and equity. At CSUEB, Kristine was a member of Tri Sigma sorority and earned a B.A. and M.A. in English (‘04, Cum Laude; ‘07), and a Teaching Credential (‘06). Kristine also earned her doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin, where she also taught teacher education courses.
Belen Menjivar ‘12
B.A. Spanish & Human Development
GANAS Program Specialist
Cal State East Bay
Belen graduated from Cal State East Bay double majoring in human development (option in child development) and Spanish. Belen has contributed to Cal State East Bay in many ways as a student, staff and alumna over the past six years. She has served in multiple roles across the campus as club advisor, Chicanx/Latinx Staff and Faculty Association co-chair, UndocuAlly Task Force member and services on various committees. She has been recognized for her hard work, dedication and passion she has given to the Cal State East Bay community, being recognized by the Student Affairs division as the 2017 Woo Awardee, a recipient of the 2019 Vivian Cunniffe Award, and the 2020 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Impact awardee. Belen graduated in May 2019 with her master’s degree in education with a specialization in counseling from San Jose State University. She enjoys not only the act of learning and giving back.
Geoffrea Morris ‘09
Master of Social Work
Chief Equity Officer
City and County of San Francisco's COVID Command Center
Geoffrea (Jah-free-ah) has a bachelor’s in child and adolescent development from San Francisco State University; a Master in Social Work from Cal State East Bay; and a Juris Doctorate from Golden Gate University. For nearly 20 years, Geoffrea has been involved in improving the lives of children, families and individuals throughout San Francisco’s most disenfranchised communities. Working as a public servant, Geoffrea has worked in the areas of public assistance, child welfare, criminal justice and racial equity. Outside of her employment, Geoffrea is an established community activist in San Francisco's Black community and she has spearheaded several community initiatives, including several social justice street murals currently stamped on the streets of San Francisco like "INVEST BLACK" or "HOUSING BLACK." These messages serve as a call to action to city leaders regarding Black relations. Geoffrea recently co-founded the Black Women Revolt project to combat domestic violence in the Black community.
Ashnika Narayan ‘09
B.S. Health Science
CEO/Founder
VenziMedia Inc.
Ashnika is the CEO and Founder of VenziMedia, a global digital advertising platform. She has worked with startups, brands and ad agencies on a global scale helping them achieve their advertising goals across online, mobile, video and social platforms. Ashnika successfully developed and launched a real-time bidding platform that lets you buy advertising programmatically within seconds which empowers brands and ad agencies to make more efficient, effective and profitable advertising decisions. She has worked with the likes of M&C Saatchi, State Farm, CA Lottery, the New York Times, Gameloft, Microsoft and many more. A dynamic media and technology executive Ashnika is known for her passion and drive for creating marketing and advertising campaigns worldwide. When she’s not working, she’s mentoring young professionals and new entrepreneurs. Passionate about the growing role of technology in advertising she continues to develop and innovate to bring her company to the forefront of the ever-changing AdTech market.
Tamara Osivwemu ‘13
M.S. Educational Leadership
Partner
The Management Center
Tamara recognized her passion for equity through her early work with foster youth. She has led results-oriented teams in a variety of roles at Citizen Schools, a nonprofit engaging middle-school students in apprenticeship learning, and currently at The Management Center, a capacity-building organization dedicated to training and coaching thousands of nonprofit leaders per year. Outside of work, Tamara is an adjunct professor with Southeastern University and a consultant providing racial equity training and coaching to organizations. She carries this same passion into her community by holding a variety of roles over the years, including serving as board co-chair of a local nonprofit organization, secretary of a school-based advisory board, and college academic advisor at her local church. Additionally, Tamara loves reading, crafting, and traveling with her husband and two school-aged daughters.
Raj Prasad ‘03
B.S. Business Administration
Managing Partner
WDFA Digital
Raj is an award-winning serial entrepreneur who has spent the last 20-plus years of his life helping his clients achieve revenue and growth goals for their businesses. Primarily focused on helping small-to-medium-sized businesses, WDFA Digital leverages technology and digital marketing to create solutions that not only create results but also provide automation and efficiency. Raj was honored as the 2010 Inc.com 500 #1 Minority Entrepreneur and for leading the 5th fastest growing private business in America.
Dr. Michelle Rippy ‘02
B.S. Forensic Science
Assistant Professor
Cal State East Bay
As a first-generation college student, Michelle struggled with navigating university life and the pressures of being a science major. Through support from faculty members, Michelle built a strong foundation of knowledge while at CSUEB, which helped her gain admission to graduate school and earn a position in her dream career as a medicolegal investigator. Michelle was able to progress her career into supervisory, management, and executive roles, and transitioned to a faculty position at CSUEB to give back to the institution that gave her so much. Michelle currently serves on the Cal State East Bay Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Ambrosio Sacramento III ‘10
B.S. Business Administration
Attorney/Partner
Mercado & Sacramento, PC
Ambrosio completed his bachelor’s in Business Administration at Cal State East Bay. He then pursued a law degree at Arizona Summit Law School in Arizona. While studying for the California State Bar Exam, he was a judicial intern for the Superior Court of California, Alameda County, and a legal intern for the City of Oakland, Housing & Community Development. After passing the state bar, Ambrosio became an associate attorney for an East Bay law firm focusing on civil litigation. In 2019, Ambrosio co-founded the law firm, Mercado & Sacramento, PC, in Oakland, CA, the city where he was born and raised. The firm focuses on personal injury, family law, real estate, and estate planning. Within the first year of his practice, Ambrosio has obtained numerous personal injury settlements, successfully negotiated 50+ real estate disputes, and has prepared a multitude of estate plans for families aiming to protect their assets for the next generation.
Rebecca Scheer ‘09
B.S. Business Administration
CFO/Controller
RWR Enterprises Inc/Richard, Wayne & Roberts/Carlton Staffing
Rebecca majored in Business Administration with an Accounting focus. After receiving her Bachelors from Cal State East Bay, she quickly rose to a Controller role after joining a $50mm start-up logistics company. Rebecca played an instrumental role not only in establishing all accounting, payroll, and billing functions but also was relied upon in regulatory administration and compliance. Rebecca’s career has allowed her to work all over the country, primarily in the Staffing and Logistics industries with revenues from $10mm - $150mm+. Her experiences include traditional accounting, treasury, insurance management, administering an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), lining up asset-based lending and Small Business Administration loans to fund company growth and operations, company wide process improvements, establishing internal controls and mentoring new accountants on her teams. She now calls Houston, TX home, but frequently returns to the East Bay. Rebecca plans to sit for the CMA in the Fall of 2020.
Michelle Scheumeister ‘17
Master of Business Administration
Planning Manager
Facebook
Michelle has always been a breaker of glass ceilings. She was told that she was too small to play basketball for a college, and she smashed through the ceiling when she landed a full ride to play for Bethany University. Michelle went on to pursue a career in the tech industry. When she gained capital, she purchased her first apartment complex and started a property management firm at the age of 30. With an education rich in cell and molecular biology, and a passion for helping people and saving honeybees, Michelle went on to start an Apiary Skincare company that gives back three-fold. PhilanthroBee®️ is a company dedicated to clean, organic, and effective skincare, that not only gives back to the consumers that use it, the seeded packaging gives back to the pollinators when its planted, and 100 percent of what PhilanthroBee does goes into the family pollinator program.
Dorothea Sieber ‘10
Master of Business Administration
VP, Content Marketing & Keynotes
Oracle
Dorothea is vice president of content marketing and keynotes at Oracle, leading the strategy for large-scale content marketing initiatives across the business. Prior, Dorothea led content and thought leadership strategy for Adobe Experience Cloud to engage prospects and customers across the entire customer journey. Her accomplishments include developing the overall demand and event content strategy, keynote productions, creating a governance model to drive cross-functional alignment, and operationalizing content creation, experience, and activation across the organization. Dorothea joined Adobe through the Marketo acquisition, where she led the corporate marketing team including corporate communications, public relations, social media, executive communications, content marketing, and corporate events. Before Marketo, Dorothea spent eight years working at SAP, most recently as chief of staff driving the platform and analytics business, aiming to drive customer loyalty, accelerated growth, and employee success. This included internal and executive communications, strategic customer programs, employee engagement programs, key projects and business priorities.
Amandeep Singh ‘18
Master of Business Administration
Senior Director, Finance - Strategy and Transformation
Xilinx,Inc.
Amandeep is a holistic operations leader in global development and deployment of strategic corporate initiatives in the technology sector. He is known to be contextually aware and a leader with a high emotional quotient due to his ability to relate to people from diverse experiences and educational backgrounds. Previously, as a Director of pricing and analytics at Globalfoundries, a semiconductor foundry with a $6 billion in annual revenues, Amandeep oversaw the execution of pricing function based on deep analytics with the goal of extracting maximum profit under extremely dynamic market conditions. Today at Xilinx, as a Senior Director of finance, strategy and transformation, he is making an impact at an organization that is shaping tomorrow’s technology and solutions that will solve many of the biggest challenges of humanity. Amandeep continues to drive challenging jobs with tremendous impact each day with his tempering manner, strong influencing skills and audacious decision making.
Dr. Miku Sodhi ‘10
M.S. Health Care Administration
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Shasta Cascade Health Centers
Miku is deputy CEO at Shasta Cascade Health Centers. He oversees operations, strategy and growth. He holds a medical degree from University of Mauritius and a master’s in Health Care Administration from CSUEB. He was a Geiger-Gibson Fellow in Health Policy at George Washington University. Miku holds a fellowship in community health leadership from University of Kansas Medical Center and healthcare leadership certificate from Harvard School of Public Health. He is a fellow of American College of Medical Practice Executives and has led health organizations towards improving patient access, quality, and making systems efficient. Prior to this, he led Satellite Healthcare as vice president, chief quality officer at Peach Tree Health. He is a 2020 winner of the Rise Above Recognition Award in overcoming barriers to health delivery in COVID-19 by Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). He is a 2020 winner of the prestigious Harwick Innovation Award by MGMA for innovating and improving health services with excellence.
Sharifa Sparks ‘17
B.S. Business Administration
Recruitment Coordinator III
Kaiser Permanente - TPMG
Born in Texas and raised in Oakland, California, Sharifa earned her bachelor’s of science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in general management, from Cal State East Bay, in 2017. She recently earned her graduate degree in legal studies at Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, in May, to further enhance her abilities to help peer professional growth in any business environment. Sharifa has always felt a personal sense of responsibility to her family and community. This is why she dedicates a lot of her time fostering and building a legacy of academics, and social impact, through community service. Sharifa has unapologetically reinvented herself, which has enriched her personal and professional experiences. Her unwavering obligation to community service as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Jack and Jill of America, Inc., serves to strengthen her work as a crusader for activism and involvement.
Sergio "PowerSerge" Suarez ‘12
B.A. Theatre Arts
Executive Director, All The Way Live Foundation; Adjunct Professor, Ohlone College
As an Award-Winning Community Organizer and Leader, Sergio Suarez has committed his life work to both uplift and nurture Bay Area young voices and identities of color. Since 2004 he has created and fought for equitable reform within education while creating platforms and spaces for youth to express and heal. Centering his work in honoring the students cultural kinesthetics and heritages, he has positively impacted the lives of thousands of youths in the Bay Area and across the globe. Sergio is currently a second year doctoral student at CSUEB in the Educational Leadership in Social Justice program. Aside from pursuing a doctorate degree, he also holds an MBA in Design Strategy from California College of the Arts. In 2019 he was honored by Congressman Ro Khanna (CA-17) and received Congressional recognition as a LatinX community leader for his commitment and dedication to support and advocate for historically marginalized and disenfranchised communities of color. On top of the many accolades and awards that Sergio has received throughout the years, it’s his respect, love and commitment for Hip Hop Culture that has remained at the center and forefront of his work.
Sabrina Washington ‘05
B.A. Mass Communications
Owner
Luna Light Productions
A California native, Sabrina graduated from Cal State East Bay in 2005 summa cum laude with a B.A. in Mass Communications. Shortly after she began her career as a television news anchor and reporter in Oregon and then Massachusetts; where she won an Associated Press award for investigative reporting. Missing her home state, Sabrina moved back to California and received an Edward R. Murrow award and her first EMMY award while working in Bakersfield. She would go on to win another EMMY, and then five more while anchoring and reporting in Sacramento. When Sabrina left television journalism she used those skills to start her own video/marketing company — Luna Light Productions – in 2015. She has clients throughout the United States, and served as the media director for the CA State Fair from 2016-2019. Sabrina attributes her success to the education and hands-on experience she gained from Cal State East Bay.
William Wong ‘12, ‘15
B.A. Communication & Business Administration; MBA
Senior Contracts Analyst
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
William earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cal State East Bay and was a member of Delta Sigma Pi fraternity. He graduated in 2012 with his bachelor’s degree and began working as a project coordinator for Kaiser Permanente. He decided to further his education and returned back to graduate school to earn his MBA in 2015. He was then recruited by Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense contractor, in contracts management where he was responsible for major, multi-million dollar contracts for the U.S. Navy's Trident II D5 Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) program. Passionate about the defense & aerospace industry, William currently works at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he contributes to the lab's mission of ensuring the safety, security, and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. William also volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for Alameda County, a nationally-based organization that provides one-on-one court advocacy to abused, neglected and abandoned children who are dependents of juvenile court.