1960s

Philip A. Tondreault (1968, B.A.; 1972, M.A., history; 1977, MPA) is the new Southern California regional manager for Westrec Marina Management Inc., managing Cabrillo Way Marina in San Pedro and Spinnaker Bay in Long Beach. He is also the new president of the Committee of 300, a community organization that supports local charities in the greater Long Beach area and provides volunteer support for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

1970s

John McEnulty (1970, B.A., public administration) owns Grand Canyon Caverns and Inn in Peach Springs, Ariz. “Thirteen years ago I bought this place out on Route 66,” which became an inspiration for buildings and stories for Radiator Springs in the Disney film “Cars.” Managing the tourist attraction is something “only my time at CSULB could have prepared me for,” he said.

Thomas E. Miller (1970, B.A., speech communication), a construction defect attorney for 40 years, was selected as a California Super Lawyer in the field of construction litigation for the eighth consecutive year, and is the only attorney to hold the Super Lawyer title in both the Northern and Southern California regions in construction litigation.

Joseph Probst (1970, B.A., speech communication; 1971, M.A., rhetorical studies) is a member of the Charter Oak Unified School District board and is past president and a director of the Los Angeles County School Trustees Association. The Pasadena City College professor emeritus taught public speaking for 33 years, directed its forensics program, was president of the Faculty Senate and also served as speech consultant to the Tournament of Roses queen and court.

Architectural Digest Daily AD contributor Mayer Rus reviewed Clare Graham’s (1972, B.A.; 1977, M.A., art) exhibition, “Clare Graham & MorYork: The Answer is Yes,” at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles. Graham, a former senior art director at Disneyland, is recognized for his artwork created from discarded materials.

Stephen L. Harris (1972, B.A., history) earned his elementary and secondary credentials at CSULB and worked in the ABC Unified School District for 38 years as a teacher and program coordinator and specialist, and was executive vice president of the ABC Federation of Teachers. After retiring, he was elected as a trustee of the Centralia Elementary School District in Orange County. “Having been a CSULB graduate and being born in 1949, I am a true 49er,” he said.

Aerie Pharmaceuticals named Marvin J. Garrett (1973, B.S., medical microbiology) as vice president of regulatory affairs and quality assurance for the firm, which develops and commercializes glaucoma therapies. He most recently was with Bausch + Lomb.

Tom Struble (1973, MBA) is president of the non-profit Free Flight Exotic Bird Sanctuary in Del Mar, Calif. He retired in 2010 after a 37-year career in banking, most recently serving as a technology consultant to banks in the U.S. Canada, Mexico and Europe. He still consults to the city of Carlsbad, Calif.

AtheroNova appointed Randolph M. Johnson (1974, B.S., zoology; 1978, M.A., biology) as chief operating officer for the Irvine, Calif., firm, which develops compounds to reverse atherosclerotic plaque and improve lipid profiles. He was chief of technology and vice president of research for KAI Pharmaceuticals and held executive positions at several other bioscience and medical firms.

The Cypress, Calif., Chamber of Commerce honored Timothy J. Keenan (1975, B.A., radio/TV/film) and his wife, Linda, owners of Creative Media Recording, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Tim served on the city council for eight years including two terms as mayor, is a past board member of the Orange County Transportation Authority and is on several media industry boards.

The publication Pest Management Professional selected Donald A. Reierson (1975, M.A., biology) to its 2014 Hall of Fame. He is a staff research associate at the UC Riverside Department of Entomology and is a nationally recognized expert in integrated pest management, insecticide resistance and field control strategies.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners promoted Neil D. Morrison (1976, B.A., civil engineering) to senior managing director of the Harbor Department Engineering Design and Maintenance Group. He joined the department in 2009 as director of engineering design.

Allen L. Thomas (1978, B.A., political science) was elevated to advocate in the American Board of Trial Advocates. To qualify, he has tried more than 50 jury trials. He continues to practice law in Long Beach, primarily defending public entities throughout Southern California.

Harold Noriega (1979, B.A., political science), a former Long Beach State volleyball player, won his fourth consecutive national championship at the 2014 USA Open Indoor Volleyball National Championships in Phoenix, Ariz. Noriega played for Team Western States Laguna, which won the gold medal in the Men’s 50’s Division.

1980s

Alliant Insurance Services selected Henry Beceiro (1983, B.A., broadcast journalism) as vice president of the employee benefits group for the San Diego region.

Viracor-IBT Laboratories Inc. named Mary McDonell (1983, B.S., business administration–accountancy) vice president of finance and accounting. Mary, a certified public accountant, and her husband, Scott McDonell (1983, B.S., management information systems), live in Long Beach.

Elsie Jean Rodriguez (1983, B.A., dance) is the new national sales manager for Visit Huntington Beach, the city’s tourism bureau. She has extensive marketing management experience with several major Southern California hotels.

The Ventura, Calif., City Council appointed Gregory Diaz (1984, B.A., public administration) as the new city attorney. He held the same position for Merced, Calif., and earned his J.D. degree from Western State University of Law in Fullerton.

Tanya (Campbell) Hauck (1984, B.A., recreation) is now vice president for the Office of Institutional Advancement at Mills College in Oakland, Calif. She previously was associate vice president for development at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

David W. Klaudt (1985, MBA) joined the Dallas, Texas, office of the international law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP, representing corporations and individuals in complex civil and criminal cases. The former federal prosecutor earned his J.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Herman D. Parker (1986, B.A., psychology) is the new director of the San Diego Park and Recreation Department. He was former director of community services for the County of Santa Barbara.

Donald R. McCraner (1987, B.A., research psychology) retired after serving more than 25 years as an Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputy. The former Long Beach State water polo player wrote, “When I’m not playing or coaching water polo, I’ll be spending my free time surfing in Hawaii and Costa Rica.”

Toyota North America appointed Scott C. Vazin (1987, B.S., business administration–marketing) as vice president of corporate and regional communications. He was executive vice president of Volkswagen Group Communications and earlier was with Nissan.

Robert N. (Bob) Read (1988, B.A., radio/TV/film) is a West Coast talent consultant for “The Meredith Vieira Show.” He previously was a supervising producer for “Chelsea Lately” and a co-producer of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

1990s

The California Bar Board of Trustees confirmed Curt Harrington (1990, M.S., electrical engineering) of Harrington & Harrington as chair of the California Board of Legal Specialization. He is a high-tech patent attorney and a California Board of Legal Specialization certified tax specialist. He earned his J.D. from the University of Houston School of Law, LL.M. in tax from the University of San Diego School of Law, and master’s degrees in chemical and electrical engineering, and business.

Dr. Al Peraza (1991, B.A., physical therapy) is founder of Safe Patient Solutions and developer of the ResQUp device to assist individuals who have fallen in safely getting up. He has been a physical therapist for more than 20 years and earned his DPT degree from A. T. Still University in Arizona.

Dana Jo Tate (1991, B.A., creative writing; 2010, M.A., education–reading and language arts) earned her Ed.D. degree from USC in May. She is an English teacher and strategy coach in the Garden Grove Unified School District, mentors Ed.D. students at USC and is an adjunct faculty member in CSULB’s College of Education. Tate is an expert on anti-bullying practices in K-12 and higher education and is co-authoring a book on the topic.

Jennie (Hale) Book (1994, B.A., radio/TV/film) is co-founder and principal writer at Mighty Yeti Studios (www.mightyyeti.com), a Bay Area startup that creates interactive story-book apps and e-books for children.

John Wohlfiel (1994, B.S., business administration–marketing), vice president of human resources for Fluidmaster Inc. in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., was a 2013 Human Resources Executive of the Year honoree by the National Human Resources Association and also was recognized at OneOC’s 2014 Spirit of Volunteerism Awards banquet.

2000s

Cuyamaca College in San Diego named Kate Alder (2000, BVE) as dean of career and technical education. “I am responsible for 15 occupational disciplines serving more than 25 percent of Cuyamaca’s 9,000 students. I earned my Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2013,” she said.

Amanda LaPera’s (2000, B.S., business administration–marketing) book, Losing Dad – Paranoid Schizophrenia: A Family’s Search for Hope, won a 2014 Benjamin Franklin Silver Award in the psychology category from the Independent Book Publishers Association. She donates a portion of the book’s sale proceeds to the National Alliance on Mental Illness Orange County affiliate.

Foundation Source appointed Joshua P. Stamer (2003, B.A., creative writing) as a managing director for its national business development team, focusing on financial and client services in the Southern California region. The firm provides comprehensive business services for private foundations.

Jeremy Harris (2004, B.S., criminal justice and B.A., political science) became senior vice president of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce last year after serving as president/CEO of the Garden Grove, Calif., Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife, Kellee (Parker) Harris (2002, B.A., political science) were married in 2010 and recently had their second child. She earned a J.D. from Chapman University School of Law, is owner and president of Parker Law Center, and is a part-time CSULB criminal justice faculty member.

Motown Records named Myisha Brooks (2004, B.A., film and electronic arts) as vice president of creative relations and marketing. She was vice president of publicity for Republic Records, where she created successful PR campaigns for artists including Kelly Rowland, Lorde, PSY and others.

Sarah (Vejar) Sherlock (2005, B.A., human development), a former Long Beach State women’s water polo player, earned her Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction at the University of South Dakota in May. She also holds an M.Ed. from National University.

Marisela Cervantes (2006, MPA) is the new director of Community Partnerships at the CSU Office of the Chancellor, where she leads efforts to improve college preparation and graduation rates of students from under- served communities. She came from the Los Angeles Unified School District, where she was involved in student achievement improvement initiatives.

Two alumni recently became police chiefs. Former La Habra, Calif., police Capt. Jeff M. Kepley (2006, B.S., occupational studies; 2011, M.S., emergency services administration) is the new chief of the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department, while the city of Los Gatos, Calif., promoted Capt. Matt E. Frisby (2008, M.S., emergency services administration) to chief of the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department after 21 years with the agency.

Chadwick R. Meyer (2006, B.S., engineering technology) is co-founder and executive director of Sharefest Community Development Inc., which serves families and children in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County through education and mentoring programs.

Fraser Kersey (2007, B.S., business administration–operations management) is co-founder and chief financial officer of Channel Islands Outfitters in Santa Barbara. The kayak tour company is a certified B corporation that integrates social and environmental responsibility into its profit-making operations.

Matthew LaBar (2008, B.A., English and B.S., mathematics), proprietor of Scalar Manufacturing, announced that his Los Angeles printed circuit board engineering firm now represents Bay Area Circuits in the Los Angeles area.

Cristina Smith (2008, M.A., English) completed her Ph.D. in June and now is a faculty member in women’s studies at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Laura Stern (2011, B.A., theatre arts) is a figure skater and actress performing in the international touring show Disney on Ice.

President Barack Obama nominated Mui Lian Cheun (2012, MPA), executive director of the organization Khmer Girls in Action, to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Joshua Hoh (2013, B.A., film and electronic arts) received the 2014 Best Student Film award at the Long Beach Indie Film Festival for “Steven Spielberg and the Return to Film School,” which Hoh wrote and directed in homage to the director’s accomplishments. “Along with the help of over 100 CSULB film, music, theater and art students, [the film is] based on the true story of Steven Spielberg’s return to our university to finish college after 30 years.” The film has won honors at the CSU Media Arts Festival and Los Angeles Reel Film Festival.

Marriages

Alaina Marshall (2005, B.S., business administration–management) and Aaron Vogel were married June 14 at the Gardens at Heather Farm in Walnut Creek, Calif. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and he is a public transportation manager.

In Memoriam

David E. Borkenhagen (1957, B.A.; 1958, M.A., music) died June 6 in Huntington Beach. He was an instrumental music teacher in the Huntington Beach City School District and a life member in Locals 7, 47 and 353 of the American Federation of Musicians.

Robert Browning (1985, M.A., theatre arts) died Sept. 11 at age 67 in Long Beach. He taught theatre classes in Long Beach Unified School District from 1986 to 2010 and also was an adjunct CSULB theatre faculty member.

Richard H. Huber (1969, B.A., political science) died Dec. 5, 2012, in San Diego at age 66. He retired from the Los Angeles County Children’s Services and Probation departments and later owned a travel agency in Long Beach.

Marina Krause, professor of teacher education, died in May. She joined the campus in 1968 and was area coordinator for Teaching and Learning Mathematics, K-8, for 46 years, as well as serving as the College of Education interim associate dean in 1984.

Mohamed E. Moustafa, former professor of business administration–accountancy, died April 20. He joined the campus in 1969 and later became dean of the College of Business at Cal State San Marcos in 2000.

Arnold T. Schwab, professor emeritus, English, died July 1 in Westminster, Calif., at age 92. He joined the campus in 1961 and became emeritus in 1980.

Robert Thayer, professor of psychology, died in August at age 78. He joined the campus in 1963 and was a renowned expert in mood.

Ernest Dewayne Wolfe, director of facilities management from 1984 to 2003, died Aug. 21 in Utah at age 62.

Send your alumni news to beachmag@csulb.edu or call 562.985.2582