business

BUSINESS
	Gene Benedetti is founder and Chairman of the Board of Clover Stornetta Farms. Benedetti and his family are well-known for their philanthropic efforts in the community and their work on education issues affecting youth. He received the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree in 1995.
	Julie Brinkerhoff-Jacobs, (B.A., 1976) is president and CFO of Lifescapes International Inc. This is a leading landscape architectual firm in Newport Beach, CA. Jacobs also devotes her time to serving on the executive committee for the board of directors of HomeAid America as vice president of strategic planning. She is also the recipient of numerous professional awards including Orange County Business Woman of the Year.
	Herb Dwight is a retired chairman and CEO of Optical Coating Laboratories (OCLI) and three companies in Silicon Valley and North Bay region. He also served as Chair of American Electronics Association and has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of Community Foundation Sonoma County. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree in 2001.
	Gary Farrell is founder and winemaker of Gary Farrell Wines. Farrell is an award-winning winemaker who has achieved a national reputation for his excellent pinot noir and chardonnay wines, produced mainly from grapes grown in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County.
	Jim Ford (M.A., Management, 1979) is a principal of The Fifth Resource, Inc., a Cotati firm committed to assisting businesses grow in Sonoma and Napa counties. He has been an active community volunteer and supports many causes. As board chair and advocate for the partnership between the Rancho Adobe Fire District and Sonoma State University, he was instrumental in the development of a FEMA grant for more than $300,000 to replace breathing apparatus and other necessary equipment. Jim was president of the SSU Alumni Association from 2000 to 2001 and is currently the chair of the Association's campus enhancement committee. He conceived and dedicated the Alumni Grove, Alumni Amphitheater and Alumni Brick Path on campus. Jim was chosen as a Distinguished Alumna in 2004.
	Larry J. Frederick, (B.A., 1988) is founder of AFV & Associates, a marketing consultancy. He was the organizer of the 1996 “Life Across America” transcontinental bicycle ride for American Association of Blood Banks and recipient of AABC “Presidents Award” for extraordinary public service. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998.
	Donald Green is founder of three companies: Digital Telephone Systems, Optilink Corp, and Advanced Fiber Communications. He and his wife Maureen sang in the University's Bach Choir. Their love of music resulted in a $10 million gift toward the Green Music Center. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 1998.
	Donald Herriott, (B.S., 1972) is president and general manager of Roche Carolina, Inc., a company that develops new pharmaceuticals. Herriott has served on several boards and is the chair of the 2,600 member South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. In 2001 he was named Business Person of the Year by the South Carolina Career Guidance and Placement Association. Herriott was granted the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2003.
	Garrett Hill, (B.S., 1994) is president and founder of Advanced Projects International, a Petaluma based global network engineering company that specializes in broadband, wireless, satellite and LAN communications.
	Anne M. Lieberman, (B.A., 1968) is a retired financial adviser, selected by Worth magazine as one of the 250 top advisers in the U.S. Author of Mastering Money. She worked as a Senior Educational Consultant for the National Endowment for Financial Education and was granted the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1989.
	Edward “Jeff” Marcus, (B.A., 1974) is the marketing director at Biddulph Chevrolet, a multi-line auto dealership. Marcus has combined his interests and media resources to increase the efforts of community groups. He focused his efforts on Sonoma County community newspapers and publications, developing programs which provided non-profit organizations with greater access to mass media resources. In 1985, Marcus created the Sonoma County Holiday Spirit Drive, which collected food for emergency relief agencies. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1991.
	Ellen Masland-Salyer was partner in CPA firm Zainer Rinehart Clarke. Masland held many leadership roles on boards such as Social Advocates for Youth, United Way, and the Luther Burbank Center. She was a member of the first class of Leadership Santa Rosa and served on the board for nine years. Aside from her family and career, Masland said that making a positive difference in the community was extremely important to her. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1994. (Deceased).
	Evert Person, was the former owner-publisher of Santa Rosa Press Democrat. He and his wife Norma are longtime patrons of the arts and education, especially supporting programs that provide opportunities for youth. Evert Person previously established a $3 million endowment for the performing arts at Sonoma State University, and the 475-seat Evert B. Person Theatre on the campus is named in his honor. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 1993.
	Cynthia Riggs, (B.A., 1978) is owner and founder of “Making It Big”, a multimillion dollar retail and catalog business of natural fiber clothing for large and super size women. She was granted the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000.
	Richard Rose, (B.A., 1989) is founder and president of Rella Good Cheese Company, a food product development and marketing firm, and HempNut Inc., a food company specializing in researching, developing and marketing hempseed foods. He was granted the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000.
	David Schoch, (B.S., 1993) is the Country Manager of Czech and Slovak Republics Global TeleSystems.
	Jacques Schlumberger, (B.A., 1982) is president and managing partner of Michel-Schlumberger Wines.
	Brad Seligman (B.A., English, 1975) is a civil right attorney specializing in class action litigation. He is executive director of The Impact Fund that provides financial and technical assistance and representation for complex public interest litgation. He tried and then settled the third largest sex discrimination class action recovery in history ($107 million) and settled the first major challenge to the use of psychological testing by a private employer. He taught employment discrimination law at Hastings College of the Law and Golden Gate University law School. He is a 1978 graduate of Hastings College of the Law and was a teaching fellow at Stanford Law School.
	Ed Stolman is the founder and manager of The Olive Press, past president and chairman of the Federation of American Hospitals, and developed the Dove ice cream bar. He played a central role in the creation of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Sonoma State University and continues to be a strong advocate and leader in the program. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2003.
	Henry Trione is the former owner of Geyser Peak Winery; founder and past president of Sonoma Mortgage Corporation. He is Chairman Emeritus of the California State Park Foundation. In 1997, Henry received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.
	Michael Troy is founder and former President/CEO of KnowledgePoint, a software company he established in 1987. Before this, Troy was a principal partner and Vice President of Native Sun Energy Systems. Troy has dedicated himself to creating a workplace where people are able to align personal and professional goals in the process of building a fast-growing company. Several awards will atest to this, like the prestigious Excellence in Software Award from the Software Publishers Association. Troy received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1997.
	Toby Tyler, (B.A., 1988) is an economist and the director of business development at PG&E, and also created and maintains Sonoma County Economic Forecast and the Sonoma County Indexes and Leading Coincident Indicators. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001.