Thursday, August 18, 2016

Community College League of California Selects Prestigious Distinguished Alumni to be Honored at Annual Convention

SACRAMENTO, CA – The Community College League of California (The League) today announced the selection of the 2016 Distinguished Alumni. The awards will be presented at the League’s Annual Convention, November 17-19, at the Riverside Convention Center.

These prestigious awards honor the fine men and women whose attendance at a California Community College helped them achieve their educational and professional goals, and serve their communities. The League has recognized distinguished alumni since 1964.

“The League congratulates the winners of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award as we celebrate more than 50 years of this special recognition,” said League President and CEO Larry Galizio. “We are proud to support an awards program that both inspires and reminds us of the importance of California Community Colleges.”

About the Winners:

Diane Bryant, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Data Center Group,
Intel Corporation
American River College Alum

From ARC, Diane Bryant transferred with High Honors to UC Davis and majored in electrical engineering. She had always enjoyed solving complex problems and coming up with new ideas, which is exactly what she’s been doing since starting her career at Intel in 1985.

Bryant is passionate about seeing women move into traditionally male-dominated STEM careers. As a tireless advocate for all underrepresented groups, Bryant is the executive sponsor of the Network of Intel African American Employees, an Intel spokesperson for STEM education, and has established the Diane Bryant Endowed Scholarship for Women in Engineering at UC Davis.

Barry Cordero, Senior Program Manager – Operations Excellence, Medtronic
San Diego City College Alum

Barry Cordero’s achievement is having become the National President (now in his 4th year) of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). He spent 6 years in the Navy and developed the inner drive and focus that would allow him to succeed in an engineering career. The Navy taught him integrity, conviction and how to make visions become reality. But it was SHPE that got Barry addicted to making a difference. He joined SHPE 10 years ago at San Diego City College because it empowered him to make an impact in his community and to open people’s minds to their own potential. His experience in SHPE helped improve and develop skills that have made him a better leader.

Gaye LeBaron, Columnist, The Press Democrat
Santa Rosa Junior College Alum

Gaye LeBaron has made immeasurable contributions to the culture and history of Sonoma County as a reporter, columnist, historian, lecturer, SRJC instructor and author during her 60- year career with The Press Democrat, Sonoma County's local daily paper. Her daily column in The Press Democrat has been a “must read” for generations of Northern Californians. LeBaron’s celebration of the people, places and stories of Sonoma County has preserved the unique history of our region for future generations and continues to leave an indelible impression on the community. With over 8,000 articles published, Gaye continues to write two Sunday columns a month for paper, and she actively volunteers with SRJC.

# # #

The Community College League of California is a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a voluntary membership of the 72 local community college districts in California. The League promotes student access and success by strengthening colleges through leadership development, advocacy, policy development, and district services. For more information about the League visit www.ccleague.org.

Empty