Gayle E. Hutchinson President, CSU, Chico Dear Graduating Class of 2019: On behalf of Chico State, our faculty, and staff, I congratulate you on achieving this great milestone in your life. We are proud of your accomplishments and gather with your family and friends to celebrate you and acknowledge your success. Today is your day! Walking across the stage in cap and gown is recognition of your hard work, dedication, and perseverance. The true reward is a deeper understanding of self and the world around you. You have acquired new skills and knowledge, and explored civic and social responsibilities. You have earned the honorable title of college graduate. Face each new day with confidence and move forward knowing that you are well prepared for the challenges that tomorrow may bring. Be brave! Be bold! I invite you to stay involved with the University after graduation, and encourage you to connect with the Chico State Alumni Association right away. After all, you are and always will be a member of the Chico State family. Moreover, we want to keep up with you and share your accomplishments and journeys with our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the University, whenever possible. Class of 2019, your education has prepared you well for the next phase of your life, personally and professionally. You and your peers are the innovators of tomorrow, solving problems to build a better, more just, and sustainable future. We will be proudly watching to see where your life’s journey will take you. Congratulations! Timothy P. White Chancellor, The California State University Dear Class of 2019: Today, you are in many ways different from the person you were on your first day on campus. In your time at the California State University, you have transformed from someone who learns about innovations in your field into a person fully capable of advancing those innovations. Your educational transformation was spurred by your faculty, who trained you to look at the world with a critical eye and an open mind. Their efforts were supported by the work of your counselors, advisors, librarians, tutors, and coaches. All the while, your family, friends, colleagues and loved ones kept you motivated and saw you through your academic journey. Your accomplishment today fills all of us with pride. You are now part of the 3.7 million CSU alumni who are powering California, the nation, and the world. These alumni are solving our greatest challenges, educating the next generation, fighting for equality, and creating new opportunities for economic prosperity. The word we use to commemorate an earned university degree is “commencement.” This is, of course, deliberate. Today is not an end, but rather a beginning. And as you embark upon your life’s journey, may your hard work and sacrifices pay dividends far beyond today’s celebration, both in your life and in the lives of those around you. Congratulations, California State University Class of 2019. I look forward to all that you will accomplish. 129th annual commencement • 1 Debra S. Larson Adam Day Provost and Vice President Trustee, for Academic Affairs The California State University Debra S. Larson has served as provost and vice president Adam Day is a veteran public administration and public for Academic Affairs since 2017. The division consists affairs executive with extensive experience managing of all seven academic colleges and other academic units, the delivery of municipal services, government relations, including Graduate Studies, International Education, community outreach, coalition development, and Information Resources, Meriam Library, Regional multimillion-dollar charitable and media campaigns. & Continuing Education, Research and Sponsored Today, as chief administrative officer for the Sycuan Programs, and Undergraduate Education. Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, Day helps oversee the Larson’s academic career began in 1994 after completing management, operation, and long-term strategy for her PhD in civil engineering from Arizona State more than 12 tribal government departments including University. She also holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees police, fire, medical, education, IT, and community in civil engineering from Michigan Technological development. He also directs government, public, University. Larson’s academic career was preceded by a and community relations for the Sycuan Tribe and its professional career as a civil and structural engineer in business entities. manufacturing, product development, and consulting He previously served as vice president and general within the engineered wood products industry. manager for NCG Porter Novelli, San Diego’s largest From 2011–17, Larson was dean of the College of public affairs firm, and as senior public affairs counsel Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, to industry leaders in high technology, Indian gaming, San Luis Obispo. Prior to that, she served as a member and land development. He also has nearly 12 years of of the faculty, chair, associate dean, and associate vice experience at the County of San Diego, where he helped provost during 17 years of service at Northern Arizona shape public policy at the local, state, and federal level University. with the Board of Supervisors. Larson has received significant recognition during her Community service has been his longstanding priority. career, most notably the Excellence in Civil Engineering He has served on dozens of boards and committees Education Leadership Award from the American Society including the Del Mar Fair Board, the San Diego of Civil Engineering, distinguished alumni awards from County Planning Commission, Century Club of San Arizona State University and Michigan Technological Diego, Indian Gaming Local Benefit Committee, and University, and service and leadership awards from the the San Diego County Fire Mitigation Committee. Arizona Society of Civil Engineers. Day earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from San Diego State University. He lives in Kensington with his wife and five children. 2 • california state university, chico Debra Cannon Sterling Mattoon Recipient, Recipient, Honorary Doctorate Honorary Doctorate Debra Cannon earned her BA in American studies from Sterling Mattoon earned his BS in biological sciences CSU, Chico in 1977 and graduated at the top of her from CSU, Chico in 1960, after serving in the US class. She went on to the University of Oregon School Air Force. He has dedicated his life to the collection, of Library Science and eventually returned to Chico to study, and documentation of Lepidoptera, as well as the work in Special Collections at Meriam Library. She later diminishing habitats of butterflies within the Northern held positions with Butte County Library, San Rafael California region. Public Library, and Chico Unified School District. After graduation, he was hired in 1962 as an In 1996, Cannon and her daughter, Colleen Winter, agricultural biologist with the Butte County founded Lulu’s Fashion Lounge, a boutique in Agricultural Commissioner’s office, where he would downtown Chico that honored their passion for work for the next 32 years. Over the years, Mattoon fashion, aesthetics, and culture. After starting a web and his wife, Eileen, would discover numerous sales component in 2005, Lulu’s became an online-only butterflies that had no prior scientific record. This retailer in 2008 and has grown tremendously in the last resulted in butterflies being named after them by fellow decade, recently raising $120 million in venture capital members of the Entomological Society of America, of to expand its web services. Today, Lulus has 1.7 million which Mattoon is a member. Two butterflies of note are followers on Instagram, boasts annual revenue in the euphydryus editha mattooni and speyeria cybele eileenae. hundreds of millions of dollars, and employs more than A book chronicling The Butterflies of California, 800 people. coauthored by Mattoon, is currently in development Cannon and the remarkable rise and success of her and soon will be published. In addition, he has company have been profiled in Forbes magazine, contributed to the research, documentation, and Footwear News, Medium, Digital Commerce 360, writing of 20 articles in a comprehensive text titled Business Insider, and Women’s Wear Daily. Systematics of Western North American Butterflies, In 2014, the College of Business named Cannon a published by Mariposa Press. He’s a recognized expert Distinguished Alumna, one of the University’s highest in the fields of butterfly extinction, the effects of honors. She also serves as a friend of the Janet Turner climate change on butterflies, and nuances between Print Museum and a regular speaker for the CSU, Chico different species. Center for Entrepreneurship, where she helps judge student competitions and provides advice to budding student entrepreneurs, especially our female students. She began serving on the University Foundation Board in 2015. 129th annual commencement • 3 friday, may 17, 2019—7p.m. Program College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Fanfare Fanfare for the Common Man Aaron Copeland Processional Pomp and Circumstance Second Suite Sir Edward Elgar Gustav Holst Folk Song Suite Ralph Vaugh Williams Student Marshals Drexler Acoba Alcantar Xavier Leon Elzie Welcome Debra S. Larson Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs “The Star-Spangled Banner” Jimmy Ngo Pham Health Science Remarks and Introductions Gayle E. Hutchinson President Faculty Greeting Jed Wyrik Chair, Academic Senate