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Abby Abinanti

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Abby Abinanti
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Abby Abinanti (‘70, Journalism) is Chief Judge for the Yurok Tribe, where she is an enrolled member. Abinanti was the first Native American woman to pass the California bar and the first Native American woman in California to become a state judge. She also serves as a Court Commissioner for the City and County of San Francisco, a position she has held for 20 years. During her career, she has taught in law schools including University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University Law School, and has delivered lectures at numerous law schools. Additionally, she served as Chief Counsel to a number of tribes and has served by appointment in various tribal courts, including Hopi and Hoopa. Known as Judge Abby throughout Indian Country, Abinanti is one of a growing number of tribal judges nationwide incorporating traditional culture into their courtrooms, with the dual aim of rehabilitating individuals and providing justice to people often failed by the regular criminal-justice system. This approach is allowing tribal courts to help realign non-tribal courts as they seek to move away from a criminal justice approach, which has increasingly proven to be unjust.View Judge Abby's Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series talk

Robert Romano

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Robert Romano
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Robert Romano (‘95, English, ‘96, M.A. English) is the co-founder and C.E.O of BookheadEd, featuring the online language arts curriculum StudySync, which develops and publishes English language arts (ELA) curricula and provides multimedia exercises, lessons, and other materials. Today over 3 million students and teachers use StudySync daily. As CEO, Romano creates the vision for the company, conceptualizing the multimedia elements, and finding unique applications of technology. He also prioritizes the focus for 100 employees—among them are academic, engineering, and marketing experts. In less than 10 years, the company has a major foothold in classrooms across the nation. Adapted to meet national educational standards and state adoptions, StudySync has become the country’s number one core ELA program. In addition to BookedEd, Romano has started four other businesses; EdVantage Software, Global Vineyard Estate, a furniture company, and a real estate company.

Richard Casale

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Richard Casale
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Richard Casale (‘75, Natural Resources Management) has spent more than four decades protecting California’s natural resources and agricultural industry. He worked for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as a district conservationist for 43 years until his retirement in 2017. Following retirement he worked as a NRCS wildfire restoration contractor, assisting California communities recover from devastating wildfires. Casale has served thousands of Californians over his career with their natural resource management needs. He has written numerous technical articles and publications including the soon to be released, “Post-Wildfire Restoration Guide” for NRCS.Casale is a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC), a certification program he co-founded 40 years ago. Today, there are over 20,000 certified CPESC professionals worldwide. He has received numerous awards including one presented to him in Washington D.C. for pioneering volunteerism in the USDA. In 2017 he was awarded a Natural Environmental Award by the California State Assembly and Lifetime Achievement Award by EnviroCert International, Inc.

Lynnette Zelezny

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Lynnette Zelezny
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Lynnette Zelezny (‘79, Psychology, ‘81, M.A. Psychology). In 2018 Zelezny made history by becoming the first woman president of California State University Bakersfield. In 2020 Zelezny was recognized as the Robert C. Maxson President of the Year by the California State Student Association (CSSA). In addition to her Psychology degrees from Humboldt State, Zelezny has earned a Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology from Claremont Graduate University and an M.B.A. with distinction from the Craig School of Business at Fresno State. She has also earned professional certificates in management from Harvard University and in executive leadership from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.Prior to joining CSU Bakersfield, Zelezny served for 30 years at Fresno State in roles that included provost, associate provost, dean and associate vice president in continuing and global education, associate dean for the campus’s Craig School of Business, and chair of the psychology department. Zelezny has served as a visiting professor at the University of Stockholm in Sweden, an American Council of Education Fellow at Towson University in Maryland, and as a Fulbright Scholar in Germany. An applied social psychologist, Zelezny has published research related to the environment, health, leadership, and student success for underrepresented students.

Heidi Moore-Guynup

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Heidi Moore-Guynup
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Heidi Moore-Guynup (’98, Psychology, ’00 M.A. Psychology) has served students, families, and communities across Humboldt County for over 30 years.  She has served as a school counselor, school psychologist, Associate Principal, Principal, Assistant Superintendent, and Superintendent and, most recently, is serving the Blue Lake Rancheria as their Director of Tribal Government and Affairs. She is motivated by the youth she has supported and worked tirelessly to improve outcomes for under-represented and marginalized youth and communities.  She is currently able to do this with her efforts in sustainable infrastructure and climate action.Heidi is a strong advocate for equity and inclusion and is intentional about uplifting others whenever and wherever possible. She is the longest-standing member of the Cal Poly Humboldt President’s Advisor Committee, having served three presidents, has served on the Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation Board, and serves on the College of Professional Studies Advisory Board as well as serves on the College of the Redwood’s President’s Advisory Team. She has also served as the co-lead for the Foundation’s Strategic Planning process, which will help guide and inform current and future Board members. In addition to these volunteer roles, she teaches part-time in Humboldt's Graduate Educational Leadership credential program and is the longest-standing faculty member.Heidi is also helping to shape a sustainable future by working on offshore wind community benefits, ecological restoration, education, and other resiliency-related efforts. Her time at Cal Poly Humboldt, first as a student and later as a faculty member and volunteer, has helped her to build and foster a network of amazingly dedicated and talented professionals for whom she is eternally grateful.

Drew Petersen

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Drew Petersen
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Drew Petersen (‘91, Physical Education) is the strength and conditioning coach for the Humboldt State athletic department. He began the strength and conditioning program at HSU in 1991 and is responsible for the design and implementation of the year round strength and conditioning program for all HSU sports. Petersen has coached 55 strength and conditioning All-Americans and mentored and developed numerous strength and conditioning coaches throughout the years, many of whom have gone on to become Division I, II and III coaches as well as a head NFL strength and conditioning coach.As a faculty member in the department of Kinesiology, Petersen teaches all of the strength fitness and weight training courses, inspiring students to incorporate concepts of health and fitness into their daily lives.Petersen is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and United States Weightlifting as a Level 1 Coach. He was recently awarded the NSCA’s CSCS-E, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Emeritus, the highest level of certification in the field with 25+ years of service. In 2015, Petersen was recognized as a finalist for the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year award at the annual National Strength and Conditioning Association convention.

Cathy Sandeen

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Cathy Sandeen
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Cathy Sandeen (‘76, Speech Communication) is the President of California State University, East Bay. Sandeen earned a Ph.D. in communications from the University of Utah and a Master of Business Administration degree from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She was named an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow in 2010-11. Prior to becoming president of CSU East Bay, Sandeen was chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage from September 2018-December 2020, and chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and UW-Extension for four years. Previously, as vice president for education attainment and innovation at the American Council on Education, she led ACE's nationwide effort to increase post-secondary educational attainment. A prolific writer and speaker, Sandeen has published and presented widely on the issues surrounding educational innovation and nontraditional students.

Jack McGurk

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Jack McGurk
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Jack McGurk (‘66, Biology) spent 30 years working in the California Department of Health Services. He served as chief of the Environmental Management Branch and oversaw eight environmental health programs, including medical waste management. Jack was crucial in developing the California Medical Waste Management Act legislation. His innovative medical waste reduction and pollution prevention program was honored with 2002, 2003, and 2004 Champion for Change Awards from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded him the 2004 Region IX Environmental Award for outstanding achievement in leading those efforts. As the owner and president of Systems Improvement Initiators, Inc., he offered expertise and guidance to businesses and hospitals to help improve operations and implement cost-effective environmental solutions. Jack assisted hospitals in reducing healthcare-acquired infections through improved cleaning techniques.Jack's commitment extends to education, as he serves as the Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation Vice Chair and created two Cal Poly Humboldt scholarship endowments for nursing and marine biology students, totaling $500,000. Inspired by his wife's battle with cancer, the nursing scholarship honors those who provided their family with exceptional care. McGurk's dedication to positively impacting Humboldt students’ lives is evident in all his endeavors.

Cassandra Hesseltine

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Cassandra Hesseltine
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Cassandra Hesseltine (‘96, Psychology) is a trailblazer in the world of film as the current Humboldt-Del Norte County Film Commissioner. Since 2010, she has been instrumental in creating temporary jobs in the region while stimulating the economy with outside dollars by assisting film productions in shooting among the redwoods.Before becoming commissioner, she spent decades working in theatre, TV, and film throughout California, gaining extensive experience in the entertainment business.Hesseltine facilitated the creation of captivating films, magazine photoshoots, print ads, TV shows, and commercials within Humboldt and Del Norte counties. She assisted in countless projects filmed in the region, like Swiss Army Man and Bird Box, and big-budget studio productions, such as A Wrinkle in Time.Hesseltine has gained respect and accolades from industry professionals within the local region she represents, the state, and worldwide.In 2015, as a Film Liaisons In California Statewide (FLICS) member, she worked to expand California’s TV and Film tax incentive program, helping California remain the top production center in the world. For three years, she served as the President of FLICS, showcasing her profound expertise and dedication. Additionally, she holds certification as a film commissioner from the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI).In 2017, she won Woman of Distinction, presented by the Kiwanis Club of Henderson Center at the Fourth Annual Women in Business Luncheon. In the fall of 2019, she was one of five finalists for Outstanding Film Commission in the world for Location Manager Guild International’s award show for her work on A Wrinkle in Time.

Michael Lynch

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Michael Lynch
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Michael Lynch (‘11, Business Administration) is a social entrepreneur and certified professional fundraiser. He is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Improve Your Tomorrow, Inc (IYT), an education nonprofit that, for the last 10 years, has worked to close the college opportunity gap and improve the life outcomes for thousands of young men of color across Northern California.After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration from Sacramento State, Michael began his career as a Senate Fellow in the California State Legislature. He quickly became a senior policy advisor for a State Assembly member, where he staffed dozens of bills, nine of which became law. Michael serves as a Governor's appointee to the Commission on California Volunteers, a Senior Fellow for the American Leadership Forum, and a Senior Fellow for the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program and the Sierra Health Foundation’s Health Leadership Program. Michael has been recognized among the top 25 Black Changemakers by the Sacramento Bee, 40 under 40 by the Sacramento Business Journal, and 100 business leaders by the Sacramento Magazine.
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