The awardees for 2009 were:
College of Arts and Letters
Brian F. Mooney, AICP
Brian Mooney (’75, anthropology), AICP, is President and Managing Principal of the Mooney Consulting Group, currently serving as Interim Director of Planning and Community Development for the City of Del Mar. He is an award-winning urban, regional, and environmental planner whose work has influenced land use in communities throughout Southern California.
College of Business Administration
Stephen Coslik
Stephen Coslik (’71, finance), chairman and CEO of The Woodmont Company, is a nationally recognized leader in the commercial development field. A member of the College of Business Administration’s board of directors, he is also a founding member of the College’s Real Estate Advisory Board. His leadership was instrumental in launching the SDSU Alumni Association’s Dallas/Fort Worth Aztecs alumni chapter.
College of Education
Maribel S. Guillermo, Ed.D.
Maribel S. Guillermo (’91, rehabilitation counseling), Ed.D., focuses primarily on underserved and underrepresented populations in her role as an adjunct faculty member and project coordinator for the SDSU Research Foundation. Her innovations and pioneering work in online instruction have enhanced opportunities for a broad range of communities through which she promotes disability awareness and diversity.
College of Engineering
Michael R. Niggli
Michael R. Niggli (’74 electrical engineering) is widely acclaimed in the power engineering field as a leader and expert in the electric and gas industries. As Chief Operating Officer at San Diego Gas & Electric, he develops and implements energy policies that will ensure continuous and adequate power for San Diego and the surrounding region well into the future.
College of Health and Human Services
Judy E. Davidson, DNP, RN, CNS, FCCM
Judy E. Davidson (’90, nursing), DNP, RN, CNS, FCCM, is Director of Advanced Practice Nursing and Research at Scripps Mercy Hospital. With a national reputation in critical care nursing, she has helped establish clinical practice guidelines for family presence in critical care, received numerous awards for her contributions to the field of nursing, and has been published extensively in leading medical and nursing journals.
College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
Larry Thomas
Larry Thomas (’70, journalism) is a communications professional whose career has included positions as a print and broadcast reporter, a political press secretary and advisor to government leaders from San Diego and Sacramento to Washington, D.C., and a senior corporate communications executive. His award-winning work as a journalist and public relations practitioner has been broadly respected for four decades.
College of Sciences
Janet Collins, Ph.D.
Janet Collins (’75, psychology; ’77, clinical psychology), Ph.D., serves as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Managing one of the largest National Centers at CDC, she oversees an annual $1 billion budget and 1,000 employees dedicated to promoting well-being, preventing chronic disease, and achieving health equity.
Library and Information Access
Alberto H. Urista, Ph.D. (aka ALURISTA)
Alberto H. Urista, Ph.D. (’70, psychology), known by the penname Alurista, is a leading literary figure of the Chicano Movement era with an international reputation as a poet, theorist, and teacher of Chicano cultural nationalism. Lauded for his development of poetry fashioned from a blend of Spanish, English, and pre-Columbian languages, he played a prominent role in introducing Chicano studies into U.S. universities.
SDSU Imperial Valley
Sandra Tauler
Sandra Tauler (’87, liberal studies), Arts and Culture Director for the City of Calexico, is known for building community partnerships and leveraging resources to deliver city programs through the library, recreation, and cultural arts. A driving force behind restoration of the city’s historic Carnegie Library, she is also credited with expanding outreach efforts and tailoring library services to meet the needs of Spanish speakers.
Distinguished Alumni Service Award
Bill Trumpfheller
Bill Trumpfheller (’87, journalism), president of the public relations firm Nuffer, Smith, Tucker, Inc., is a consensus-building visionary who twice served as president of the SDSU Alumni Association. In his first term he was instrumental in developing a strategic plan for a proposed on-campus alumni facility that culminated during his second term with last year’s groundbreaking for the new Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center.
Distinguished University Service Award
Joyce Gattas, Dean
Dean Joyce M. Gattas has led a transformation of the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts by attracting private philanthropy and establishing new programs such as the nationally regarded School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. She has also served the university through her active and visible roles in the community, chairing important arts, tourism and other professional organizations.