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Cal State ������Ƶ has bestowed the Distinguished Alumni Award, the campus’ top honor for alumni, to seven honorees who have made names for themselves in a wide range of professional and service endeavors.

“My time at ������Ƶwas important to helping me develop my wings,” honoree Felton C. Williams ‘72, ’75 said while accepting his award. “I can honestly say I received an excellent preparation in developing my administrative and academic skills.”

Williams was one of seven luminaries honored during a March 20 dinner at the Anna W. Ngai Alumni Center’s courtyard. There, under a clear azure sky on the first evening of spring, honorees gathered with friends and family to celebrate their places in ������Ƶhistory.

“I think it’s the best test of our university, ‘How are our alumni doing?’” ������ƵPresident Jane Close Conoley said during the ceremony. “In that way, ������Ƶ State University is truly elite.”

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The honorees each earned degrees from different academic colleges and, accordingly, their accomplishments show how Beach alumni can soar in different fields. Award winners also expressed gratitude for how ������Ƶcontributed to their lives.

Honoree Monica Schmidt-Mitchell ‘95 thanked the late Steve Hubbert, a faculty member who taught her production management class. Another honoree, Adriene “Alex” Davis ‘01, ‘13 said after the event that when she attended ������Ƶshe was a nontraditional student — married, raising children and working a full-time job. Thankfully, other students contributed to a welcoming environment, she said.

“That was the camaraderie that helped get me across the finish line,” Davis said.

Multiple honorees also expressed their pride in coming to The Beach as first-generation students. ������Ƶis well-known for fostering social mobility.

“I’m proud to be here, but I’m more proud of the students of Cal State ������Ƶ,” honoree Michael Anastasi ‘01 said after the ceremony. “They’re the future of California. They’re future leaders. They’ve had nothing handed to them and, as a consequence, they have a superpower, and that superpower is grit and determination.”

The 2025 Distinguished Alumni

College of the Arts – Monica Schmidt-Mitchell ‘95 is executive producer for animated series “Rick and Morty” and was part of the team that put “South Park” on the air during its debut season. Schmidt-Mitchell has worked on several additional animated programs including “Ask the StoryBots” and “Bojack Horseman,” was part of a group that won an Emmy for “Mickey Mouse (Shorts).” She is an adjunct faculty member at USC and a member of CSULB’s Department of Cinematic Arts Industry Advisory Board.

College of Business – Felton C. Williams ‘72, ‘75 earned his bachelor’s degree and Master of Business Administration before holding administrative posts here, at Cal State Dominguez Hills and at ������Ƶ City College. He earned a Claremont Graduate University doctorate, was elected to multiple terms on ������Ƶ Unified School District’s board and, in 2024, received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden. Williams has also served with Leadership ������Ƶ and the NAACP.

College of Education – Adriene “Alex” Davis ‘01, ‘13 earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an Educational Doctorate in Organizational Leadership. She has served in leadership roles focused on workforce development for the Los Angeles and Rancho Santiago community college districts, as well as a consortium of community colleges in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Davis is now a program director for the Southern California Apprenticeship Network and a member of the California Commission on Aging.

College of Engineering – Michael Fitzpatrick ‘92 is a former President’s Scholar and computer engineering major. A cybersecurity and information technology expert, he has worked with several major companies and was part of Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s team for the Mars Global Surveyor Mission. Fitzpatrick is now a senior information security professional for Edwards Lifesciences.

College of Health and Human Services – John R. Ohanesian ‘80 has had a successful business career in the hair restoration industry as chief executive and president for Bosley and later, for Aderans Research Institute. He served as senior vice president of medical services for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games and is now president and chief executive of Lear Capital, which deals in gold and silver coins, and chief strategic officer for Theradome, Inc., a medical device firm.

College of Liberal Arts – Michael Anastasi ‘01 is a former editor-in-chief of the Daily 49er and now senior vice president of local news for Gannett/USA Today Network. Anastasi was vice president and executive editor of the Los Angeles News Group when one of its publications, the Daily Breeze, won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Local Reporting. He is a member of the Department of Journalism & Public Relations Advisory Board and established the Michael and Julie Anastasi Endowed Award in Journalism for ������Ƶstudents.

College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics – Gregory Lowell Whitaker ‘90 is an anesthesiologist who majored in biochemistry before earning doctorates in podiatric and osteopathic medicine and then completing a post-graduate residency in anesthesiology. Whitaker served with U.S. Army Medical Corps trauma resuscitation teams in Iraq and worked at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whitaker is now a consultant anesthesiologist for Greater Anesthesia Solutions.