This year, five of the accomplished women recognized by the Sacramento Business Journal as “Women Who Mean Business” also are “Made at Sac State.” From healthcare to education, finance to photography and youth empowerment, these women make an impact in our region.
Tia Gemmell ’76, owner, Riverview Media Photography.
Bindu Jaduram ’00, regional manager, Vice President, Tri Counties Bank.
Jenni Murphy, Ed.D. ’12, dean, College of Continuing Education, Sacramento State.
Sandy Sharon ’87, MBA ’96, senior vice president and area manager, Kaiser Permanente – Sacramento.
Lisa Wrightsman ’05, managing director, Street Soccer USA.
More on these individuals and the complete “Women Who Mean Business” list can be found on the Sacramento Business Journal website (subscription required).
The University again has a significant number of alumni being honored for their professional contributions to the region.
By Cynthia Hubert
They are Made At Sac State, and they are making a difference in their communities, even during a year that has been upended by a global pandemic.
This year, 12 young professionals who are Sacramento State graduates have been named to the Sacramento Business Journal’s annual “40 Under 40” list, an elite group recognized for their contributions to the region and beyond. Winners were selected by former “40 Under 40” honorees based on their professional achievements, vision, and leadership qualities, among other considerations.
Sac State’s College of Business Administration is a major sponsor of “40 Under 40,” and Dean William Cordeiro was among the speakers when the University’s alums and their fellow award recipients were honored in a virtual ceremony.
The following Hornet alums have been named to the “40 Under 40” list for 2020:
Aaron J. Davis ’14 (Biological Sciences), CEO, Concrete Landscape Services
Roshaun L. Davis ’08 (Journalism), CEO, Unseen Heroes
Keith R. Glen ’06 (Accountancy), Shareholder, Gilbert CPAs
Mariana Corona Sabeniano ’06 (Government), Chief of Staff, California State Assembly
Kristy Prince ’06 (Communication Studies/Public Relations), Senior Program Manager, Amazon, Inc.
Kamaldeep (K-deep) S. Dhaliwal ’04 (Accountancy), Partner, Moss Adams LLP
Xóchitl Rodriguez Murillo MA ’13 (Spanish), Councilmember, City of Woodland
Chantel M. Elder ’09 (Marketing), Owner/Photographer, Eleakis & Elder Photography
Grant R. Guerrieri ’10 (Civil Engineering), Senior Project Manager, Clark Pacific
Nkiruka C. Ohaegbu Executive MBA ’14, Business Loan Specialist, U.S. Small Business Administration
Kevin D. McAllister ’05 (Liberal Studies), Executive Director, Meals on Wheels by ACC
John W. Whitfield ’05 (Finance), Senior Business Development Executive, Moss Adams LLP
A current MBA for Executives student, Lydia Ramirez, also was selected. Ramirez is senior vice president and director of operations for Five Star Bank.
Sac State’s representation on the list attests to the University’s positive impact on the region, Cordeiro said.
“We are very proud to be an ongoing Gold Level sponsor of the Sacramento Business Journal’s ‘40 Under 40’ awards,” Cordeiro said. “The number of honorees from Sacramento State and from the College of Business Administration demonstrates the critical role that quality education plays in developing the outstanding young professionals working across industries in our community.”
Sac State alumna Elaine Welteroth talks about her first foray into journalism in a New York Times interview.
The teen magazine famous for dishing out fashion and makeover advice is enjoying a historic facelift of its own. Editor-in-Chief Elaine Welteroth ’07 (Communication Studies) is the force behind Teen Vogue’s transformation into a modern voice for an empathetic and engaged generation of readers.
Under Welteroth’s editorial direction, current issues of the magazine include fewer stories on fashion, beauty and style, and more on the progressive politics and social issues that impact and resonate with today’s diverse, digitally connected audience.
In a recent New York Times interview, Welteroth shares thoughts about her first foray into journalism and lauds a Sac State class that she says “changed her life.”
According to the article, the professor promised that any student who could get published in a national magazine would receive an automatic A. Welteroth pitched a story about plus-size footwear to Figure, a magazine for plus-size women, and her pitch was accepted.
Before her last semester of college, Welteroth interned at an international advertising agency, where she reportedly told a fellow intern that she’d rather be working at a magazine and showed him one of her stories from Figure. The other intern questioned whether her articles were real journalism, to which she replied, “I remember staying up for an hour and a half debating this man to the ground, telling him that beauty and fashion journalism is journalism.”
The editor-in-chief followed her heart and passion to become the second African American in Condé Nast’s 108-year publishing history to hold such a title and the youngest in Condé Nast history to become editor.
While content on the magazine’s robust website still includes articles on adolescent angst and celebrity crushes, the first navigation bar now reads “News and Politics,” a nod to Welteroth’s determination to move the needle on what’s considered news for teens.
“I felt like there was an opportunity to go a little deeper and to feature a different type of girl: someone who actually used their platform to be a role model and to be a thought leader. There was something shifting in the zeitgeist,” she told the New York Times. She added, “Teen Vogue has as much right to be at the table, talking about politics, as every young woman does in America right now.”
Welteroth was previously editor at Teen Vogue, which she joined in 2012 as beauty and health director. Before that, she was the senior beauty editor at Glamour, and worked as the beauty and style editor at Ebony magazine. – Anita Fitzhugh
Made at Sac State 