Celebrating Black alumni

Among the hundreds of thousands of Sacramento State graduates are countless Black alumni who are making a positive impact in their community, region and the world.

During Black History Month, we highlight some of these alums – Hornets who are excelling in a variety of fields, often making history while doing so, and defining what it means to be Made at Sac State.

Lester Holt
Anchor, NBC Nightly News

Lester Holt came to Sacramento State to study Government and got his first taste of journalism while on campus. The University, he says, “set me off into the world.” Today, he is one of the world’s most respected broadcast journalists. In 2015, NBC named Holt anchor of NBC Nightly News, making him the first Black full-time anchor of a weekday nightly newscast. That same year, he received his honorary doctorate from his alma mater. Read more.

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Nicholas Haystings
Founder, Square Root Academy

Nicholas Haystings was the only person of color at all but one of the jobs he held after graduating from Sac State with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. If things were going to change, he knew a fundamental shift in education was needed. In 2016, he launched Square Root Academy, a nonprofit that provides STEM-based education and experiences to underrepresented fifth- through 12th-graders, all at no cost to the participants. In 2019, he was named among the Sacramento Business Journal’s“40 Under 40” young professionals. Read more.

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Elaine Welteroth
Best-selling author, journalist and television host

As a biracial woman, Elaine Welteroth rarely saw herself reflected in popular culture or the media. During her career as a journalist, author and TV host – often as the only woman of color in the room – she has worked to change that. As the groundbreaking editor of Teen Vogue, she amplified voices of color and built a more inclusive publication. Her best-selling book, More than Enough, offers lessons from her journey for future generations of girls and women. And as a judge on Project Runway and now co-host of The Talk, she’s helping change the face of television. Read more.

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Daniel Hahn
Sacramento chief of police

When Sacramento swears in a new police chief, it’s typically done at city hall. Daniel Hahn, however, chose to have his ceremony at a place near and dear to his heart: Sacramento State. It is where he earned a Marketing degree in 1995 while also serving as a Sacramento police officer. More than 20 years later, a crowd of more than 1,000 gathered in the University Union Ballroom to watch the Oak Park neighborhood native sworn in as the city’s first Black police chief. Read more.

Legislative director says a ‘promise to myself’ motivated her to earn Sac State degree

Tara McGee-Visger ’14 (Psychology) was enrolled at Sacramento City College when she became pregnant with her son. At the time, she had a good, full-time job as an office assistant at the State Capitol. Her family told her to focus on being a mom for a while. But she had other plans. 

“I made a promise to myself that I wanted to have that degree and to have a continued education so I could be a great role model for my son, and to express the importance of education to him,” she said. 

Today, McGee-Visger is a legislative director for state Senator Anthony J. Portantino, playing a major role at the State Capitol helping draft new legislation, analyzing pending legislation and serving as one of the senator’s community liaisons. It’s a job in which, she says, her Sacramento State psychology degree is immensely helpful. 

The path to that degree, however, wasn’t easy. After earning her associate’s degree, she transferred to Sacramento State, a single mom still working full time. She arrived on campus at 7 a.m. and stayed until about 8:30, when she would leave for her job. After working 9 to 5, she returned to Sac State, often staying until 10 p.m. 

“I spent time at the library between classes,” she said. “It was my free time to not focus on work or family. It was more of me being self-isolated, me really zoning in to meditation or reflection.” 

She took as many online courses as possible, and enrolled in every summer and winter session. And her persistence paid off when she graduated in two years. She was the first person in her immediate family to earn a four-year degree, but her extended family has deep roots at the University. Her husband Shawn played baseball at Sac State, and her father-in-law was a football coach. Her sister started at Sac State before moving on to beauty school, and her sister’s husband is a Hornet alum. 

Throughout her time on campus, McGee-Visger said, she received support from both her family and her Sacramento State professors. The latter, she said, were understanding and flexible, allowing extra time for assignments if needed and making themselves available if she was having difficulty with course material.  

“Sac State really helped me become organized,” she said. “(My faculty) helped me to become a great writer. In a political career you have to be able to write and comprehend, and I think they really prepared me for that.” 

She had intended to become a child school counselor. But throughout her time on campus she continued to work at the State Capitol as an executive assistant and legislative aide for state Assemblyman Isadore Hall III. Realizing it was a place where she could make a difference in her community, she decided to stay in the world of politics. 

Tara McGee, center, serves as the legislative director for state Senator Anthony Portantino, left, advising him on issues such as education and health care.

“In 2018, the governor signed two of the bill ideas that I gave to my senator,” she said. “Having that voice and that say and it becoming law really has been rewarding.” 

The first bill, modeled after a school district in Arizona, required a suicide hotline number be included on the back of every student ID card in the state. The second raised the legal age to purchase any gun, not just handguns, to 21. 

McGee-Visger also staffs Portantino on health and education issues, introducing 23 bills this year, though that number had to be trimmed back following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I take a lot of what I learned from my degree into my workplace now in politics,” she said. “It’s helped me work on a lot of and create a lot of mental health related issue bills.” 

As she works, her motivation is the same thing that helped her persist to a Sacramento State degree in the first place: her son. 

“He makes me strive to be a better person, and to create goals for myself and to lead and be kind and mentor,” she said. “He teaches me more than he knows.” 

Eleven Sacramento State alumni make annual ’40 Under 40′ list

Every year, the Sacramento Business Journal honors the “40 Under 40” – a group of young Sacramento professionals who are making their mark on the region. And every year, Sacramento State alumni make up a significant portion of the list.

This year is no exception: 11 Sacramento State alumni have been named to the 2019 “40 Under 40” list, a testament to the tremendous impact Hornet alums have throughout Sacramento and beyond. They and their fellow recipients will be honored formally at an event in November.

The full list was announced Sept. 30 on the Business Journal’s website. This year’s Hornets included on the “40 Under 40” roster are:

• Maggie Bender ’11 MBA, president, Bender Insurance Solutions.
• Tiffanie Berkhalter ’04 (Business Administration), VSP Ventures chief operating officer, VSP Global.
• Jita Buno ’13 MBA, director, Supply Chain Management, UC Davis Health.
• Matt Ceccato ’11 (Communication Studies), district director, Congressman Ami Bera.
• Sarah Correa ’03 (Criminal Justice), corporate sales and marketing manager, Westervelt Ecological Services.
• Jessica Cruz ’04 (Communication Studies – Media Communications), CEO, National Alliance on Mental Health in California.
• Lindsey Goodwin MA ’10 (Government), vice president of public affairs, Randle Communications.
• Joseph Hernandez ’16 MBA, director of client relations, Premier Healthcare Services.
• Lorena Martinez ’07 (Accountancy), owner, The Colour Bar.
• Chelsea Minor ’15 MBA, corporate director, Consumer and Public Affairs, Raley’s.
• Amber Rosen ’06 (Communication Studies – Public Relations), founder and program director, Breakroom Fitness.

A 12th individual, attorney Adrian Carpenter, is not an alum but participated in Sacramento State’s Capital Fellows Program.

“These young professionals, through their hard work, talent and leadership, are helping drive Sacramento’s economy forward. Moreover, they’re making the region a better place to live by supporting worthy causes,” the Business Journal writes. “By way of example, they’re leading the way for future generations of business leaders.”

The strong presence of Sacramento State alumni on the list continues a trend. Last year, 12 alumni were included in the “40 Under 40.” Nine alums were recognized in 2017 and in 2016, and a record 12 Hornets made the list in 2015.

The full list can be found on the Sacramento Business Journal website. (subscription required).