Eight HHD Friends and Alumni Among Those Honored by CSUN
Read about the 2019 Volunteer Service Awards event in CSUN Today.
The content below has been edited and customized for HHD from the 2019 Volunteer Service Awards event program.
The CSUN Volunteer Service Awards recognize those who strengthen CSUN through their generosity as volunteers and donors to help all of us work together for student success. Eight champions of HHD were represented at the most recent VSA event.
University Awards:
Myra Cohen was a Registered Dietician before she retired, and CSUN has been a big part of her life. Long ago, she came to CSUN to enroll her children in university programs, but later, she would become deeply involved with the College of Health and Human Development. Since 2016, Cohen has been a member of the HHD Dean's Circle, serving as a highly valued ambassador for the college. She was part of the 25th Anniversary event committee for the Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics in 2016 and is currently volunteering with the college on a soon to be announced HHD event.
Mai Narasaki-Jara (BS '03) (MS '06) (EdD '18) has three degrees from CSUN: one in Athletic Training (degree program offered through Kinesiology), a Master's in Kinesiology specializing in adapted physical activity, and a doctorate in Education. She is a lecturer and the director of the Aquatics Program in the Brown Center at the Center of Achievement Through Adapted Physical Activity. She teaches Kinesiology students the principles of adapted physical activity through the student service-learning program at the Center of Achievement and she is currently in her third season as a volunteer assistant coach with the Matador Tennis Program.
Alumni Chapter Awards
Elsa Alzamora-Detwiler ('02) earned her bachelor's degree in [then] Child Development in 2002 and as a member of the Alumni Association has been an invaluable contributor to the Child and Adolescent Development Alumni Chapter, serving for the past four years as a chapter board member. She has helped guide the chapter in decision making and planning. For years, she has participated in chapter events, including mentorship and career events as well as scholarship celebrations. She also serves as the fundraising chair for the chapter. She has generously and consistently sponsored the Alzamora-Detweiler Scholarship at CSUN. She and her husband established the scholarship to benefit students in the department. She works as a bilingual consumer services coordinator at the North Los Angeles County Regional Center and has donated to the CSUN Food Pantry. "Ever since I arrived in this country when I was 19 years old, I dreamed about attending CSUN. I was given the opportunity to attend and to have an excellent education that has been recognized in my employments since I graduated," she said.
Kristin Kleban (MS '15) As a Speech-Language Pathologist, Kleban has the opportunity to impact lives every day. To her, that's a gift. She said CSUN is a significant reason that she is in this position, and because of that, she has enthusiastically volunteered for the Communication Disorders and Sciences alumni chapter since earning her master's degree in 2015. Kleban has worked behind the scenes to elevate the chapter by helping organize and secure sponsorship for its signature events, such as the Recognizing Merit Awards Celebration, the California Speech Language Hearing Association CSUN Alumni Luncheon and the chapter's speed mentoring event. Kleban is a speech-language pathologist for a preschool in Westlake Village and has a private practice called Communicate. "I wanted to give back to CSUN because I love my job so much," Kleban said. "Every time I see faculty member Sherry Foldvary or Rosie Quezada. I thank them profusely. CSUN changed my life. My life is so much more purposeful. I get to help non-verbal children communicate."
Robert Montgomery (BS '80, MS '81, MPA '86) earned a bachelor's and master's degree in Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) and a Master of Public Administration from CSUN. He has been an impactful member of the EOH Alumni Chapter for more than 15 years. During this time, he has participated in the annual speed mentoring event, the guest speaker series, and the annual technical symposium series. For the past three years, his company has been the authorized accreditation agency for Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) continuing education contact hours for the EOH alumni chapter's technical symposium. These activities bring the students and the professional community together to learn about emerging environmental health and safety issues and to share what is happening in the profession. He is a California licensed private investigator and a registered environmental health specialist. For the past 13 years, he has served as the chief investigator/trainer for Montgomery Investigations, an international investigation and health and safety consulting and training company. Prior to that, he served as the environmental/safety manager for the City of Oxnard Wastewater Division.
Katherine McNamara is Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) faculty and co-chair of the EOH Technical Symposium at CSUN. She has helped the chapter recruit high-profile speakers, including the former head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). She has transformed graduate research design and methodology course at CSUN into a service-learning opportunity and facilitated community-based research projects with local non-profits and regulatory agencies. Students were given opportunities to present findings to partner organizations, participate in campus research conference,s and prepare manuscripts for peer reviewed journals. She was awarded a CSUN Office of Community Engagement Faculty Engaged Grant for academic year 2018-19. Her students' project assessing community exposures to heavy metals from scrap metal recycling won first place for graduate research at CSUN's annual Research and Service Learning Symposium. She developed a faculty-survey for the college and serves as a mentor for students. She represents CSUN through the Community Advisory Group for the Aliso Canyon Disaster Health Research Study and is currently the chair of the Social Concerns Committee within the American Industrial Hygiene Association, where she organizes conference programs that highlight explsures to vulnerable workers. She organizes the annual Upton Sinclair Award for occupational health journalism.
Wendy Fragosa ('89) has been an active member of the Radiologic Sciences Alumni chapter in Health Sciences since the beginning of the decade. An alumna who earned her BS in Radiologic Technology, Fragosa became involved in the chapter as a thank you to CSUN for opening doors for her. She has passed along her wisdom and experience to CSUN students every year through the Radiologic Sciences Chapter's annual speed-mentoring event. She has been a presenter and supporter of the chapter's annual continuing education event and has also contributed as part of the Alumni Association's Scholarship Committee. "It is an honor to give back to the university as a whole and the Radiologic Sciences Alumni Chapter in particular, in the hope that I may be able to contribute to the opportunities that will help another reach their educational goals." Fragosa said. She currently works as a radiation protection specialist for the LA County Department of Public Health and also works for the Huntington Research Medical institute and is an MRI Technologist.
2019 CSUN for Life Award
2019 CSUN for Life Award Honoree Sanford Paris has been generous to the College of Health and Human Development, making a lasting impact through the establishment of an endowment with the college. He has also done so with Nazarian College, College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Humanities.
In the late 1960's, after earning a bachelor's degree in accounting from UCLA (1959), a Juris Doctor from Southwestern University Law School (1963), and service in the US Army, Sanford "Sandy" P. Paris began spending much of his time in the San Fernando Valley. The first-generation college student joined his father, Oscar L. Paris, in developing industrial property across the valley. It was during this time that Paris began talking an interest in San Fernando Valley State College. As a member of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association Board of Directors, he was part of a group that encouraged the change from Valley State to California State University, Northridge in 1972. With success as a property developer and attorney in the valley, Paris wanted to give back and chose CSUN as a place to do it.
As a member of the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics Advisory Board, Paris worked with Dean William Hosek to bring professionals from the real estate and accounting industries to classes as guest speakers and he was also a regular contributor to the college's Professor for a Day events. He served on the CSUN Foundation board of directors from 1998-2017 and was chair of the finance committee. He also served on the Nazarian College Advisory Board and made trips to Sacramento on Legislation Day to advocate for CSUN. He and his wife Valerie have been generous in their financial support of the Nazarian College and the Soraya. This is recognized by signage at both locations on campus. Paris has been a leader in service across LA, supporting students, professionals, and the Jewish community. In 2004 he received his first CSUN Volunteer Service Award. This year he receives second - the CSUN for Life Award.
Read about the 2019 Volunteer Service Awards event in CSUN Today.
The above has been edited and customized for HHD from the 2019 Volunteer Service Awards event program.
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Jean O'Sullivan/HHD (editor)