Benefit Dinner Program

Catherine “Cathy” Wooton is a seasoned higher education advancement leader with more than 30 years of experience. In May 2025, she joined California State University, Stanislaus as vice president for university advancement, where she oversees development, alumni relations and philanthropic engagement.

Previously, she served as vice president for advancement at Idaho State University, where she doubled fundraising results and led a $20 million scholarship campaign. Her career also includes nearly three decades at her alma mater, the University of the Pacific, where she held leadership roles in annual giving, planned giving, alumni engagement and campaign planning, contributing significantly to Pacific’s $125 million Powell Match initiative. Over the course of her career, she has played a key role in fundraising efforts totaling more than $500 million.

A proud first-generation college graduate, Wooton earned her bachelor’s degree in diversified studies from the University of the Pacific and pursued graduate work in curriculum and instruction. She is deeply committed to equity, community partnerships and leveraging philanthropy to expand access and opportunity for students.

John Jacinto (‘96) is president and CEO of Vistech Manufacturing Solutions, a Modesto-based company he co-founded in 2003. Under his leadership, Vistech and its affiliated companies have grown into a major regional employer and industry leader, generating significant economic impact through innovation in manufacturing and packaging solutions.

A dedicated community leader as well as an entrepreneur, Jacinto, a past president of the Stanislaus State Foundation Board, continues to serve on the Foundation Board and other boards supporting initiatives to strengthen the Central Valley’s workforce and economy. He was recognized as Stanislaus State’s 2023 First-Generation Alumnus of the Year and named 2025 Amigo of the Year by El Concilio California in recognition of his commitment to underserved and marginalized communities.

Wenda Fong is a producer, director, creative executive, and community leader with credits on hundreds of television programs, from award shows and live spectaculars to sitcoms, talk shows, documentaries, and PSAs. She has launched productions across the United States and worldwide, and holds the distinction of being the only woman and first person of color to produce The Emmy Awards.

Joining Fox in 2001 as its first Vice President of Creative Diversity Development, Wenda was appointed in 2002 to oversee American Idol, helping it become a groundbreaking ratings phenomenon. In 2003, she was promoted to Vice President of Alternative Entertainment, supervising all reality series and specials for over 13 years, including American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Hell’s Kitchen, MasterChef, and The X Factor, representing thousands of hours of programming.

Wenda is co-founder and chairperson emeritus of CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment), the largest and most influential organization for AAPIs in the industry. She also co-founded Asian Americans for Fair Media, served on the boards of the Association of Asian Pacific American Artists, East West Players, California Humanities, Leaders Forum, and is a member of the Producers Guild of America, Television Academy, and Directors Guild of America (founding co-chair and chairperson emeritus of its Asian American Committee).

Appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2018 to the California State University Board of Trustees, Wenda became its first Asian American chair (2022–2024). She was reappointed by Governor Gavin Newsom for another term, continuing her leadership in higher education.

Melawhy Garcia, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Science at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), Director of the Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation, and Leadership Training, and a newly appointed Endowed Chair of Health Literacy and Health Communication in the College of Health and Human Services. She received a B.A. in Psychology and an M.P.H. in Community Health Science from CSULB. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego/ San Diego State University (UCSD/SDSU) Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health with an emphasis in Health Behavior Research. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Women’s Cardiovascular Research Center in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at UCSD. She has experience with multidisciplinary epidemiological and applied research through her work at the Center for Latino Community Health as well as SDSU’s Institute for Behavioral and Community Health and the South Bay Latino Research Center. Her research program includes a variety of methodological approaches to examine the multidimensional factors that contribute to health disparities among underserved racial/ethnic minority and low-income populations with an emphasis on cardiometabolic health risk factors and diabetes among Hispanics/Latinos. She has received external funding from numerous federal and local agencies to focus on chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS prevention, tobacco education and cessation, and student experiential learning programs.

Kurt C. Organista, Ph.D., is Professor, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, where he studies Latino psychosocial and health problems. He teaches courses on race, ethnic relations & social welfare, as well as social work practice with Latino populations. He conducts research on HIV prevention with Latino migrant laborers, is editor of the book HIV Prevention with Latinos: Theory, research and practice, published in 2012 by Oxford University Press, and author of Solving Latino Psychosocial and Health Problems: Theory, Research, & Practice (2^nd ed.), also published by Oxford University Press in 2023. He serves on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Community Psychology, the Hispanic Journal of the Behavioral Sciences, and the Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work. From 2004-2008 Organista was appointed to the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council at the National Institutes of Health, and from 2010 to 2015 he was Principal Investigator of a federal R01 grant from the NIAAA to develop and test a structural environmental model of alcohol-related HIV risk in Latino migrant day laborers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Organista served as trustee of the Latino Community Foundation (2015 to 2022), and as trustee and Vice Chair of the San Francisco Community Foundation (2008 to 2018). In 2018, he received the Leon Henkin Citation for Excellence in Mentoring Underrepresented Students, and in 2020 he was named the American Cultures Teacher of the Year. Also, in 2020, Organista was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, and in 2021 he was awarded the Harry and Riva Specht Endowed Chair in Publicly Supported Social Services.

Ronald Carter, Ph.D., serves as the CEO and President of Carter & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in higher education and nonprofit leadership development, based in High Point, North Carolina. His extensive career includes significant roles in academic leadership, executive search, executive coaching, and community development, making him a prominent figure in the field of higher education.

From 2009 to 2025, Dr. Carter was a Presidential Sage in the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Program, where he prepared senior leaders to serve in American colleges and universities. Between 2018 and 2021, he worked as an executive search consultant with AGB Search LLC., assisting institutions in recruiting academic and administrative leaders.

His expertise encompasses leadership development, board development for higher education and nonprofit organizations, executive searches, coaching, team building, scenario planning, strategic planning, institutional advancement, and civic engagement. Throughout his career, Dr. Carter has been actively involved in board development, community engagement strategies, and executive searches across the United States and South Africa.

Dr. Carter served as President of Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in Charlotte, North Carolina, from 2008 to 2017. During his tenure, he transformed JCSU into Charlotte’s leading independent new urban university and a key institution in the city’s Northwest Corridor. His leadership helped position the university as a vital community anchor.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Carter held several notable positions, including Dean of Students at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa (1991-1997), where he contributed to the university’s transformation during South Africa’s post-apartheid era. He also served as Provost at Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina, where he developed with the faculty new academic programs and fostered partnerships with academic affairs, community agencies, and foundations to address local needs.

Recognized for his expertise in board process improvements and assessment, Dr. Carter has facilitated development retreats for numerous institutions, including California Western School of Law, Mount Mercy University, Bennett College and others. His efforts have consistently aimed at enhancing board effectiveness and institutional governance.

Dr. Carter began his higher education career at Boston University, where he held roles such as Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, Dean of Students, and adjunct Associate Professor of Philosophy. He was the first Black senior administrator at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he held positions including Health Services Development Unit Senior Administrator, Deputy Registrar, and Dean of Students.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and philosophy from Morehouse College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He further obtained a Master of Theology and a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion from Boston University.

Ronald Carter is a native of High Point, North Carolina. He has two adult children: River Tumelo Rosalind, residing in Reading, England, and Cory Demetrius Carter, based in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Carter is also an ordained minister affiliated with the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts.

Shane Saunders is president and CEO of Mocse Federal Credit Union, where he leads efforts to expand access to financial services across Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Mariposa and Merced counties. He brings more than two decades of credit union leadership experience, including senior roles in marketing, operations and member experience. Before joining Mocse in 2020, Saunders served as chief experience officer at Maps Credit Union in Oregon. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and multinational business and an MBA in finance, both from Florida State University.

Alok Arun, Ph.D., is an associate professor of biology at Stanislaus State, where he engages students in biotechnology, molecular biology and bioinformatics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. His research explores organismal complexity and multicellularity using algae and underutilized crops as models, with an eye toward applications in sustainable agriculture and space biology.

In 2025, Arun secured a $435,255 BEAM Circular award to launch the Centre for Sustainable Biotechnology: Empowering a Green Workforce for Stanislaus County, a hub designed to train students and foster industry collaboration in biotechnology and the circular bioeconomy. That same year, he collaborated with the agriculture department to launch the Bio-Ag Experiential Learning Educational Tour. This initiative provides STEM students opportunities to visit culturally diverse locations, broaden their perspectives and strengthen their professional skills.

Earlier in his career, he served as an associate professor of biology at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, where he integrated teaching, research and program development. Through more than $6.5 million in federally funded grants, he mentored hundreds of students, expanded STEM opportunities and played a pivotal role in launching Puerto Rico’s first Ph.D. program in biotechnology. His efforts also led to the creation of a Center for Nanobiotechnology, a Laboratory of Algal Biotechnology and the development of Puerto Rico’s first Interactive Marine Science Museum, funded by the NSF. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the USDA E. Kika De La Garza Science Fellowship in 2022 and received a citation from the Caribbean Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2023.

Following an M.Phil. and a master’s degree in botany from the University of Delhi, Arun earned his doctorate in developmental biology and genomics from Pierre and Marie Curie University in France. He also completed research training at Texas A&M University, where he advanced gene-editing approaches with CRISPR/Cas9, and more recently at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he gained experience with synthetic biology tools while mentoring K–12 students. His vision is to be active in students’ professional journeys, helping them achieve their dreams through the “3Cs”: care, collaboration and commitment.

Dr. Mildred García began her tenure as the California State University’s 11th chancellor on October 1, 2023. She is the first-ever Latina to lead the nation’s largest and most diverse four-year public university system. Indeed, she is the first Latina in the nation to lead a four-year public higher education system.

The appointment marks a return to the CSU for Dr. García, who served as president of Cal State Fullerton from 2012 to 2018, during which time she led the university to record improvements in graduation rates and nearly tripled new philanthropic gift commitments. She also served as president of CSU Dominguez Hills from 2007 to 2012, where she held the distinction of being the CSU’s first Latina president. At CSU Dominguez Hills, she dramatically increased retention rates for freshman and transfer students and eliminated a structural deficit of $2.8 million.

Prior to her appointment as chancellor, Dr. García served as president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) since 2018, where she was a strong and internationally renowned advocate for public higher education, working to influence federal policy and regulations on behalf of 350 member colleges and universities. She is the first Latina to lead one of the six presidentially based higher education associations in Washington, D.C. During her tenure at AASCU, she directed a strategic agenda that focused on public college and university leadership for the 21st century and provided professional development opportunities for presidents, chancellors and other public higher education leaders.

Dr. García previously served as the CEO of Berkeley College, where she was the first systemwide president for all six campuses in New York and New Jersey. She has held both academic and senior-level positions at Arizona State University; Montclair State University; Pennsylvania State University; Teachers College, Columbia University; and the Hostos, LaGuardia and City Colleges of the City University of New York.

A recipient of myriad awards and honors, Dr. García was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on several advisory boards, including the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, and by the U.S. Secretary of Education to serve on the Committee on Measures of Student Success. In September 2024, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. And in February 2025, Dr. García was honored with the prestigious TIAA Institute Hesburgh Award for her outstanding leadership of the CSU and positive impact on higher education more broadly.

Dr. García was raised in New York City by her parents, who moved to New York from Puerto Rico. A first-generation college student and the first in her family to earn a degree, she received her associate degree from New York City Community College, a bachelor’s in business education from Bernard M. Baruch College and a master’s in business education from New York University. At Teachers College, Columbia University, she earned a master’s and a doctorate in higher education administration.