Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Kenyan Immigrant Leads Fresno State's Top Dog Honorees
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 3 years ago on
February 16, 2022

Share

 

A Fresno State graduate whose humanitarian work feeding the hungry earned his organization the Nobel Peace Prize has been named the university’s Top Dog Distinguished Alumnus, Fresno State announced Wednesday.

Steven Were Omamo, who was born into a farming family in Kenya and graduated from Fresno State with a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness in 1986, is now president of New Growth International based out of Nairobi, Kenya, and Chicago.

He previously was the country director in Ethiopia for the UN World Food Programme, where he had worked for 15 years. The organization helps provide millions of people with resources to address acute hunger or need related to emergencies, natural disaster, outbreaks, and conflict and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.

Omamo now heads a management consulting firm focused on agro-food and building educational programs to help clients, including governments, nongovernmental organizations, foundations, and others promote food security and sustainability.

The Top Dog Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizes Fresno State alumni for exceptional accomplishments in their fields.

Arthur Safstrom Award Winner

The university also honors alumni and friends of the university who have made significant impacts with the Arthur Safstrom Award.

This year’s recipient is Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, a professor emeritus of social work education who founded and was the inaugural director of Fresno State’s Peace and Conflict Studies program. Kapoor founded the Peace Garden in 1990 and oversaw efforts to install the five monuments in the garden.

U.S. Attorney Kirk Sherriff, left, along with Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, center, and Reza Nekumanesh. (GV Wire File)

Top Dog Honorees

Each year one alum is selected from each of the university’s eight academic schools and colleges, the Athletics Department, Henry Madden Library, Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, and Division of Research and Graduate Studies to receive a Top Dog Outstanding Alumni Award.

The Outstanding Alumni honorees are:

  • College of Arts and Humanities: Ray S. Doumanian,  (1967, 1982), former president of HR LLC, and Jacqueline Doumanian (1974, 1982), educator and community advocate.
  • College of Health and Human Services: David Pomaville (1986), director of environmental health and safety, Caglia Enterprises, and former director of Public Health for Fresno County.
  • College of Science and Mathematics: William R. Silveira (1999), oncologist, Community Cancer Institute, Clovis Community Medical Center.
  • College of Social Sciences: Ana Jovel Melendez (2005), director of legislative affairs, State Water Resources Control Board.
  • Craig School of Business: Joshua Easterly (1998), co-founder, partner and co-president of Sixth Street and is chairman and CEO of Sixth Street Specialty Lending.
  • Department of Athletics: Rod D. Higgins, NBA veteran and vice president of basketball operations, Atlanta Hawks.
  • Division of Research and Graduate Studies: Philip Neufeld (1993, 2015), executive officer, enterprise services, core infrastructure, cybersecurity, learning analytics, Fresno Unified School District.
  • Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management: Sabahudin Tricic (1999, 2006), foundation faculty, University of Kansas Grantham.
  • Henry Madden Library: Jason A. Hubbart (2000, 2002), professor and director, West Virginia University.
  • Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology: James W. Nielsen (1967), California State Senator, 4th District.
  • Kremen School of Education and Human Development: Violet L. Chuck (1978), executive director, Educare Services Inc.
  • Lyles College of Engineering: Joseph F. Pickett (1994), president, Pickett & Sons Construction, Inc.

The honorees will be celebrated with a one-hour television special on ABC30 at 7 p.m. on May 1. The broadcast also will be live-streamed for those who live outside the Valley.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Fresno Suspect Arrested for DUI, Firearm Possession at Olive and Blackstone

DON'T MISS

Smoke Shop Ordinance Eludes Divided Fresno City Council

DON'T MISS

Khalil Sues Columbia and Lawmakers to Keep Activists’ Names Secret

DON'T MISS

Judge Orders Musk and His Team to Turn Over Records and Answer Questions

DON'T MISS

Peach Pits? No Name for SE Fresno Sports Complex for Now

DON'T MISS

Johns Hopkins to Cut More Than 2,000 Workers Funded by Federal Aid

DON'T MISS

Starvation Is Not a Negotiating Tactic

DON'T MISS

Atmospheric River Soaks Fresno With 1.5 Inches of Rain and More Ahead

DON'T MISS

March Megastorm May Bring Blizzards, Tornadoes, Flooding and Even Fires Across Much of US

DON'T MISS

Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva Dies From Complications From Cancer Treatment

UP NEXT

Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva Dies From Complications From Cancer Treatment

UP NEXT

State Labor Board Hands Another Defeat to Clovis Unified

UP NEXT

Tesla Owners Struggle with Brand Loyalty Amid Musk’s DOGE Controversies

UP NEXT

After Fresno Unified Student Dies, District Punishes Whistleblower: Lawsuit

UP NEXT

USDA Ends Program That Helped Schools Serve Food From Local Farmers

UP NEXT

Education Dept. Layoffs Gut Its Civil Rights Office, Leaving Discrimination Cases in Limbo

UP NEXT

Kuwait Frees a Group of Jailed Americans, Including Contractors Held on Drug Charges

UP NEXT

Trump’s EPA Plans to Close All Environmental Justice Offices

UP NEXT

How and When to Watch Thursday Night’s Blood Moon Total Eclipse

UP NEXT

This Time Around for Fresno State, DOG Stands for ‘Day of Giving.’ And It’s Coming Soon

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Judge Orders Musk and His Team to Turn Over Records and Answer Questions

7 hours ago

Peach Pits? No Name for SE Fresno Sports Complex for Now

7 hours ago

Johns Hopkins to Cut More Than 2,000 Workers Funded by Federal Aid

7 hours ago

Starvation Is Not a Negotiating Tactic

7 hours ago

Atmospheric River Soaks Fresno With 1.5 Inches of Rain and More Ahead

8 hours ago

March Megastorm May Bring Blizzards, Tornadoes, Flooding and Even Fires Across Much of US

9 hours ago

Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva Dies From Complications From Cancer Treatment

9 hours ago

Country Star Clint Black Brings ‘Back on the Blacktop’ Tour to Chukchansi

9 hours ago

State Labor Board Hands Another Defeat to Clovis Unified

9 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Chief Casto and Keeping Fresno Safe

9 hours ago

Fresno Suspect Arrested for DUI, Firearm Possession at Olive and Blackstone

A driver was arrested on multiple charges after allegedly brandishing a firearm and driving recklessly near Olive and Blackstone avenues, au...

6 hours ago

A driver with a prior felony conviction was arrested near Olive and Blackstone avenues for DUI and firearm possession after allegedly brandishing a gun and driving recklessly. (Fresno PD)
6 hours ago

Fresno Suspect Arrested for DUI, Firearm Possession at Olive and Blackstone

7 hours ago

Smoke Shop Ordinance Eludes Divided Fresno City Council

Demonstrators rally with the flag of Palestine outside the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan to protest the detention and potential deportation of Mahmoud Khalil in New York, Wednesday, March 12, 2025. Mahmoud, 30, a pro-Palestinian student activist at Columbia University, was detained by immigration agents at Columbia student housing, despite his status as a legal resident of the United States. (Juan Arredondo/The New York Times)
7 hours ago

Khalil Sues Columbia and Lawmakers to Keep Activists’ Names Secret

President Donald Trump walks with Elon Musk and his son X AE A-Xii, after looking at Tesla vehicles on the South Grounds of the White House in Washington, March 11, 2025. A federal judge in Washington ordered Musk and operatives involved with his Department of Government Efficiency to hand over an assortment of documents and written answers addressing its role in the government, a perch from which the unit has effected mass firings of federal workers and a dramatic dismantling of federal programs. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
7 hours ago

Judge Orders Musk and His Team to Turn Over Records and Answer Questions

7 hours ago

Peach Pits? No Name for SE Fresno Sports Complex for Now

The campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Nov. 1, 2017. Johns Hopkins University, a leader in scientific research, has been hard hit by the Trump administration’s spending cuts, which will slash at least $800 million from its budget. (Andrew Mangum/The New York Times)
7 hours ago

Johns Hopkins to Cut More Than 2,000 Workers Funded by Federal Aid

Food is passed out to residents in Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip on March 10, 2025. (Saher Alghorra/The New York Times)
7 hours ago

Starvation Is Not a Negotiating Tactic

8 hours ago

Atmospheric River Soaks Fresno With 1.5 Inches of Rain and More Ahead

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend