Since 1873, the San José State University Alumni Association has endeavored to connect graduates to their alma mater and each other, while adding value to the SJSU degree. Here, you can learn about the organization, its leaders and history.
Meet our Board of Directors
The Board of Directors sets the strategic direction for the Alumni Association. Board members serve as advocates for both the organization and university.
Executive Committee
Past President – Rachel Greathouse ’05
President – Carolyn Lewis ’70, ’71
Vice President, Finance and Administration – Alicia Cragholm, ’05
Vice President, Marketing and Membership – Marcia Daszko ’89
Vice President, Programs – Coleetta McElroy ’97
Interim Executive Director and Alumni Secretary – Brian Bates
At-large Board Members
John Gibbs ’83, ‘90
Wanda Hendrix ’77, ’94
Diana Hunter ’78
Kevin Kopjak ’02
Raman Naidu ’88
Patricia Smith ’64
Chrissy Chang ’96
Bob Weiss ’57, ’63
Heather McGowan ’00
James Revell ’96
Santa Clara Valley Area Chapter
Dave Donahue ’69, ’71
Santa Cruz Area Chapter
Earl Adams ’57
University Partners
Associated Students President
Calvin Worsnup
Alumni Representative to the Academic Senate
Sheryl Walters ’70
University President
Dr. Mohammad Qayoumi
Vice President, University Advancement
Nancy Bussani
Executive Director, Spartan Foundation
John Poch
Contact the staff
Led by Brian Bates, interim executive director, the staff conducts the day-to-day business of the Alumni Association and facilitates a wide variety of programs and events to engage alumni.
Brian Bates, Interim Executive Director | 408-924-6515
Melissa Ferguson, Office Manager | 408-924-6515
Clifton Gold, Events and Outreach Coordinator | 408-924-6505
Christy Perry, Membership and Finance Coordinator | 408-924-6520
Janikke Klem, Director of Alumni Engagement | 408-924-1143
Learn about our history.
It all began in 1873, at the eleventh commencement ceremony of the State Normal School of California. A few far-seeing alumni organized the Society of Graduates and claimed title to the earliest alumni organization in the university’s history. Twenty years later, the renamed State Normal Alumni Association embarked on an aggressive membership campaign and an expanded activities calendar. Receptions were held for the famous alumni of the time, including U.S. Commissioner of Education William Torry Harris, and annual reunions were initiated—a tradition that continues in today’s Golden Grad reunions.
As the college grew, so grew the Alumni Association. The first Santa Clara County Alumni Chapter formed in 1939, and in 1948, alumni returned to their alma mater to participate in the first official homecoming festivities. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, an editorial committee composed of faculty and alumni published The Alumni Bulletin, an early precursor of the current SJSU Washington Square.
The decade of the 1950s proved to be a time of dramatic changes as the Association extended its scope and goals. By 1951, a full time director was required to oversee its broadening operations, and a permanent alumni office was established on campus in recognition of the organization’s integral link with the university. The development of the Dee Portal Memorial Scholarship heralded the beginning of another important, ongoing tradition: the awarding of scholarships to deserving students. The Alumni Association became incorporated as a nonprofit enterprise in the fall of 1955 and formally defined its purpose: to promote the common interests of the college and its graduates.
During the 1960s the Association and its members assumed a much more visible role in supporting university causes. In 1963, to save Tower Hall from demolition, the Association organized alumni testimonials before the State College Board of Trustees, sent telegrams, and provided member-signed petitions. As a result of those efforts, the Tower, a prime campus landmark and symbol, was refurbished and reopened in 1966 (it was again renovated and restored in 2007). In 1972, Association members successfully lobbied to change the official name of the institution from “California State University, San José” to the current “San José State University.” The Alumni Association continues to rally behind worthwhile causes, such as the Paseo de San Carlos project that transformed East San Carlos Street into a pedestrian mall of grassy lawns and towering palms.
Today, the Alumni Association of the twenty-first century continues to serve the university’s 180,000+ network of graduates. The Association annually hosts a variety of social and recreational events, including Homecoming Weekend, the Golden Grad Reunion, and many other regional programming events. The Association offers members an assortment of benefits that range from medical insurance to life insurance to merchandise and travel discounts to free access to the SJSU Career Center.
Public disclosure
Learn about our operations. Available documents include our 990, Conflict of Interest Policy and other key documents.
IRS Form 990
These documents are also available for inspection during normal business hours.
Submit your request to opt out of communication from our partners
California State Senate Bill 569 became law on January 1, 2006. It allows public universities like San José State to provide individual alumni cost-effective group rates and discounts for home, health and auto insurance, mortgage programs, and credit cards through affinity partnerships with businesses, Such programs saved California public university students and alumni over $3 million last year alone. Alumni programs and services are jeopardized as the state’s general fund is increasingly challenged to meet the needs of higher education, so such affinity programs are an important source of university funding. Please note that San José State University and the SJSU Alumni Association never sell or otherwise disclose personal information such as your social security number, academic records, etc. to any outside organizations, companies or individuals. If you would like to opt out of such marketing material, please e-mail your request.
