Distinguished Alumni Awards
2025 Distinguished Alumni Honorees
California State University, Chico is proud to recognize the following honorees at the 30th annual Distinguished Alumni Awards(opens in new window) program on March 7, 2025:
- Agriculture: James Barbee
- Behavioral & Social Sciences: Carrie Brown
- Business: Anne Sena
- Communication & Education: Michael Beadle
- Engineering, Comp. Science, & Construction Mgmt: Lachi Richards
- Humanities & Fine Arts: Paul Davis
- Natural Sciences: Kevin Ford
- Alumni Service Award: Amy Louis
Watch highlights(opens in new window) from the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Recognition event.
James Barbee
College of AgricultureAgriculture, ’95
Current Position: County Manager at Churchill County, Nevada
James Barbee(opens in new window) graduated from Chico State in 1995 with a degree in Agriculture (Animal Science) and went on to complete his Master of Agriculture Science at Cal Poly SLO. Barbee is a former secondary agriculture educator with a certificate as a certified public manager (CPM). He was appointed Director of the Department of Agriculture for the state of Nevada and served from 2011 to 2018. He worked on policy issues with the Nevada State Board of Education and the Nevada Legislature. Barbee also served on the National Future Farmers of American Board of Directors and on the Future Farmers of America Foundation Board of Trustees.
Carrie Brown
College of Behavioral and Social SciencesMA, Anthropology, '09
Current position: Supervisory Forensic Anthropologist at Defense POW/MIA Laboratory
Carrie Brown(opens in new window) earned her master's in anthropology from Chico State in 2009. She is currently a Supervisory Forensic Anthropologist overseeing operations and casework of an ANAB-accredited laboratory with approximately 50 employees. She is also a Federal Internal Coach providing coaching services to other federal employees and military.
Anne Sena
College of Business Business Administration, '97
Current Position: Director of Technology at St. David's School in Raleigh, NC
Anne Sena(opens in new window) graduated from Chico State in 1997 with a double major in Management Information Systems & Production and Operations Management. She has been in IT and operations roles throughout her career and has a strong record of leading successful change at all levels of global corporate and school organizations. After almost two decades at a Fortune 100 global IT company, Anne intentionally transitioned into the Director of Technology position at St. David's School in Raleigh to use her experience and expertise in support of education.
Anne's passion for education and giving back is demonstrated through her existing Chico State scholarship awarded to top-performing Business Information Systems students, which she has funded for 20 years. After many years of serving on the Business Advisory Board, Anne was named the Chairperson of the Board in spring 2019.
Michael Beadle
College of Communication and Education Journalism,'96
Current Position: Senior Director of PR at UbiSoft
Michael Beadle(opens in new window) has been generous with his support of the journalism program and students at Chico State, both in person and on Giving Day. He has often spoken about his work in EDI in the game industry related to game product representation and organizational practice. He visits campus for guest lectures, provides his contact info for all students and invites them to connect. He provides feedback on resumes and coached students through job search process, and has hired several students for internships and jobs. He has been a supporter for Chico State’s new School of Media Entertainment Technology and Immersive Experience.
Lachi Richards
College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Construction Management
Civil Engineering, '83
Current Position: Owner, engineering consulting business
Lachi Richards is a successful civil engineer who has overcome significant challenges and made notable achievements in her field. Lachi was inducted into the Chico State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. During her time on campus, Lachi was a gifted athlete that used her athletic drive and perseverance to achieve goals not only on the track but also through the hardships of her life and to the benefit of those not as fortunate.
Lachi currently owns and operates an engineering consulting business. She has always been known for her integrity and her commitment and devotion to making the world a fairer and more compassionate place. Her accomplishments are remarkable and even more remarkable for a person with disabilities.
Paul Davis
College of Humanities & Fine ArtsArt History, '02
Current Position: Curator of Collections, Menil Collections
After completing his degree in art history at Chico State, Paul Davis went on to get his master's fromIndiana University, Bloomington, focusing in African and modern and contemporary art. He finished his doctorate at Indiana University, Bloomington, dissertation: “A Social History of Painting in Bamako, Mali, 1930-1980s." His research focuses on the visual arts and cultures of French-speaking West Africa between the 18th and 21st century.
Kevin Ford
College of Natural SciencesComputer Science, Mathematics, '90
Current Position: Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Kevin Ford received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics in 1990 from Chico State and then attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he completed his doctoral studies in 1994 under the supervision of Heini Halberstam. In 2013, Ford became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society. His early work focused on the distribution of Euler's totient function. In 1999, he settled Sierpinski’s conjecture on Euler's totient function.
Kevin has been a professor in the department of mathematics of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 2001. Prior to this appointment, he was a faculty member at the University of South Carolina.
Amy Louis
Distinguished Alumni Service Award
Political Science, '86
Current Position: Founder and co-owner of Six Degrees Coffee Service and Distribution
Amy Louis(opens in new window) has been involved in the coffee industry for more than 37 years, starting her journey in San Francisco working for Peet’s Coffee and Tea in the management training program. After leaving Peet’s, Amy was employed at a few different roasters, and eventually worked at Bi-Rite Foodservice Distributors as a coffee specialist. After several years at Bi-Rite, Amy moved on to the wholesale division at Starbucks where she gained experience in the specialty coffee industry just as it was taking off. In 2002 after years of traveling and seeing a need for quality specialty coffee in the North State, she started Six Degrees Coffee and Distribution.
Amy served as president of Soroptimist International of Chico from 2023-2024 and has been recognized for her work to promote the importance of cervical cancer awareness.