Three valley educators and two longtime supporters of education will be honored at the annual Kremen Noted Alumni Dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 20 at Fresno State’s University Dining Facility.
The five who will be honored at the event sponsored by the Kremen School of Education and Human Development Alumni Chapter are:
- Justin Garza, science and physical education teacher and football coach at Central High School (Central Unified School District)
- Dr. Rosa Carlson, president of Porterville College (Kern Community College District)
- Linda Jean Voth, business teacher at Roosevelt High School (Fresno Unified School District)
- Jan and Bud Richter, longtime supporters of Fresno State and the Kremen School of Education and Human Development
“We selected these individuals for their significant contributions and passion for education,” said Jim Yovino, president of the Kremen Alumni chapter of the Fresno State Alumni Association. “Each honoree is clearly outstanding and deserving of this recognition.”
The banquet is open to the public. Tickets are $40 and available at the Kremen dean’s office, 559.278.0234.
The 2014 awardees:
Justin Garza has served as head football coach for Central High School for two years. In 2012 his team won 11 games, the most wins in the program’s 90-year history, and reached the Division I section finals. Garza is a Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer survivor who had a stem cell transplant and what he refers to as “high-dose, knockout” chemotherapy. According to colleagues, Garza is a mentor and leader who has earned respect, admiration and high marks from his players.
Prior to Central, Garza was head football coach and biology teacher at Sunnyside High School for Fresno Unified from 2010 to 2011. His head coaching career began in 2005 at Reedley High School and he has been named coach of the year at three different schools. He began his teaching career in 1999 at Central as an intern teaching integrated science and coaching football, track and golf over five and a half years.
Garza completed his credential and earned a master’s degree in Educational Technology. From 1993 to 1997 Garza earned degrees in Natural Sciences and Chicano Studies from Fresno State. He entered the Kremen School of Education to earn his single subject credential in 1998.
Dr. Rosa Carlson is in her eighth year as president of Porterville College. Born in El Paso, Texas, she lived in Mexico with grandparents for the first seven years of her life before coming to Fresno as a first-grader. The Central Valley has been her home since.
Her professional career has been in the community college system, serving as a full-time faculty member, associate dean of instruction at Kings River Community College, director of educational services for State Center Community College District and vice president of academic services at College of the Sequoias in Visalia.
Carlson received her degrees at Fresno State — a bachelor’s in Foreign Languages with a minor in Classical Studies and a master’s in educational administration and supervision. She also holds the distinction of being the first graduate of the UC Davis/Fresno State Joint Doctoral Educational Leadership Program.
Linda Jean Voth, who has served as an adjunct faculty member with the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fresno State the past 10 years, was born in the United States. She has lived in 10 states and countries, mostly in the Middle East and Europe, during her early and teen years. Her students have entered many regional and national competitions and received numerous awards.
She completed a bachelor’s degree in Management and Organizational Development and five California teaching credentials as well as the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) certificate.
In her 18 years of teaching for the Regional Occupational Program (ROP) at Roosevelt High School (Fresno Unified School District), she has transformed the Business department by pioneering “hands-on” innovative student learning opportunities. These include Virtual Enterprise, in which the whole class becomes a virtual business, and the NFTE Program/Entrepreneurship, where each student in the class develops a business of his or her choice.
She also served on numerous statewide curriculum committees and development projects. She has been honored with six local, state and global teacher of the year awards. Voth is co-founder of the nonprofit Asaph Children Education Fund that provides funds for school tuition to impoverished children in Uganda, Africa.
Jan Richter and Bud Richter
The Richter name is synonymous with Fresno State. Bud served for 27 years on the California Sate University, Fresno Foundation Board of Governors and chaired the fund drive for the Kremen School for three years. He and wife Jan served as co-chairs for the silent phase of Fresno State’s first Comprehensive Capital Campaign from 2006 to 2009.
They are recipients of the Fresno State Alumni Association’s Arthur Safstrom Top Dog Award (2005) and numerous other recognitions marking the husband and wife team’s dedication and commitment to the university. The Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning was established in their name and provides students with opportunities to volunteer and contribute to the betterment of the community.
Jan is a graduate of Fresno State and Bud is a graduate of Stanford University.
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