Three new members have been elected to the board of governors of the California State University, Fresno Foundation, a private, nonprofit public benefit corporation established in 1931.

The Foundation’s mission is to advance the University’s strategic objectives by encouraging philanthropy, inspiring leadership and promoting fiscal accountability. The Foundation is responsible for management of the financial activities relating to sponsored research grants and contracts, acceptance of gifts and donations, and oversight of investments that include an endowment valued at more than  $145 million.

The ­­­­­­ 33-member board includes a diverse group of prominent alumni and community leaders who share their expertise and industry experience, all to help advance Fresno State’s mission and philanthropic support.

“I am thrilled that these very successful business and community leaders have enthusiastically agreed to serve on our Foundation board of governors,” said Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro. “They, along with our other members of the board, will help Fresno State to achieve new heights of success in the future.”

The new members are:

  • Joan Eaton has been co-chairman of Guarantee Real Estate since the January 2013 acquisition of the company by HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Prior to that she was owner/broker of Guarantee Real Estate and Home Loans for 22 years. A native of Fresno, Eaton earned a BA from Stanford University, and an MA and MBA from UCLA. Her previous careers as a high school counselor and commercial banker helped spark her interest in owning  the Guarantee  Corporations. Eaton is a member of national, state and local real estate associations, and has a lifetime Pupil Personnel Services Credential for School Counselors. She is a member of the board of the Central Valley Foundation and has served on the boards of several community organizations.
  • Dr. Joan Otomo-Corgel, a graduate of Fresno State and the UCLA School of Dentistry, is a periodontist in Los Angeles. She is also a clinical associate professor in the UCLA School of Dentistry and chair of research at the Greater Los Angeles VA Health Care Center Dental Service. She is vice president of the American Academy of Periodontology, and is on the CDA Inderdisciplinary Council, the UCLA School of Dentistry Board of Counselors, and the UCLA Periodontal Alumni Advisory Council. She also  is a consultant to the ADA Council on dental practice. She lectures extensively on periodontal medicine, medical emergencies, over-the-counter dental products and clinical periodontal topics. Otomo-Corgel is a CSU Trustee Emeritus and was honored by the Fresno State Alumni Association as the 2007 Top Dog alumnus from the College of Science and Mathematics.
  • George H. Soares, is a founding member and managing partner of Kahn, Soares & Conway, LLP, who regularly appears before the California State Legislature and various state and federal administrative agencies and co-chairs President Castro’s Commission on the Future of Agriculture. During his career, Soares and his firm have been responsible for drafting and influencing thousands of legislative and regulatory proposals affecting a broad spectrum of interests. Before entering private practice, he served as principal consultant to the California State Assembly Committee on Agriculture. He is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law. Soares also is a partner in Environmental Solutions Group, LLC, an environmental consulting firm. He and his wife own a dairy and farming operation in Hanford.

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