President Rollin Richmond and Alumni Association President Greg Gehr (’82) will welcome corporate leader and environmentalist Michael Crooke (’86, ’89), Humboldt State Hall-of-Fame runner Sue Grigsby (’79), Native Americans advocate Shaunna Oteka McCovey (’96) and leading forestry researcher Robert Powers (’66).
Crooke earned forestry and MBA degrees at the Arcata campus in the 1980s, then went to work for local outdoor equipment makers Yakima and Moonstone. He became CEO successively of Pearl Izumi, Revolution Living, Patagonia and prAna.
Crooke later earned a Ph.D. in management and is currently a business consultant specializing in corporate turnarounds. He adheres to environmental responsibility standards in his work, in concert with HSU’s internationally-recognized Graduation Pledge.
An undergraduate track star, Grigsby broke records in the 800-, 1,500-, 3,000- and 5,000-meter events. Her accomplishments gained her admission to HSU’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. She is now a physical education, health and wellness instructor at Everett Community College in Washington State. The ’79 alumna established the Sue E. Grigsby Scholarship Endowment for HSU kinesiology majors and the Sue E. Grigsby Women’s Distance Running Endowment.
Oteka McCovey, who grew up on the Yurok reservation just outside Weitchpec, saw her father graduate from Humboldt State with a degree in social work and followed his lead. Going on to receive three more degrees—a master’s in social work from Arizona State, plus a master’s in environmental law and a law degree from Vermont Law School—she is today deputy executive director and self-governance officer of the Yurok Tribe. Oteka McCovey has worked on such major issues as Klamath Dam removal and the effects of the Marine Life Protection Act on Native Americans.
Powers, the retired Forest Service scientist, remains in the forefront of cutting-edge research. A 1966 HSU graduate when sustainable management and carbon sequestration were newborns, he originated the North American Long-Term Soil Productivity Research Program. It spans more than 70 sites where data are collected to buttress scientific understanding of how soil changes affect plant growth. The larger objective is finding clues to countering climate change.
Tickets to the Distinguished Alumni event are $75, and are available by contacting the Humboldt Alumni office at 826-3132 or by visiting alumni.humboldt.edu/DA2010.