April is Alumni Month at Sacramento State, and the University celebrates the contributions of alumni by bringing them together for events both on and off campus. The Distinguished Alumni Awards – one of the annual highlights – are given by the University and the Alumni Association to alumni and friends of the University for outstanding contributions to the campus and community.

This year, Sacramento State selected seven alumni to receive Distinguished Alumni Awards. They were given out April 26 at a ceremony in the Alumni Center. The 2012 recipients are:

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Joseph F. Sheley (’69 and ’71, Sociology), provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Sacramento State. 

Distinguished Service Awards

• Greg J. Hagwood (’89, Criminal Justice), sheriff of Plumas County.
• Margi (’68, Nursing) and John (’67, Marketing) Herzog, president/CEO and vice president of business development at Herzog Surgical.
• Kit Miyamoto (’97 MS, Civil Engineering), CEO of the structural engineering firm Miyamoto International.
• Mark Otero (’99, Computer Science), general manager of the video game company BioWare and co-founder of KlickNation.

Rising Star Awards

• Robert Meza (’08, Computer Science), project lead at the California Technology Agency for the state of California.
• Janay R. Swain (’06 and ’09, Social Work), state youth council coordinator and AB 12 implementer with California Youth Connection.

Previous winners have included artist Wayne Thiebaud, News10 anchor Cristina Mendonsa, Sleep Train founder Dale Carlsen, two-time Super Bowl champion John Gesek and former Vision Service Plan CEO Roger Valine.

Remaining Alumni Month activities for family and friends of Sac State include:

Sac State Night at the River Cats, 7 p.m. Thursday, May 3, Raley Field. Show your Hornet Pride and support for the Sacramento River Cats at this fun-filled night at the ballgame.

Stinger Wine and Food Classic, Friday, May 4, Alumni Center. Enjoy offerings from alumni-owned wineries and restaurants while raising funds for athletic scholarships.

For more information, visit www.sacstatealumni.com.