2017 Monty Awardees Announced

The 44th Monty Awards, the signature event of SDSU Alumni, will honor 10 distinguished alumni and friends of San Diego State University who have made significant contributions to the university, the San Diego community or California, nationally or internationally.

The Monty is a symbol of achievement and success presented this year to distinguished alumni from six of SDSU's academic colleges, the Imperial Valley Campus and Library and Information Access. Distinguished service awards also are given to an exceptional alumni volunteer and an outstanding university employee.

This year's ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8, in the university’s Don Powell Theatre. A reception will take place at the theatre following the ceremony.

Honorees for 2017 include:

College of Arts and Letters
Christine Probett

Probett (’85, ’97) now lectures in the Fowler College of Business and Weber Honors College after retiring from a successful career in the aerospace industry. She has earned multiple honors including SDSU Associated Students’ Outstanding Faculty Member, Most Influential Professor for five outstanding graduates and Faculty Advisor of the Year for Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, one of the four student organizations she advises.

College of Education
Karen Janney

Janney (’10) is superintendent of the Sweetwater Union High School District, California’s largest high school district. Having served as an executive coach for SDSU’s National Center for Urban School Transformation, her vision, integrity, and focus on student well-being throughout her career have led to accolades including her recognition as California Secondary Principal of the Year.

College of Engineering
Daniel Goddard

Goddard (’87), a member of the Senior Executive Service, is director of Information Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the nation’s premier research organization for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) and cyber technologies. AFRL has provided funding for basic research in Digital Signal and Image Processing to SDSU College of Engineering faculty, enhancing opportunities for both faculty and graduate students.

College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
Darla K. Anderson

Anderson (’82), who sits on the national board of directors for the Producers Guild of America, is a film producer for Pixar Animation Studios where her award-winning movies including “A Bug’s Life,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars” and “Toy Story 3” have generated more than $2 billion. Having pioneered a path for women in filmmaking, she serves as a role model for students in SDSU’s Film and New Media program.

College of Sciences
Robert Kain

Kain (’85), biotechnology executive, inventor and entrepreneur, is chairman and founder of Mesa Rim Climbing and Fitness Center. With more than 40 patents issued or pending, he was an early executive at Illumina, where he helped lead the company’s evolution from a startup into a world leader in the design, development, and manufacturing of integrated systems for genomic analysis.

Fowler College of Business
Mark Snell

Snell (’80), who recently retired as president of Sempra Energy, is a former chair of the Fowler College of Business Board of Directors and a former member of the board of trustees of Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and Rady Children’s Hospital and Health Center. Highly regarded in San Diego’s business community and recognized nationally, he shares his experience and expertise with SDSU students by speaking in MBA and Executive MBA classes.

Library and Information Access
Dorothy L. W. Smith

SmithL. W. Smith, a career educator and advocate of quality education for all students, is the past president of the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education and the City of San Diego Ethics Commission. She co-founded the McGill School of Success and was inaugural director of SDSU’s Aim-to-Teach program. A leader in many organizations, she has received the University of San Diego Remarkable Leader in Education Award and the Freedom’s Foundation Champion of Education Award.

SDSU-Imperial Valley
Kathleen Lang

Lang (’05, ’07), works through the public health department to improve health care and increase quality and accessibility of health services in Imperial County. In addition to her involvement with the Boys and Girls Club, the Centinela State Prison Advisory Council, and the Brawley Chamber of Commerce, she is a past president of the alumni chapter at SDSU-Imperial Valley, where she is a psychology and public administration lecturer.

Distinguished Alumni Service Award
Bill Earley

Earley (’86), a U.S. Congressional Gold Medal Award recipient, has participated in over a dozen regional nonprofits, boards and public service agencies in San Diego and is the chief administration officer and general counsel for West Health. He made SDSU history as the only person to serve as president of SDSU Alumni, Associated Students and the former Aztec Athletic Foundation (now Aztec Club).

Distinguished University Service Award
John Kolek

Kolek recently retired as associate executive director of Associated Students after 28 years of service at SDSU, which included supervision of the opening and operation of what is now Viejas Arena. For the first 20 years of the facility’s history, he has led a team that has continually improved the arena’s capabilities to host the university’s largest and highest-profile events and help showcase SDSU on a national level.