Our 2022 Honorees

Distinguished Service Award

1. Francesca Halbakken ’79 (Civil Engineering), Retired Assistant City Manager, Sacramento City
2. Lois Harper Mattice ’87, MS ’94 (Physical Education), Emeritus Faculty and Retired Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator, Sacramento State
3. Lisa Wrightsman ’05 (Communication Studies), Managing Director, Street Soccer USA
4. Dr. Whitney Yamamura ’84 (Business Administration), MA ’91 (Economics), Chancellor, Coast Community College District

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Don Nottoli ’78 (Government/Journalism), District 5 Supervisor, Sacramento County

Rising Star Award

• Liku T. Amadi ’13, Esq. (Communication Studies), Anasa Law Firm PC

Francesca Halbakken ’79

Retired Assistant City Manager, City of Sacramento

Major: Civil Engineering

As the first female military project manager in the country for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Distinguished Service Award recipient Francesa Halbakken often found herself the only female minority in the room throughout her professional experience. During her 35-year career with the City of Sacramento, she rose to Assistant City Manager overseeing projects such as the development of North Natomas. Today, her significant contributions endcap Downtown Sacramento. She served as the project executive for the development of The Railyards, from building the infrastructure of the formerly landlocked property to renovating the train station. Her final project was the development of the new convention center and community theatre to support bringing more visitors to Sacramento. Now fully retired, she serves as a member of the local Girl Scouts Heart of Central California board of directors.

Lois Harper Mattice ’87, MS ’94

Emeritus Faculty and Retired Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator, Sacramento State

Major: Physical Education

There isn’t a role at Sacramento State that Distinguished Service Award recipient Lois Mattice hasn’t held since her arrival on campus in 1983. Starting her career as an undergraduate, she worked her way to an appointment as the Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator in 2006. Deemed the heartbeat of Hornet Athletics, Mattice served as a connection between athletics and other areas of campus. Beyond campus, she served as the 2007 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Tournament Director and was instrumental in bringing the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer first-round match to Sacramento. Her work with the NCAA was ongoing and allowed her to contribute to the review and oversight of drug testing and injury treatment. Today, when you witness a female honoree acknowledged at volleyball and basketball games, it’s because of her work to establish the Sacramento State Women of Influence program.

Lisa Wrightsman ’05

Managing Director, Street Soccer USA

Major: Communication Studies

The root of Distinguished Service Award recipient Lisa Wrightman’s success rests on having a purpose, specifically to help others. Fear of failure and the unknown once held her back, but she found the courage and went for it — in this case, overcoming addiction — and has since applied the experience to everything she works to achieve. As the Managing Director of Street Soccer USA’s Sacramento chapter, she advocates for youth through sports as she believes sports to be the most cost-effective way to help kids learn about themselves and their character. As a former Sacramento State athlete named to the 2000-2010 All-Decade Soccer Team, she has presented at TEDx Sacramento, recognized as a Sacramento Business Journal “40 Under 40” and “Woman Who Means Business,” and honored as Woman of the Year by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty.

Dr. Whitney Yamamura ’84, MA ’91

Chancellor, Coast Community College District

Major: Business/Education

Distinguished Service Award recipient Dr. Whitney Yamamura recently began serving as the Chancellor of Coast Community College District, where he plans to take the well-run and beloved institution to the next level. Following his father‘s footsteps, he committed his career to education and has served at almost every level of the Los Rios Community College District, from intern to the interim president or president at three of its four colleges. Dr. Yamamura is the second Japanese American to serve as the president in the district’s history, creating a Hmong language class and reviving the Asian Pacific Islander graduation celebration. In his various positions, he tripled enrollment, created new career education programs despite budget cuts, and developed collegial relationships resulting in partnerships with local public and charter schools and the Sacramento Public Library system.

Don Nottoli ’78

District 5 Supervisor, Sacramento County

Major: Government/Journalism

Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Don Nottoli, is the longest serving member of the current County Board of Supervisors and has lifted communities across the Sacramento region. Completing his seventh and final term this year, Don has served on various boards and commissions while addressing local issues from roads and traffic to programs serving the needs of children, families, and seniors. Before his election as supervisor, he served as chief assistant to his predecessor, Toby Johnson, for 16 years. Nottoli is a former member of the Galt City Council and served for more than 17 years as a member of the Galt High School District Board of Trustees. “When I look back on a long career in public service, what comes to the forefront is the tremendous opportunity to have served my community. The day-to-day engagement with people — that, to me, has been very fulfilling, and I am truly grateful for having been given the chance to serve for nearly 45 years in the community where I was born and raised. It has been an honor and a privilege.”

Liku T. Amadi, Esq. ’13

Founder, Anasa Law Firm PC

Major: Communication Studies

Rising Star Award recipient, Liku Amadi, has made an impact as an attorney and champion for women’s empowerment in the nearly 10 years since graduating from Sacramento State. Before graduating magna cum laude from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2017, she served as the first Black female Editor-in-Chief for the Law Review and on the first law review managing board in California comprised of Black women. In 2019, she founded Tryb to bring Black women entrepreneurs and career professionals together to build a networking community focused on wealth and wellness. In 2021, she founded Anasa Law Firm, where she takes a non-traditional approach to legal services by educating her clients on the value of law to help them make informed business decisions. She also teaches online business legal essentials in the community and speaks on motherhood and entrepreneurship.