La Sierra Homecoming honors eight alumni: Biz school alum donates $50k for new charity

Uruma surprised the audience by announcing his $50,000 seed donation to establish a foundation named in honor of John Thomas, the university’s Tom and Vi Zapara Business School dean. Called the Johnny Dream for Kids Foundation, the charity will aim to help underprivileged youth in Japan through a nonprofit Uruma operates. The concept involves connecting Japanese youth with English-as-a-Second Language summer classes at La Sierra with a goal of future enrollment at the university.

“Hopefully can invite other people from other regions in the world to bring those children and motivate them to study at La Sierra University in the business school,” Uruma said.

Uruma is a 1984 graduate of the Zapara School of Business and this year’s Honored Alum. He joined three other Honor Alumi recognized by the College of Arts and Sciences, H.M.S. Richards Divinity School and the School of Education during a banquet and vespers held in the business school’s Troesh Center. Alumni gathered from around the country to attend the annual alumni weekend activities which kicked off with the banquet.

Uruma’s father worked for the Seventh-day Adventist Church and studied business at La Sierra after the family moved to the United States in 1968, Uruma said. Uruma and his sister attended La Sierra Academy and Uruma later graduated with honors from La Sierra University’s business program. His son, Michael, is now enrolled in the business school.

Uruma is president and chief executive officer of Touchstone Capital Group where he provides investment banking, advisory and asset management services. He founded Touchstone Investment Management in 2002 to provide cross-border investment management services in Japan to global institutional investors. Additionally, he is an executive committee member of the Urban Land Institute in Japan and is a frequent speaker for conferences and business events.

The banquet awards, given out by university President Randal Wisbey and school administrators and emceed by university Provost Steve Pawluk, recognized alumni in two categories—Honored Alumni and Rising Stars.

The university’s college and schools also respectively gave Honored Alumni awards to Kevin D. Leiske, Gerry Chudleigh, and Cartha L. Tennille.

Leiske, a veterinarian, is responsible for the medical care of more than 100 species of mammals, birds and reptiles housed at the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens in Palm Desert. He is also committed to helping preserve endangered species through participation in national and international research projects. Leiske graduated from La Sierra in 1990 with a biology degree and earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Mississippi State University in 1995. While at La Sierra he also majored in accounting.

Leiske found a “family” in the business school accounting department and a strong academic experience in the biology department, he said during his award acceptance speech. “I was truly blessed by all of that. It helped prepare me for the career that I was aiming to achieve,” he said. 

Chudleigh, a 1965 La Sierra graduate and author, has a broad background in denominational youth ministerial positions, marketing and development, and currently serves as communication director for the Pacific Union Conference. He is publisher of the “Pacific Union Recorder” magazine and is a communication advisor to union administration, La Sierra University, Pacific Union College, and local conferences.

Chudleigh was unable to attend the banquet but sent a response through his friend and La Sierra Board of Trustees member Ted Benson who serves as treasurer of the Pacific Union Conference. Chudleigh, in his statement, recalled how religion professor Fritz Guy talked him into enrolling as a reluctant freshman religion major by stating, “ ‘the first year is mainly general courses anyway so [you] might as well sign up as a theology major and switch to something else...’ Tonight I want to thank Dr. Guy and the entire religion faculty and other staff for equipping me for everything I’ve done in my life, from pastoring, to youth ministry to writing,” wrote Chudleigh. “Thank you for teaching and modeling that God is about truth, that God is truth, and that truth, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us, is the ultimate reason for the existence of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.” 

Tennille holds Ed.S. and Ed.D. degrees from La Sierra in administration and leadership, and in curriculum and instruction. She is currently a visiting adjunct professor for the School of Education and where she teaches and plays an important role in documentation, reporting and assessment activities. Her lengthy and diverse background in public education includes teaching and administrative posts with Chaffey Joint Union High School in Ontario, AB Miller High School in Fontana, Bassett High School in La Puente, and the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District. In addition, she is highly active with community service organizations serving as a member of councils, coalitions and committees, and presently serving as president-elect with a Rotary service club.

In her acceptance talk Tennille cited several School of Education faculty who positively impacted her career as well as the support of her family. “The person who had the most influence on me was Linda Caviness. She was my teacher first – I was terrified of her – and then she became my boss as chair of curriculum and instruction and has migrated from that to being one of my best friends.”

The College of Arts and Sciences, the H.M.S. Richards Divinity School, the School of Education and Zapara School of Business Rising Star awards respectively went to alums Carlos O. Calderón-Tena, G. Vaughn Nelson, Ching-Mien “Crystal” Chuang, and Daniel A. Chinchay.

Calderón-Tena, a La Sierra 2004 psychology graduate with masters and doctoral degrees from Arizona State University, is currently a tenure-track assistant professor of psychology at California State University, Fresno. He conducted undergraduate research under the mentorship of La Sierra psychology professor Paul Mallery and is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and has served as a bilingual school psychologist in a wide range of schools in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

“Coming to La Sierra was indeed a transformative experience of self discovery and service to others,” Calderón-Tena said upon receiving the star-shaped crystal award. “The most important thing I learned is that the most meaningful thing we can do is serve others.”

After earning his Bachelor of Arts in religious studies in 2004, Nelson served as coordinator for the La Sierra University Church’s Twentysomthings Ministry and in pastoral positions at the Norco Seventh-day Adventist Church and Bonita Valley Adventist Church/Grace Church Plant in National City. In 2012 he returned to the La Sierra University Church as pastor for discipleship and nurture. He also teaches classes in the Divinity School and the Criminal Justice program. Nelson received the Dean’s Award as an undergraduate in 2004, and as a Divinity School graduate student in 2012. He also received a Crystal Heart Service Award in 2004.

“If were to try to distill down the nearly 3,000 hours I spent sitting in classrooms here at La Sierra into one valuable thing, I think that it would be something akin to the old saying about teaching a person to fish instead of merely giving them a fish, except in this case the life-sustaining, self-perpetuating gift that La Sierra has given me is a glimpse of a God whose love is expansive and extravagant,” said Nelson. “Because the limits of this love cannot be reached, it has become a perpetual invitation to learn more, to study in new ways, to explore… to the Divinity School faculty and so many people here at La Sierra, I am deeply grateful.”

School of Education Dean Ginger Ketting-Weller received the Rising Star trophy on behalf of Chuang who was in China at the time. The awardee, who graduated in 2008 and 2009, is currently the director of international programs and affairs at Tainan University of Technology, Taiwan. In addition, she is an assistant professor in the Department of Fashion Design, Music and Art Education at Tainan University of Technology. She is also responsible for the management of important Ministry of Education projects. Chuang completed her doctoral degree from C.N.R. de Rueil-Malmasion, France and has published and presented several research papers via journals and conferences.

Chinchay earned his business degree from the Zapara School of Business in 2009. While at La Sierra he played a number of key roles on the School’s Students In Free Enterprise (now ENACTUS) team. He credits his experiences at La Sierra for engraining within him the school’s values of “Create Value, Make a Difference.” 

After completing a nine-month Merchant Leadership Program, Chinchay joined Walmart’s Confections department following graduation. He since has been a buyer in Walmart’s Breakfast To-Go/Syrups and Mixes division, a $1.3 billion segment, and since 2013 has been senior buyer for Walmart’s Hot Beverages category, where he has direct responsibility for that $2.9 billion category.

Chinchay has also worked with the Walmart Foundation in creating the “Fighting Hunger Together” effort, challenging some of Walmart’s top vendors to join in the program. He was able to convince Kraft, ConAgra, Kelloggs, General Mills and others to provide additional financial support. His efforts led Walmart to continue the program, which will soon launch its fifth campaign. His work with environmental projects includes a significant effort to work with the Keurig company to make their K-Cup coffee pods recyclable and biodegradable.

“Some of the most valuable time I spent on campus here wasn’t in class,” commented Chinchay upon accepting his award. “It was with SIFE, now Enactus. The lesson it really taught me was servant leadership. One of the best examples for me is Dr. Johnny Thomas. Johnny is personally invested in his students. Any student that’s going to put in the work, Johnny is an advocate.” Chinchay recalled venting to Thomas about his nervousness over a first Walmart job interview during SIFE national competition in Philadelphia in 2009. “He pulls out his Blackberry and writes a recommendation letter for me to Walmart and that was the catalyst for my career. … Thank you, Johnny, for creating value and really making a difference in my life.”

To view photos of La Sierra University’s Homecoming weekend, visit this link: www.facebook.com/LaSierraU.