April 29, 3003 :: No. 217

National Leaders Will Address Commencement Audience

Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona and Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez will address Cal State Fullerton’s Class of 2003 as keynote speakers during the university’s 44th annual commencement ceremonies.

Carona will speak to candidates and their families during the ceremony Saturday, May 31, and Vasquez will address the Sunday, June 1, ceremony. Both events begin at 8 a.m. on the lawn north of Titan Gymnasium, followed by college-based exercises.

Vaulted to national prominence last summer during the manhunt for a child murderer, Orange County Sheriff Carona heads the nation’s fifth largest sheriff’s department.

He was elected in 1998 and took office in January 1999. Last year, he was appointed by President Bush to the Emergency Response Senior Advisory Committee for the Homeland Security Council. He is among just 15 from the United States serving on the committee and the only sheriff.

In addition to serving on the boards of directors of numerous philanthropic organizations, Carona co-chairs the Amber Alert Program and is an arbitrator for the New York and Pacific stock exchanges. He was appointed to the California Student Aid Fraud Assessment Commission by former Gov. Pete Wilson and appointed chairman of the California Council on Criminal Justice by Gov. Gray Davis.

He is the recipient of many honors, including the Law Enforcement Commendation Medal from the Sons of the American Revolution. He was named Manager of the Year for Public Safety by the Society for the Advancement of Management, Humanitarian of the Year by the National Conference for the Community and Justice, and Man of the Year by the Black Chamber of Commerce of Orange County. Carona received the Bridge Builder Award from the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Orange County, the Visionary Award from the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America and President’s Award from the California Psychiatric Association.

Carona is a strong advocate for issues relating to young people and serves on the executive committee for the Blue Ribbon Campaign to Prevent Child Abuse, has received the American Hero Award from the Celebrity Foundation for Children, and co-authored the book “Save My Son,” which proposes new models within the criminal justice system to reclaim the lives of substance-abuse offenders.

Vasquez has served as director of the Peace Corps since his 2002 appointment by Bush. His immediate goal for the 42-year-old program is to double the number of volunteers by 2007 and increase minority involvement.

After graduating from the University of Redlands — he was the first college graduate in his family — Vasquez became, at the age of 19, the youngest police officer for the city of Orange. Over the years, he served as an assistant to former Orange County Supervisor Bruce Nestande and a regional manager and division vice president for the Southern California Edison Co.

In addition, he has worked for former California governors George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson and was appointed by Deukmejian to the Orange County Board of Supervisors — the first Hispanic to serve on the board. During his tenure, he championed such issues as childcare, improved healthcare access, tourism and economic development.

In 1998, Wilson appointed Vasquez to the California Council for the Humanities. The following year, Vasquez was appointed by Davis to the Governor’s Task Force on Diversity.

Vasquez served on the advisory boards of Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army, the board of directors for the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America and was secretary of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. He also was a board member of Olive Crest, St. Joseph Hospital Foundation and KOCE-TV.

His leadership and community service have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Coro Foundation Crystal Eagle Award, Marine Corps Scholarship Fund Globe and Anchor Award, Black Chamber of Commerce of Orange County Award for Community Leadership, Jewish National Fund Tree of Life Award and B’nai B’rith Award for Leadership and Community Service. Vasquez also was recognized by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.