Alumni
Centering Underrepresented Voices in Tech
2023 Honored Alum – Leanne Pittsford
Leanne Pittsford (Political Science, ’04) is the CEO and founder of Lesbians Who Tech & Allies. With over 100,000 members worldwide, the organization has grown into “the largest LGBTQ+ community of technologists in the world,” according to its website. Programs include coding scholarships, mentoring programs and leadership training for LGBTQ+ women, women of color and non-binary tech professionals.
Their mission states: “Because LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary leaders are rarely centered, their voices are often missing from leadership. We center that demographic in our organization's name to provide value to that community.”
The College of Liberal Arts recognized Pittsford, also an entrepreneur, technology strategist, UX designer and tech investor, at Cal Poly’s 2023 Honored Alumni Awards, the highest honors bestowed upon Cal Poly alumni.
“We chose Leanne as our honoree this year because of her commitment and success in creating platforms and opportunities that uplift underrepresented communities,” said former Dean Philip Williams. “Leanne Pittsford is a change-maker, a visionary, who pushes the boundaries, transgresses norms and is not afraid to speak truth to power.”
During Pittsford’s time at Cal Poly, she learned resilience in the face of significant personal struggles. But eventually, she found a path that combined her personal and professional passions into positive change.
Coming from a very conservative, religious background, Pittsford had only begun to question her sexuality as a high school senior. Despite her success as high school valedictorian and class president, at Cal Poly she struggled on a campus that at the time was not very welcoming to LGBTQ students.
A statistics course offered her the chance to conduct an experiment on the campus community’s response to Pride Week, leading her to discover her passion for data science. She went on to complete a graduate program in equity and social justice at San Francisco State University.
Pittsford "fell in love with tech” by managing data and building online fundraising tools in her role as senior director of Equity California, the largest statewide LGBTQ organization in backing the “No on Prop 8” campaign fighting the 2008 proposal to ban same-sex marriage in California. As she advanced her own career, she continued to help others to follow the same path. Through her many endeavors, Pittsford has always sought to connect diverse, non-traditional talent and tech companies with each other.
“Leanne’s Cal Poly story reminds us that 20 years ago Cal Poly wasn’t always a welcoming community for some of our students,” said Dean Williams. “It demonstrates how far we’ve come as an institution to become a more welcoming and inclusive place. It’s my hope that Leanne’s story will encourage all of us to redouble our efforts to make Cal Poly a community where all our students feel they can belong.”
Share your recent news for the next Impact Magazine's Class Notes.
Class Notes
1970s
Nathalie Taylor (English, ’79) won three third-place awards, including a piece about Hearst Castle, at the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists Awards Banquet in June 2023. Taylor has won 104 professional journalism awards since 2004.
1980s
Neal Meyers (Political Science,’80) retired as a litigator, primarily representing public agencies. He is now involved in California water policy, sitting as an elected director on a local water agency board and a director at the San Diego County Water Authority.
Roy Xavier (Graphic Communication, ’80) has retired and is living in San Luis Obispo.
Gayle McCallum (English, ’83) traveled the world solo and then joined the Peace Corps following her graduation at Cal Poly before embarking on a meaningful and fulfilling 35-year career in higher education.
Brenda Boyland (Applied Art and Design, ’86) appeared in an artist spotlight in Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.
1990s
Robert Tanner (Political Science, ’92) accepted a promotion to deputy assistant for Information and Communication Technologies Services and Digital Trade in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Tanner advises the U.S. Trade Representative on the formulation, execution and enforcement of U.S. policy for digital trade.
Loren Mannard (Human Development, ’94) recently celebrated her 15th anniversary at Kaiser Permanente covering the Central Valley, providing counseling to 6,800 Kaiser employees and physicians. She has been a licensed therapist for 23 years and serves on the Stanislaus County Behavioral Health Board.
Brian Lawson (Communication Studies, ’96) celebrated his 20th anniversary working with the U.S. Department of Defense.
Craig Weinreich (History, ’97) taught history and English for 15 years at Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, California, before moving into an administrative role at the school. He is now in his fourth year as its principal.
Shannon Hunt (Journalism, ’97) is an Emmy-winning, executive producer of “From Scratch,” a culinary and travel TV series that tells the stories of different cultures and the people who put food on our tables.
2000s
Aron DeFerrari (Political Science, ’01) was named the 2022 Prosecutor of the Year for the state of California for his work as a Contra Costa County deputy district attorney.
Kirsten Grind (Journalism, ’02) joined The New York Times in March as a tech investigations reporter in San Francisco after 12 impressive years working for The Wall Street Journal.
Shea Somma (Philosophy, ’07) creates custom, hand-shaped surfboards through his Central Coast-based Somma Special Designs.
2010s
Josh Haevernick (English, ’11) is a lawyer with the global law firm Dentons, and is married and loving life.
Travis Raynaud (Child Development, ’13) is the new internal career readiness advisor for Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business, following nearly 10 years as the career counselor for the college within Cal Poly Career Services.
Briana Whitney (Journalism, ’14) is the creator and host of “True Crime Arizona,” which consists of a podcast, TV specials, documentaries and case investigations.
Alberto Ganis (Communication Studies, ’15) has returned to Cal Poly as a lecturer for the Political Science Department.
2020s
Yesenia Beas (Psychology, ’20) is the academic advisor and coordinator of Cal Poly’s Multicultural Business Program, which provides students with professional support and resources to help them graduate.
Krista Smith (Journalism, ’11, Master of Public Policy, ’20) became the new marketing director for the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.
Evan Reed (Theatre Arts, ’21) founded Bunker Arts Collective, a nonprofit organization that seeks to combat widespread vandalism and blight affecting property owners in Everett, Washington, through community trash cleanups, needle removal, vandalism mediation and mural commissions for independently owned and operated small businesses.
Alessandra Gardner (Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies, ’22) returned to Cal Poly as the temporary assistant technical coordinator for the LAES Program.
Brooks Lee (Sociology, ’22) debuted as a third baseman for the Minnesota Twins against the Detroit Tigers on July 3.
Ashley Monteiro (Psychology, ’23) will attend UC San Diego in pursuit of a doctorate in experimental psychology, specializing in social psychology.
Hector Reyes (Psychology, ’23) was part of the first-place team in the Education category at the 2024 California State University Research Competition. Reyes is working on a master’s degree at San Diego State University.
Alexis Morse (Theater Arts, ʼ23) recently accepted a position with Seneca Family of Agencies and will provide support to at-risk children and their families.