Crafton Hills College 2016 Distinguished Alumnus to be Recognized at Annual Gala

Live from Crafton…it’s Saturday night! There will be monologues, montages and music at the Annual Crafton Hills College Gala on Saturday, March 19. Festivities begin at 6 p.m. at the Crafton Center on the CHC campus. Attendees are encouraged to represent their favorite Saturday Night Live character with t-shirts or costumes. In addition to the stand-up comedy and fundraising fun, the Foundation will honor a Distinguished Alumnus. This year’s Distinguished Alumnus is Lea Deesing. Deesing is a 1990 CHC Honors Graduate with an associate in science degree. She completed her bachelor of science degree in Information Systems at University of Redlands, and a master’s in public administration from Cal State, Dominguez Hills. Deesing serves as the Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Riverside, where she leads and inspires a nationally award-winning department of 60 information technology professionals. She also serves as the Executive Director of SmartRiverside, a non-profit which aims to narrow the digital divide in her region by training underprivileged youth to refurbish computers which are then offered at no cost to low income families. Deesing has received national recognition for her articles on technology use within government. Among over 75 speaking engagements to date, last year she served as a panelist at Harvard University’s Strategic Innovation Summit, and was a speaker at the Girls Who Code conference aimed at educating, inspiring, and equipping high school girls with the skills and resources to pursue opportunities in computing fields. Throughout the gala evening, guests will have an opportunity to help Crafton Hills College raise funds for its new Athletics program, a Veterans Center, and various student support programs. Tickets are $90 each and can be purchased online at www.craftonhills.edu/gala. The Crafton Hills College Foundation was established in 1972. It is a tax-exempt organization established to receive gifts of both real and personal property as a basis for extending educational opportunities to students via scholarships, grants, loans, and other types of assistance. For more information, go to www.craftonhills.edu.