In conjunction with the committee co-chairs San Francisco State Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Nicole Bolter and Cal State LA Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross, the CCAA has announced the composition of the newly-formed Diversity and Inclusion Committee. 

Created in June 2020 in response to nationwide movements to combat systemic racism, the committee will examine ways that our conference can not only talk about the issues that cause division, but have a direct impact on the future of our institutions and our communities in direct and actionable ways.

Each of the conference's 12 member-institutions has one voting representative on the committee, joining Bolter and Gross as well as the CCAA staff, who serve as ex-officio committee members.

“We are pleased to announce this committee of amazing people that want to make a difference in terms of global solutions, Gross notes. ”I’m grateful for their willingness to share their experiences and ideas to create a platform for impactful, positive, social change. We are truly encouraged that this group will set a tone of fairness, diversity and inclusiveness that adds to student-athlete welfare and the greater good."

“This committee presents an opportunity for us to deeply examine our commitment to racial and social justice in athletics, and implement changes that result in greater equity and inclusion,” adds Bolter. “The individuals chosen for this committee are impressive and represent a mix of student athletes, coaches, and administrators, both in and outside athletics. Plus, we will have the opportunity to talk about issues across 12 institutions, which will inevitably lead to more comprehensive solutions. I am proud of the CCAA for making this committee a reality, and am excited to get to work.”

Dr. Nicole Bolter - San Francisco State

Dr. Nicole Bolter joined San Francisco State Athletics in 2018 as the department's faculty athletic representative. In that role, she serves as a liaison between academics and athletics.

A former student-athlete herself, Dr. Bolter was a member of the California women's golf team from 1996-00. She walked on at Cal and went on to earn a full scholarship and competed in 95 percent of the team's tournaments during her four years. She was a three-time Academic All-American and was awarded the team's most improved player three consecutive seasons.

Dr. Bolter has held the role of Assistant Professor in San Francisco State's Kinesiology Department since 2015. Prior to that, she was an assistant professor in the Boise State's Department of Kinesiology from 2012-15 and was a full-time lecturer at San Francisco State from 2010-12.

Currently, Dr. Bolter teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in research methods and sport and exercise psychology. Her research focuses on understanding how participation in sport and physical activity can be a growth experience for children and adolescents.

In 2010, she earned a PhD in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota, where she specialized in sport and exercise psychology. Dr. Bolter received her Master’s in Educational Psychology from the University of Virginia in 2007 and her undergraduate degree in Psychology from California in 2000.

Dr. Daryl Gross - Cal State LA

Dr. Daryl Gross is entering his fifth year as the Executive Director of Athletics at Cal State LA. Under his leadership, the Golden Eagles have established a new culture of high expectations and success as many teams have achieved rapid national success, with many teams advancing to the NCAA tournament, while producing multiple national and conference academic honors. 

Gross was part of the team on campus that was instrumental in navigating one of the largest intercollegiate athletic facility enhancements in Cal State LA history, partnering with the professional soccer franchise LAFC, who reside permanently and practice in new facilities on campus. He is currently working with alumna Billie Jean King to create the Billie Jean King Legacy Center on campus, which will be a major beacon of hope and opportunity and an experiential, “Presidential Library” type landmark that will include global educational programming.

Prior to joining the Golden Eagles staff, Gross was the architect and leader for Syracuse becoming a member of the Power 5, ACC conference during his tenure at Director of Athletics. This resulted in elite competition participation, academic prestige and a significant increase in annual revenue. He led the Athletics Department at Syracuse University for 10 years as Director of Athletics before moving to his role of Vice President and Special Assistant to the Chancellor where he continued to serve on the Chancellor’s Cabinet. In addition, Gross was an Adjunct Professor in the David B. Falk College of Sports Management and Human Dynamics. 

Prior to his appointment at Syracuse, Gross served as senior associate athletic director at this alma mater, the University of Southern California. At USC, he directed coaching searches and contract discussions, served as the department’s spokesman, led marketing and corporate sponsorship efforts, negotiated television contracts, developed and contracted football and men’s basketball schedules, directed student-athlete academic services, and directly supervised 10 of the University’s 19 intercollegiate sports programs, among other responsibilities.

Gross holds both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in educational psychology from USC, as well as a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California at Davis, where he was a football wide receiver and was teammates with future New York Jets quarterback Ken O’Brien.  He coached on the UC Davis football coaching staff, as well as coaching the UC Davis men’s and women’s tennis teams. Gross was a graduate assistant football coach at USC coaching quarterbacks and receivers before moving up the ranks to works for the New York Jets as a personnel scout and front office staffer conducting all psychological testing and analysis before moving into collegiate athletics administration. 

ZsaZsa Lawson - Cal Poly Pomona

ZsaZsa Lawson enters her fifth season as an assistant coach for the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team.

Prior to arriving at Cal Poly Pomona, Lawson was a member of the Mt. San Antonio College staff for five years and was part of four California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Final Four appearances and two CCCAA State Championships. During the offseason, Lawson also worked for West Coast Premier Academy as a youth team coach and administrative aid.   

As a player, Lawson earned two State Championships in 2007 and 2008 while at Mt. SAC. As a sophomore, she was named First-Team All-South Coast Conference and led the team to a 37-1 record. She continued her playing career at BYU-Hawaii while receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in University Studies.

Along with her coaching duties at Cal Poly Pomona, Lawson serves on the newly-formed Bronco Athletics Racial Equity Sub-Committee, and lends her voice as a strong advocate for racial and gender equality.

Dr. William Franklin - Cal State Dominguez Hills

Dr. William Franklin holds a Ph.D. in Psychological Studies in Education with an emphasis in Child and Adolescent Development from Stanford University. Dr. Franklin currently serves as the Vice President for Student Affairs at California State University, Dominguez Hills and is the former Associate Vice President of Student Success and Director of the Educational Opportunity Program and TRIO Programs. While at CSU Dominguez Hills, Dr. Franklin has been instrumental in securing close to $15 million dollars in grants to design and implement several student success initiatives for low-income, first generation students.

He served as an Associate Professor in Child and Family Studies at California State University, Los Angeles and he served as an Associate Professor of Human Development in the Center of Collaborative Education and Professional Studies at California State University, Monterey Bay. While there, he was also the Interim Director of the Liberal Studies Institute. He has also served as a lecturer at Santa Clara University and at Stanford University.

Dr. Franklin received his B.A. in Psychology and Masters in Educational Psychology from CSU Northridge. His teaching interests include adolescent development, child development, African-American family, early childhood themes and life cycle issues, African-American and Latino males, adolescent risk and resilience, at-risk youth, juvenile justice, and positive youth development.

Dr. Franklin currently spearheads a mentoring program for African American and Latino young men called the Male Success Alliance. The project works with close to 200 middle and high school boys and nearly 150 college young men. Dr. Franklin is often called on by community-based organizations, schools, juvenile justice facilities and universities to give motivational talks and/or conduct workshops to encourage, inspire, confront, challenge and to move youth to a higher level.

Bethany Hobbs-Helmus - Cal State East Bay

Bethany Hobbs-Helmus is entering her ninth year working at Cal State East Bay and her third as the Assistant Athletics Director for Business Operations. In 2017, she was named Senior Woman Administrator. She previously spent two years at CSUEB as the Internal Operations Coordinator and five years as the women's equipment manager.

Hobbs-Helmus serves as a member of the athletic administrative team and coordinates the department's business operations, including accounts payable, procurement, travel reservation oversight, hourly payroll, budget management and reporting, and contract administration. She manages game day operations and supervision of event staff, as well as special event planning. She is developing a student-welfare program and serves as the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for the department, along with taking an active role within the department on issues of diversity and inclusion.

As a student-athlete at Cal State East Bay after transferring from Slippery Rock,  Hobbs-Helmus played three seasons at utility on the water polo team under Head Coach Lisa Cooper. She helped guide the Pioneers to the 2008 Collegiate II National Title in her senior campaign. 

A summa cum laude graduate of Cal State East Bay, Bethany earned her bachelor’s degree in English with an option in language and discourse in 2008. She received her master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages in the spring of 2012.

Demetrus Caldwell - Cal State LA

Dr. Demetrus L. Caldwell joined Cal State LA as the Compliance Coordinator in July 2017. 
 
As the Senior Compliance Administrator, he leads all aspects of the NCAA Division II athletics compliance program and ensures the athletics program is operated in compliance with NCAA, CCAA and university rules and regulations.
 
Prior to Cal State LA, Caldwell served as the first assistant director for NCAA Compliance at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. While there, Caldwell assisted with monitoring activities of athletic department coaches and staff members as they relate to NCAA and Southland Conference regulations.
 
During his time as an undergraduate at New Orleans, Caldwell served as an academic and compliance intern with the school’s athletic department.
 
Caldwell earned his Doctorate degree in Athletic Administration from Northcentral University in 2016. He earned his Master’s degree in Sport Management Studies from California University of Pennsylvania in 2009 and Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from the University of New Orleans in 2007.
 
Caldwell also serves as the advisor for Cal State LA’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a member of the NCAA Strategic Alliance Matching Grant selection committee. He has been an active leader and facilitator of discussions revolving around diversity and inclusion on campus and within the Cal State LA athletics department.

Brian Corpening - Cal State Monterey Bay

Brian Corpening joined the Cal State Monterey Bay executive team in June 2018 as Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence and Chief Diversity Officer.

Corpening brings more than 30 years of experience in academic administration to Cal State Monterey Bay and most recently earned his Ph.D. in educational studies from the University of Oklahoma in 2017, where he served as the assistant provost for diversity & community partnerships at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center since 2006. 

His broad professional experience in higher education, and extensive experience serving in capacities focused on diversity, equity and inclusion will be pivotal to advancing Cal State Monterey Bay’s commitment to inclusion and equity for all members of the community.

Corpening's route to higher education began at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he joined the Black Student Union and had his first experience with activism when he participated in a sit-in at the president’s office to protest the school’s lack of African-American faculty. He became the first person in his family to graduate from college, and then was hired as an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) counselor at Morrisville State College in New York.

Corpening has lived all over the country and abroad, but returning to Seaside and Cal State Monterey Bay has been like a homecoming. He was born on the former Fort Ord when his parents, Thomas Sr. and Vera Corpening, were stationed here with the Army in the 1950s. Now, he leads the Office of Inclusive Excellence’s activities aimed at promoting inclusion and equity across the university and helping to prepare students to thrive in the global, multicultural society of the 21st century.

Dr. Chelsea Herman - Cal State San Bernardino

A passionate advocate for equity and equality, Dr. Chelsea Herman begins her third year as Cal State San Bernardino’s Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator after 17 years of senior-level experience at the Division I institutions in the Pacific Northwest. 

Herman spent six years at Seattle University, including the previous two years as its Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance/Senior Woman Administrator after four years as the university’s compliance coordinator.

At Seattle, Herman’s duties included coordinating the school’s NCAA compliance program, especially dealing with initial student-athlete eligibility and admissions as well as continuing rules education for student-athletes, coaches, and athletics staff. As SWA, Herman represented the athletics program at various Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and NCAA meetings, and responsible for handling matters relating to gender equity.

Herman came to Seattle U from Boise State (2006-11) and prior to her service to the Broncos she served in the Gonzaga Athletic Department as an academic advising intern, taught graduate level statistics and educational measurement at Washington State University, and was a Research Assistant for the Center for ETHICS* at the University of Idaho.

Herman earned her degree in Physical Education and Health from Gonzaga in 1997 where she captained the women’s basketball team at point guard.

After her playing career, she earned her master’s degree in sport ethics and sports administration, and her Ph.D. from the University of Idaho. Her dissertation was Athletic Identity and Transitional Loss of Division I Student-Athletes and she helped author a Life Skills/Character Curriculum for University of Georgia freshman football players.

Kiora Ridgeway - Cal State San Marcos

Rising junior for the Cal State San Marcos volleyball team, Kiora Ridgeway has aspirations of becoming a defense or civil rights attorney. Ridgeway cares a great deal about social justice and wants to help have the conversations to create change.

The middle blocker/outside hitter from Portland, Ore., enjoyed a successful prep career at Central Catholic High School, where she was twice named to the All-Mt. Hood League Conference team and earned All-State distinction in 2017. Also a track & field athlete in high school, Ridgeway threw the javelin. 

She began her collegiate career at LIU-Post, competing in the East Coast Athletic Conference in 2018 and rating second on the team in total blocks in her freshman season. Ridgeway transferred to Cal State San Marcos in 2019, and serves as a SAAC representative for the Cougars. She was named to the CCAA Fall All-Academic team for her efforts in the classroom and she appeared in 12 matches in her sophomore season.

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Ridgeway has visited 10 countries outside the United States.

Jose Garcia - Chico State

Jose Garcia is entering his ninth season as a member of the Chico State coaching staff, and will represent the Wildcats on the Diversity & Inclusion Committee from the lens of a first-generation Mexican American. His efforts have resulted in the Wildcats reaching postseason play six times, winning two CCAA titles, and the 2014 NCAA West Region crown.
 
Garcia is responsible for working closely with the Wildcat hitters, first basemen and outfielders, and oversees the program’s daily field work.

Garcia joined Dave Taylor’s staff as a student assistant in 2013, helping ’the Cats post a 37-18 record and a berth in the NCAA Championship Tournament. He joined the coaching ranks after wrapping up his playing career at College of the Desert in Palm Desert. As a freshman, Garcia was an All-Foothill Conference Honorable Mention and was named the Roadrunners’ 2011 Offensive Player of the Year.

Garcia was a prep standout at Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, earning Gatorade Freshman Player of the Year and All-Southwestern League honors.

Garcia earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Chico State with an emphasis in coaching, the first in his family to graduate from college. He is currently working towards receiving his master’s degree in education, school and counseling psychology with an emphasis in positive coaching at the University of Missouri. 

Jamey Harris - Humboldt State

Jamey Harris joined the Humboldt State athletics program in 2017, where he serves as the head cross country coach and an assistant track & field coach specializing in distance running. Along with his coaching duties for the Lumberjacks Harris serves as the advisor for the Humboldt State Black Student-Athlete group.

Prior to Humboldt State, Harris was the head track & field and cross country coach at UC Santa Cruz from 2014-17. He was a three-time Division III Independents Coach of the Year where he guided the Banana Slugs' cross country program as well as leading the Pacific Collegiate School's track & field program.

Before becoming the Banana Slugs' head coach, he was the program's top assistant from 2008-09 and 2011-13. Harris also served as an assistant cross country and track & field coach at Auburn (2003-04) and Fresno State (2001-02).

Harris was the Director of Olympic Development for the Aggie Running Club from 1995-2002. He coordinated the development of emerging elite post-collegiate athletes and established Olympic Development division policies.

As an athlete, Harris claimed the 1998 USATF National Championship in the 1500 meters, as well a fourth-place finish in the world in the mile run at the 1998 Goodwill Games .

Harris was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American and earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology at Fresno State. He earned his master's degree in kinesiology at Auburn.

Natasha Smith - San Francisco State

Natasha Smith is set to enter her third season at the helm of the San Francisco State women's basketball program, and is in the midst of rebuilding the Gators' efforts on the court as evidenced by a postseason berth in her first year. 

Prior to joining the Gators, Smith spent two years at Division I San Francisco, serving as assistant coach for Molly Goodenbour. Before joining Goodenbour's staff on the Hilltop, Smith was the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Southern Oregon where she helped the Raiders to a 33-2 record and an appearance in the NAIA Division II championship game.
 
Before her appointment at Southern Oregon, Smith served as an assistant on Goodenbour's staff at Cal State Dominguez Hills for two seasons (2013-15), each concluding with appearances in the NCAA Championship tournament bracket.  Her coaching career began at her alma mater Chico State, where she served one season as an assistant as she completed her degree. That season the Wildcats reached the CCAA Tournament Championships and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Championship.
 
A 2013 graduate of Chico State, the Sacramento native was a four-year standout on the basketball team and ended her career as the school's all-time leader in games played, and sees her name in the program's top ten in multiple categories. 

Desmond Gates - Sonoma State

Desmond Gates is a junior baseball player at Sonoma State, majoring in communications and aspiring to join the field of broadcasting or public relations after concluding his collegiate career.

The Torrance native was a two-sport star at Bishop Montgomery High School, competing in both baseball and football. Gate earned All-League accolades in both disciplines, and was named an All-American on the diamond, breaking the school's all-time scoring record by the conclusion of his prep career. 

Gates began his collegiate career at Division I Cal State Northridge, where he competed for a season before transferring to West Los Angeles JC, where he earned an associate's degree while also picking up All-League honors. Just beginning his career as a Seawolf in the shortened 2020 season, Gates played in 15 games, starting eight.

Son of Nequenta, an LAUD assistant principal, and Dedrick, an aircraft mechanic, Gates has two siblings, Daniel and Danielle, and a strong faith. Gates is keen on sharing his personal experiences growing up in Los Angeles and competing as one of a small percentage of African American baseball players. He believes that sharing his experiences will help bring light to the discussion of diversity and inclusion on college campuses.

Troy Johnson - Stanislaus State

Troy Johnson enters his eighth season as head coach of the Stanislaus State track & field program, his second stint with the Warriors. He also served as assistant coach from 2000-07, where his emphasis included coaching student-athletes in the sprints, jumps and multi-events disciplines before he returned to Turlock in 2013 in the head coach capacity.

Prior to his first appointment at Stanislaus State, Johnson was the head coach for track & field and cross country at fellow CCAA institution, Cal Poly Pomona, from 2007-12. 
  
Johnson, who is actively involved with serving on committees of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), has served on the executive committee as first vice president and is currently serving as a conference representative.
 
A native of Akron, Ohio, Johnson began his collegiate career at Cuesta College, where he remains the 400-meter school record holder. He is a 1994 graduate of Utah State, where he competed on the Aggies’ track and field team focusing on the sprints. He obtained his Master's degree in Human Performance in Sport from New Mexico Highlands in 2010. Post-collegiately, Johnson earned a provisional qualifying time in the 400-meter hurdles for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials.
 
Sure to bring a unique perspective to the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Johnson also spent three years with the Utah State University Police Department, located in Logan.