After a 40-year career working for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Washington State Department of Ecology, Ron Holcomb ('76, Journalism, Natural Resources, Biology) wrote a book about his role in protecting the environment. "Constant Chaos - The Daily Battle to Protect the Environment" describes the life of a spill responder that at times is chaotic, difficult, and dangerous, and documents some of the most significant environmental disasters in Washington state. The book is available at: Constant Chaos by Author Ron Holcomb | Gorham Printing    

Jenna MacFarlane ('02, Studio Art) moved to the east coast in 2005 and since that time has owned a marketing company. In early 2022, she published her first novel entitled "Hardware Stories," and has since released an award-winning feature called "Adopting Audrey" nationwide.

After 21.5 years in the Air Force, Sally and Timothy Blewett ('66, Fisheries) retired to Little Rock, AR where Timothy spent the next 31 years as a safety and risk control consultant. His wife Sally spent 30 years as a travel consultant. When he left Humboldt, he had visited only one foreign country and has since visited 42. Humboldt meant a lot to him, and much of his seven novels reference Humboldt. He claims he was not a good student but managed to get an MS in Environmental Management from UTSA and is now retired.

Stacey Powells ('82, Theatre Arts) has published her first book, Empty Cupboards. It's a book of personal essays and an "analysis of the breakdown of a commonsensical, menopausing Leo, living in high altitude where oxygen is scant." The book shot up to #1 on the Amazon Mid-Life Essays category when it launched in September of 2022 and is still in the Top 10. Some of the stories have to do with her time at Humboldt, which was a very important time for her.       

Brandon Chapin ('10, Politics) was appointed as Legislative and Policy Advisor at the Delta Stewardship Council by Governor Newsom on July 1, 2022. He is responsible for maintaining the Council’s relationship with the State legislature and working on other special projects related to the implementation of the state's Delta Plan. 

Rick Williams ('77, Wildlife) retired in July 2022 after a 45-year career that began with the USFWS and CDFW. He transitioned through PG&E and various consulting firms and then culminated with a return to PG&E in 2015. He has had career-long involvement with The Wildlife Society (TWS), including service as President of the TWS-Western Section (TWS-WS) representing wildlife professionals in California, Nevada, and Hawaii, and the TWS Executive Council. He attributes his long involvement with TWS to the mentorship of former (now deceased) Humboldt professors, Dr. Chuck Yocum and Dr. Stan (Doc) Harris, true giants of the Wildlife Profession.

Jacob Horn's (Journalism, '14) magazine that the company he founded, Vivo HealthStaff, has been selected as #231 on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in the United States.

Michael Stockstill ('71, Journalism) has authored a book on the history of the planning and development of the Irvine Ranch. The title is "Transforming the Irvine Ranch", available on Amazon. 

On September 3, 2022, Humboldt had its first published anthology of painters, Looking for Beauty. The publishing was designed and compiled by Cyndy Phillips ('98, English), a former English faculty. For nearly four years, the project was advised by Cal Poly Press and professor, James Woglom (who wrote the foreword). In August of 2022 at the Redwood Art Association (603 F St, Eureka), the final 80 limited edition books were on sale as a fundraiser to support the Redwood Art Association’s Annual Paint Out. The event was ushered in by gypsy jazz, North Story Wines, and free food.

As the first geology graduate of Humboldt State in 1968, George FitzGerald went to work as an underground mine geologist in Grants, New Mexico. Using investigative skills taught by my Humboldt professors, he directed the quality-based safe extraction of uranium ore for over 15 years.  Great education and experience in field geology provided him with the skills to successfully hold positions in industry, teaching, consulting and government regulation for environmentally protective mineral production. FitzGerald thanks Humboldt's first geology professors Dr. Young, Dr. Kilmer, and Dr. Longshore for creating one of the great programs at Cal Poly Humboldt.