Chevron Project Manager and recruiter, CBA Council member, supporter of students and of Sacramento State: Suzanne G. Diers (B.S. in Business Administration /MIS and Accounting, 1983; Project Management Professional certification from Project Management Institute) adds another title this spring: 2008 College of Business Administration Alumna of the Year. CBA Dean Sanjay Varshney commends Diers’ consistent commitment to the furtherance of students’ welfare and futures: “In her career with Chevron, Suzanne Diers models the success we envision for all our graduates. And at the same time, she exemplifies the type of support and interest that we would like to see from all our alumni. Over the years, she has helped students prepare for successful careers, helped them find and pursue opportunities, and has even helped develop financial assistance and/or internships for many. On behalf of our students, the College of Business Administration owes her a debt of thanks.”

Diers, along with her sister Linda Diers, was hired by a Chevron recruiter through the university’s career center (see Business Futures, spring 2007). Upon achieving a measure of success in the huge corporation, she inquired about the lack of recruitment in the IT field at Sacramento State—and was promptly handed that assignment. Diers proudly reports success: “Sac State graduates are always good investments for Chevron….since fall 2000, our team has hired 33 students into full-time positions and provided 24 summer internships. Many interns became full-time hires. Currently we have over 154 Sac State alumni working for Chevron in places like Nigeria, Angola, Texas, and Hawaii. Just a few of the stand-outs are Chee Vue whose B.S. in Environmental Science and M.S. in MIS made a winning combination; Nuray Elci who is pursuing her Ph.D.; and Matt Farley, a recent graduate who has been featured in a Chevron video.”

“The biggest joy in my career has been to help students get jobs,” says Diers. As a recruiter, she networks with professors, career centers, and students. She is adamant about encouraging students to keep their grades up to maximize their job market competitiveness.

The busy professional has also been instrumental in establishing Chevron scholarships at Sac State and recently Suzanne and her sister Linda have established the Diers scholarship.

Diers recently facilitated a Sac State graduate research project, connecting students with Chevron employees on differentiating between project management and business analysis. Diers herself would be an appropriate voice of experience to address that question. Until recently, she was the Western Hemisphere Project Management Office leader, overseeing IT projects in 40 countries.

Presently, Diers is part of a select team of project managers who work from offices in Singapore, London, Houston and San Ramon. Located in California, Diers has responsibility for setting up global video conferencing. “Video conferencing allows us to communicate more effectively around the world,” explains Diers,” while reducing travel—and that helps the environment.” Helping the environment, the community, and the individual: Diers enjoys reaching out a helping hand wherever and whenever needed. And the College of Business Administration applauds her for her efforts.

On a Personal Note: Diers’ community service extends to volunteering her time and talents to various non-profit organizations, including community theaters. An experienced actor, dancer and choreographer, she will appear next in a melodrama at the Sunol Repertory Theater.