Join Mesa Community College (MCC) for the annual Hall of Fame event

The Mesa Community College Hall of Fame honors alumni, community members, and MCC employees whose personal and professional accomplishments and positive contributions to the college and community set them apart.

Thursday, November 2, 2023
6 p.m. – Hors d’oeuvres Reception MCC ART GALLERY PATIO
7 p.m. – Program MCC THEATRE

Mesa Community College, 1833 West Southern Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85202

Free and Open to the Public • RSVP Required

2023 Hall of Fame Honorees

Outstanding Athlete

• Douglas Lewis, M.A., was an MCC basketball player for the 1985-86 season and the starting point guard for the 1986-87 team winning conference championships as one of the top five point guards in the country.
• Sarah Moravitz, M.Ed. Admin, played soccer at MCC in the inaugural 1996 and 1997 seasons, was named Junior College All-American, team captain, MVP, 1996 First Team All-State, and tied for leading goal scorer as a defensive back. The team won the 1996 regional championship.
• Keith Smith (1973) was on the MCC 1973 National Football Championship team, earning First Team All-Conference and First Team All-American honors and then coaching youth football and literacy programs.
• Thomas Watkins, the all-time leading scorer in MCC basketball history, earned ACCAC honors during his 1997 and 1999 seasons, was an All-American and on the ACCAC 1998 First Team when MCC was the Region 1 Champions.
• Brandi Steinke White was MCC Female Athlete of the Year in 2005 as she led the basketball team in points, rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage. Captain of the team, she was First Team All-American and First Team All-Conference.

Outstanding Coach

• John Guerrero coached the 2001 MCC women’s golf team to a run of 17 wins of 18 Region I titles, capturing 83 consecutive conference tournaments over 12 seasons. He took the men’s team to the 2017 NJCAA Division II National Championship win.

Excellence in Teaching

• Carole Drachler, Ph.D., has earned a stellar reputation as an arts professor and acclaimed art historian over more than three decades and is renowned for her participation with Arizona arts councils and art galleries.
• Kara Thomson, M.F.A, brought to MCC years of art direction, scene design, production, and consulting experience from Hollywood, major theaters across the nation, television, and the Kennedy Center American College Theatre.

Distinguished MCC Staff

• Marisa Estrada, as Box Office Coordinator, has been integral to the success of the MCC Theatre Arts, Music and Dance departments for more than two decades promoting and supervising production events.

Service

• Monica Torres (2010) is founder of the global company NXT Generation Mortuary Support and one of the funeral industry’s most sought-after speakers and one of the only Latinas recognized as an international expert in her field.

Alumni Achievement

• Gary Ernst (1968) coached Arizona High School Boys Basketball for more than 38 years, leading teams to state titles and inducted into the Arizona High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame.
• Michele Johnson (1995) is chair of the Litigation Department at Latham & Watkins and was named a U.S. Top Trial Lawyer with global clients including Apple, Peloton, Pinterest, J.P. Morgan, Allergan, Puma and Kohl’s.
• Mike VanZutphen (1977) made a career of coaching and directing sports organizations such as the United States Professional Tennis Association and Arizona Special Olympics, receiving humanitarian awards for his volunteer work.