Entrepreneurs, innovators, advocates named SFSU 2025 Alumni Hall of Fame inductees
Host of SFSU’s Alumni Hall of Fame celebration Ben Fong-Torres and SFSU’s 2024 Alumni Hall of Fame inductee Evan Kidera appear on the stage after Kidera accepts his award.
Five outstanding alumni will be honored at SFSU’s 31st annual celebration on Friday, Nov. 7
Over the last 31 years, San Francisco State University has honored more than 150 outstanding Gators at its annual Alumni Hall of Fame celebration. This year, five more remarkable alumni join our ranks: three business leaders in music, beauty and baseball; a pioneering legislator; and a physician dedicated to building healthier communities.
SFSU President Lynn Mahoney and our University community will honor the newest inductees at a celebration and dinner on Friday, Nov. 7, at the InterContinental San Francisco. This year’s inductees represent talented and diverse voices who were nurtured by the SFSU community, Mahoney says.
“Three of this year’s inductees are innovators, transforming the music, beauty and sports-ticketing industries. They applied what they learned at SFSU to their organizations and raised the bar, developing new business models replicated widely by others,” she said. “The other two notable alumni overcame obstacles to pursue their dreams. They’re now dedicating their lives to serving others in politics and in medicine.”
2025 SFSU Hall of Fame inductees
Kim Coco Iwamoto
B.A., Creative Writing, 1990
Kim Coco Iwamoto, a pioneering advocate and public servant, has dedicated her career to championing equality for marginalized communities, breaking barriers in the process.
She made history in 2006 when she was elected to the Hawaii Board of Education, becoming the first openly transgender person to win statewide office in the United States. During her two terms on the board, she advocated tirelessly for students and educational equity. In 2011, she began her service as a commissioner on the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission.
In 2013, President Barack Obama recognized Iwamoto as a Harvey Milk Champion of Change. In 2018, Newsweek named her one of 50 need-to-know pioneers for LGBTQ rights.
In 2024, the Hawaii native achieved another historic milestone by becoming Hawaii's first openly transgender state legislator, defeating a 30-year incumbent who was also the speaker of the house.
Whether as a licensed therapeutic foster parent, public interest attorney or civil rights activist, Iwamoto has consistently advocated for vulnerable youth and marginalized communities. Her college education began in SFSU’s Creative Writing program, where she earned a bachelor’s degree. She went on to earn a law degree from the University of New Mexico.
Artemis Patrick
MBA, 2001
Artemis Patrick is the first female president and CEO of Sephora North America, overseeing strategy, vision and financial performance of its United States and Canadian businesses, shaping multiyear growth plans to maintain the company’s position as the No. 1 prestige beauty omni retailer. Patrick is part of Sephora’s Global Leadership Team and leads Sephora North America’s operating committee.
Since joining Sephora in 2006, Patrick has been a consistent leader across several business functions, most recently as global merchandising officer for Sephora and chief merchandising officer for Sephora Americas. She was senior vice president and general manager of Sephora inside JCPenney and served as the vice president of eCommerce merchandising for Sephora.com.
Aptly known as “the brand whisperer” by her industry peers, she is widely known as a brand builder in beauty and retail, both in the U.S. and internationally. Patrick oversaw Sephora’s most breakthrough categories and collaborations to date, including its partnership with Kohl’s, and now globally known categories like indie fragrances, inclusive foundation assortments and clean beauty.
She’s received several industry accolades, including the Fragrance Foundation Circle of Champions Award; the Cosmetic Executive Women’s Achiever Award; City of Hope’s Spirit of Life Award; and the National Mother’s Day Committee’s Outstanding Mother of the Year, recognizing exceptional women for successfully building their careers and nurturing their families. She plays an active role on Cosmetic Executive Women’s board, supporting and promoting the many talented women in the beauty industry. Most recently, Patrick was appointed to the Levi Strauss & Co. board of directors and serves on two of its board committees.
She also holds a B.A. in Economics from University of California, Santa Cruz, and University of Madrid Spain.
Ghazi Shami
B.A., Radio and Television, 1999
Ghazi Shami is the founder and CEO of EMPIRE, the largest independent record label, distributor and publisher in the United States. Since launching the company in 2010, he has transformed EMPIRE into a global powerhouse in independent music, known for its innovation, artist-first ethos and cultural impact.
In celebration of EMPIRE’s 15th anniversary in 2025, Shami was featured on the cover of Billboard’s sports and music issue and received the prestigious Clive Davis Visionary Award. He is consistently recognized across the industry, earning spots on Billboard’s Power Players, Indie Power Players and R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players lists, as well as Rolling Stone’s Future 25 and Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report and Top 50 Hip-Hop Executives of All Time. Artists on his label have received multiple Grammy nominations and wins and have appeared on Billboard’s Hot 100 list.
With roots in studio engineering and expertise in new media and global business, Shami brings a rare blend of creativity, technical knowledge and strategic vision. A sought-after speaker, he has appeared at major conferences such as SXSW, Web Summit and the Bitcoin Conference. His insights have been featured in Forbes, XXL, Grammy.com, Bloomberg and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Russ Stanley
B.A., Business Administration, 1988
Russ Stanley is the San Francisco Giants’ senior vice president of ticketing. Throughout his 36-year career with San Francisco’s Major League Baseball team, he pioneered innovations in the sports-ticketing industry that set new standards for fan engagement and revenue generation, such as establishing an online secondary market website called the Double Play Ticket Window — a precursor to platforms like StubHub. They also were first to offer a dynamic pricing model, which adjusts ticket prices based on demand, a model now commonplace today in professional sports and beyond.
Stanley’s team employed the first client retention team in 2000, providing stellar customer “gold glove service” for top clients. These initiatives all contributed to a remarkable 530-game consecutive sell-out streak from October 2010 to July 2017.
Under his leadership, Stanley’s team implemented many ideas that continue to raise the bar for the sports-ticketing industry and fan experience. In 2024, he was the recipient of the INTIX Lifetime Achievement Award and the John P. Buschhorn Ticketing Titan Award, and he was inducted into the Pacifica Sports Hall of Fame.
Outside of the ballpark, Stanley is active in his community, serving on the board of the American Heart Association, the SFSU Foundation and the San Mateo Police Activities League.
Dr. Edgar Velázquez
B.S., Physiology, 2016
Dr. Edgar Velázquez is a physician whose life and career embody resilience, perseverance and a deep commitment to health equity.
Born in Mexico, Velázquez immigrated to the United States at 13. He arrived in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District without knowing any English. The challenges of adapting to a new country were compounded by financial hardship, yet these experiences fueled his determination. He became the first in his family to attend college, starting at SFSU.
While in college, he worked dishwashing jobs to cover tuition. Despite early struggles in remedial English and repeated setbacks in introductory Chemistry, he persevered, drawing strength from mentors such as Professor Leticia Márquez-Magaña. Through her Health Equity Research Lab, he contributed to published research and gained confidence that propelled him forward. He also participated in community-based research programs, including PASITO — a project exploring the impact of nature walks on stress in underserved populations. This deepened his commitment to addressing the health needs of underserved communities.
Velázquez earned his M.D. at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, where he was selected for the accelerated three-year track in internal medicine. He completed residency training at the University of California, San Francisco, and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, serving the same communities where he grew up. His residency included providing urgent care to unhoused residents in the Tenderloin and caring for underinsured patients in community clinics. He’s now pursuing a career in cardiology, with plans to continue advocating for the health of underserved communities.
Tickets to SFSU Alumni Association’s Alumni Hall of Fame event can be purchased online.
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