Saturday - May 20, 2023

9:00 a.m. - Undergraduate Ceremony

Contents

Program

Platform Party

Commencement Speaker

College of Health, Human Services and Nursing

Program

PRESENTATION OF COLORS AND NATIONAL ANTHEM

Dr. Michael E. Spagna
Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs

CSU Dominguez Hills ROTC Color Guard

Ms. Itzel Perez
Music

WELCOME AND PLATFORM PARTY INTRODUCTION

Dr. Thomas A. Parham
President

POSTHUMOUS STUDENT

Dr. Michael E. Spagna
Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs

INTRODUCTION OF STUDENT SPEAKER

Dr. James Hill
Chair, Academic Senate

STUDENT SPEAKER

Ms. Tiffany Mualem
BA, Human Services

INTRODUCTION OF KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Dr. Michael E. Spagna
Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS AND ALUMNI PINNING

Ms. Sheniece Smith
Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel, NorthBay Health

RECOGNITION OF HONORS RECIPIENTS

Dr. Michael E. Spagna
Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs

PRESENTATION OF CLASS FOR CONFERRAL

Dr. Michael E. Spagna
Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs

CONFERRAL OF DEGREES AND PRESENTATION OF CANDIDATES

Dr. Thomas A. Parham
President

CONGRATULATIONS

Mr. Obioha Ogbonna
President, Associated Students, Inc.

TASSEL TURN AND CONGRATULATIONS

Dr. Thomas A. Parham
President

Platform Party

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY

Dr. Romey Sabalius
CSU Trustee

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Ms. Sheniece Smith
Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel, NorthBay Health
Class of 2007, BA Communications

STUDENT SPEAKER 

Ms. Tiffany Mualem
BA, Human Services

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, DOMINGUEZ HILLS

• Dr. Thomas A. Parham
  President
• Dr. Michael E. Spagna
  Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs
• Dr. William Franklin
  Vice President, Student Affairs
• Ms. Deborah Wallace
  Vice President, Administration and Finance
• Mr. Chris Manriquez
  Vice President, Information Technology
• Dr. Bobbie Porter
  Vice President,
  Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice
• Ms. Eva Sevcikova
  Vice President, University Advancement
• Dr. James Hill
  Chair, Academic Senate
• Mr. Obioha Ogbonna
  President, Associated Students, Inc.
• Dr. Kim Costino
  Dean, Undergraduate Studies
• Mr. Ken O’Donnell
  Vice Provost, Academic Affairs
• Dr. Andrew Drummond
  Associate Vice President, Academic Advising
  and Career Development
• Dr. Timothy Caron
  Dean, College of Arts and Humanities
• Dr. Jessica Pandya
  Dean, College of Education
• Dr. Mi-Sook Kim
  Dean, College of Health, Human Services and Nursing
• Dr. Enrique Ortega
  Associate Dean,
  College of Health, Human Services and Nursing
• Dr. Philip LaPolt
  Dean, College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences

Commencement Speaker

Ms. Sheniece Smith
Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel, Northbay Health

As chief administrative officer and general counsel for NorthBay Healthcare System, Sheniece Smith is responsible for providing legal advice to the entire organization. Smith also provides leadership for the marketing and communications, risk management, and physician recruiting and contracting departments.

A proud CSUDH alumna, Smith graduated from the university in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She began her legal career as a paralegal at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), working there while simultaneously attending the University of La Verne College of Law. Smith graduated cum laude and passed the bar in 2012.

She then assumed the role of associate counsel at CHOC, eventually moving up the ranks to become chief of staff and senior counsel to the CEO. In that role, Smith was responsible for providing legal advice on strategic initiatives and risk issues while acting as a member of the business team and advancing the priorities of the CEO’s office.

In 2013, Smith founded H.O.P.E. Through Affordable Legal Services, a project to increase access to quality legal services for low-income individuals. The following year, Smith launched Family Legal Assistance at CHOC Children’s, a medical-legal partnership, to provide free guardianship and conservatorship services to CHOC families who would not otherwise be able to afford the services.

Smith enjoys mentoring students through the law clerk program she created at CHOC and as an adjunct professor at USC Law School, where she developed the health law and policy course in 2019 and continues to share her experiences with students each fall. She is also active in her local community and the national health care legal community by serving on non-profit boards, leading forums for attorneys to advance their knowledge and skills.

Smith has won recognition for her outstanding contributions, including the 2022 Law 2.0 Outstanding Leadership Award, being named one of the 2021 Top 100 Healthcare Visionaries by the International Forum for the Advancement of Healthcare, and appearing on the Orange County Business Journal’s 500 Most Influential People list in 2018. Smith continues her connection with CSUDH through her Hope Scholarship Fund and guest lecturing.

College of Health, Human Services and Nursing

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Science