Alumni Advocates of the Year

Dorena Knepper
California State University, Northridge

Dorena Knepper served as CSU Northridge’s longtime director of governmental affairs, working at the university in senior-level capacities for more than 30 years. The chief of staff to former Northridge President Jim Cleary, she became the first full-time governmental relations officer to serve on any CSU campus.

Knepper initiated and built the CSUN Legislative Connection, a network of alumni who assisted with advocacy messaging. She also started the Northridge Legislative Aides Association, which consists of representatives from county, state and federal officials as well as the Los Angeles Unified School District that meet quarterly to look at campus programs. She worked with California’s Congressional Delegation to ensure the re-authorization of the Higher Education Act, her efforts were instrumental in ensuring millions of dollars in funding to rebuild the university after the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and she helped establish a voting precinct in 2001 on the CSUN campus.

A 1964 graduate of CSUN and a lifetime member of the Cal State Northridge Alumni Association, Knepper is chair of the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley, a member of Friends of the Oviatt Library and a Library donor, and a member of the CSUN Presidents Associates giving club.