Honorary Degrees
Honorary degrees may be awarded to recognize achievements in all parts of the world. Awardees should represent an appropriate balance between local and non-local, academic and non-academic, and represent a wide diversity of fields of endeavor.
2025 Honorary Degree recipients:
Bettye Saxon, Ed.D
In her more than 30 years in California, Bettye Saxon has developed and strengthened relationships with a wide variety of community advocates, elected officials, non-profit organizations and business professionals. Saxon has been a consistent and strong supporter of Cal State Monterey Bay for the last eight years, advocating for the university in the community and as an active presence on campus.
She served on the CSUMB Foundation Board from 2017 to 2024, and as board chair from 2020 to 2023. She’s been involved in a variety of campus programs including the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Center forums, the annual Agricultural Woman of the Year lunch, and our annual Commencement ceremony. She actively engaged in helping the university move forward as it undertook a brand study, launched a new marketing campaign, and prepared for a blended capital campaign.
Through her career in the telecommunications industry and as a highly respected public speaker, Saxon is a driving force in creating leadership opportunities for women and in promoting accessible technology across the region. Both values align closely with CSUMB’s strategic goals.
In her current role as External Affairs Regional Manager for AT&T on the California Central Coast, Saxon is primarily responsible for government relations in Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito and San Luis Obispo counties and has helped connect the university to many partners in the community and region.
Saxon has served on the boards of many community-based and educational organizations, including the American Heart Association, Junior Achievement of Northern California, Hartnell Community College STEM programs, and Natividad Hospital. Most recently, Saxon was elected to the board of. the Panetta Institute for Public Policy.
Saxon holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems management, a master’s in counseling psychology, and a doctorate in organizational leadership from the University of San Francisco. She is the proud mother of two adult children, Elisha Wilson, a 2019 graduate of Seattle University; and Andre Carpenter, a Senior Technology Specialist with Apple Inc.
David L. Stivers, JD
David L. Stivers is CEO of Pebble Beach Company, the world-famous golf resort located on the Monterey Peninsula. He has been a strong supporter of Cal State Monterey Bay through this role, his connection with the Pebble Beach Foundation, and his work with Monterey Peninsula Foundation.
Pebble Beach Company and the university launched a first-of-its-kind Scholars program in 2024 that CSUMB hopes will be a model for more industry partners in the future. The program provides students with scholarships for up to four years, campus housing during academic breaks, and internships at one of the most prestigious resorts in the world.
Prior to the Scholars program, Pebble Beach Company and the College of Business collaborated to create a Special Events Management Team internship program in 2019. It gave 60 students the opportunity to work at world-class events such as the Concours D’Elegance, a world-renowned car show.
Stivers consistently connects the university with opportunities through the Pebble Beach Company, including an agreement for use of a campus parking lot during the AT&T Pro-Am each year in exchange for inclusion on promotional materials and access to the event. He always considers how to involve our Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism Management students when new occasions arise.
Stivers joined Pebble Beach Company in 1999 as Executive Vice President and became President in 2017 and CEO in July 2021. He previously held senior leadership roles with the Promus Hotel Corporation’s Hospitality Ventures Group and Doubletree Corporation. Prior to Doubletree, he spent six years as a corporate lawyer with the law firm of Latham & Watkins.
Originally from the West Coast, Stivers received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1983. He earned his doctorate in jurisprudence from Harvard Law School in 1987. Stivers and his wife, Jean, reside in Pebble Beach. They have four children and one grandchild.