Dean Biersch
Brewery executive
This Gordon Biersch Brewing Company co-founder has taken his love of beer to wine country with his latest venture, Hopmonk Tavern.
Barry Braverman
Theme park designer
Life after SF State has been an excellent adventure for this teaching-credential recipient. He was the lead designer for California Adventure, one of Disney's newest theme parks.
Gregory Fischbach
Video game executive
Video games were a slam-dunk for this one-time president of RCA Records International. He went on to start Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., the company responsible for bringing the top-selling "NBA Jam" to market.
Stephen Gillett
Technology and business leader
This former Starbucks CIO put his MBA to use as executive vice president and COO of Symantec.
Andreas Glocker
Tech executive
After graduating with a degree in computer science, he founded Bay Area ISP Sirius Connections, top-rated for three years running before he sold it and founded Fastmetrics(link is external).
Mohan Gyani
Telecommunications executive
He set out to become a petroleum engineer but found his true calling in the business world. He played a key role in the IPO of AT&T Wireless and went on to serve as president and CEO of the company's Wireless Mobility Group.
Charles Hall
Inventor
When his master's project idea for a Jell-O chair flopped, he came up with the idea for a water-filled vinyl mattress. Still popular today, the waterbed is an indelible icon of the '70s.
Kishore Kripalani
Restaurateur
His new MBA in hand, he opened the Bay Area's first Gaylord India Restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. The top-rated restaurant now has locations worldwide.
Chris Larsen
Chairman and CEO
In 1993 this E-Loan co-founder was instrumental in passing California's strong consumer financial privacy law. Today he is CEO of another online lender, Prosper.com, and online payment protocol innovator Ripple Labs.
Paula LeDuc
Business and community leader
After earning a master's degree in special education, she taught cooking classes at the Living Skills Center for the Visually Impaired before launching a second career, as head of Paula LeDuc Fine Catering.
Tom Lehner
Automaker executive
This political science grad, once chief of staff for a U.S. senator, says diverse backgrounds and competing interests at SF State prepared him for politics and public service. Today he's vice president of public policy at the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association.
Yvonne Lembi-Detert
Hotel owner
This owner of Personality Hotels on Union Square shocked her marketing professor in the 1970s by inviting a major developer mentioned in her textbook to speak to her class.
Stephen Lincoln
Bakery owner/fitness instructor/actor
The high-protein/low-carb cookies and brownies produced at his New York-based Protein Bakery are healthful as well as tasty, say fans including Oprah Winfrey.
Gilman Louie
Partner, Alsop Louie Partners
He was still finishing his bachelor's degree when he founded a successful computer-game company responsible for some of the biggest games on the market. Today, as a technology venture capitalist, he is helping other promising entrepreneurs develop their ideas.
Andrew Ly
CEO
The head of the thriving Sugar Bowl Bakery sharpened his business acumen at SF State, where he got a great education and met his future wife, Cindy, when the two were assigned to work together on a class project.
Kermit Lynch
Wine merchant
Saveur magazine named this English major among its 100 favorite food-related people in the United States. His popular Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant is located in Berkeley.
George Marcus
Real estate broker
The founder of the Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Company has remained closely connected to his alma mater.
Manny Mashouf
Clothing retailer
He founded bebe Inc. clothing line, the worldwide brand associated with chic, avant garde, sophisticated women including some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Susan RoAne
Best-selling author, keynote speaker
She learned from forward-thinking faculty like Dr. George Hallowitz before writing books such as "How to Work a Room," which has sold more than a million copies.
Jeff Sand
Industrial designer
In 1994, this industrial design major co-founded Switch Snowboard Bindings, the first company to sell step-in binding for snowboards. His work has since led to more than 12 utility and design patents.
Stephen M. Wolf
Airline executive
Businessweek credited this SF State grad with helping pull U.S. Airways out of a nosedive after he came on board as CEO in 1996. He went on to become chairman of R. R. Donnelley & Sons, a commercial printing company.