As chair of San Diego State University’s Bay Area Regional Council (BARC),
Kent Grubaugh, (’92), meets a lot of Aztecs. But it’s not often that he encounters an entire company run by SDSU alumni.
That’s what happened when Grubaugh met
Tom Newton, (’90). Newton and partners
Edwin Baldry, (’91),
Tory Hazard, (’88), and
Jeff Jellison, (’88), are executives of Institutional Cash Distributors (ICD), a San Francisco-based company.
Newton had been out of touch with SDSU almost since graduation, but he relished the idea of reconnecting with the university through the Bay Area Regional Council. The council is
one of seven national organizations of high-level Aztecs working to enhance SDSU’s financial stability and national prominence in three ways: fundraising, strengthening the alumni network and mentoring students.
“I’m thrilled to be working with other Aztecs in the Bay Area who care about the future of SDSU and its students,” Newton said.
Grubaugh, who originally contacted Newton, said his Aztec colleague “has made a significant impact in so many ways, and has helped us accomplish our goal of being champions for SDSU in the Bay Area.”
Tom and
Lisa Newton have established the Thomas P. Newton Endowed Scholarship in the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts, which provides support to students in the School of Communication. Newton and his business partners together named the Office of the Assistant Dean in the Page Pavilion of the Fowler College of Business. In addition to their financial support, these four professionals guide and mentor students as guest lecturers for the college.
Most recently, the Newtons hosted a reception for Bay Area Aztecs at the Menlo Circus Club in Atherton. SDSU President
Elliot Hirshman provided updates from campus, and
John David Wicker,
the new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, spoke about the university’s rise on the national landscape.
“Many of the best memories of my life happened while I was a student at SDSU,” Newton said. “I’ve built a fantastic business with three friends [who], were it not for my time at SDSU, I would never have met. And now Lisa and I are proud Aztec parents of a freshman student, our daughter
Reagan.”