Alumni Awards

Join us for an evening reception as we celebrate the incredible achievements of our 2025 award recipients on Saturday, Nov. 8.

Register

Image

Stephen Hamill is the founder and CEO of the Public Purchasing Exchange LLC (PPEx). The organization serves as the distribution channel and technology hub for exchanging government contracts among California public agencies. 

Before launching PPEx, he founded and led HB Capital Resources Ltd., a national professional services company that manages public finance and purchasing programs. He previously ran a private law practice specializing in business and real estate.

Hamill began his public service career with Alameda County, California, where he ultimately served as assistant county administrator, overseeing leadership development, budgeting, finance, and legislative programs.

He is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), where he advises the Center for Intergovernmental Partnerships and chairs the Development Committee. 

He also co-chairs the University of San Francisco Campaign Advisory Committee and is chair emeritus of the USF Board of Trustees, where he has served for nine years as a member and chair. His nonprofit leadership includes service as a member and chair of the Carondelet High School Board of Directors. For more than 20 years, he has shared his passion for youth development as a licensed soccer coach and referee.

He holds a juris doctor from the University of San Francisco, a master of public administration from California State University, East Bay, and a bachelor of arts in comparative culture from the University of California, Irvine. 

Hamill has been married to his wife, Janice, for more than 50 years. They have two children and five grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys golf, skiing, boating, and preserving the history and art of wooden boats as a member of the Antique and Classic Boat Society.

Image

Lillian Samuel is chief executive officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area and the first African American to hold the position in the agency’s history. The organization serves all nine counties of the Bay Area.

Since her appointment in 2021, she has guided the organization through several milestones. In 2022, the agency earned the Quality Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and received the award again in 2023, along with a National Marketing Award. In 2024, the agency achieved record fundraising for the second consecutive year.

Samuel brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, raising tens of millions of dollars for institutions such as the University of California, San Francisco, the Girl Scouts of Northern California, and community health centers across the Bay Area.

Her career began in retail, where she worked as a buyer for national companies including Bloomingdale’s, the Gap, Cost Plus World Market, and Duty Free Shoppers. Years of volunteering on boards and fundraising inspired her transition to the nonprofit sector. 

Samuel is committed to creating a more just and equitable community through mentorship, with the goal of ensuring young people have every opportunity to reach their full potential.

In 2023, the Marcus Foster Education Institute named Samuel a Visionary for Diversity. The recognition highlighted her belief that “we are stronger together, we achieve nothing alone, and bridges are the linchpins to our collective victory.” In 2025, she joined Generation Thrive’s Bridging the Bay leadership cohort. She has also earned the Powerful Woman of the Bay Award and the USF Alumni Professional Achievement Award.

She serves on the board of VolunteerMatch and the advisory board of iHeartRadio. She is a member of the Los Altos Kiwanis Club and a devoted member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Links Inc., and Jack and Jill of America. 

Samuel earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in nonprofit management from the University of San Francisco.

Image

Sarah Caravalho Khan is vice president of people operations and talent management at Codexis, an enzyme engineering company in Redwood City. She previously served as head of human resources at Vaxart, a clinical-stage vaccine company in South San Francisco.

Over the past 26 years, Khan has held senior roles in customer experience, organizational effectiveness, training, and talent acquisition. Her career spans multiple industries, including medical devices, education, and financial services.

Khan earned a bachelor’s degree in English from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and a master’s degree in organization and leadership from the University of San Francisco. She serves on the University of San Francisco Alumni Board of Directors, the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Liberal Arts at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and the board of directors of Friends of the Library in Los Altos.

Image

Dr. Settles built her career in public transportation and academia. She worked with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (Muni, Water, and Hetch Hetchy), AC Transit, and Bay Area Rapid Transit, gaining firsthand experience in urban transit operations. For decades, she taught business at City College of San Francisco and also served as an adjunct instructor at other local universities. She earned a doctorate in education from the University of San Francisco, where her research focused on absenteeism among public bus operators.

Since retiring, Dr. Settles has devoted her talents, skills, and financial support to nonprofits that serve women, girls, and college students in need. She established four George Floyd Social Justice College Scholarships on both the East and West coasts, including USF. She has led programs for World AIDS Day, supported women affected by gun violence, assisted homeless mothers, promoted voter registration, and contributed to United Nations programs for women and girls.

Her civic service includes working as an elephant seal docent at Año Nuevo State Reserve, a commissioner appointment to the San Francisco Redevelopment Commission, and a member of the Half Moon Bay Redistricting Board. She served as secretary and vice chair of the San Mateo County Retirement Board. She currently serves as vice president of the San Mateo County Community College Foundation and previously held the position of secretary.

An avid traveler, Dr. Settles has visited Central and South America and Australia. She has been married for 54 years to her college sweetheart, William Calvin Settles MFA ’05.

Image

Zac Clark is the founder and executive director of The HomeMore Project. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving California’s unhoused community. He launched the organization while studying international business and marketing at the University of San Francisco. Upon graduating in 2023, he received the Student Leadership Award and the Dean’s Service Award. In 2023 and 2024, his work supported over 2,000 people experiencing homelessness.

Clark recently earned a master’s degree in urban planning from UCLA, where he concentrated in housing and economics. In 2026, he and The HomeMore Project plan to launch a scalable transitional housing model using tiny homes. He continues to leverage resources and networking opportunities with the goal to grow The HomeMore Project into a household name in California.