Lee, Stewart to receive SSU honorary degrees
ROHNERT PARK, CA – Sonoma State University will bestow honorary degrees on two longtime North Bay community leaders during the university’s 2025 Commencement ceremonies on May 17.
Chris Stewart, president and co-founder of Pocket Radar, and Dr. Jong Lee, owner and president of the Lee Accountancy Group, both will receive Doctor of Humane Letters (LHD) degrees at Commencement. Both degrees will be conferred at the two-part College of Science, Technology, and Business ceremony on May 17, with Lee taking part in the 9 a.m. ceremony and Stewart being recognized at the 1 p.m. ceremony the same day.
The honorary degrees were approved by the California State University Board of Trustees.
“These outstanding community members and supporters of the university are very deserving of this recognition, and Sonoma State could not be happier to be honoring them,” SSU Interim President Emily F. Cutrer said.
“Both have worked closely with students and faculty at Sonoma State, as contributors in the classroom, professional mentors, and advisers helping students navigate their career paths. As community leaders in the North Bay and beyond, they are outstanding ambassadors for the university and its mission.”
Stewart is president and co-founder of Pocket Radar Inc., the leading speed tracking technology, and Invention Planet LLC. He received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from The Ohio State University, and has completed postgraduate studies in electromagnetics and communications at Stanford and OSU. He worked at Hewlett Packard and Agilent Technologies for 25 years, designing microwave test and measurement equipment and gaining extensive experience in research and development, manufacturing, marketing, and business management.
Stewart has been a volunteer faculty at Sonoma State University, where he lectured in courses on electrical engineering and business entrepreneurship, and has been a mentor to numerous student research projects. He has also served on the SSU Makerspace External Advisory Board and in Electrical Engineering department. In 2019, he was named Entrepreneur in Residence at Sonoma State.
Born in North Korea, Jong Lee was a refugee in South Korea who eventually made his way to Santa Rosa on the advice of a U.S. serviceman he met in his youth. He started his education at Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to Sonoma State to complete his business degree. He also met his wife, Esther, in Santa Rosa.
After working as an accountant at various firms and government agencies, he started his own firm, which has enjoyed several decades of success. (The Lee Accountancy was named as a top tax firm in Oakland Magazine’s annual “Best of ...” issue.) Lee credits his career success to SSU and has recently increased his engagement with the university.
Lee also organized Oakland’s Thanksgiving Day dinner, which serves thousands of people from underserved communities each year. Former Mayor Jerry Brown proclaimed March 5, 2004 Jong H. Lee Day for his philanthropic efforts in the
Oakland community. Lee also is engaged in social justice issues, particularly as they impact Asian communities.