Cal Poly Foundation

Board Membership

September 2011

 

CHAIRMAN

Richard J. Bradshaw earned his bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Cal Poly in 1970.  Bradshaw has been very active since he retired from his position as Executive Director at Cooley Godward Kronish in Palo Alto, the preeminent business law firm in the Silicon Valley.  Most recently, he became a Partner with Venrock Associates, a venture capital firm that invests primarily in early-stage technology, health care, digital media, and energy companies.  For the last several years, he was Chairman of the Board at Montgomery Street Income Securities, Inc., a closed-end diversified management investment company.

VICE CHAIRMAN

Robert E. Wacker, a financial planner and tax specialist, founded R. E. Wacker Associates, Inc. and has been President since 1987.  Prior to that, he was an executive at J.G. Enterprises in Monterey and Trinico Enterprises in Watsonville.  Wacker has been named for a number of years as among the country’s best financial planners by Money Magazine.

BOARD MEMBERS

Michael J. Applegate is a 1980 Orfalea College of Business graduate and President of TimeValue Software, developer of loan amortization and tax-related software used by accountants, attorneys and other financial professionals in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.  A wrestler in his student days, Applegate is a strong supporter and advocate for athletic programs.

Douglas H. Austin earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1971.  He is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AVRP Studios, a San Diego-based architecture firm.  He also serves as managing partner of Avion Development, LLC--specialists in the development of high-density mixed-use developments.  Austin’s firm was selected as the architects for the Center for Construction Excellence at Cal Poly.

Stephen J. Barnard earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Cal Poly in 1975.  He is President and CEO of Mission Produce in Oxnard, a leader in the avocado industry.  In recent years, Barnard served on the CAFES Dean’s Advisory Board, the Horticulture and Crop Science Advisory Board, and as Executive Committee Chairman of the Produce Marketing Association.

Richard A. Bergquist earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science in 1977, and he completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.  Currently, he is Chief Software Evangelist and Board Member at Locus Technologies, the industry leader in web-based environmental compliance and information management software.  Mr. Bergquist gained renown as a visionary technologist in his position as chief technology officer of the former PeopleSoft, Inc.  He serves on the Cal Poly President’s Cabinet and is a member of the Cal Poly Computer Science Advisory Board.

Gary L. Bloom earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Cal Poly in 1982.  He is currently the Chief Executive Officer at eMeter, a leader in providing the essential software that enables electric, gas and water utilities to achieve large-scale smart grid deployments.  Prior to that, he was the CEO for Veritas Software and served as vice-Chairman and President of Symantec Corporation, as well as spending a number of years in senior positions at Oracle.  Bloom served as founding chair of the Foundation Board and also as a member on the Taleo On Demand Talent Management Solutions and BMC Software Boards.

Paul R. Bonderson, Jr. earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Cal Poly in 1975.  He is co-founder and former Vice President-Strategic Development of Brocade Communication Systems, Inc.  Bonderson funded the Bonderson Projects Center, a multi-purpose space for students working on senior projects and other faculty and student research.  Bonderson is a passionate advocate of wildlife and wetlands conservation.  He serves as regional vice president of Ducks Unlimited and as a member of the Wetlands America Trust Board.

Mary R. Crebassa earned her bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Cal Poly in 1979.  She is currently AVP of Sales, at THX, Ltd., the leader in bringing the detail and clarity accurately to movie, music and game soundtracks.  Prior to that, she held positions at Equilibrium and at Microsoft, where she was responsible for analyzing media and industry trends.  She also serves as co-chair of the College of Liberal Arts’ Dean’s Council and as a member of the Alumni Association Board.

Richard A. Doerr received a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Cal Poly in 1966.  He played football for the Mustangs from 1964 until 1966, and he maintains a strong interest in the wrestling program.  From 1997 until 2000, he was Chief Executive Officer of Serena Software, Inc., an industry-leading supplier of software that automates change to enterprise code and content.  Prior to that, Doerr served as Vice President of Sales, Service and Distribution for Wall Data Incorporated, a software connectivity company.  In the early 1990s, he was Vice President of Worldwide Operations for Oracle Corporation.

Marilyn Edling most recently served as Vice President, Enterprise Storage and Servers, American region, at Hewlett-Packard Company.  In addition to her extensive career at Hewlett-Packard, Apollo Computer and a privately held manufacturing company, she has provided consulting for Fortune 500 companies.  She currently serves on the boards of Rainbird Corporation and Generation Fate, a nonprofit focused on foster children.

Kenneth N. Edwards is CEO and owner of Dunn-Edwards Corporation, a manufacturer and supplier of premium quality architectural coatings.  Co-founded in 1925 by his father, the company has grown to be one of the largest independent coatings companies in the southwestern United States.  The Western Coatings and Polymers Center in Cal Poly’s new Center for Science and Mathematics will be named after Edwards.

Charles L. Harrington serves as Chairman and CEO of Parsons Corporation, where he has been employed since 1981, the year he graduated from Cal Poly with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering.  He also received an MBA from THE UCLA School and is a graduate of the Duke University Fuqua School Advanced Management Program.  Harrington became chief financial officer at Parsons in 2006 and CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2008.  His wife, Diane, received her Cal Poly bachelor’s degree in Ornamental Horticulture in 1981 and her master’s degree in Agricultural Education in 1982.  Harrington serves on the Cal Poly President’s Cabinet, and he is a founding member of the Loyal Order of Propeller Heads in the College of Engineering and the Learn by Doing Fund in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

Allan J. Hauck earned his Masters from Bowling Green State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.  He has served as department head for the Construction Management department at Cal Poly since 2002 and is a member of the board of trustees of the American Council for Construction Education.  Dr. Hauck is active in advancement and was the first recipient in 2006 of the Provost’s Leadership Award for Partnership in Philanthropy.

John W. Lake earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Cal Poly in 1970.  He is President and CEO of Rain for Rent, a company that provides solutions to liquid handling problems, such as equipment to handle irrigation. Lake also serves as a member of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Mike Mantle earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly in 1979 in business administration.  He is a Senior Advisor at Morgan Stanley in New York City.  Prior to that, he has held positions as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at One Economy Corporation in Washington, D.C. and as Executive Vice President and Executive Director of the Retail and Business Banking and Community Development Divisions at the California Bank and Trust.  He serves as chair of the Fundraising and Advancement Committee of the Orfalea College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council.

Jon Monett earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly in 1964 in industrial engineering.  He served in the U.S. Air Force and spent 26 years working for the Central Intelligence Agency, rising to the position of senior executive responsible for managing technical activity worldwide.  On his return to civilian life, Monett founded Telemus Solutions, a global security consulting and intelligence advisory services provider.  After selling Telemus Solutions to Raytheon in 2008, Monett made a generous donation to found the College of Engineering's Quality of Life Plus Laboratory (QL+), a multidisciplinary facility dedicated to the development and application of technology to improve the quality of life of those wounded and disabled of the military, law enforcement and intelligence organizations.  In 2009, Monett was recognized by the College of Engineering and the Cal Poly Alumni Association as an Honored Alumnus.

Alfred G. Montna is a 1967 CAFES graduate, major rice and walnut farmer, long-time friend to Cal Poly and long-time member of the CAFES Dean’s Advisory Council.  Currently, Montna is Chairman of the USA Rice Federation’s Board of Directors.

Peter L. Oppenheimer earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly in 1985 in agricultural business.  He is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Apple, Inc., where he is responsible for the controller, treasury, investor relations, corporate development and other functions.

Laura M. Pickering received her bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Cal Poly in 1984.  She and her husband Bill, also a Cal Poly Electrical Engineering alumnus, are the parents of two Cal Poly students—Dayton, a junior studying Biomedical Engineering, and James, who graduated with a Master of Science degree in Engineering with honors.  Pickering is Vice President in the Office of the CEO at NetApp, where she is a key advisor to and member of NetApp's executive team. She is on the Advisory Board of Innovation Quest, a non-profit, philanthropic corporation founded by successful Cal Poly graduates and business leaders.  Pickering is also on the Board of Directors of the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs and gives generously of her time to Cal Poly on two committees of the College of Engineering’s Dean’s Advisory Council and on the Women in Engineering Industry Advisory Board.

Warren A. Sinsheimer, III is an attorney and co-founder at the San Luis Obispo law firm of Sinsheimer Juhnke Lebens & McIvor, LLP.  He is a long-time supporter of Cal Poly, having played an instrumental role in the development of the Performing Arts Center on campus.  He is also involved with the local Robert H. Janssen Foundation, which provided funding for a softball field at the Cal Poly Sports Complex.

George H. Soares earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Cal Poly in 1966.  An attorney and founding partner of Kahn, Soares & Conway, LLP, Soares also owns and operates a dairy and farming business in Hanford.  He chairs the Agriculture Advisory Board for CSU Chancellor Charles Reed.  Awarded Cal Poly Advocate of the Year in 2007, Soares represents agricultural interests at the California legislature.

Kenric B. Stone earned his Cal Poly bachelor’s of science degree in 1979 and his bachelor of architecture degree in 1980.  He is Vice-President and General Manager for The Austin Company’s Irvine Office.  The Austin Company is an international architecture, engineering and construction services firm.  Stone has been involved with the Cal Poly Alumni Association for more than twenty years, serving twice as President and presently as a Goodwill Ambassador.  In 2005, he was named the College of Architecture and Environmental Design Honored Alumnus.  Stone currently serves as the CSU Alumni Council President for the 23 campuses, representing two million CSU alumni.

William H. Swanson earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Cal Poly in 1973.  He is currently Chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company.  In addition to serving on the Cal Poly President’s Cabinet, Swanson is a member of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation board, the Pepperdine University Board of Regents, the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy Board, and the Sprint Nextel Corporation Board of Directors.  Swanson and Cal Poly’s President Baker co-chair the Business-Higher Education Forum’s Securing America’s Leadership in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiative.  Most recently, he was named vice chairman of the Washington-based Business-Higher Education Forum, a national organization of Fortune 500 CEOs and other prominent business and higher education leaders seeking innovative solutions to education challenges in the United States.

Robert C. Taylor, Jr., attorney and trustee for the Oreggia Family Foundation, has been intimately involved with several CSU campuses.  Taylor has served as a member of the CSU-Monterey Bay Foundation Board of Directors since 2001 and received special recognition from the CSU Board of Trustees for facilitating major gifts to Monterey Bay, Sonoma, and Cal Poly.

Ex officio members:

Deborah Read is CEO of the Cal Poly Foundation and Vice President of Advancement. Prior to Cal Poly, Read served as Vice President for the the University of Dayton, designing, implementing and overseeing its $360 million capital campaign. Read has nearly three decades of experience in fundraising at universities including the University of Maryland, State University of New York, University at Albany, Northern Kentucky University and Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania.

Lawrence R. Kelley, Vice President for Administration and Finance and CFO has served as Cal Poly’s CFO since 2002.  Prior to that, Kelley served in similar roles in Georgia, Maine and Ohio.  In addition to fiscal oversight for the university and its auxiliaries, Kelley’s responsibilities include fiscal services, human resources, facilities services and planning, police, Cal Poly Corporation, the Performing Arts Center, and network services for the division. 

Lorlie Leetham earned her bachelor’s degree from the Orfalea College of Business in 1991 with concentrations in Accounting and Finance. A licensed CPA, Leetham specialized in audit and tax return preparation for nonprofit and government entities before joining Cal Poly’s professional team in 1996. As the Director of Fiscal Services, Leetham oversees a department of 40 people responsible for Cal Poly financial accounting policies, and processes and systems including student financial services, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, property accounting, cash management, general accounting and financial reporting.