Santa Clara Magazine

Florian Rothbrust ’76 writes: "We are expecting our second grandchild in December 2012."

Esau Herrera ’72, J.D. ’76 is proud to report that his daughter, Kiara ’12, recently graduated from SCU and promptly joined AmeriCorps to "save the world." Esau is serving as president of the school board at Alum Rock School District in East San Jose, the same district that he attended as a child.

Candace Forbes MBA ’76, an entrepreneur-philanthropist, received an honorary doctor of science degree during Cal Poly’s 2012 spring commencement ceremonies, along with her husband, Bert, and Peter Oppenheimer MBA ’87, senior vice president and chief financial officer for Apple Inc.

The Forbeses co-founded Ziatech Corp. in 1976, and under their leadership for the next 24 years, Ziatech moved to the forefront of its high-tech niche and was acquired by the Intel Corp. in 2000.

Candace leveraged the success of Ziatech to support her lifelong interest in expanding educational opportunities for children locally and internationally. She has been involved with an array of institutions and organizations locally, including Cal Poly, Cuesta College, the Performing Arts Center, and Woods Humane Society, and globally with UNICEF, CARE and American Field Service (AFS), a nonprofit international exchange organization for students and adults.

Oppenheimer began his distinguished career with Apple in 1996 as controller for the Americas. Currently he oversees all of the company’s financial operations. Oppenheimer, who has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Cal Poly, serves as a member of the Cal Poly President’s Cabinet and is a founding member of the Cal Poly Foundation board of directors.

Peter David '75, MBA '76 was named regional general manager for Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania at Pronto Software. Previously he held a variety of sales and marketing roles at various companies including HP and Getronics.

Pat Badia-Johnson M.A. ’76 writes: “Retired from counseling. Just took youngest granddaughter to Italy. Actively involved in church community volunteering. Thirteen great grandchildren. Taking Italian at PSU.”

Freshman Dorm: Swig

Fran Warmerdam ’77 lives in the East Bay and works as the director of counseling at Bishop O’Dowd High School. As an MFT, she also works as a therapist in a private practice in Castro Valley. She writes: "Working with teens is still the most fun and invigorating job in the world!"

Freshman Dorm: Dunne

Jack Treacy, S.J. '77 writes: "I'm in my seventh year serving as director of campus ministry at SCU. I love being back here, contributing to a university community that was so important in my own growth. I can't imagine living a more rewarding life, as I'm inviting into the lives of our students as they develop their minds, open their hearts and form themselves for the rest of their lives. It's a privilege to lead them in prayer, to speak with them about life questions and faith issues, to enjoy happy times and share challenging moments with them. I often think back to our time at SCU as I make my way across campus!"

Freshman Dorm: Swig

Kathryn Palmer Rathvon ’77 writes, "It's been a busy life since the wonderful SCU days! I earned my Masters in International Finance and Econ from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Ariz. and hit the International Scene running through various banking positions. Living and working overseas was a natural outgrowth with my husband, Will, leading to our children being expat kids in Asia and Europe. Our family is geographically challenged! The "kids" are separated in the States by significant distances, Will is in Singapore, and we all travel around for visits! I am thrilled to be re-establishing my professional career in entrepreneurial endeavors, involving health and wellness and inventions."

Bill Quiseng '77 is resort manager at Marriott's KoOlina Beach Club on Oahu, Hawaii.

Gene Ogden M.S. '77 is retiring on Oct. 1 after 45-plus years at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Freshman Dorm: Swig

Bill O'Connor '77 writes: "Living in suburb of Milwaukee and have been working in money management industry since graduating from University of Wisconsin grad school. Married 23 years to Amy, three kids, Billy-19,Jack-16, Darby-13. Help coach Marquette University High School rugby team. Think of SCU often with nothing but great memories."

Jerry Mullaney ’77 is now the Chief Financial Officer at Bentley School in Oakland.

Gregory McNulty ’77 recently joined the Honorable Everett Alvarez Jr. ’60 as chief technology officer for Alvarez and Associates. Company founder and CEO Everett Alvarez Jr. was the first U.S. combat pilot shot down over Vietnam and held as a POW for more than eight years in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" and later served under four U.S. presidents in senior level positions.

Freshman Dorm: Swig

Kristi (Kjos) McKiney ’77 writes: "This year I celebrated my 30th anniversary of marriage to my wonderful husband Frank, and the graduation of my youngest daughter, Michelle, from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. As an independent technical writer, I specialize in writing documentation and online help for software and hardware products at Agilent Technologies. I love the challenge and learning opportunities, along with the freedom to work from home."

Kristy Logan '77 opened her own studio in 2011: Water Lily Studio, in Walnut Creek, Calif. She teaches classes in yoga, yoga-dance, pilates mat, meditation, and yoga-&-poetry.

Debbie Cucalon '77 writes: "I'm still doing property management & rentals for my family. In addition, I have just completed my debut CD titled, "Love Journey", an eclectic mix of jazz, sass, Latin, blues & inspiring ballads. There are 5 cover tunes & 6 originals. You can check it out @ cdbaby.com, Itunes. com or Amazon.com. Enjoy!!"

Dr. James Barrett MBA ’77 was honored by the Tech Council of Maryland with its Lifetime Achievement Award, in March. The award is given each year to a local individual who has gone above and beyond to serve the community at large over the course of his or her career. Recipients display commitment and leadership both in the field and within their company, fostering new ideas and encouraging creativity. The recipient also demonstrates generosity and compassion, making sure their work benefits others.

Barrett is a general partner at New Enterprise Associates, one of the world's largest venture capital firms. He focuses on investing in healthcare technologies and therapeutics as a pioneering figure in the field of biotechnology, during which he worked with companies that focused on gene therapy, targeted cancer therapies, rare diseases and the first implantable glucose sensor. In 2012, Barrett was on the Forbes Midas List.

Ron Ball J.D. ’77 announced he will retire at the end of the year after 26 years of service to the City of Carlsbad. Carlsbad City Attorney Ron Ball was hired the day before the people of Carlsbad adopted the Growth Management ordinance, which became the road map for guiding development for the next 26 years and beyond. At that time, the City was less than half of its current size. Ball worked as assistant city attorney until 1991, when the City Council appointed him as its second full-time City Attorney in the City’s history.

Stephen P. Yost MBA '78 has been elected as a member of Pacific Mercantile Bancorp's Board of Directors. Yost also has been appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of the company's wholly owned banking subsidiary, Pacific Mercantile Bank. 

During the span of his 35-year career in banking, spent mostly in credit administration, Yost held the position of Regional Chief Credit Officer for Comerica Bank, where he was the Executive in charge of its Special Assets Group for the western region. Mr. Yost was the Chief Credit Officer of Imperial Bank prior to its merger with Comerica. He was also a Senior Credit Officer with First Interstate Bank and Mellon Bank, N.A. Upon his retirement in 2006, he established Kestrel Advisors, a credit risk consulting firm that focuses on the banking, financial, and legal communities.