Cal Poly Mid-Year Commencement Set for Dec. 13

SAN LUIS OBISPO – On Saturday, Dec. 13, nearly 600 Cal Poly students are expected to graduate in three ceremonies at the university’s annual Fall Commencement.

Students from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the College of Science and Mathematics will graduate in a 9 a.m. ceremony. Students from the College of Liberal Arts and College of Architecture and Environmental Design will graduate in a 1 p.m. ceremony. And students from the Orfalea College of Business and the College of Engineering will graduate in the last ceremony of the afternoon, at 4 p.m. All ceremonies will be held in the Cal Poly ASI Recreation Center.

The keynote speaker at the 9 a.m. ceremony will be Donn Zea, president of the California Forest Products Commission. Zea has 18 years experience working in the areas of forestry, wood products and wood-based energy in California.

For the past 11 years, Zea has served as president of the California Forest Products Commission, engaging in marketing, education and research activities that foster an understanding of the benefits of California forestry and California grown wood. The commission is recognized as a leading source of credible information on a variety of issues, including sustainable forestry, green building and the benefits of managed forests in providing clean air and water, renewable energy and solutions to catastrophic fire and climate change.

Zea also has more than 10 years in government relations, legislative policy and campaign management.

Since 2003, he has served on Cal Poly’s Department of Forestry & Natural Resources & Environmental Management Advisory Board and the Dean’s/CAFES Advisory Council, of which he will become chairman in 2009.

The keynote speaker at the 1 p.m. ceremony is Kenric B. Stone, vice president and general manager of The Austin Company. He was a 2005 Cal Poly Honored Alumnus.

Stone is vice president and general manager for The Austin Company’s Western Region, headquartered in Irvine, Calif. The Austin Company is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent designers, engineers and constructors of efficient commercial and industrial operations. Austin is a part of Kajima Corporation, a leading international design and construction organization.

Stone graduated from Cal Poly with a bachelor’s degree from the College of Architecture and Environmental Design in 1980.

Maintaining a continued commitment to Cal Poly, he has served on the Cal Poly Alumni Association Board of Directors for nearly 20 years, serving as its president twice. He is currently president-elect of the California State University State-wide Alumni Council representing all 23 campuses of the CSU. Stone is also a member of his College’s Development Committee, which advises the Dean in areas of alumni and industry support.

The keynote speaker at the 4 p.m. ceremony is David Garth, president and CEO of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.

Garth has led the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce as president and CEO for 35 years. He helped transform a failing organization of about 200 members into one of the West’s largest and most active chambers with 1,550 members and a professional staff of 15. The San Luis Obispo Chamber now ranks in size in the top 10 in the nation for communities with a population under 50,000.

Garth received his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Cal State, Northridge. He joined the Chamber in 1973 after a short career as a television reporter and anchorman.

After joining the chamber, he committed himself to building a business organization that cares not just about business but also about the environment, social justice and the ethical conduct of business. For his efforts, Garth and the San Luis Obispo Chamber have received numerous statewide and national awards for their leadership, including the most prestigious award in the chamber field, the Russell E. Petit Excellence in Leadership award.

In service to Cal Poly, Garth is a past member of the Orfalea College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council and since 2003 has served on the Dean’s Community Advisory Council.

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