Alumni & Partners

Distinguished Alumni Award

The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented by the Cal Poly Pomona Alumni Association to honor those who have shown outstanding achievement in a profession or a vocation. Through their generosity, these alumni have also engaged in servicing local, national, or global communities and to their alma mater, Cal Poly Pomona.

 

2019 Distinguished Alumni

David and Ruth Singelyn

David Singelyn
Information Systems & Accounting, '84
Ruth Singelyn
Information Systems, '84

David and Ruth Singelyn graduated from Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Business Administration in 1983 and 1984 and each has taken lessons learned at the university to thrive in their respective fields.

David earned bachelor’s degrees in accounting and computer information systems. He started his career at Arthur Young & Company (now part of Ernst & Young LLP) and later served as controller of Winchell’s Donut Houses. He currently is chief executive officer and a trustee of American Homes 4 Rent. For more than 25 years, he has held senior positions in private and publicly traded real estate companies, including as CEO and a director of American Commercial Equities, a private real estate company that owns and manages a portfolio of retail and office properties in California and Hawaii, and was president and a director of Public Storage in Canada. He remains a director of both ACE and PSC.

Ruth majored in information systems at Cal Poly Pomona. In May 2018, she earned a master’s degree in psychology, with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy, from California Lutheran University (CLU) in Thousand Oaks. She is employed with CLU’s Community Counseling Services as an associate marriage and family therapist. She also participates in clinic leadership with employees and therapist colleagues, and mentors new therapists completing master’s degrees in counseling psychology at CLU.

“My positive, hands-on experience at Cal Poly Pomona led me to become a lifelong learner and to model this value to my family and community,” Ruth says. “The computer information system program in the business school at CPP taught me several life skills that have helped me be successful personally and professionally. These include establishing my priorities, setting long- and short-term goals, and working hard both on a team and individually.”

David and Ruth are active alumni of Cal Poly Pomona and “believe that in our current season of life it is time for each of us to give back to our community and to students pursuing a college degree,” Ruth says. This includes David serving on Cal Poly Pomona’s Philanthropic Board and the Dean’s Advisory Council in the College of Business Administration. Ruth also volunteers with her church and other ministry areas.

Past Awardees

YEAR HONORED FULL NAME DEGREE GRAD YEAR
2019 Ruth Singelyn Information Systems 1984
2019 David Singelyn Accounting & Information Systems 1984
2018 Diane G. Miller Information Systems 1981
2017 Pawan Tomkoria MBA 1984
2016 Lance K. Williams Finance, Real Estate and Law 1991
2015 Marissa J. Andrada Management & Human Resources 1989
2014 Joe Guerra Finance, Real Estate and Law 1985
2013 A. Barry Hirschfeld M.S. Business Administration 1964
2012 Victor Stenger Tanon Finance, Real Estate, and Law 1994
2011 Mahvash Yazdi Business Administration 1974
2010 John Finton Finance, Real Estate, and Law 1989
2009 Lawrence Taff Accounting 1980
2008 Kathy Lynn Tully Marketing Management,
MBA
1976,
1980
2007 Steven P. Cesinger Accounting 1985
2006 Viggo Butler Business Administration 1964
2005 Bruce Ray Business Administration 1965
2004 Dorothy L. Roberts Business Administration,
M.S. Business Administration
1968,
1978
2003 D. Scott Mercer Accounting 1976
2002 Lance Calvert Marketing Management 1969
2001 Ronald W. Gregoire Accounting 1974
1999 John B. Pollara Accounting 1974
1998 Mark S. Segal Accounting 1980
1997 Dennis Pope Accounting 1980
1996 J. Douglas Ramsey Finance, Real Estate, and Law 1982
1995 Douglas G. Wageman Operations Management 1984
1994 Marie Porter Royce Marketing Management,
Human Resources
1984
1993 Barbara A. Henderson Accounting 1970
1991 Nolan H. Spencer Accounting 1979
1990 Carolyn D. Beaver Accounting 1979
1989 Donald N. Ecker Accounting 1968
1988 Dudley W. Williams Business Administration 1966
1987 Linda L. Holmes Business Management 1982
1986 Joseph G. D'Oliveira Accounting 1974
1985 Lolita G. Beltramo Business Management 1969
1984 Richard A. Yardley Data Processing 1971
1983 Alford B. Neely Accounting 1972
1982 Frederick Gallegos Data Processing 1972
1981 Duane C. Slocum Business Administration 1963
1980 Karen Dillon Business Administration 1971
1979 Jay Bonacci Accounting 1963
1978 James R. Smirl Business Administration 1970
1977 Clifton C. Booth Business Administration 1964