Vision and Visionaries 2007

Five Distinguished Alumni to be Recognized

April 17, 2007

By Gail Matsunaga

From hamburgers and phone systems, to personal computers and the vitality of Orange County businesses, Titan alumni have established themselves as leaders in local, regional and international arenas. On Saturday, April 28, five distinguished and honorary alumni will be recognized during the university's 14th annual Vision & Visionaries gala at the Crowne Plaza Anaheim Resort.

This year's honorees are:· Lucetta "Lucy" Dunn (B.A. political science '76), president and CEO of the Orange County Business Council (OCBC). Prior to her current position, Dunn was appointed in 2004 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as the director of the California Department of Housing and Community Development. She previously spent 12 years with the Koll Co. and Koll Real Estate Group, where she successfully negotiated the sale of the 900-acre Bolsa Chica wetlands for restoration. In 2001, Dunn was the Building Industry Association of Southern California's first woman president in its 80-year history, and in 1997, the California State Legislature named her Woman of the Year. As an advocate of her alma mater, she served on a Sacramento delegation to advance the issues and interests of Cal State Fullerton, the CSU and higher education. Currently, she is supporting a research project spearheaded by John C. Carroll, chair and associate professor of geography, to investigate housing alternatives in Orange County.·

Roger Kotch (B.A. business administration '81), CFO of In-N-Out Burger. A longtime supporter of Cal State Fullerton, Kotch has served in various capacities on several boards and committees, including vice president of finance for the CSUF Alumni Association, member of the Front & Center Blue Ribbon Committee, and member and incoming president of the Titan Athletic Club. Kotch began his 22-year career at In-N-Out Burger as accounting manager, rising through the ranks as controller, director of finance and vice president of administration and finance. He is CFO and board member of the In-N-Out Burger Foundation. His community contributions include involvement on the financial council for his church and serving on the Region 56 board of the American Youth Soccer Association - as well as coaching and refereeing.·

Steven G. Mihaylo (B.A. business administration '69), retired founder, chairman, president and CEO of Inter-Tel Inc. After three years in the army, Mihaylo joined Western Electric and later worked for Douglas Aircraft and Panoramic Audio while attending Cal State Fullerton. Following graduation, he moved to Phoenix, where he established Inter-Tel. Mihaylo has served on the boards of such community organizations as the Arizona Heart Foundation, Junior Achievement of Arizona, and Arizona Museum of Science and Technology. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation named him 2004 Man of the Year, and the following year he was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters by the university and California State University. In recognition of his $4.5 million gift to the College of Business and Economics (CBE), the university named the college's future building Steven G. Mihaylo Hall. He chairs the CBE capital campaign cabinet and serves on the Dean's Advisory Board for the College of Business and Economics.

Albert Wong (B.A. engineering '75), retired entrepreneur. In 1980 - with friends Safi Qureshey and Tom Yuen - Wong founded AST Research, which grew into one of the most powerful computer hardware manufacturers in the world. After the partners sold the business to Samsung in 1989, Wong founded AMKLY Systems. Subsequently, he was recruited by Tokyo-based Clarion Company Ltd. to lead its newly established North America research and development center in creating in-vehicle computing and multimedia products. In 2003, he launched Avantech Systems with the goal of commercializing U.S. emerging technologies to the Chinese market. His service as a corporate board member includes Printrak International, Netsoft, InfoGation Corp. and Raptor Networks. In the nonprofit arena, Wong has served on the boards of South Coast Symphony, St. Margaret's Episcopal School, Orange Coast College Foundation and the Dean's Advisory Board for the College of Business and Economics.

Allen Boerner, chairman and CEO of Granite Investment Group. Honorary alumnus Boerner is an active donor to the Guardian Scholars program and member of its advisory board. In addition to contributing his time and financial resources, he has encouraged others to donate to the program and has mentored and offered career advice to graduating Guardian Scholars. During his 25-year career in real estate, Boerner has acquired property and raised in excess of $350 million in funding for real estate investments representing more than $2.8 billion in asset values. He formed Granite Investment Group in 1995, and today, the company controls a diversified portfolio of real estate investments valued at more than $1 billion.

The Archstone Foundation is this year's recipient of the Vision & Visionaries Corporate/Foundation Partner of the Year Award. The foundation's commitment to the university's Center for Successful Aging has resulted in more than $2 million in financial support over the past 10 years to the Balance and Mobility Community Outreach Program, Center for Successful Aging Balance and Mobility Specialist Instructor Certification Program and Fall Prevention Center of Excellence.Among the highlights of the evening will be personal musical tributes to the honorees performed by students from the university's award-winning Theatre and Dance Department, as well as the homecoming of previous Vision & Visionaries recipients.