California State University Channel Islands

Camarillo, Calif. April 14, 2010 – The CSU Channel Islands (CI) Foundation announced that the sixth annual Business & Technology Partnership (B&TP) 2010 Leadership Dinner will be held on Thursday, April 22, at 6 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel - Mandalay Beach Resort in Oxnard, to celebrate CI’s unique partnership with the business and technology communities of Ventura, Santa Barbara and northern Los Angeles Counties.

Leadership and scholarship awards will be presented during the program. The dinner is by invitation and the public is invited to participate. Tickets are $150 per person and reservations and information are available by contacting Marti DeLaO at 805-437-8919 or email marti.delao@csuci.edu.

2010 Leadership Awards will be presented to three individuals recognizing contributions in their respective fields. Award recipients are Dr. Paul A. Rivera, Faculty Leader of the Year; Carl Wesely, Business & Community Leader of the Year; and Peter Wollons, Technologist of the Year.

Rivera, Associate Professor of Economics at CI, joined the faculty in 2002 after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. Along with courses in economics and quantitative methods, Rivera teaches specialized courses in entrepreneurship, economic anthropology, and international experience. He has published works on diverse aspects of national and international economic issues and served on the Academic Senate of the CSU, the CSU Channel Islands Foundation Board, and the Board of Directors of the University Preparation Charter School. Rivera and his wife, Dr. Colleen Delaney-Rivera, who is also a colleague, have two children.

Carl Wesely founded Wesely Thomas Enterprises, Inc. in 1987 and serves as its President. The Thousand Oaks-based company specializes in high tech commercial, biotech, medical, and industrial design and construction projects for clients like Southern California Gas, Amgen, Disneyland, and Rockwell International. Wesely, his wife Nancy, and their daughter are all long-time residents of Ventura County. Wesely has been involved with many area non-profits including the Thousand Oaks Rotary Club where he recently joined a healthcare-focused trip to Romania as well as serving on the Rotary’s Scholarship Committee. The Weselys are members of the President’s Circle at CI where they established a fund for nursing scholarships.

Peter Wollons is the CEO of Airborne Technologies, Inc., a company he founded in 1973. The Camarillo-based business became a major government contractor and manufacturer of airframe structural components for the United States Air Force, United States Navy, and for international governments with aircraft manufactured in the U.S. More recently, Wollons was instrumental in the startup of Airborne Biometrics Group, where he serves as Chairman of the Board. The cutting edge company specializes in facial recognition software. Wollons and his wife Karen have three sons and currently reside in Calabasas. A friend of Wollons had told him about CI and after visiting the campus said, “I was so impressed by what was happening at CI that I made a five-year financial commitment to the University to help continue its mission.”

Five $3,500 scholarships provided by the B&TP will be awarded to the following students who have demonstrated academic excellence and commitment: Brandon Dittmar, Nursing; Keri Macias, Nursing; Eric Pham, Mathematics; Jean Remonida, Biology; and Bianca Terminello, Chemistry.

The CI Foundation will also recognize at the event the following sponsors: Santa Barbara Bank and Trust, Pacific Coast Business Times, St. John’s Regional Medical Center/St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital, Elise and Bill Kearney, Logix Development Corp., and Capistrano’s Restaurant and Catering.

For additional event information contact Marti DeLaO, Director of Development for Donor Relations & Annual Fund at CSU Channel Islands, 805-437-8919 or email marti.delao@csuci.edu.

CSU Channel Islands is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

CI Mission Statement
Placing students at the center of the educational experience, California State University Channel Islands provides undergraduate and graduate education that facilitates learning within and across disciplines through integrative approaches, emphasizes experiential and service learning, and graduates students with multicultural and international perspectives.