Commencement to Feature Ortberg, Dreiers
Nancy Ortberg, leadership development director at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, delivers the address at Westmont’s Commencement, which features 314 graduates, 109 with honors, on Saturday, May 5, from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Russell Carr Field. Chad and Ginni Dreier will receive the Westmont Medal, which honors those whose lives embody the principles associated with the Christian character of the college. Commencement is free and open to the public, however, there is no parking available on campus. Guests will need to park their cars at Santa Barbara City College and use Westmont’s free shuttle service to campus for the ceremony.
Ortberg, whose speech is titled “Here, There, Now and Then,” is the founding partner at Teamworx2.co, where she works as a management consultant, improving organizational effectiveness and teamwork within businesses. Ortberg served as a teaching pastor for eight years at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., and has written two books, “Looking for God: An Unexpected Journey through Tattoos, Tofu, & Pronouns” and “Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands, Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership.”
The Dreiers have dedicated their lives to serving the less fortunate by giving generously to numerous organizations that support children, education, literacy and health-related causes. Westmont honors them with the Westmont Medal to recognize their heartfelt service and philanthropy.
“Chad and Ginni have made a lasting contribution to our community,” says President Gayle D. Beebe. “They have been involved in virtually every major organization that works to improve the lives of our citizens. They are two of the most generous, kind and loving human beings I have ever met. They approach every situation with optimism and a forward-looking perspective that solves problems and improves the lives of all they touch.”
Chad, a Los Angeles native, is the former president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the Ryland Group, the seventh largest developer and builder of homes in the United States. He served as an officer in the United States Air Force from 1969 to 1972. After 13 years as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Loyola Marymount University, he is now the chair emeritus.
A co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Council of Loyola Marymount University, Ginni also serves or has served on the board of directors for the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens, the Restless Leg Syndrome Foundation, and the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation. She is involved with the Santa Barbara Police Activities League, Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, and Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
Four Monroe Scholars will graduate: Carrie Steingruber of Carrollton, Texas; Reyn Halford of Honolulu; Stacey Torigoe of Hilo, Hawaii; and Karly Noblitt of Thousand Oaks. The Monroe Scholarship is a four-year, full-tuition scholarship offered to a few exceptionally high-achieving first-year students each year.
Steingruber double majored in art and English and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and the Sigma Tau Delta National Honor Society in English. Halford, who starred in the theatrical productions “Servant of Two Masters” and “Animal Farm,” earned a degree in religious studies. Torigoe double-majored in biology and English and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and the Sigma Tau Delta National Honor Society in English. Noblitt earned a degree in political science and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society.
This year’s Commencement includes 53-year old Kimberly Schuck who graduates summa cum laude as a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Alpha Theta National Honor Societies. While at Westmont, Schuck earned a David K. Winter Servant Leadership Award and was a member of the cross-country and track and field teams. Schuck, who graduated from Dos Pueblos High School in 1977, returned to college after raising five children, the youngest of whom graduates this year from UC Santa Barbara.