Candace Forbes MBA ’76, an entrepreneur-philanthropist, received an honorary doctor of science degree during Cal Poly’s 2012 spring commencement ceremonies, along with her husband, Bert, and Peter Oppenheimer MBA ’87, senior vice president and chief financial officer for Apple Inc.

The Forbeses co-founded Ziatech Corp. in 1976, and under their leadership for the next 24 years, Ziatech moved to the forefront of its high-tech niche and was acquired by the Intel Corp. in 2000.

Candace leveraged the success of Ziatech to support her lifelong interest in expanding educational opportunities for children locally and internationally. She has been involved with an array of institutions and organizations locally, including Cal Poly, Cuesta College, the Performing Arts Center, and Woods Humane Society, and globally with UNICEF, CARE and American Field Service (AFS), a nonprofit international exchange organization for students and adults.

Oppenheimer began his distinguished career with Apple in 1996 as controller for the Americas. Currently he oversees all of the company’s financial operations. Oppenheimer, who has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Cal Poly, serves as a member of the Cal Poly President’s Cabinet and is a founding member of the Cal Poly Foundation board of directors.