content from Luskin Forum magazine

Thriving at 25 Founded amid budget turmoil as an experiment in policy education, UCLA Public Policy is now among the country’s top programs

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By Stan Paul

UCLA Luskin Public Policy has grown from upstart to leader among programs of its kind in just 25 years by stressing world-class scholarship and an interdisciplinary teaching approach.

Archie Kleingartner, the founding dean of what is now the Luskin School of Public Affairs, said it was the first new professional school at UCLA in over three decades. It merged existing Social Welfare and Urban Planning departments with a fledgling program in public policy at a time when teaching programs in public policy and related fields were flourishing elsewhere.

The School emerged from what Kleingartner describes as a complex, four-year process of deliberations and restructuring to serve a mandate to make deep cuts from UCLA’s professional schools amid a budget shortfall. As UC’s systemwide vice president for academic staff and personnel relations, Kleingartner chaired the committee that determined the need to restructure the professional schools.

“The centerpiece of this effort needed to include a robust expansion of the commitment to public policy,” Kleingartner recalled. The result has proven successful. “What the Chancellor and Board of Regents hoped to achieve when they approved the new school has in fact exceeded all expectations.”

Kleingartner served as dean from 1994-96, followed by the first permanent dean, Barbara J. Nelson. He praises today’s high research output and the quality of the faculty in policy fields, plus the School’s public service contributions — all visions that have transformed into actions.

“A growing cadre of alumni and recognition among experts and decision-makers add to the School’s prestige,” Kleingartner said. “UCLA is making a clear and visible contribution toward the public good through the Luskin School of Public Affairs.”

Emily Williams MPP ’98, the 2005 Alumna of the Year, would agree. As part of the School’s first class, she often had to explain at first what a Master of Public Policy was and had even developed an elevator pitch.

“Nobody knew what it was, let alone the acronym MPP. I mean, even among policymakers. It just wasn’t a term of art at the time,” Williams said. “I remember every single job interview, I had to explain it.”

Williams, who is now chief executive officer at UCLA-UCSF ACEs Aware Family Resilience Network (UCAAN), said, “Looking back 26 years after I graduated, what’s so great is I don’t have to explain what public policy is, and what that carries in this region is enormous.”

woman gestures in front of monitor showing dataGabriela Solis Torres MPP/MSW ’19 was among the accomplished alumni who returned to UCLA to speak about their career journeys. Photo by Les Dunseith
woman gestures in front of monitor showing data
woman gestures in front of monitor showing data
closeup of African American woman who is smiling
closeup of African American woman who is smiling

Marking 25 years since the first cohort of Master of Public Policy students graduated, a series of speaker events and alumni panels highlighted the program’s accomplishment during a monthslong commemoration. The speaker series featured four Alumni of the Year honorees who shared insights on the state of policymaking and the value of their Luskin educations.

The speakers and honorees included Assemblyman Isaac Bryan MPP ’18, who also participated in two other Luskin School events highlighted elsewhere in this issue of Luskin Forum.

Additional alumni speakers included Regina Wallace-Jones MPP ’99, CEO and president of ActBlue, a technology nonprofit that facilitates online donations to progressive organizations and candidates; and Sandeep Prasanna MPP/JD ’15, a senior legal advisor who served as investigative counsel on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“The thing they say about law school is that they teach you how to think like a lawyer,” Prasanna told the audience in February. “What I feel I learned at Luskin was how to do.”

Prasanna received his alumni award from UCLA Luskin’s newest chair of Public Policy, Robert Fairlie.

Commenting on his role, Fairlie said, “Teaching in the MPP program and being involved in alumni events has been extremely rewarding and inspiring. It is exciting to see what amazing things our graduates are doing.”

Also playing a key role has been Maciek Kolodziejczak, the department’s graduate advisor in 1996 when the first cohort arrived in Westwood. Although officially retired from the university since 2017, he has continued to participate in and influence the department, playing a major role in organizing the anniversary events.

“I started with the first class, so I didn’t recruit them — I received them,” Kolodziejczak said. “They were a class of 18, and I got to know each of them … [that’s] the fun part and the exciting part,” he said.

He described the first class as entrepreneurial trailblazers for taking the leap into “an unknown program with no reputation, no alumni and no track record.”

Kolodziejczak continued, saying, “They were just very willing to take the risk, and so there was just a kind of an esprit de corps among the class.”

UCLA Public Policy graduates now serve throughout the local, national and international levels. Among them is 1999 MPP alumna Nathalie Rayes, whose appointment as ambassador to Croatia is covered on page 4 of this edition.

In a UCLA Daily Bruin story, Rayes commented, “The importance of service is something that is part of my DNA. And so when the president calls you and says, ‘You know, I have a job for you: Would you like to be ambassador to Croatia?’ you say, ‘Yes.’”

Longtime UCLA Luskin Professor Mark Peterson also has seen Public Policy develop from over the years, calling it “the little engine that could.” Its high national standing “is remarkable given the fact that all of the top-ranked programs are older, most by decades, and almost all of them have vastly larger faculties than we do.”

Master of Public Policy — and MPP — now garner an immediate reaction, said Williams, who now also teaches a class at the Luskin School.

“I don’t even have to say UCLA, people know what the Luskin School of Public Affairs is, and that carries so much weight and merit. The Luskin name has really made the brand.”

In Support Dean's Associates meet and a new major in real estate development is approved, plus donor updates

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The Luskin School of Public Affairs gathered again in winter quarter to thank its Dean’s Associates, a group of donors giving $1,000 or more in the last year. These benefactors help fuel the School’s mission of social justice through pedagogy, research and community engagement.

The luncheon commenced with a welcome from Interim Dean Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, who expressed her appreciation for contributions that have enriched the Luskin School by funding academic programs, fostering innovation and providing transformative opportunities for students.

Loukaitou-Sideris praised the tremendous impact of donors guiding the new Master of Real Estate Development and those promoting an ongoing campaign to raise funds for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion programs.

One of the most touching moments was a heartfelt testimonial from urban planning doctoral candidate Andres Ramirez, who shared how his life has been positively impacted by the generosity of donors — a sentiment echoed throughout the event. Ramirez highlighted the impact of the Vanessa Dingley Fellowship on his educational experience and professional goals.

portrait images of three men

Gadi Kaufmann, top left, Alex Rose, right, and Jeffrey Seymour

‘A Holistic Education Covering the Entire Life Cycle of Real Estate’

In response to a growing demand for skilled professionals in real estate development, the Luskin School will launch an innovative master’s degree designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills and practical experience needed to excel.

UCLA Luskin is grateful to Board of Advisors members Gadi Kaufmann, Alex Rose and Jeff Seymour, among others, for helping to prepare the Master of Real Estate Development, or MRED, to launch in fall 2025.

Amid a housing crisis, real estate development plays a vital role in shaping our communities, from the construction of homes and commercial properties to the revitalization of urban neighborhoods. An increasing need exists for professionals who can navigate the field’s complexities while considering such factors as sustainability, affordability and
social equity.

“There is no more fitting institution to house MRED than the Luskin School at UCLA,” said Seymour, who noted that the new degree will complement the School’s established programs in urban planning, social welfare and public policy.

“MRED students will benefit from an outstanding Luskin and adjunct faculty. They’ll have opportunities to work with scholars as well as industry professionals,” he said. “In addition, MRED will affiliate with the Anderson and UCLA Law schools, as well as the Ziman Center.”

Kaufmann said that UCLA, as a global education powerhouse, is well-positioned to offer such a program, which will be set apart from other programs by its “comprehensive approach to preparing real estate professionals for the dynamic challenges of the industry.”

“In today’s complex landscape, a holistic education covering the entire life cycle of real estate is crucial for success — from development, planning and design, and construction to financing, marketing, property management and asset management,” he said.

“Real estate accounts for almost one-half of global wealth, and almost everything humans do on our planet is housed in some sort of real estate,” Kaufmann said. “It is a segment of the economy far too important to ignore.”

Where They Are Now: Meagan Smith-Bocanegra MSW ’23

Meagan Smith-Bocanegra MSW ’23 shared her experiences at UCLA Luskin and beyond, including the impact that her Shapiro Fellowship, funded by the Shapiro family, made on her educational and career trajectory. Smith-Bocanegra is now a social worker at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center.

What made you choose to attend the Luskin School?

The main factor was the opportunity for specialization, particularly the Health and Mental Health Across the Lifespan concentration.

How did your fellowship shape your educational and professional experience at the Luskin School?

Because of the Shapiro Fellowship, I had a unique learning opportunity at the Special Patient Care Clinic at UCLA School of Dentistry. This field placement gave me invaluable hands-on experience in program building and advocating for individuals and families with disabilities, and prepared me well for my current role as a hospital social worker.

What experiences did your fellowship provide that you may not have otherwise had?

Too many to count! I was able to begin practicing social work at a higher level, and even participated in writing an article for the California Dental Association about the impact of social work in dental settings. Above all, this fellowship allowed me to work with families and individuals with unique strengths and challenges, which deeply impacted my professional and personal spheres.

How did your fellowship influence you in your current role?

My ultimate goal has always been to be a medical social worker. However, my fellowship prepared me for the real-world situations and hard work of the inpatient medical world.

If you could say something to the donors of your fellowship, what would you say?

Thank you! Due to your generosity, I had the privilege of working with these individuals and families, supporting them and learning from them. This fellowship provided me with the skills to obtain my dream position, where I am now able to work with so many more individuals and families every day.

If you could say something to prospective or current students, what would you say?

If you have the opportunity to be a part of the Shapiro Fellowship, do it! Due to the unique experiences I had from the fellowship, I had multiple job offers post-graduation and am now working my dream job. You will encounter so many incredible people, diverse individuals and situations, and have the experience of a lifetime.

Why They Give: Kayne Doumani MA UP ’95

UCLA Luskin urban planning alumna and longtime supporter Kayne Doumani shares her experiences as a student, followed by a professional life with unexpected twists and turns. Doumani MA UP ’95 has held many roles in affordable housing, building skills that led her to her current position as an asset management consultant to nonprofit housing organizations. “I didn’t know I was training to be an asset manager,” she said, “but every bit of that experience has contributed to my success.” Read the full interview.

Did a transformative experience lead to your passion?

There wasn’t one. I wrote in my application to what was then GSAUP [Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning] that I didn’t know why I cared. There’s no history of public service in my family. We didn’t discuss lofty topics like justice. But that’s been my lens for as long as I can remember. I got interested in urban planning when I saw it being used as a tool for making sure that development didn’t only benefit the developer.

How did the Luskin School help you get closer to your goal?

For me, Luskin was the complete package. Los Angeles was a rich laboratory for professors and students — and those students contributed nearly as much to my education as the professors. We were a diverse and accomplished group coming into the School.

How have you seen the impact of your philanthropy play out?

I try not to. I’m helping a couple of young students I know with their college expenses and the only stipulation I made was, “No gratitude.” You have to trust the people you hand your money to. Then don’t bug them.

What values do you hold closest in your life and work?

Sometimes you need to sublimate your values to those of the people affected by your work. Listen as long and hard as is necessary to understand. Be fierce, not popular.

Doctorates in the House Four UCLA Luskin PhD candidates use equity as a guide in their research on incarceration, transit, foster care and urban spaces

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By Mary Braswell

In 1970, UCLA began sending PhDs in social welfare and urban planning into the world to serve as catalysts for change for a society in turmoil. Today, scholars are still drawn to UCLA Luskin as a place where research is turned into action.

“We’re known for our focus on social justice and equity,” said Professor Evelyn Blumenberg, who received her urban planning PhD from UCLA in 1995 and now chairs the doctoral program.

“Being in L.A. is a draw as well. There are so many opportunities for fieldwork and data collection here in Los Angeles.”

Not only is UCLA a top research university, it prizes collaboration across disciplines — a rich learning environment for PhD students, said Professor Todd Franke, chair of the doctoral program at UCLA Luskin Social Welfare.

Both Blumenberg and Franke stressed the importance of “mentor matching” — pairing doctoral students with diverse and highly collaborative faculty members who will stretch their capacity to think critically and systematically to solve real problems in their community.

“The quality of the scholars here, and the support for interdisciplinary work among faculty and students, is exceptionally strong at UCLA,” Franke said.

Here’s a look at four current doctoral students, what led them to UCLA Luskin, the research they have spearheaded and how their work may foster transformative change.

Taylor Reed
PhD candidate, Social Welfare

Taylor Reed remembers when her childhood career goals came into sharper focus.

At age 11, she decided she’d become a medical doctor after seeing a commercial for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. “It shocked me because I didn’t know that kids got cancer. And I thought, ‘That is so sad. I need to dedicate my life to helping them,’” she recalled.

“It wasn’t until I got older when I started to realize that, yes, kids die from cancer, but Black kids in particular are more subjected to things like community gun violence and incarceration,” she said. “That is our pandemic. That is our disease. That is what we are dying from.”

Reed’s desire to change that fate led her to UCLA Luskin Social Welfare, where she is one of a select few to be accepted into a fast-tracked MSW/PhD program. “I have been intentional,” she said, “because this work is urgent.”

Reed’s area of study lies at the intersection of race, housing and incarceration — in particular the policies that keep young Black adults from successfully reentering society after serving time.

“The first thing that you think of when you leave prison or jail is, ‘Where am I going to sleep?’

“You’re not necessarily thinking of a job. You’re not thinking of mental health. You’re thinking about where you’re going to sleep,” she said.

Policies in place around the country make it difficult for people with past convictions to find a stable place to live, but fair chance housing ordinances are now on the rise, with the aim of dismantling those barriers.

Reed researches how these ordinances are being structured and enforced, who stands to benefit the most, and how to educate and empower housing applicants who face discrimination.

Along her academic journey, Reed says she has been buoyed by parents who met in law school and always made education a priority, by the work ethic of her Jamaican ancestors, by a boyfriend who acts as a sounding board for her work, and by her incredibly diverse and supportive cohort of fellow scholars.

Reed has made the most of UCLA’s opportunities, conducting research for the Initiative to Study Hate and the BRITE Center for Science, Research and Policy. She also joined the Hip Hop Scholars Working Group, which bridges her interests in research and music.

Her first opportunity to work closely with top UCLA faculty came in 2016 as a New York University undergraduate with plans to spend the summer in Los Angeles. Reed sent a cold email to UCLA’s Vickie Mays, a noted professor of psychology and public health, asking if she could use some research help. Mays said yes and Reed joined a project centering on incarceration and the Black community, the seeds of her current scholarship.

“That has been something I’ve kept close to my heart,” she said. “I do this scholarship for people who are impacted by incarceration and particularly the Black community, which has struggled since we were brought to this country to make things easier for the next generation to come.”

outdoor photo of person wearing purple t-shirt

Fariba Siddiq

Fariba Siddiq
PhD candidate, Urban Planning

From Bangladesh to Utah to Southern California, Fariba Siddiq has studied the vastly different ways that people move from place to place.

She grew up in Dhaka, one of the densest cities on the planet, where only a fraction of the population owns private cars, and witnessed the perils, particularly for women, of crowded buses and trains.

As a master’s student at the University of Utah, she experienced Salt Lake City’s enviable public transit network before moving west to car-centric Los Angeles to join the urban planning PhD program at UCLA Luskin.

Along the way, Siddiq has made it her mission to identify planning choices and policy decisions that could ease the hardships endured by travelers with limited resources.

“One of the reasons I came to UCLA is its focus on transportation equity, on how to make things more equitable and just, and what that means in the international context,” she said. “I’ve seen systems that are falling apart, and I want to help make things right.”

Much of Siddiq’s work in the doctoral program and as a graduate student researcher with the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies has focused on gender and mobility.

Siddiq won a scholarship to study how women in Dhaka and Los Angeles navigate ride-hailing amid concerns about safety and security. She worked with the World Bank to help develop a tool that could inform gender-conscious transportation policies across the globe.

Her dissertation assesses COVID-19’s long-term impact on travel patterns. How should the changing nature of work — more opportunities for flextime, hybrid schedules and the like — be factored into future transportation decisions and investments?

Transit officials and regional planning agencies rely on this type of evidence-based forecasting.

“None of it would have been possible without the support of my professors,” both personally and professionally, Siddiq said. “They have inspired me and encouraged me.”

woman poses in art gallery as others in background view photos on the walls

Kate Watson

Kate Watson
PhD candidate, Social Welfare

The images lining the art gallery at UCLA’s Kerckhoff Hall told a deeply personal story.

Taken by young people who had spent time in foster care, the photographs captured moments in time intended to offer a glimpse into the artists’ experiences in the system.

On a rainy Monday evening in January, a large crowd lingered over images of street art, family portraits, pill bottles, a gray cat — all part of the “Fostering Photovoice” exhibit spearheaded by Social Welfare PhD candidate Kate Watson.

“Photography is a very powerful medium,” Watson said. “I knew of photovoice as a research method, and over time the idea evolved of working with foster youth to capture their experiences and give them a voice in a creative way.”

The project tapped into many of Watson’s strengths and interests. From a young age, she has volunteered as a Big Sister and with other organizations helping youth. While working as a manager of nonprofit and for-profit organizations, she became certified as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate, providing one-on-one guidance for children in foster care.

“It’s a volunteer position, but it gave me a clear understanding of how that system worked and what the pain points were,” she said. “A lot of information is kept from different people, from birth parents, foster parents, the schools.

“Foster care and foster youth are really where my heart is, so I was looking at that and asking, ‘How can I really make an impact on this system?’”

That question led Watson to UCLA Luskin Social Welfare.

“I wanted to go to the best program I could, one that didn’t just focus on clinical work but also included macro perspectives and research methods,” said Watson, who also earned her MSW at UCLA.

Her overarching goal is to help any organization — schools, courts and government agencies, among others — become more supportive and caring, and to reduce the chance they will retraumatize people who need their help.

To that end, Watson created a trauma-informed climate survey that organizations can use to make healthy changes. It’s centered on a trusting and transparent ethos in the workplace, at every level, she said.

“In order to create a safe environment, both physically and psychologically, you need to be able to see people in their entirety and for the strengths they bring to the environment and not just the deficits.”

young man wearing glasses speaks into a microphone he holds in his right hand

Gus Wendel

Gus Wendel
PhD candidate, Urban Planning

Understanding the complexities of urban space requires a spirit of openness and an eye for aesthetics.

That’s the creative ethos that drives the research goals of Gus Wendel, candidate for the PhD in urban planning.

For Wendel, this means leaving the library, lab or studio and venturing out into public spaces, viewing the city with a fresh eye and connecting with its people.

UCLA offers ample opportunities to do just that. As he earned his MURP in 2017, Wendel became involved with the Urban Humanities Initiative at UCLA’s cityLAB and now runs the program. Since then, he’s helped establish an emerging global network of urban humanists, all eager to share experimental ideas for making public spaces more livable.

And Wendel is one of the UCLA doctoral students behind the (Un)Common Public Space Group, which brings researchers, practitioners and community members together to advance spatial justice goals and simply share and appreciate the L.A. environment. At one event, a celebration of the new Golden Age Park in the Westlake neighborhood, Wendel welcomed the crowd, then took his spot playing cello with the Heart of Los Angeles Intergenerational Orchestra.

“Taking a creative, place-based approach through activities like festivals and performances is one way to connect research goals with community goals, and have greater impact,” he said. 

For his dissertation, Wendel is conducting interviews and scouring historical archives chronicling West Hollywood’s incorporation in 1984 to tell a larger story about urban planning’s role in the formation of sexual space in Los Angeles.

Widely seen as the “first gay city,” West Hollywood was quick to pass nondiscrimination ordinances, beautify urban spaces and prioritize economic growth, Wendel said. But he is also unearthing planning policies that reveal entrenched gender, race and class hierarchies.

“West Hollywood consolidated a dominant gay identity, one that branded itself as inclusive of all LGBTQ people,” he said. “I’m interested in planning’s role in shaping this identity, and the degree to which the process was inclusive of diverse gender and sexual minority communities.”

As he looks toward the future, Wendel plans to continue research that makes the planning profession more inclusive of diverse LGBTQ+ populations. And he hopes to spread the message that artistic approaches more commonly practiced in the humanities can transform the field of planning.

“My goal is to support the next generation of planning scholars and practitioners interested in advancing justice, and share creative methods to study and shape the city.”

The Long Road to Success After decades of persistence, parking reforms championed by Professor Donald Shoup are taking hold around the country

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By Les Dunseith

When the “parking cash-out program” became law in California, Donald Shoup had done it! Surely, this would launch a wave of legislation to reform all those nonsensical parking regulations he’d been writing about since the 1970s.

Or so it seemed in 1992.

Shoup’s idea was that any employer that offers subsidized parking for its workers should also offer employees the option of taking the cash value if they opt out of parking. Within a year of getting the attention of a state assemblyman, it was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor.

“And I thought, well, this is easy! I just have to be clear and explain what I’m doing,” Shoup recalled. “But [parking reform] has taken a very long time to really sink in.”

man in dark suit rests one arm on a huge stack of books on a folding table

Planning Commission official Chris Meyer stands with a huge stack of Don Shoup’s book “The High Cost of Free Parking” weighing down a folding table during a news conference in Minnesota that was held to launch a parking reform effort in the state. The books were distributed to all members of the Legislature.

To understand Shoup’s research on parking, it helps to have read his landmark book with the wry title: “The High Cost of Free Parking,” first published in 2005. But it’s not required. Don Shoup is adept at boiling his crusade down to four key reforms:

1. Parking cash-out.

2. Eliminate requirements that force real estate developers to accommodate a minimum number of parking spaces per construction project, a practice that Shoup viewed almost as “an established religion” in the planning profession.

3. Charge drivers for parking on city streets and in city lots, setting the price to ensure one or two open spaces on every block.

4. Make the practice of paying for parking politically popular by dedicating the revenue to additional public services. “So, if anybody puts a dollar in a parking meter, it comes right out the other side to clean the sidewalk or repair the street or plant trees,” Shoup explained.

Shoup sees previous parking practices as a flimsy house of cards. “They were assembled over decades by officials who were arbitrarily adding a parking requirement,” he said. “And it was all a pseudoscience.”

Decades later, the wave of policy change Shoup always envisioned may finally be arriving. A spry octogenarian who still comes to campus regularly almost a decade after retiring, the distinguished research professor of urban planning is seeing his ideas being implemented in city halls, statehouses and government offices far and wide:

  • Buffalo, San Francisco and San Diego are among numerous cities that have rethought parking policies.
  • Two years ago, California abolished parking minimums within a half-mile of transit. Other states are looking to do the same. And a bill introduced in Congress could take the idea nationwide.
  • Dynamically priced curb parking continues to spread at the municipal level, and the federal government has spent millions looking into the practice.
  • Several international locales have acted on Shoup’s ideas or studied their feasibility.

A central focus for Shoup is the practice of devoting immense amounts of valuable land primarily to free parking for cars. It’s all those places where cars sit, unmoving, 95% of the time. Surely, everyone can understand that having too many cars contributes to exhaust-filled, unwalkable cities plagued by traffic jams? We know about carbon emissions and how automobiles contribute to climate change, right?

Professor Michael Manville is one of Shoup’s former students and now chair of Urban Planning at UCLA Luskin. He wrote an essay for the Journal of Planning Education and Research in 2022 that extols Shoup’s vision:

“Transformation requires reform, reform requires action, and actions can’t be ambiguous. Actions are clear and specific — what exactly should we do?

“Don Shoup is clear and specific: Price the curb. Abolish the parking requirements. Invest in the neighborhoods.”

stylized poster of Donald Shoup's face with text below that integrats is name with the word "hope"

Isaiah Mouw hosts The Parking Podcast, and Shoup was a guest. So, Mouw had a friend create artwork that the professor has since adopted as his signature image on social media. It shows Shoup’s face in a style made famous by artist Shepard Fairey. Mouw said, “I saw the Obama ‘Hope’ poster and thought parking reform could use a ‘Shoup’ poster.

Among Shoup’s followers are government officials and planning consultants, plus environmentally conscious cyclists and fans of public transit. Shoup’s observations can be an epiphany for many people. Some become devotees. They call themselves “Shoupistas.”

Patrick Siegman was the first.

He never took a class from Shoup. He never even took a class at UCLA. Siegman discovered Shoup’s research while an undergraduate at Stanford. And that discovery has had more influence on his life and career than anything in a class he did attend.

“Professor Shoup managed to make the apparently dry topic of parking economics and regulation not only worth studying, but compelling, fascinating and, at times, hilarious,” Siegman wrote in an essay for Streetsblog.

How did Siegman become the original Shoupista?

“I was at a beer garden here in San Francisco,” Siegman said in an interview. He had just finished an outing with friends. It was sometime in the 1990s.

“We’re hanging out and talking — a whole bunch of bicycle advocates — and I started yammering away about my thoughts, and Shoup’s research and the importance of parking reform. I’m with Dave Snyder, who was the executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, which has a lot of your classic San Francisco radicals. He just looked at me and said, ‘Man, you’re just a Shoupista!’” Siegman remembers it getting a big laugh. He and his friends got the reference immediately because they’d grown up during the 1980s when revolutionaries were taking on right-wing dictatorships across Latin America. In Nicaragua, the rebels were known as Sandinistas.

What’s it like being the first Shoupista?

“Well, it’s an honor,” Siegman said. “It also surprised and delighted me how that term took off. It has taken on a life of its own.”

Siegman was the first of many. Kevin Holliday was enlightened by Shoup’s ideas while pursuing the MA UP degree he earned at UCLA in 2014. Four years later, he formed a Facebook group, The Shoupistas, for “the followers of Professor Donald Shoup.” It now has more than 8,000 members.

“Today, there is still a lot of traffic on that group,” Holliday said. “People are obviously interested in it.”

Holliday spent about 18 years working as a planning professional, then more recently started his own company, Bright Triangle, which provides process improvement consulting services.

He was involved in implementing pricing for parking based on demand in San Francisco, which saw roughly half of its meter prices decline.

People who wind up focused on parking reform arrive unexpectedly, he said. “No one grows up thinking they’re going to work in parking.”

Shoup himself came to parking reform by surprise, and that’s part of his legacy, Holliday said. Shoup’s dogged determination is also a marvel to Holliday: “How many other people in this world can get folks to read an 800-page book?”

map of North American shows dozens of red dots to represent cities where parking reforms have been instituted

The Parking Reform Network tracks the progress of policy changes on an interactive map. For five years, the network has been educating the public about Shoup’s work, and President Tony Jordan says their database is increasingly a go-to resource for people wanting to make parking changes a reality.

So far, the parking reforms have taken hold mostly in left-leaning places. But Shoup and others don’t see the issue as being conservative or progressive. Both the Obama and Trump administrations came out in opposition to minimum parking requirements.

“Getting rid of parking requirements appeals to the right because it gets the government out of business,” Shoup said. Not having to provide a fixed amount of parking makes life easier for housing developers, reducing their costs.

“So, you can imagine why Trump … he’s a developer. He knows what parking requirements demand. He thinks he should be in charge of how many parking spaces he provides!” Shoup said with a chuckle.

“Getting rid of parking requirements appeals to the left because it reduces traffic congestion, air pollution and carbon emissions. It can be part of the war on cars,” he said.

Shoup himself is purposefully nonpolitical. “I recommend parking reforms that will benefit almost everyone regardless of their politics.”

One reason that Shoup’s ideas have taken hold and spread is that his writing is very clear. Manville and Holliday are among the many students and colleagues who’ve assisted him over the years and continue to do so as co-writers and editors. They see Shoup’s approach as different from most professors.

“There’s a model of academia that says you must publish lots of articles, and every few years the dean counts up those articles and you get a raise,” Manville said. “And so you sort of do the minimum to get it published, and then you move on to something else.

“He always wrote, and still does write, articles with a mindset of not just getting them published in academic journals, but also to be available to anyone who cares to read them,” said Manville, noting that Shoup strives to write in a manner that will appeal to students.

“He always had a very good understanding that one of the most powerful things you could do from a policy perspective is have a publication end up on someone’s syllabus,” Manville explained. “Because then the future planners of the world have no choice but to read it.”

man with white beard holds hands about a foot apart

Donald Shoup holds his hands close together to show the actual size of the statue in a photo enlargement that fills one wall of his office. Photo by Les Dunseith

Shoup embraces every means that will spread the word. He’s active on social media. Interviews with him can be found on YouTube and TikTok. And as an in-person marketer of parking reform, he is relentless.

“Anywhere he goes, he’s going to grab somebody and start talking about parking,” Manville said. He recounts a story of Shoup discovering on a flight to Sacramento that a member of the Assembly was a few rows ahead.

“And he connived to switch seats with the person next to that guy, and then just harangued the poor man about parking on the whole flight,” Manville said. “That’s Shoup in a nutshell.”

Shoup tends to downplay his accomplishments, citing luck and longevity. He notes that he first used the word “parking” in an academic article in 1970 and began focusing on the reforms in earnest in 1978.

“THAT is perseverance,” he said.

Shoup also credits the support he received at UCLA and the freedom he felt within Urban Planning to keep saying what he believed even when others dismissed it.

Most people would have tired of the crusade long before 40-plus years. Not Donald Shoup.

“He just keeps going and going and going,” Holliday said. “And I think that’s a testament to not only how deeply he believes these things, but how much he wants to convince someone else to believe them.”

 

Alumni Accolades The latest news and career highlights from alumni representing all four departments at the Luskin School

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Tiffany Caldas MSW ’15 is now chief of staff at Partnership for Growth LA, a Black/Jewish community development corporation working toward community wellness and cooperative development in South and West Los Angeles.

Oceana R. Gilliam MPP ’19 is now the chief of staff and justice deputy for Rep. Justin J. Pearson, Tennessee House of Representatives, District 86.

Todd Snyder MPP ’00 is now director of the Stormwater Department for the city of San Diego.

Kelsey Mulcahy MPP ’16 is now director of public affairs and agency partnerships at BlueLabs, an analytics and technology solutioning firm based in San Francisco.

Abraham Cheung MPP ’23 is a Presidential Management Fellow at the United States Census Bureau.

John Castillo MSW ’81 has been executive director of Walking Shield Inc. for 24+ years coordinating programs that provide shelter, health care, educational assistance and other aid to American Indian families. Castillo earned a PhD from Fielding Graduate University.

James D. Simon MSW ’06, LCSW was promoted to associate professor in the School of Social Work at Cal State Los Angeles. Simon earned a PhD from USC.

Gabriela Solis Torres MPP/ MSW ’19 was promoted to assistant director on the Criminal Justice Team at Harvard Kennedy School’s Government Performance Lab (GPL).

Alba M. Velasquez MURP ’13 started a new position as executive director at the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, a collective impact initiative working to make food healthy, affordable, fair and sustainable.

Daniela Simunovic MURP ’13 is now senior director of climate and sustainability in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Brian Wolfe BA in Public Affairs ’23 started a new position as transportation engineer/planner at the Orange County office of Fehr & Peers.

Paulina Torres BA in Public Affairs ’23 started a new position as constituent advocate at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Ashley Ceballos-Hernandez BA in Public Affairs and Labor Studies ’23 is now a CORO Fellow in Public Affairs for 2024.

Adriana Bernal BA in Public Affairs ’23 joined the Federation of Independent School Alumnae (FISA) Foundation as Communications Associate.

Alejandra Guerrero MURP ’18 is now deputy director at cityLAB UCLA.

 

In Support New members join Board of Advisors; EDI and Yaroslavsky funds benefit students

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Nine new members have joined the Luskin School Board of Advisors. Each of them brings a wealth of experience, a commitment to our mission and a passion for making
a difference in our community.

Alec Nedelman is a leading real estate lawyer and marketing and business development advisor.

Alex Johnson is the vice president of public affairs at Bryson Gillette.

Cecilia Estolano is the CEO and founder of Estolano Advisors.

Juan Aquino is the senior manager of community development banking at Capital One Bank.

Maria Mehranian is a managing partner and chief financial officer at Cordoba Corp.

Nicole Mutchnik is the founder of California Democracy Fund. She currently sits on the executive committee of the Women’s
Political Committee, the board of Civicas LA, the DNC National Finance Committee.

Ronald W. Wong is the founder and CEO of Imprenta Communications Group.

Todd Sargent is the global organization development executive at The Walt Disney Company.

Jill Black Zalben is involved in operations and management at Black Equities Group.

Farewell to departing board members Tracy Colunga, Ann Sinclair and Richard Katz, we extend our deep appreciation for their contributions.

LUSKIN EDI FUND OPENS DOORS TO ENRICHING SUMMER EXPERIENCES

The concepts of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) have reshaped the landscape of higher education across the globe. For UCLA Luskin graduate students, these principles influence their experiences, opportunities and overall academic journey, thanks to several initiatives that demonstrate the School’s commitment to EDI.

Close-up photo of person with black hair and hoop earrings

Cecilia Nunez

One such initiative is the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Fund for Public Affairs summer award, which supports students so that they can take on unpaid summer internships.

Last summer, the award enabled MPP/MSW student Cecilia Nunez to intern at La Defensa, which advocates against mass incarceration and economic injustice in Los Angeles County. Nunez is also the recipient of the 2022-23 Graduate Opportunity Fellowship. She graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s in history and literature with a focus on Afro-Latin American studies, and previously worked as a pre-employment and transition facilitator at the Boston Center for Independent Living. Nunez’s goal is to build innovative policy and programming to empower and support Black and Brown communities and other marginalized groups.

Another UCLA Luskin Equity, Diversity and Inclusion summer award enabled MURP student Cass Wood to intern at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, a leading provider of services and support to queer and trans people.

Portrait image of person in patterned white shirt

Cass Wood

The UC Santa Cruz graduate in environmental studies joined the Luskin Urban Planning program to pursue research in hostile architecture and how socio-spatial injustice in the built environment perpetuates homogenous enclaves via spatial accessibility. Aside from urban planning, their research interests are gastro-imperialism and colonization.

The Luskin School’s EDI initiatives provide opportunities for students to share their perspectives in a diverse and inclusive environment and enrich their academic pursuits by challenging conventional wisdom and encouraging creative thinking. By empowering students and representing a wide array of voices, these initiatives have the potential to not only transform individual experiences but also contribute to the evolution of academia itself. As institutions continue to champion these values, they take a significant step toward a more just, diverse and vibrant educational landscape.

group photo of several people taken during tour of Venice Family Clinic.

MSW student Savanna Hogan, third from left, leads a tour of her internship site.

YAROSLAVSKY FUND SUPPORTS STUDENT INTERNSHIP WITH VENICE FAMILY CLINIC

MSW student Savanna Hogan hosted a tour and lunch at the Venice Family Clinic, site of her summer internship made possible by UCLA Luskin’s Barbara Edelston Yaroslavsky Memorial Fund.

The clinic provides health services, ranging from dentistry to domestic violence intervention, to 45,000 low-income people annually. Hogan created materials to expand the advocacy infrastructure of the clinic, participated in various advocacy and policy committees, and engaged in visits with elected officials at National Health Center Week events.

“It has truly been such an incredible experience to be able to spend the summer working for a community health organization that has such deep roots and a rich history in caring for some of the most vulnerable populations living on west side of Los Angeles,” Hogan said.

Luskin School donors and guests from the nonprofit attended the site visit at the clinic’s Simms/Mann Health Center in Santa Monica. They included UCLA Luskin faculty member Zev Yaroslavsky BA ’71, MA ’72, who founded the Barbara Edelston Yaroslavsky Memorial Fund in honor of his late wife. Yaroslavsky told of his work on health care access during his tenure as an elected official in the city and county of Los Angeles, then led an engaging discussion about the history of funding local health care centers — including the Venice Family Clinic.

Hogan graduated from Cal State San Marcos with a bachelor’s in sociology and an emphasis in health, welfare and education. While she is pursuing her MSW at UCLA, she is also serving on the board of the Luskin Black Caucus and as a member of the Social Welfare Anti-Racist Committee.

Hogan aspires to help bridge the gaps of health inequities that marginalized people face through advocacy and practice. The site visit highlighted the importance of donations that fund student engagement with nonprofits, a critical component of the Luskin School, and build a bridge between academia and the real world.

“Community health centers will always have such a special place in my heart because they strive to be able to provide health equity and access for all, regardless of their socioeconomic status, immigration status or even their current housing status,” she said.

A Picturesque Welcome to the Luskin School Green spaces replace construction zones after seismic upgrades to Public Affairs Building

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Splashes of color now ring the UCLA Luskin Public Affairs Building, replacing fences and scaffolding used during months of seismic upgrades.

With the completion of renovations in the summer of 2023, construction zones have been replaced by green spaces populated by native grasses and flowers, planted by UCLA Facilities Management in coordination with UCLA Sustainability and Hien McKnight, the School’s assistant dean for operations and administration.

Fescues, needlegrass and wildflowers in shades of red, yellow, purple, pink and white are among the 17 types of plants seeded throughout the strips of land.

They were chosen for their biodiversity, support of pollinators and climate resiliency, in keeping with the UCLA Landscape Plan, whose guiding principle is to model responsible environmental practices.

The beautification project marks the official end of the two-year renovation. While making the Public Affairs Building earthquake safe was the No. 1 goal, the project also included several other improvements, including:

  • Installation of a high-security system at building entrances.
  • Upgrades to restrooms, including two all-gender facilities with diaper-changing stations.
  • Addition of 10 hydration stations, six of which have bottle fillers.
  • Installation of shade structures in the 5th floor atrium.
  • Remodeling of the 5th floor kitchen area.
  • Mechanical upgrades to the building’s elevators.

The following native plants were used in the Luskin School’s new landscape:

Grasses
  • Molate Creeping Red Fescue
  • Western Mokelumne Fescue
  • Idaho Fescue
  • Purple Needlegrass
Wildflowers
  • California Poppy
  • Arroyo Lupine
  • Farewell-to-Spring
  • Baby Blue Eyes
  • Chinese Houses
  • Golden Lupine
  • Globe Gilia
  • Bird’s Eye
  • Five-Spot
  • Tidy Tips
  • White Yarrow
  • Mission Red Monkeyflower
  • Blue-Eyed Grass

Alumni Notes Career and job insights highlight a weeklong Alumni Engagement Week series of events

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This academic year, UCLA Luskin’s Office of Students Affairs and Alumni Relations organized a weeklong Alumni Engagement Week that was filled with insightful discussions, reconnections and a warm “Cafecito con Luskin” gathering.

“Luskin Alumni Week is about celebrating our diverse community, bridging generational gaps, and sharing knowledge and experiences while building friendships,” said Karina Mascorro, director of alumni engagement.

Events included:

  • A CORO Fellows in Public Affairs Alumni panel, designed for undergraduate students interested in applying to the CORO Fellowship. The virtual panel discussion allowed alumna Adriana Bernal BA in Public Affairs and Labor Studies ’23, and alumnus Saman Haddad BA in Public Affairs ’23, currently residing on the East Coast, to share their experiences as previous CORO Fellows in Public Affairs.
  • An in-person Meet and Greet featuring Presidential Management Fellow alumna Sophia Li MPP ’22. Li’s current assignment is with the Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base.
  • A Sustainability Success Stories: Alumnae at the Forefront panel, which featured trailblazers in sustainability Colleen Callahan MURP ’10, Nurit Katz MPP and MBA ’08, Kristen Torres Pawling MURP ’12 and Daniela Simunovic MURP ’13. They shared success stories and told of challenges they’ve overcome over a light lunch and while networking with attendees. 
  • “Cafecito con Luskin” at the charming Alcove Cafe in Los Feliz. This casual alumni meet-up was perfect for connecting, sharing ideas and enjoying coffee and freshly baked treats.
  • A Long Beach Management Assistant Alumni Panel. During the virtual panel discussion, Mary Dao MPP ’20, Alvin Teng MPP ’18 and Ryan Kurtzman MPP ’18 shared their experiences and career journeys.

COMMUNITY-BUILDER SELECTED AS OBAMA FOUNDATION SCHOLAR

portrait photo of Amanda Morrall

Amanda Morrall

Amanda Morrall MPP ’14 has been selected as a 2023-2024 Obama Foundation Scholar.

Known for its rigorous selection process, the scholars program identifies emerging leaders in the United States and globally who have made significant contributions to their communities. Obama Scholars get the unique opportunity to advance their work through a comprehensive curriculum that blends academic learning, skills development and hands-on experiences.

Morrall has a long history of community building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she previously served as the executive director of the Coretz Family Foundation. The private philanthropy seeks to advance equity by recognizing Tulsa’s history of racial violence and its lasting impact on communities of color today.

Morrall’s dedication to philanthropy and innovative thinking has earned her a well-deserved spot among the 30 emerging leaders selected this year as Obama Foundation Scholars. As the first African American and the fourth American to join the Columbia University global cohort, she continues to break barriers and inspire change.

MEYERHOFF NAMED TO BRUIN BUSINESS 100 LIST

portrait photo of Leslea Meyerhoff

Leslea Meyerhoff

Leslea Meyerhoff MA UP ’91, founder and CEO of Summit Environmental Group, Inc., recently earned a spot on the prestigious UCLA Alumni Bruin Business 100 list, which recognizes exceptional alumni entrepreneurs.

Meyerhoff is a coastal policy and environmental planning professional with over 20 years of experience. She and her team of environmental specialists at Summit offer services to California public and private sector clients in the following areas: coastal and land use policy; environmental impact assessment; project management and planning; and regulatory permitting and compliance.

Summit is a State of California Certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, Woman Business Enterprise and Small Business Enterprise.

Why They Give Alumni donors Matt Kaczmarek, Aaron Ordower discuss impact of UCLA education on their careers

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Two alumni donors and partners — Matt Kaczmarek BA ’04 and Aaron Ordower MURP ’15 — shared their thoughts about the value of a UCLA Luskin education and the way it has shaped their career trajectories. Kaczmarek, who majored in economic geography and political science and minored in public affairs, is currently global head of market strategy and sustainable investing for BlackRock Credit, following several senior appointments in the administration of President Barack Obama. Ordower is now environment deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath after serving in key policy roles for Los Angeles and New York City.

Talk about a transformative experience in your life that led you to your passion. 

Kaczmarek: As a leader on President Obama’s National Security Council, I experienced firsthand how much the personality, commitment, ingenuity and perseverance of our senior leaders determine the course of our nation’s history and maintain our national security. When I left government, I committed myself to do whatever I can to train and inspire future leaders, support and campaign for strong and thoughtful elected leaders, and support causes dedicated to growing future leaders, such as Luskin. And I’m grateful to have a partner in Aaron who shares these values and this commitment.

Ordower: Early in my career I worked for the World Bank (whose cafeteria I originally met Matt in!), where I focused on infrastructure, economic development and environmental projects in Latin America. I remember when one particularly devastating tropical storm swept through El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala and literally washed away years of investments in human and physical infrastructure that my team and those governments had worked on over the past decade. Overnight, it was as if all the roads, water treatment plants, community infrastructure and all that progress on poverty alleviation had never happened. It illustrated to me how much climate change is an existential threat to life, property and economic prosperity, especially to low-income communities. This of course plays out in every corner of the globe, including here in California. That particular storm — and sadly there were many more which followed — was a catalyst for my career in sustainability.

How did the Luskin School help you get closer to your goal? 

Ordower: My master’s in urban and regional planning gave me concrete tools to advance my career and especially to develop equity-informed, multidisciplinary solutions to climate change. Luskin trained me to recognize that policy which is not grounded in economic justice and social equity is unlikely to succeed. I attribute some of my biggest professional accomplishments, such as passing New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act — the first major law in America to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from buildings — and passing the phase-out of oil and gas drilling in Los Angeles — the nation’s largest urban oilfield — to this multidisciplinary, technical training.

Kaczmarek: The Luskin minor was the highlight of my undergraduate experience at UCLA. My classes at Luskin taught me how to analyze policy issues that had always interested me, like water, land use and economic development. And how to build consensus toward strong policy solutions — a skill useful in any career field! I received a Dukakis summer scholarship to pursue an unpaid internship with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the Bay Area. I was humbled by my brilliant and committed colleagues and inspired to pursue a career in civil service.

Was there a moment or a person that was critical to your Luskin School experience? 

Kaczmarek: Mike Dukakis’ 1988 campaign is the first presidential election I can remember. For me to see him on TV at the convention as a kid and then as a young adult present to him on a real policy issue facing Los Angeles was the first time I realized that I could access and influence decision-makers. That motivation to earn a seat at the table led me to Sacramento, Washington and the West Wing of the White House, and then after government to New York and our major financial institutions.

Ordower: I had some excellent (alumni) practitioner faculty at Luskin who I really credit for helping me launch my career to the next phase. I took three classes with Joan Ling, an accomplished real estate and affordable housing developer. She put every one of us through the ringer and set the same expectations for us students as she would for a staff member of her development team. She invested in each one of us: She made herself available for office hours every weekend, made time to mentor anyone who asked and never hesitated to open a professional door or give career advice. And for me, she was an affirming LGBT role model who had served at the highest levels of government and real estate.

One of the things Joan would make us do when working on a housing studio was to formally present our hypothetical project to the City Council office and the head of the neighborhood council.  After one such meeting, the neighborhood council president liked our project so much that he invited us to pretend to be actual developers and to present the project to the full neighborhood council in a public meeting! The next neighborhood council meeting wasn’t until the next quarter, but Joan still took the time to coach us through this unorthodox exercise and even showed up with (metaphoric) popcorn to the presentation. This type of rigorous experiential learning set me, and so many of my peers, up to have impactful careers in economic, community and urban development.

What values do you hold closest in your life and work? 

Ordower: Always demonstrate kindness and empathy, even in the most trying of times. The most stressful time in my professional life was October-December of 2022, when my boss, Paul Krekorian, unexpectedly became Los Angeles Council President after Nury Martinez resigned in scandal. Overnight my duties quadrupled — having responsibility for sustainability policy and the city budget committee AND setting and leading the proceedings of the full City Council meetings at a time when vocal segments of the public didn’t want us to meet at all. Even before the tapes came out, we were in the final throes of a very competitive local election cycle, and L.A. politics was extremely factionalized and ugly. I’m sure I didn’t bat 1000, but I tried very hard to treat all the staff and members of the public with respect and empathy, even those working for scandal-embattled councilmembers or whose bosses were actively opposed to policy my boss was advocating. I’d like to think that setting that example helped in a small way to get us toward a more functioning and saner place in local politics. And during those three crazy months we were even able to pass some of the most impactful renter protections, economic justice and sustainability policies in recent memory.

Kaczmarek: Tim Geithner used to tell me as a young economist at the Treasury Department that I should always have a viewpoint polished and ready in case the president were to ask for it (which seemed unlikely at the time … until it happened!) but that you should never let your conviction be stronger than the evidence you have to support it. That advice has only gotten better with age. And as an appointee in the first presidential administration that welcomed openly LGBT officials, I’m committed to growing and supporting future LGBT leaders.

What is something people might not understand about the importance of your work, impact of funding and the Luskin School?

Kaczmarek: My experience has shown that education, training and experience are the keys to developing strong leaders. The combination of UCLA, Luskin and the policy laboratory of Los Angeles provide unparalleled opportunities to develop all three in one place. To support Luskin is to support a generation of leaders prepared for the challenges of real-world policymaking at the local, state, national and international level.

Ordower: Luskin is a great policy and research laboratory that directly informs impactful policy across the L.A. region and beyond. There are so many examples of a small progressive city like Santa Monica or West Hollywood taking a bold first step to pass policy, informed no doubt by UCLA researchers and alumni. After a year or two, larger jurisdictions like L.A. County and City often follow suit, and shortly thereafter it often becomes law in the state of California. And once we prove that it can succeed in the fourth largest economy in the world, it leads to changes in national policy. The UCLA to national policy pipeline is real!

Capture a Dream? 

Ordower: I now work for L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, where I lead her work on environmental sustainability. My dream is for L.A. County, and eventually our nation, to run on 100% clean energy, for our water resources to be 100% recycled and resilient, and for everyone, regardless of the neighborhood they live in, to have equal access to clean air, nature and a healthy place to live. I’m so fortunate that I get to contribute in many small ways to make this a reality in the most populous county in America.

How has philanthropy impacted you in your own life? 

Kaczmarek: When I moved from the public to the private sector, I worried about losing the public service motivation in my work. I now know I can have an even greater impact across a variety of ways to engage and support good public policy through mentorship, advocacy, volunteer service and philanthropy.

Ordower: I was extremely fortunate to be supported by scholarships and grants at UCLA. They helped to defray the costs of this very valuable education and without which I’m not sure I would have ended up in Westwood. Fellowships allowed me to focus on the most impactful experiences while enrolled at UCLA and made it possible for me to take unpaid internships that I directly attribute to my career trajectory. It is so important to me to give back to make sure others have these opportunities.

How have you seen the impact of your philanthropy play out?

Kaczmarek: It’s inspiring to meet the faculty and students at Luskin today who are applying the same approaches that transformed my life to today’s policy challenges. From solving the housing affordability and homelessness crisis to advancing sustainable cities, I am confident that the solutions to these challenges are being developed at Luskin, and who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

Ordower: Every time I look around at who is working on cutting-edge applied research in urban planning, public policy, social policy and sustainability, all roads lead to UCLA. I have taken countless meetings with UCLA faculty, researchers and students, and they have helped me develop equitable, just and impactful policy for our region. Especially in the area of sustainability, I’m so impressed by the expanded breadth of faculty and applied research expertise in areas such as water resiliency, extreme heat and renewable energy. And I am probably in meetings with UCLA alumni every single day.  Giving to Luskin has a great return on investment: turning students into changemakers.

New Director of Field Education Is a Triple Bruin Susan Lares-Nakaoka is one of four faculty additions to UCLA Luskin Social Welfare this academic year

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By Stan Paul

Susan Lares-Nakaoka is no stranger to UCLA or UCLA Luskin.

The holder of multiple degrees from UCLA, including an MSW and a UP PhD, Lares-Nakaoka was hired to fill the key program position formerly held by Gerry Laviña, who recently retired after a long tenure as director of field education.

Lares-Nakaoka’s most recent teaching post was at Cal State Long Beach as an assistant professor. She is excited about her return to the Westwood campus. “It has been such a big part of my life,” she said.

Three other new Social Welfare faculty additions are Tatiana Londoño, an assistant professor, and Erin Nakamura, a member of the field faculty, both of whom started in the fall, and Bianca Wilson, who came aboard as an associate professor in January.

Like Lares-Nakaoka, Nakamura and Wilson have previous ties to UCLA. Nakamura is a 2012 graduate of Luskin’s MSW program, and Wilson had been working at UCLA’s Williams Institute. Londoño comes to UCLA Luskin from the University of Texas at Austin, where she recently completed her PhD in social work. She also holds an MSSW from UT.

These faculty additions “bring a wealth of knowledge and experience and will certainly be an asset to our department and a great resource for our students,” said Laura Abrams, professor and chair of UCLA Luskin Social Welfare.

Lares-Nakaoka, who also held acaemic posts at the University of Hawaii, Cal State Sacramento and Cal State Dominguez Hills, focuses her research and writing on the intersection of race and community development, critical race pedagogy, and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. She is lead author on a forthcoming book, “Critical Race Theory in Social Work,” as well as editor of an upcoming special issue on race and social justice in the Journal of Community Practice. She is also co-founder and co-director of the Critical Race Scholars in Social Work (CRSSW) collective.

She said her experience as director of field education at Cal State Dominguez Hills, which was a pioneer in teaching social work from a critical race theory perspective, was foundational to her approach to social work pedagogy.

“My area of interest is in racial justice issues, so I’m interested in seeing ways in which we can make a bigger impact in the L.A. area in terms of what can social work look like that has this lens of racial justice and anti-racism.”

Lares-Nakaoka believes that UCLA is poised to be a leader in this area.

“In L.A., it’s so appropriate with our diversity and history, of both successes and failures, in areas of racial justice,” she said. “It’s just such an opportunity for me to be at UCLA, where the nation’s experts on critical race theory reside.”

Nakamura, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), is working as a field liaison in a position partly funded through a grant from the California Department of Health Care Access (HCAI) to expand social welfare education at UCLA.

“Through the HCAI grant, I will be working to increase access to culturally and linguistically relevant behavioral health services for children, adults, and families in un- and underserved communities,” she said.

Nakamura said she also will work to promote a diverse and competent workforce through MSW student recruitment, development of behavioral health internship sites, specialized clinical trainings, and coursework that emphasizes cultural humility and competence, as well as accessible mentorship and support to students as they work toward clinical licensure.

“I’ll be also working in the community with the different behavioral health agencies that we’re going to be partnering with, so kind of the perfect integration of this micro and macro social work practice that I love,” Nakamura said.

She has previous experience as a field instructor and in teaching roles at universities, including at UCLA. Nakamura is teaching behavioral health courses and also maintains a private practice.

Nakamura described her return to campus as an amazing experience.

“I look forward to taking on this new role because the people who I sought out as field faculty when I was a student — they shaped my entire career and my life,” she said. “It feels very full circle to be working alongside those same individuals.”

Londoño, who is originally from Colombia and was raised in Miami, focuses on the mental health and psychosocial well-being of Latine/x immigrant youth and their families.

Londoño is currently involved in several studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A research emphasis on migration includes looking at how immigrant youth and families navigate and adapt to the psychosocial consequences of migration and resettlement. She is particularly interested in how immigration enforcement and practices in the U.S. play a role in their well-being.

“Something that’s really central to my work is being community-based,” said Londoño, who has conducted needs assessment and evaluation research related to study participants. “So, I will definitely be reaching out to organizations here working with immigrant and Latinx communities and slowly building those relationships.”

Joining Nakamura, Lares-Nakaoka and Londoño in January is Wilson, who holds master’s and PhD degrees — with a minor in statistics, methods and measurement — in psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on system-involved LGBTQ+ youth, LGBTQ+ poverty and sexual health among queer women.

“I’m looking forward to continuing in an interdisciplinary department, but now with a broad range of research topics,” she said. “This can create opportunities for collaboration but also for learning about the many areas of work I don’t focus on.”

In addition to being the Rabbi Zacky Senior Scholar of Public Policy at UCLA’s Williams Institute, as well as a researcher and senior scholar of public policy since 2011, Wilson has been a faculty affiliate at the UCLA California Center for Population Research since 2014. At UCLA Luskin, Wilson will focus on Social Welfare’s concentration in health and mental health across the life span, teaching courses in research, policy and human behavior.

Wilson said she also is excited to be working with students again.

“I look forward to working with them on their graduate work as well as students at all levels in the classrooms,” she said.

The new faculty hires in Social Welfare are enhancing both education and the School’s research portfolio in interesting areas of study and practice, Abrams said. “All of those topics are really speaking to what our students are interested in and what the community is asking for, so it’s an exciting time.”

For Lares-Nakaoka, a focus on ethnic-based community development corporations dates from her time as a doctoral student at UCLA Luskin.

“L.A. also has this very rich history of ethnic-based organizations,” she said, noting her ongoing involvement with organizations like the Little Tokyo Service Center that started with an MSW internship.

“There’s these amazing organizations with a rich social justice history from the 1970s and ’80s. I feel if we can work together to cultivate a type of social work that learns from them, we can ensure racial justice is a central part of social work practice.”

Lares-Nakaoka spent more than a dozen years working in social services and program development benefiting low-income residents.

She attended public schools in her hometown of Montebello, then pursued an undergraduate education at UCLA in history and sociology, graduating in 1991.

Lares-Nakaoka is looking forward to the opportunity to mentor current students. They are an impressive group, she said.

“UCLA students — they’re future leaders. It’s amazing some of the things they’ve already done,” she said. “They can articulate the plans they have for the future. You know they are going to go on and make a difference.”

UCLA feels like home, she said. “We’re very much a UCLA family. My whole family bleeds blue and gold.”