About Us
UCLA Luskin Public Policy alumni are making an impact in their communities every day. Our alumni network continues to grow and spans the nation. From the fight against climate change to sustainable products at Nike, our alumni are today’s leaders. We recognize our alumni below for their commitment to change.
And our current MPP students are already making a difference at UCLA. Through the generosity of our alumni, the MPP Alumni Council recognizes the students below for demonstrating leadership and service to the community. Help support our students by clicking here.
MPP Alumni of the Year
Alumni of the Year awards honor members of the alumni community who have been impactful through community service, public service, University service and/or professional achievement. By recognizing alumni, the award hopes to inspire leaders and change agents who advance solutions to society’s most-pressing problems.
2020
Max Gomberg
Climate and Conservation Manager,
State Water Resources Control Board
2019
Nelson Esparza
City Council Member,
City of Fresno, California
2018
Jaime Nack
President,
Three Squares Inc.
Founder,
Women in Green Forum
2017
Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed
Campaign Strategist,
18MillionRising.org
Co-Host,
#GoodMuslimBadMuslim Podcast
2016
Chuck Gatchell
VP/GM Olympics & Athletes,
Nike, Inc.
2015
Nurit Katz
Chief Sustainability Officer,
UCLA
2014
Nathalie Rayes
President and CEO,
Latino Victory
2013
Rusty Bailey
Mayor,
City of Riverside, California
2012
Kathryn Phillips
Director,
Sierra Club California
2011
Greg Spotts
Assistant Director and Chief Sustainability Officer,
Bureau of Street Services at City of Los Angeles
2010
Manan Trivedi
President,
National Physicians Alliance
Chief Medical Officer,
Clinovations Government + Health
2009
Celeste Drake
Executive in Charge of Government Affairs,
Directors Guild of America
2008
Jennifer White
Consultant,
Jen White Consulting
2007
Andrew Von Ah
Director of Physical Infrastructure Issues,
U.S. Government Accountability Office
2006
Veronica Melvin
President and CEO,
LA Promise Fund
2005
Emily C. Williams
Senior Policy Deputy,
Hon. Mark Ridley-Thomas,
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
2004
Mary Kohav
Vice President of Community Engagement Programs,
The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles
2003
Dylan Presman
Budget Director for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency,
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
MPP Alumni Fellowship Recipients
Through their generous support, each year the MPP alumni award a $5,000 fellowship to two or more second year MPP students. Students who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and service are nominated by their fellow classmates. The MPP Alumni Council in consultation with the Public Policy Department selects the finalists from all the nominees. Below are the current and former MPP Alumni Fellowship recipients.
2020
Courtney B. Taylor
Master of Public Policy Candidate,
UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
2020
Jason Ballou
Master of Public Policy Candidate,
UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
2019
Devon Schechinger
Graduate Research Assistant,
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
2019
Irma Castañeda
Master of Public Policy Candidate,
UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
2018
Erica Webster
Program Manager,
Los Angeles County Office of Diversion Reentry
2018
Caio Velasco
Ph.D. Student in Economics,
Tilburg University (Netherlands)
2018
Gabriela Solis
Government Innovation Fellow,
Harvard Kennedy School
2018
Robert Gamboa
Senior Policy Analyst,
Los Angeles LGBT Center
2018
Marissa Ayala
Policy Fellow,
Los Angeles County Women and Girls Initiative
2017
Estefania Zavala
Project Lead for Digital Engagement,
City of Long Beach
2017
Ramandeep Kaur
Management Fellow,
City of Santa Monica
2016
JC De Vera
Associate Director,
Hirsch & Associates, LLC
2016
Delara Aharpour
Human Services Research Analyst,
Mathematica
2015
Kelsey Mulcahy
Research Program Manager,
Facebook
2015
Tae Kang
Program Manager,
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools
2014
Jonathan Slakey
Senior Data Analyst,
California Charter Schools Association
2014
Begoña Guereca
Software Engineer,
Microsoft
2013
Vernessa Shih
Story Bank Director,
Center for American Progress
2013
Janine N’jie David
Deputy Director,
Global Lab for Research in Action
Where Our Alumni Are
TBA – Stay tuned as we input alumni data on the map so that you can see where MPP alumni are currently working.
Update Information
New job? Moved? New email? Please feel free to update your information with the Luskin School to stay in touch!
Contact Us
We would love to hear from you! Please email uclapubpolinfo@gmail.com if you have any exciting career updates, internship opportunities, have a prospective student in mind, etc …
You may also contact Luskin’s Associate Director of Development, Laura Scarano, with any updates or ideas.
Laura Scarano
Associate Director of Development
lscarano@luskin.ucla.edu
(310) 794-2174
