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Alumni Notes Festive receptions, a career fair, a Spanish-language meetup and more engage our vast community

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The UCLA Luskin Office of Student Affairs and Alumni Relations launched Fall 2024 with a vibrant lineup of events designed to reconnect, inspire and engage its multilingual and mission-driven community.

The season kickoff began with the Luskin Aperitivo: Spanish Language Meetup at the iconic Angel City Brewery. This gathering was a perfect blend of casual conversation and cultural camaraderie, drawing Luskin alums and students across programs, many excited to practice their Spanish in a fun, relaxed setting.

Two Alumni Regional Receptions brought graduates of our Urban Planning, Social Welfare, Public Policy and Public Affairs program together to exchange stories and spark new collaborations. In October, we marked a milestone: UCLA Luskin’s first-ever alumni reception in San Diego, held at the scenic Stone Brewing Bistro and Gardens in Liberty Station. A month later, L.A.-area alumni and current students enjoyed a stunning cityscape backdrop at a rooftop reception at The Godfrey Hotel in Hollywood. At both receptions, faculty and staff were on hand to acknowledge alumni who give back in myriad ways — attending events, participating as panelists, hiring young graduates, facilitating career tours or beginning their philanthropic journey.

Also this fall, Alumni Engagement Week included a virtual Latinx Communities Panel featuring distinguished alums Alejandra Garcia MPP ’23, government affairs manager at Comcast; Diana Benitez MURP ’16, senior manager of advocacy and engagement at Canal Alliance; Antonio Sandoval Ayala MURP ’07, director of the Community Programs Office at UCLA; and Norma Garcia MSW ’13, LCSW and founder at Norma Garcia. The speakers shared their career journeys, challenges and insights into working within and advocating for Latinx communities.

The week continued with a virtual meet-and-greet with Rorie Overby MURP ’04, a founding member of Placebase, a Los Angeles-based location technology company acquired by Apple in 2009. Since the acquisition, Overby has managed product and engineering teams focused on building location-based services for the Apple ecosystem.

Capping off the week, alumna Nurit Katz MPP/MBA ’08, chief sustainability officer at UCLA, led a Sustainability Career Tour showcasing innovative career pathways in the environmental and sustainable development sectors. It was an eye-opening experience for UCLA Luskin students who heard how sustainability interlinks with social welfare, public policy and planning.

A number of alumni employers also came to support and hire UCLA talent at the Fall Career Fair, a testament to the robust network of opportunity available to our students.

Together, these events underscored the depth and diversity of the Luskin community and the shared goals that continue to unite us all.

‘People-Powered’ Campaign Elevates UCLA Luskin Alum’s Election Bid Bryan ‘Bubba’ Fish wins Culver City Council seat after knocking on doors — lots of them

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By Stan Paul

Bryan “Bubba” Fish, a 2024 master of public policy graduate from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, is one of the latest Luskin grads to become an elected official, winning a Culver City Council seat in the November election.

Following graduation in June, Fish didn’t have time to rest on his laurels or take a vacation. The 33-year-old, winner of the “booked and busy” title by his fellow graduates, stepped out of Royce Hall in cap and gown, diploma in hand — in the middle of a competitive campaign that overlapped with the last two quarters of his public policy studies.

While juggling all of that, Fish, who concentrated on urban policy in his graduate studies, also worked in government affairs at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation before moving to his current job as a transportation deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

“As soon as I graduated, the campaign really ramped up. I basically got no break — the campaign just took over everything,” Fish said. He’s grateful now to be focused on work and serving as a council member.

Fish described his campaign as “people-powered,” with a lot of canvassing neighborhoods and knocking on doors. He recalls a politics of policymaking course led by UCLA Luskin Associate Professor Darin Christensen, where he saw a number of studies that showed “what works in policymaking and what doesn’t … and how do you know what really moves the needle in an election.”

Fish takes the oath of office at a Dec. 9 ceremony.

There is little evidence that the cavalcade of flyers dropping through mail slots during campaign season does much, Fish said. But “there’s a ton of evidence that walking and the candidate specifically meeting people is what moves the needle, and that’s what we did,” he said. “I walked every single weekend since March — so 32 weekends in a row.”

He ended up knocking on thousands of doors and making plenty of personal contact. Of the 20,000 doors his campaign reached, Fish said he personally accounts for a fifth, or 4,000: “I think it made all the difference. … We literally met so many people, and they shared our vision.”

Fish said he’s thankful for the classmates who helped out with his campaign, adding that he wished he had had more time to spend with them while at UCLA.

“They were really wonderful and supportive,” he said. “A lot of them came to my kickoff, and some of them came to the election night party, too.”

The new councilman, who was sworn in on Dec. 9 at Culver City Hall, said he ran on three main priorities, including housing for people of all incomes.

“We have built very little housing in Culver City” — only 400 multifamily units in a city of 40,000 people — since before he moved to California in 2009, he said. Fish grew up in Houston and came west on a scholarship to the University of Southern California, where he majored in film and TV production.

Fish is currently a renter in the city he now represents. He says when he came to Culver City, he got really involved: “I created Culver City Pride here, the first Pride celebration in the city’s history, and I got really involved in housing advocacy here, trying to get more affordable housing in the city because the city has built so little housing.”

His second priority is mobility — specifically creating healthy streets and climate resiliency across the Los Angeles region, which is also a top concern for him as a transportation professional. He focused the third prong of his campaign on public safety.

“We saw this backlash in California,” Fish said, referring to a rolling back of criminal justice reform and return to “a philosophy that has failed time and time again, expanding prisons, doubling down on incarceration. It hasn’t served us.”

And, he said, “We saw our leadership, our council majority for the last couple of years, not really relying on policy as a science, not really relying on data to make certain decisions. It was more about reacting.”

Fish is interested in creating a budget that is “rooted in care” and says Culver City is at the precipice of creating new systems that he is excited about, such as a mobile crisis team, “health and housing professionals that will go to you.”

“I’m so grateful to Luskin for giving me the tools that I needed to run a successful campaign and make change,” said Fish, adding that his connection to faculty and classmates were key to his run.

“I don’t think I would have won without them,” he said. “I don’t think I’d be in a position to do what I hope to be able to accomplish.”

Read about other UCLA Luskin Public Policy alumni elected to office in November.

Why They Give Urban Planning alumna Kayne Doumani on the importance of delivering on your mission

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UCLA Luskin alumna and longtime supporter Kayne Doumani shared her experiences as an urban planning graduate student followed by a professional life with unexpected twists and turns. Doumani, who earned her master of arts in urban planning in 1995, has held numerous roles in affordable housing, beginning as a policy analyst for the city of Los Angeles and, more recently, director of asset management for Chinatown Community Development Center in San Francisco. She now possesses an array of skills that has made her an expert on housing in this critical moment and led her to to her current role 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.”

Tell me about a transformative experience in your life that led you 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 see things in terms of economic justice and leveling the playing field. 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.

What were your early professional experiences like? 

The school helped me get a summer internship at the Los Angeles Housing Department in the Policy and Planning Division, which became a part-time job during school and a full-time job after graduation. I worked under the late Gary Squier, a UCLA planning school alumnus and a true powerhouse. It was an amazing experience. I worked closely with Gary to write policy, interfacing with the city’s lobbyists and community advocates. The breadth of issues we dealt with was a great extension of my education.

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

For me, Luskin was the complete package. I considered the work of the professors vitally important. 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.

What classes at Luskin now seem most meaningful to you?

It’s been almost 30 years! Can you send me my transcript? The professor I took the most classes from was Don Shoup and he was on my thesis committee. He taught me a way of looking at and analyzing things (even parking!) that is imbedded in my thinking. Neal Richman provided the practical, technical knowledge that launched me into the affordable housing field, where I’ve been ever since. “The Built Environment” with Professor Loukaitou-Sideris informed me as a citizen as well as a professional.

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

I’m a lifetime member of the Shoupistas.

What is your perspective on the importance of field work for students? Do you see that as an essential component of education in the field of public affairs?

I came to school having worked for two years for a city planning department on their general plan. It gave me a good structure on which to hang what I was learning.  Field work can also provide that structure.

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

I attended UCLA at a particularly tumultuous time. In the face of budget cuts, Chancellor Charles Young was defunding all the schools that educated people for professions in public service. At the same time, the business school was moving into a gorgeous new building. A year after I left, Ward Connerly led the UC Regents to end affirmative action. But Luskin and its stakeholders are not without remedies. If those of us who care about this school want to see it thrive as a diverse and equitable institution, we need to pay for that.

How has philanthropy impacted you in your own life? 

Philanthropy can fund those things that the government can’t or won’t, but which are critical to delivering on your mission.

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. The people you need to hear aren’t necessarily speaking your language. Be fierce, not popular.

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Tell Your Story in Your Own Words, So That No One Tells It For You’ A commencement message of empathy and resilience for UCLA Luskin’s Class of 2024

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“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, let’s go together.”

Paco Retana, a leading voice in community mental health, invoked this African proverb as he called on UCLA Luskin’s Class of 2024 to embrace a spirit of compassion and collaboration as they set out to put their educations to work.

“In a world increasingly divided by conflict, inequality and environmental crisis, love and respect are more essential than ever before,” Retana told the gathered graduates at two commencement ceremonies on June 14.

“Together, you have the potential to create a tapestry of positive change that is richer and more vibrant than anything you could achieve alone.”

Retana spoke to public policy, social welfare and urban planning scholars earning master’s and doctoral degrees at a morning ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Later in the day, he addressed students awarded the bachelor of public affairs at the Grand Ballroom in Ackerman Union.

“The superpower you all have — resilience, corazon, heart — has been the key to navigating life’s inevitable challenges and setbacks,” said Retana, who shared his own background to underscore the point.

Born in Pico Rivera to working-class parents who emigrated from Mexico and Costa Rica, Retana was labeled an underperformer in school. But he went on to become the first in his family to attend college, earning two UCLA degrees: a bachelor’s in psychology in 1987 and a master’s in social welfare in 1990.

For more than three decades, Retana has served Los Angeles’ vulnerable youth and marginalized communities and is now chief program officer at the nonprofit Wellnest. He mentors graduate students as part of UCLA Luskin’s Senior Fellows career leadership program, and he will soon become president of the UCLA Alumni Association.

Retana credited his family for their unshakable support and thanked all the loved ones who were present to cheer on the graduates. “Families are the quiet towers of strength that support us in ways we often take for granted,” he said.

Like many of the day’s speakers, Retana acknowledged that the Class of 2024 pursued their degrees during an often painful era.

For the undergraduates, this included beginning their college careers in 2020 as COVID-19 took lives, strained finances and kept people apart. Political polarization, a reckoning with racism and labor strife followed, and the schisms grew deeper this academic year with the devastating loss of life in the Middle East and protests that have divided campuses across the country, including UCLA.

“Today, we gather to celebrate the achievements and the bright futures of our graduating class. Yet we cannot ignore the recent conflicts and violence that have affected our universities, including our beloved UCLA,” Retana said.

“These events remind us of the critical importance of fostering environments where respect, empathy and dialogue are important.”

Students chosen by their peers to deliver commencement remarks also spoke of this difficult moment, calling for moral courage and solidarity. At the graduate ceremony, members of the audience were invited to leave the ceremony to join a pro-Palestinian rally outside.

Retana urged the entire Class of 2024 to “tell your story in your own words, so that no one tells it for you.”

“Your resilience and your heart not only help you to survive hardships, but also to thrive and reach your full potential, turning life’s trials into stepping stones for success.”

View photos of the graduate commencement

2024 UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Graduate Commencement

Watch the graduate commencement ceremony

View photos of the undergraduate commencement

UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs 2024 Undergraduate Commencement

Watch the undergraduate commencement ceremony

 

Blazing Trails for Asian American Health and Well-Being Social Welfare alumni Bill Watanabe and Yasuko Sakamoto are honored for legacy of leadership

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By Mary Braswell

Alumni, faculty, staff and friends of UCLA Luskin Social Welfare gathered in Little Tokyo this month to celebrate two trailblazers whose life’s work centered on making the Asian American and Pacific Islander community thrive, in Los Angeles and beyond.

Bill Watanabe MSW ’72 and Yasuko Sakamoto MSW ’83 were recognized as the Joseph A. Nunn Social Welfare Alumni of the Year for their decades of leadership in strengthening ethnic neighborhoods and training generations of social workers who would carry on a legacy of service.

Watanabe and Sakamoto were two of the three original staff members of the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) when it opened in 1980, and they served together for more than three decades.

The nonprofit now employs more than 150 people, providing culturally sensitive social services, affordable housing, support for small businesses, and programs for children, families and seniors. The June 8 alumni celebration took place in the recently opened Terasaki Budokan, a community sports and activity center 30 years in the making.

Over the years, the service center has also served as a learning site for more than 120 social welfare interns, 60 from UCLA — including three current  faculty, Susan Lares-Nakaoka MSW ’99 UP PhD ’14, director of field education; Toby Hur MSW ’93 and Erin Nakamura MSW ’12.

A group of former interns nominated Watanabe and Sakamoto for this year’s award, and many delivered moving tributes to their mentors.

“Bill was well-known for his visionary leadership, unwavering ethics and persistence in pursuing social justice goals … and also, the way he just always does the right thing,” Lares-Nakaoka said of Watanabe, who served as the center’s founding executive director for 32 years before retiring in 2012.

three young people in historic B&W photo

LTSC’s three original staffers: Yasuko Sakamoto, left, Bill Watanabe and Evelyn Yoshimura. Photo courtesy of the Little Tokyo Service Center

Born in the Manzanar incarceration camp during World War II, Watanabe went on to complete his education and rise to several leadership positions at organizations that serve marginalized populations and fund community development. His efforts to save and restore historic places significant to the AAPI community earned him a “hero award” from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. And as a past UCLA Luskin Senior Fellow, he has mentored graduate students in leadership and career development.

“You can see his massive reach, both locally and nationally,” Lares-Nakaoka said.

Alumna Hiroko Murakami MSW ’09 spoke of Sakamoto’s lasting impact as LTSC’s director of social services until her retirement in 2016. Programs to provide counseling, reach out to isolated members of the community, support families dealing with Alzheimer’s and provide transitional housing to survivors of domestic abuse are among those designed and launched by Sakamoto.

Murakami said Sakamoto was a creative leader, even initiating a series of tofu cookbooks “to introduce healthy eating to a wide audience, with the funds raised going to emergency services and domestic violence counseling.”

Sakamoto advocated on behalf of new immigrants and reparations for detained Japanese Americans, and has been a frequent speaker in both the United States and Japan, where she was born. She has received a commendation from the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles.

Despite numerous accolades over the decades, the two honorees never prioritized building up egos or empires, instead keeping their focus on community needs, the afternoon’s speakers noted. That outlook was evident in their comments to the gathering.

“This recognition is due to a collective effort, not just Bill and me,” Sakamoto said. She expressed gratitude to Evelyn Yoshimura, the third original LTSC staffer, and other employees, volunteers, partner agencies and places of learning like UCLA that sent budding social workers into the heart of Little Tokyo.

“Personally, I have always felt the student interns who I worked with were my great teacher. … They guided me to become a better social worker and effective supervisor,” she said.

Watanabe personally thanked Nunn, a UCLA Luskin professor emeritus who is the namesake of the annual alumni award and was present at the celebration.

“The name of Joe Nunn is a very highly honored name in the school of social welfare at UCLA,” he said. “And so to receive this recognition in his name is a very, very big deal for Yasuko and myself.”

He said UCLA was “perhaps the most courageous school of social work in the country” for opening its doors to him in the 1970s.

“I wrote a heartfelt autobiographical statement basically saying, if I get accepted, I commit myself and dedicate myself to work in this community to try to make a change,” Watanabe said.

“So I want to thank UCLA for taking a chance and allowing people like myself and Yasuko — who was much more qualified than I — to be able to be trained and educated so that we can serve the community.”

View photos from the celebration

Social Welfare Alumni Awards 2024

Public Affairs Grad Named 2024 Young Alumnus of the Year

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Born at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, UCLA quarterback Chase Griffin has been a true lifelong Bruin, earning a bachelor’s degree in public affairs in 2021 and a master’s in education in 2023. Now he’s poised to add a UCLA master’s in legal studies to the list. Recently named the 2024 Young Alumnus of the Year for his leadership and philanthropic commitment, Griffin has leveraged his status as one of college football’s most recognizable athletes to raise awareness of social justice issues and encourage corporations to invest in community organizations. Griffin, a leader in the NIL (name, image, likeness) licensing, which gives student-athletes power over their personal brand, launched the Chase Griffin Foundation to help combat food insecurity and has donated more than $50,000 of his NIL earnings to the Los Angeles Food Bank and other local groups. He has served on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Student-Athlete Task Force, mentored students at the Horace Mann UCLA Community School and in 2023 was initiated into the Order of the Golden Bruin, UCLA’s oldest honorary society, for his service to the university and community.

Read more about Griffin and the other 2024 UCLA Alumni Award recipients

 

School Travels to State Capital for Research Briefing and Alumni Gathering Back-to-back events in Sacramento provide networking opportunities and showcase scholarly works

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In mid-February, a contingent of more than 30 people from UCLA Luskin made the trip to northern California in an effort to connect with alumni, government officials and policy experts involved in state government.

The two-day gathering in Sacramento was envisioned as the first of what will become an annual feature of the Luskin’s School’s outreach efforts, pairing an alumni get-together in the state capital with a research-focused briefing for elected officials and their staffs.

The UCLA Luskin Briefing at UC Center Sacramento took place during the time when new bills were being finalized for the next legislative session, and the hope is that the research of UCLA Luskin and its various research centers can put current and future legislative leaders in a better position to make data-informed decisions.

“It was very well attended by elected and appointed officials,” noted Interim Dean Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, who made the effort a priority for this academic year and actively participated in the planning process. “The elected officials I talked to afterward were very appreciative for the event and told me that they hope to see more such events from our School.”

Two briefing sessions were held. A session on water management highlighted research by Adjunct Associate Professor Gregory Pierce MURP ’11 PhD UP ’15, co-executive director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation. A session on affordable housing was led by Associate Professor Michael Lens, associate faculty director of the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies.

The briefing and the Alumni Regional Reception, which took place the evening before, brought together faculty, staff or alumni from all four departments — Public Policy, Social Welfare, Urban Planning and the Undergraduate Program — as well as members of the Luskin School’s Board of Advisors.

A group of about 20 current Master of Public Policy students also made the trip, getting an opportunity to connect directly with alumni whose footsteps they may hope to follow, including Assemblyman Isaac Bryan MPP ’18, a member of the affordable housing panel.

Find out more about the briefing and view the bios of the 12 people who participated as speakers or panelists.

View photos from the alumni reception

Sacramento Alumni Regional Reception 2024

View photos from the research briefing

Sacramento Briefing 2024

 

Career, Wellness and Networking Opportunities at UCLA Luskin

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UCLA Luskin students will have several opportunities to map out their professional journeys, focus on health and wellness, and engage with the School’s alumni over three special weeks during the winter quarter:

  • Career Week, Jan. 22-25, will allow students to explore fellowships and jobs in the fields of government, racial justice and community organizing. A special session for undergraduates will offer tips on how to apply and interview for the yearlong internships that are a signature part of the public affairs major. LEARN MORE ABOUT CAREER WEEK
  • Student Services Week, Feb. 5-8, will help students navigate the array of student support programs offered by UCLA. In addition to a wide-ranging resource fair, individual sessions will focus on legal counseling and financial wellness, and a “paint and sip” event will allow students to de-stress through creative expression and community-building. LEARN MORE ABOUT STUDENT SERVICES WEEK
  • Alumni Engagement Week, Feb. 20-24, includes opportunities for students to network with alumni from all departments. In winter quarter, panels will feature LGBTQ+ and international alumni, as well as those who have completed the prestigious David Bohnett Fellowship at Los Angeles City Hall. Networking events exclusively for Luskin graduates will also take place. LEARN MORE ABOUT ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT WEEK

The events, all offered by the Luskin School’s Office of Student Affairs and Alumni Relations (OSAAR), complement services provided throughout the year to support students’ career development and emotional and mental well-being. These range from one-on-one counseling to major initiatives such as the Senior Fellows Progam, which pairs graduate students with prominent mentors in the public affairs sphere, and City Hall Day, an opportunity to gather in downtown Los Angeles to discuss pressing issues with government and civic leaders.

Career, Student Services and Alumni Engagement weeks will return in spring quarter.

View the UCLA Luskin events calendar

four people in front of blue background

UCLA Luskin’s Office of Student Affairs and Alumni Relations is staffed by, from left, Nael Rogers (student support services), Nandini Inmula (career services), Karina Mascorro (alumni engagement) and Kevin Medina (director). Photo by Les Dunseith

 

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.

 

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.