UC Regents Flashcards
Regent Monica Lozano
Monica C. Lozano is the current Chairman of the Board. She is also the Chair of the Board of US Hispanic Media, Inc. Ms. Lozano also serves on various boards including the Rockefeller and Weingart Foundations.
Lozano was appointed by Governor Davis in 2001 for a 12 year term which expired in 2013. She was re-appointed by Governor Brown in 2014 to a term ending in 2022.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
September 21, 2001- 2013;
Reappointed March 2, 2014
Term expires:
March 1, 2022
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
As Chairman of the Board, Regent Lozano is ex officio member of all committees except Governance.
Regent Fred Ruiz
Frederick Ruiz is current Vice Chairman of the Board of Regents. He is Chairman Emeritus and Co Founder of Ruiz Foods, Inc. Ruiz Foods is a privately held frozen food company founded in 1964; headquarters in Dinuba California with two additional facilities in Tulare, California and Denison, Texas.
Mr. Ruiz held the position of Chairman of the Board at Ruiz Foods since 1998; he previously served as Chief Executive Officer and President of the company. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Ruiz Foods, McClatchy Newspapers, University of California Board of Regents, California Chamber of Commerce and San Joaquin Valley Partnership.
Additional business and community affiliations include: 2009 Chairman of the California Chamber of Commerce; Board of Trustees, University of California Merced; President’s Advisory Board, California State University, Fresno; Founding Board Member of The California Endowment, The Hispanic College Fund, and The Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Ruiz was appointed as a Regent in 2004 by Governor Schwarzenegger.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
July 2, 2004
Term expires:
March 1, 2016
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compliance and Audit
Finance (Chair)
Grounds and Buildings
Regent Richard C. Blum
Richard C. Blum is Chairman of Blum Capital Partners, L.P. and Co-Chairman of Newbridge Capital, LLC. Mr. Blum earned his B.A. and M.B.A degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. He was the recipient of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business Alumnus of the Year Award in 1994 and is a member of the Advisory Board of the School.
Mr. Blum serves as a director on a number of boards, including Playtex Products, Glenborough Realty Trust and is Chairman of CB Richard Ellis. He also serves as Co-Chairman of the World Conference on Religion and Peace and is Founder and Chairman of the American Himalayan Foundation and is a board member of the World Wildlife Fund and the Wilderness Society. He is also a trustee and a member of the executive committee of The Carter Center, founded by former President Jimmy Carter.
Mr. Blum was appointed as a Regent in 2002 by Governor Davis to a 12-year term. In 2014 he was reappointed to a 12-year term by Governor Brown.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
March 12, 2002
Reappointed March 1, 2014
Term expires:
March 1, 2026
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Governance
Health Services
Oversight of the DOE Laboratories
William De La Peña, M.D. is a professor of ophthalmology, and founder and medical director of the De La Peña Eye Clinics throughout Southern California. After graduating first in his class at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara (Summa Cum Laude), he completed his residency in Ophthalmology at the University of California, Irvine, followed by two one-year fellowships in cornea at Louisiana State University and the University of London. He is founder and president of the Fundación Oftalmológica De La Peña, and the founder and Chairman of the Latin American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, non-profit organizations dedicated to the education of ophthalmology throughout the world.
Dr. De La Peña was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Regent to the Uniformed Services University for Health Sciences, and served as a Special Delegate to the United Nations. He was granted the Doctor Honoris Causa degree by his Alma Mater, the Achievement Award by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and multiple honorary memberships in ophthalmology societies in many countries. Other business interests include the media and soccer. He served as Chairman of the Professional Division of the U.S. Soccer Federation, and Chairman of Sonia Broadcasting Company.
Dr. De La Peña was appointed in 2006 by Governor Schwarzenegger to a 12-year term.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
August 18, 2006
Term expires:
March 1, 2018
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Governance
Investments
Long Range Planning
Oversight of the DOE Labs (Vice Chair)
Regent Gareth Elliott
Gareth Elliott is a partner at Sacramento Advocates, Inc., a California lobbying firm. Prior to that, he served as legislative affairs secretary in the Office of the Governor from 2011-2015. Mr. Elliott was policy director in the Office of California State Senator Alex Padilla from 2008 to 2011 and policy director and deputy chief of staff in the Office of California State Senate President pro Tempore Don Perata from 2004 to 2008. Mr. Elliott was a legislative aide and then legislative director in the Office of California State Senator Don Perata from 1996 to 2004. He earned his B.A. degree from Humboldt State University.
Mr. Elliott was appointed as a Regent in 2015 by Governor Brown to a term ending in 2025.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
January 2, 2015
Term expires:
March 1, 2025
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compensation
Educational Policy (Vice Chair)
Grounds and Buildings
Long Range Planning
Regent Russell Gould
Russ Gould has had a varied career in both the public and private sectors. Currently Mr. Gould is a Partner with California Strategies, LLC, Financial Services Practice, which navigates clients through state fiscal issues and forges budget, investment management, public finance, banking, insurance, and healthcare solutions. The Practice also provides financial counsel for select public agencies with significant public finance, investment, and other complex financial challenges.
Mr. Gould previously served as a Senior Vice President of Wachovia Bank, providing leadership in business development and strategic partnerships as Senior Managing Director of Wachovia Portfolio Services, formerly Metropolitan West Securities, which he joined in 1996. While at Metropolitan West, Mr. Gould also served as Executive Vice President of the J. Paul Getty Trust where he was responsible for the investments of the Trust’s $5.5 billion in assets.
Prior to his time at Metropolitan West, Mr. Gould was Director of the Department of Finance of the State of California from 1993 to 1996 and prior to that, served as Secretary of the Health and Welfare Agency from 1991 to 1993. Mr. Gould received his bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Berkeley. He previously served as a Regent of the University of California in 1998.
Mr. Gould was appointed in 2005 by Governor Schwarzenegger to a 12-year term.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
September 13, 2005
Term expires:
March 1, 2017
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compensation
Educational Policy
Finance
Governance (Chair)
Long Range Planning (Chair
Regent Eddie Island
Eddie Island is a retired attorney and executive. Prior to his retirement in 1998, Mr. Island served as a vice president for McDonnell-Douglas Corporation where he led the law, intellectual property and governmental affairs departments throughout his tenure. Previously, he served as assistant general counsel for the Pacific Enterprises Corporation for 24 years where he handled issues related to both state and federal regulatory law.
Mr. Island’s experience also includes service as a member and treasurer of the California Science Center Board and chairman of the McDonnell Douglas Corporation Employees Community Fund. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.
Mr. Island was appointed to a 12-year term as a Regent in 2005 by Governor Schwarzenegger.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
June 6, 2005
Term expires:
March 1, 2017
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compensation
Educational Policy (Chair)
Finance
Governance (Vice Chair)
Health Services
Regent George Kieffer
George Kieffer is a partner and member of the Executive Committee of the national law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP. He focuses on regulatory issues and oversees major business litigation, and business transactions.
Kieffer served as Chair of the commission charged with rewriting the Los Angeles City Charter. The new City Charter, the first full version in 75 years, was adopted in 1999. In 2000, Kieffer was named by the San Francisco Daily Journal and the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in California and he has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America, 2005-current editions. He was named by the Los Angeles Daily Journal and San Francisco Daily Journalas one of the top 100 lawyers in California in 2010.
Kieffer is a former Chair of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles Mayor’s Council of Economic Advisors, and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. He is the author of The Strategy of Meetings and contributing author of Governing Public Colleges and Universities. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from U.C. Santa Barbara and his J.D. degree from UCLA.
Mr. Kieffer was appointed as a Regent in May 2009 by Governor Schwarzenegger to a term ending in 2021.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
May 6, 2009
Term expires:
March 1, 2021
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compensation
Educational Policy
Finance (Vice Chair)
Governance
Health Services
Investments
Long Range Planning (Vice Chair)
Oversight of the DOE Laboratories
Regent Sherry L. Lansing
Sherry Lansing is the Founder of The Sherry Lansing Foundation. She is the former Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group, a position she held for twelve years. Prior to that, she headed her own production company. She served as Chairman of the Regents from July 2011 to June 2013.
Ms. Lansing holds a bachelor of science degree from Northwestern University. She sits on the board of directors of The Carter Center, Teach for America, The American Association for Cancer Research, Friends of Cancer Research, and the Lasker Foundation. In 2005, Ms. Lansing was appointed to the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee, the governing body of The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. She has served on the board of trustees of Scripps College, the board of Independent Colleges of Southern California, the board of the UCLA Foundation, and the executive committee of the Dean’s advisory board of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
Ms. Lansing was appointed as Regent in March 1999 by Governor Davis to a term expiring in 2010; she was re-appointed in 2010 by Governor Schwarzenegger to a term expiring in 2022.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
March 11, 1999
Term expires:
March 1, 2022
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compensation
Educational Policy
Governance
Health Services (Chair)
Long Range Planning
Regent Hadi Makarechian
Hadi Makarechian serves as Chairman of Makar Properties Board of Directors and Banning Lewis Ranch Management Company. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering and his B.A. in Economics from the State University of New York.
Prior to his retirement in June 2008, Mr. Makarechian served as chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors of Capital Holdings, Inc., a company he founded in 1991. He also founded and served as president of Shamron Corporation from 1979 to 1991.
Mr. Makarechian was appointed as a Regent in October 2008 by Governor Schwarzenegger to a term ending in 2020.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
October 24, 2008
Term expires:
March 1, 2020
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compliance and Audit
Finance
Governance
Grounds & Buildings (Chair)
Health Services
Investments
Long Range Planning
Regent Eloy Ortiz Oakley
Eloy Ortiz Oakley is the Superintendent and President of Long Beach City College, a position he has held since 2007. Prior to that, he was the College’s executive vice president of administrative services from 2004 to 2006 and vice president of administrative services from 2002 to 2004 . Mr. Ortiz Oakley was vice president of college services at Oxnard College from 2001 to 2002 and an assistant vice president at Keenan and Associates from 1999 to 2001. Mr. Ortiz Oakley earned a Bachelor of Environmental Analysis and Design and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Irvine. He is a board member of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, the American Association of Community Colleges and is a member of the Leadership Council of California Forward. Mr. Oakley also served in the U.S. Army from 1984-1988.
Mr. Ortiz Oakley was appointed as a Regent in 2014 by Governor Brown to a term ending in 2024.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
November 17, 2014
Term expires:
March 1, 2024
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compensation (Vice Chair)
Compliance and Audit
Educational Policy
Finance
Regent Abraham Oved
Abraham (Avi) Oved is the 2015-16 Student Regent. He is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles, majoring in economics.
Mr. Oved previously served as internal vice president of the UCLA undergraduate student government and served as an intern with Hillel at UCLA and in the office of Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa.
Term as Regent
Term as Student Regent
July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compliance and Audit
Educational Policy
Grounds and Buildings
Investments
Long Range Planning
Regent Norman Pattiz
Norman Pattiz is the CEO of Courtside Entertainment Group and founder of Westwood One, America’s largest radio network and one of the world’s leading media companies. Westwood One is the radio home of CBS News, NBC News, CNN, Metro Traffic, NFL, NCAA and the Olympic Games, plus numerous talk and entertainment programs. In 2000 and again in 2002, Pattiz was appointed by Presidents Clinton and Bush to serve on the Broadcasting Board of Governors of the United States of America. The BBG is responsible for all U.S. non-military international broadcasting, including the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Middle East Television and Radio and others. Pattiz was twice confirmed by the United States Senate for that position.
Norm Pattiz is heavily involved in local civic and philanthropic activities. He is a reserve deputy in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, a member of the Region 1 Homeland Security Advisory Council, the primary benefactor of the Academy of Music at Hamilton High School and a member of the Board of the Sheriff’s Youth Foundation as well as a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and Pacific Council on International Relations.
Pattiz has been the recipient of numerous professional and civic awards including the Distinguished Education Service Award, The Freedom of Speech Award, numerous Broadcaster of the Year Awards and was most recently inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
In 2001, Mr. Pattiz was appointed by Governor Davis to fill the remainder of a 12-year term, which expired March 1, 2004. In September 2003, he was appointed by Governor Davis to fill the remainder of a 12-year term which expired March 1, 2014. In 2014 he was reappointed by Governor Brown to a 12-year term.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
September 21, 2001;
Reappointed March 1, 2014
Term expires:
March 1, 2026
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compensation
Health Services
Investments
Oversight of the DOE Laboratories (Chair)
Regent John A. Pérez
John A. Pérez was elected to the Assembly in November 2008, representing Downtown Los Angeles and communities of East Los Angeles. In January 2010, his colleagues elected him California’s 68th Assembly Speaker. He was subsequently reelected in 2010 and 2012, making him one of the longest serving Speakers in the era of term limits.
Prior to his service in the Assembly, Speaker Emeritus Pérez was a lifetime member of the Labor Movement, eventually serving as the Political Director for the California Labor Federation. His lifetime spent fighting for working families can clearly be seen in the legislation and policy initiatives he pursued in the Assembly. He fought for policies that put people back to work and helped workers on the jobsite.
As Speaker, he brought together his colleagues to end California’s era of chronic budget deficits. He worked with Governor Brown and members of the Senate to eliminate the structural deficit that left California’s budget imbalanced for more than a decade, and successfully passed back-to-back balanced, on-time budgets that resulted in across the board upgrades in California’s credit rating.
He has made affordability and accessibility of higher education one of the most important statewide priorities through passage of the Middle Class Scholarship Act. This effort, which brought together thousands of California’s students and parents, sought to reduce student fees by two-thirds for middle class families, and was later adopted in a modified capacity by the 2013 State Budget. The landmark Middle Class Scholarship Act, has provided tuition relief of up to 40 percent for nearly 100,000 California State University and University of California students.
Speaker Emeritus Pérez’s victories and accomplishments have received prominent national attention. In 2012, he was the only state legislative leader in the United States to address the Democratic National Convention. In August of 2012, he was elected by fellow Speakers from across the nation to serve as President of the National Speakers Conference. He has previously been appointed by President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush to serve on the President’s Commission on HIV/AIDS and is a longtime member of the Democratic National Committee.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
November 17, 2014
Term expires:
March 1, 2024
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Grounds and Buildings
Health Services
Investments
Regent Bonnie Reiss
Bonnie Reiss is the Global Director of the Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy at the University of Southern California. She served as the California Secretary of Education from 2006-07. She was a member of the California State Board of Education from 2003-06.
She served as senior advisor to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger from 2003 to 2007, where she advised the Governor on all major policy initiatives, including education, the environment and children’s issues. From 1994 to 2003, Secretary Reiss served as founding president of the Inner-City Games Foundation, later renamed After School All-Stars. In 1988, she founded the Earth Communications Office where through 1993, she led the effort to use media for public awareness campaigns of environmental issues. Her experience includes careers as an entertainment lawyer, accountant, producer and writer from 1981 to 1988.
Ms. Reiss serves on the board of directors for After School All-Stars and Maria Shriver’s Women’s Nation Foundaton. In 2007, Ms. Reiss received the William S. White Lifetime Achievement Award from the U.S. Department of Education for her advocacy in the area of public education and, in 2006, she received the Advocate of the Year Award from the University of California Student Association.
Ms. Reiss was appointed as a Regent in March 2008 by Governor Schwarzenegger to a term ending in 2020.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
March 27, 2008
Term expires:
March 1, 2020
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compensation (Chair)
Educational Policy
Finance
Governance
Long Range Planning
Oversight of the DOE Laboratories
Regent Richard Sherman
Richard Sherman is the Chief Executive Officer of The David Geffen Company, an investment management firm. From 1977 until 1992, Mr. Sherman was a partner with Breslauer, Jacobson, Rutman and Sherman, which provided business management services. Mr. Sherman was a staff accountant with Peat, Marwick and Mitchell from 1973 until 1977. Mr. Sherman is a certified public accountant. Mr. Sherman serves on the boards of directors of Aviva Family and Children’s Services, the Geffen Playhouse and The David Geffen Foundation. Mr. Sherman also previously served as an adjunct professor of finance with the Graduate School of Architecture and Engineering of the University of Southern California. He has a Master of Business Taxation degree from the University of Southern California.
Mr. Sherman was appointed by Governor Brown in 2014 to a term ending in 2025.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
January 17, 2014
Term expires:
March 1, 2025
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compensation
Compliance and Audit (Vice Chair)
Grounds and Buildings (Vice Chair)
Health Services (Vice Chair)
Investments (Vice Chair)
Regent Bruce D. Varner
Bruce Varner is a partner with Varner & Brandt LLP. His practice is in the areas of general business, corporate and transactional law. Mr. Varner received his B.A. degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his J.D. from Hastings College of the Law.
Varner is active in many civic and volunteer associations, including the California State University, San Bernardino; member of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Council; past member and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership; and member of the University of California, Riverside Foundation Board of Trustees. Mr. Varner was appointed in 2006 by Governor Schwarzenegger to a 12-year term.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
August 18, 2006
Term expires:
March 1, 2018
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
As former Chairman of the Board, Regent Varner is ex officio member of all committees except Governance.
Regent Paul D. Wachter
Paul D. Wachter is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Main Street Advisors. Main Street Advisors provides a wide range of financial, strategic and asset management advisory services to a select group of high net worth individuals and companies. Main Street Advisors was founded in 1997.
Prior to forming Main Street Advisors, from 1993-1997 Mr. Wachter was Managing Director and Head of Schroder & Co. Incorporated’s Lodging and Gaming Group, its Sports & Leisure Group and Schroder’s West Coast investment banking effort. From 1987 to 1993, Mr. Wachter was a managing director at Kidder Peabody, where he founded and was responsible for Kidder’s Hotel, Resorts and Leisure Group, and managed Kidder Peabody’s Los Angeles investment banking group. He began his career as an investment banker at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., covering the entertainment industry. From 1982 to 1985, Mr. Wachter worked at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison as a tax attorney. From 1981 to 1982, Mr. Wachter clerked for Judge Dorothy W. Nelson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
Mr. Wachter is a 1981 graduate of Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and he graduated Magna Cum Laude and Beta Gamma Sigma from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1978. Mr. Wachter is a member of the New York State Bar.
Trustee, Advisory & Board roles include:
Trustee of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Blind Trust and First Lady Maria Shriver’s Blind Trust. He served as a key advisor and strategist to Governor Schwarzenegger’s 2003 and 2006 campaigns and transition teams.
Special Advisor to the California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth.
Chairman of the Austrian Holocaust Reparations Committee formed by the United States District Court to administer the Austrian Bank Holocaust Settlement Fund.
Special Master in the AOL/Time Warner, Inc. Securities Litigation. Appointed by the United States District Court, Southern District of New York from December 2004 – June 2007
Special Master in Moody’s Investor Services class action suit. Appointed by the United States District Court, Southern District of New York in June 2009.
Chairman of the Board of the After-School All-Stars national organization (formerly the Inner-City Games Foundation), Board Member since 1995. He also serves as a Director on the Los Angeles Chapter of the After-School All-Stars.
Co-Chairman of the Board of Content Partners, a Los Angeles-based company that purchases passive back-end participants in entertainment assets from talent and other participation owners.
Serves on the Board of Directors of Haworth Marketing and Media Company.
Serves on the Board of Time Warner Inc.
Serves on the Board of Virgin America.
Serves on the Board of Directors of Avalanche Biotechnologies, Inc.
Served on the Board of Managers of Beats Electronics, LLC Beats Music, LLC from inception through 2014.
American Skiing Company Board of Directors from 1996 to 2008.
Mr. Wachter was appointed as a Regent in 2004 by Governor Schwarzenegger.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
July 2, 2004
Term expires:
March 1, 2016
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Finance
Investments (Chair)
Regent Charlene Zettel
Charlene Zettel is Chief Executive Officer of Donate Life California, the state-authorized nonprofit administering the nation’s largest organ and tissue donor registry. She became CEO of Donate Life California in October, 2011.
Gubernatorial appointments included Director, San Diego Office of the Governor; Board Member, San Diego Regional Airport Authority; and Director, California Department of Consumer Affairs.
As Director of Consumer Affairs, Charlene provided oversight of over 40 regulatory boards and bureaus, employing over 2,000 people and licensing 2.5 million Californians.
At Consumer Affairs, Charlene led a collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to battle identity theft and to protect children from online predators.
Charlene was elected to the Poway Unified School District Board of Education in 1992 and was the first Republican Latina elected to the state legislature, serving from 1998 - 2002.
In the State Assembly, she was Republican Caucus chair, vice chair of Jobs and Economic Development, and a member of Appropriations, Education, Health, Rules, and Transportation committees.
As a legislator, Charlene championed laws protecting seniors, the developmentally disabled and children from abuse.
In addition to state service, Charlene received a presidential appointment as a Public Interest Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.
Raised in Los Angeles, she received a Bachelor of Science from the USC School of Dentistry where she met her husband, David. They have two grown sons, Brent and Jeff.
Zettel was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2009 for a 12 year term.
Term of Appointment
Appointed:
May 6, 2009
Term expires:
March 1, 2021
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compliance & Audit (Chair)
Grounds and Buildings
Health Services
Investments
Oversight of the DOE Laboratories
Jerry Brown Biography
Edmund G. Brown Jr., known as Jerry, was born in San Francisco on April 7, 1938. He attended both public and parochial schools, graduating from St. Ignatius High School in 1955. He completed freshman year at the University of Santa Clara before entering Sacred Heart Novitiate, a Jesuit seminary in August 1956. In 1960, he left the Society of Jesus and enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley. He received his B.A. degree in Classics the next year and then entered Yale Law School, where he graduated in 1964.
Following law school, Brown worked as a law clerk at the California Supreme Court, traveled and studied in Mexico and Latin America and then took up residence in Los Angeles, working for the prestigious law firm, Tuttle & Taylor. In 1969, Brown was elected to the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees, placing first in a field of 124. In 1970, he was elected California Secretary of State.
Brown was elected Governor in 1974 and reelected in 1978, by a margin of 21%.
During Governor Brown’s tenure, California created 1.9 million new jobs, almost double the national rate. During his eight years in office, Brown marshaled both Democrats and Republicans in the legislature to slow the growth of state government, eliminate capital gains taxes for many small businesses, abolish the business inventory tax, index personal income taxes, adopt the nation’s first energy efficiency standards, and make California the leader in co-generation, solar and wind energy.
As governor, Brown consistently had budgets approved on time and built a prudent budget surplus to serve as a “rainy day fund”. He reduced the number of state employees per 1,000 Californians from 9.6 in 1975 to 9.2 in 1982. The tax burden for California residents declined from $6.90 per $100 of income in 1975 to $6.72 in 1982.
While curbing the growth of state government, Brown instituted cutting-edge environmental protections that became guidelines for the nation to follow. He strengthened the California Coastal Commission and established comprehensive policies governing development along the coast. He signed the nation’s first legislation requiring high school students to demonstrate basic proficiency before graduation. State funding for higher education, including community colleges, more than doubled during Brown’s eight years as governor.
In the field of crime fighting, Governor Brown enacted hundreds of tough anti-crime measures, including the “Use A Gun Go To Prison” Law and mandatory sentences for rape, sale of heroin, violent crimes against the elderly, child molestation and selling PCP. He established and funded the Career Criminal Prosecution Program, the Career Criminal Apprehension Program and the Crime Resistance Task Force.
After his governorship, Brown lectured widely, led delegations to China and the Soviet Union, studied Spanish in Mexico, spent six months in Japan studying Japanese culture and Buddhist practice, worked with Mother Teresa in India at the Home for the Dying, and traveled to Bangladesh as a CARE ambassador of good will during the devastating floods of 1987.
Brown again practiced law in Los Angeles and in 1989 became chairman of the state Democratic Party. He resigned that position in 1991, expressing frustration with the growing influence of money in politics, and sought the 1992 Democratic Presidential nomination. During that campaign he refused to take contributions larger than $100 and used an “800” number to raise funds.
Despite limited financial resources, Brown defeated Bill Clinton in Maine, Colorado, Vermont, Connecticut, Utah and Nevada during the 1992 Presidential primaries and was the only candidate other than Clinton to receive enough voter support to continue until the Democratic National Convention.
In 1998, Brown ran for mayor of Oakland against 11 other candidates and won in the primary with 59% of the vote. Before taking office, he successfully passed a voter initiative, changing the ceremonial office of mayor to that of a “Strong Mayor” form of city government. Brown was reelected in 2002 with 64% of the vote.
As Mayor, Brown spearheaded the revitalization of a downtown that had been dormant for decades. He helped create new housing units for more than 10,000 people, re-opened the beautiful Fox Theatre (which had been shuttered for 30 years), and attracted many new restaurants, businesses and art galleries to the city. Brown also personally founded the renowned Oakland School for the Arts (housed in the Fox Theatre) and the Oakland Military Institute. Both schools serve students from the 6th grade through the 12th and are among the best performing schools in Oakland. During his 8 years as Mayor, the number of serious crimes was reduced by over 30% compared to the previous 8 year period.
On June 18, 2005, Brown married Anne Gust in a ceremony officiated by Senator Dianne Feinstein. Later the same day, they had a Catholic ceremony at St. Agnes, the San Francisco church where Jerry was baptized and his parents were married. The marriage is the first for both.
Jerry Brown was elected California’s 31st Attorney General on November 6, 2006. Brown’s margin of victory, 18-points, was greater than that of any other candidate for statewide office.
As Attorney General, Brown focused on protecting working families and consumers, pursuing mortgage fraud and real estate scams, championing worker’s rights and cracking down on violent crime - working closely with local police and sheriffs to apprehend dangerous criminals, gang members, con artists and major perpetrators of fraud and financial crimes.
In June of 2008, Brown sued Countrywide Financial for engaging in deceptive advertising and unfair competition by pushing homeowners into mass-produced, risky loans for the sole purpose of reselling the mortgages on the secondary market. The action led to a landmark, multi-state settlement with Countrywide Home Loans, Countrywide Financial Corporation and Full Spectrum Lending that provided up to $8.68 billion of home loan and foreclosure relief nationally, including $3.5 billion to California borrowers.
Following the California Supreme Court’s finding of a state constitutional right to same-sex marriage, Brown refused to defend Proposition 8 in court. Brown also argued that same-sex marriages performed prior to the adoption of Proposition 8 should not be invalidated if the court upheld Proposition 8. In May of 2009, the Court ultimately upheld Proposition 8 while providing that those who were wed prior to its passage remained married. Brown then filed a brief arguing that Proposition 8 should be overturned on the basis of federal law. In August 2010, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that Proposition 8 violated the Due Process and the Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Governor Brown was elected for his third gubernatorial term in 2010. Since taking office he has dramatically cut the state budget deficit, improved California’s credit ratings and cut waste and inefficiencies throughout government. Governor Brown also enacted historic public safety realignment, raised the state’s clean energy goal to 33 percent and is seeking the public’s support for new revenues to protect education and public safety funds.
Governor Brown is married to Anne Gust Brown, who serves as Special Counsel in the Office of the Governor.
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom, 47, has championed innovative public policies since entering office in 1997.
As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, then as mayor of San Francisco and now as Lieutenant Governor of California, Newsom has been a political visionary on issues of equality, the environment, homelessness and healthcare. Policies he has initiated and implemented have been duplicated in cities across the nation.
Shortly after being elected Lt. Gov. in 2010, Newsom gathered the ideas of key stakeholders around the state to develop an economic growth and job creation strategy. This comprehensive economic blueprint, a top priority of his administration, ensures that California remains one of the top 10 economies in the world.
Since holding public office as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Newsom has advocated for and consistently supported quality public education for Californians. As Lt. Gov., he serves as University of California Regent and as Trustee for the California State University system and has fought to keep these institutions accessible to all. In 2012, he was the sole UC regent who voted against a tuition hike. In partnership with students, parents, teachers, administrators and the private sector, Newsom wants to preserve the state’s internationally recognized public higher education system that produces the future leaders of America.
As mayor of San Francisco, Newsom’s administration led the nation on environmental policies such as mandatory composting, plastic bag and Styrofoam bans and a prohibition on city-purchased bottled water. Shortly after establishing the most stringent green building standards in America, San Francisco then achieved the highest rate of recycling and waste diversion in the U.S. For launching these groundbreaking programs, Newsom was selected in 2010 as the greenest mayor for a second year.
As Lt. Gov., Newsom continues his environmental work as a member of the State Lands Commission, protecting California’s most precious natural resources while balancing use of lands, waterways and ports.
At 34, he was the youngest person elected Mayor of San Francisco in more than a century and was re-elected for a second-term by more than 73 percent. He led San Francisco to economic recovery by making the city a center for biotech and clean technology while attracting and then keeping start-ups. Under his leadership one of The City’s most troubled neighborhoods was transformed into a life sciences, digital media, and clean tech center, which houses the University of California San Francisco research center as well as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
He balanced seven consecutive budgets on time during national economic instability without laying off a single teacher, police officer, or firefighter. He reduced the size of San Francisco’s government, maintained a healthy bond rating and instituted a Rainy Day Fund to protect city services against future catastrophic cuts.
Thirty-six days into his first term in 2004, Newsom threw himself into one of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics by allowing same sex couples to marry in violation of state law. More than 4,000 couples tied the knot before the courts intervened. Newsom, ahead of the political curve, was highly criticized for taking the bold action and accused of costing the Democratic Party key races in 2004. He said at the time it was a matter of principle, not a matter of politics and time has proven him correct. Newsom remains one of the nation’s most outspoken advocates for changes on the federal level that will grant equal rights to all.
Lt. Gov. Newsom discusses issue of homelessness
28 April 2011
Similarly, while a national debate raged on about healthcare, Newsom’s administration instituted a first-of-its-kind universal health care program without adding new taxes. More than 80% of the previously uninsured in San Francisco are now covered.
As a Supervisor, Newsom challenged himself to tackle one of San Francisco’s most entrenched problems: homelessness. As a city supervisor and mayor, he rose to that challenge with one of the most comprehensive homeless policies in a generation aimed at breaking the cycle of dependency and moving people into stable situations.
The implementation of Care Not Cash, which placed homeless people in supportive housing in lieu of cash, helped reduce homelessness in San Francisco by 25 percent. More than 12,000 people were moved to permanent housing during his tenure as mayor and almost 3,000 units of supportive housing units were completed or in the pipeline. The groundbreaking Homeless Connect project, which marshals citizen volunteers at one-day events to connect homeless individuals to social services, housing and basic amenities, such as haircuts and telephone use, has been replicated in 226 cities across the country.
Prior to entering politics Newsom was a small business owner who grew one wine shop, PlumpJack, into a thriving enterprise of 15 businesses including wineries, restaurants, and hotels. His frustrating experience with bureaucratic red tape in opening that single wine shop led to the creation of a small business assistance center when he took office. The Newsom Administration also excluded small businesses from payroll taxes and made more than $23 million available for low or no interest loans.
An early technology adopter who values innovation, Newsom was ranked #1 mayor for his use of social media by the leading search engine for finding and tracking consumer-generated opinions, Samepoint. He has more than 1.2 million Twitter followers and in 2010, he announced his run for Lt. Gov. via Twitter, making him one of the first politicians to do so.
He is dedicated to shifting the principles of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship to the public sector and launched “The Gavin Newsom Show” on Current TV to help shape the conversation. The show featured such guests as Sergey Brinn, Oliver Stone, Lance Armstrong and Marissa Mayer.
He has also been featured on “Meet the Press,” “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” “Real Time with Bill Maher,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” and “Charlie Rose.”
An avid reader, despite being dyslexic, Newsom authored “Citizenville” exploring the intersection of democracy and technology in this ever-connected world.
Newsom has graced the cover of The New York Times Magazine and has been featured in Time, the New Yorker, the Economist, GQ, and Wired, among others.
A much sought after public speaker, he often discusses topics across a wide spectrum, including economics, technology, civil rights, entrepreneurship and government reform. He was featured at the World Economic Forum, Harvard School of Business, Stanford University and the Clinton Global Initiative, among others.
Newsom is married to actress/producer Jennifer Siebel Newsom. They reside in Marin County with their three children Montana, Hunter and Brooklynn.
Assembly Speaker Toni G. Atkins has served in the California State Assembly since 2010, and was elevated to the top leadership post in 2014, when her colleagues unanimously elected her 69th Speaker of the California Assembly.
Speaker Atkins proudly represents the people of coastal San Diego, from Imperial Beach, along the Mexican border, north to Solana Beach, and most of central San Diego. She previously served eight years on the San Diego City Council, and became a stabilizing force during a tumultuous period in 2005, stepping in as Acting Mayor after the resignation of the mayor.
Speaker Atkins is a coalition-builder who believes government policies can improve people’s lives. She is a leading voice for affordable housing, a powerful advocate for women, and champion for veterans and homeless people.
Prior to her election as Speaker, she held the position of Majority Leader. She chaired the Assembly Select Committee on Homelessness, and served on committees on Agriculture, Housing and Community Development, Health, Judiciary, Veterans Affairs, Select Committee on Ports, Select Committee on Biotechnology as well as the Joint Legislative Audit Committee.
Speaker Atkins was born in Virginia, earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Emory & Henry College, and completed the senior executive program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Her life of public service began in San Diego in the mid-1980s as director of clinic services at Womancare Health Center. She became a staff representative of then-City Councilmember Christine Kehoe, later winning her mentor’s council seat after Ms. Kehoe’s election to the Assembly. She represented the City of San Diego in the local chapter of the League of California Cities; on the board of the Metropolitan Transit System; on the San Diego Association of Governments; the Regional Housing Working Group; and the San Diego River Conservancy.
Atkins lives in the South Park/Golden Hill community of San Diego with her spouse Jennifer LeSar and their dogs, Haley and Joey.
Tom Torlakson
State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Tom Torlakson was re-elected to a second four-year term as California’s 27th State Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 4, 2014. As chief of California’s public school system and leader of the California Department of Education, Superintendent Torlakson applies his experience as a science teacher, high school coach, and state policymaker to fight for our students and improve our state’s public education system.
During Torlakson’s first term, he set out on a mission to provide a world-class education for all students from early childhood to adulthood. He directed the change to rigorous new California state standards in English, mathematics, and science. He advocated increasing investments in education, helping to pass Proposition 30 in 2012 and leading the effort to give local school districts more flexibility to make spending decisions. He promoted the idea of meeting the needs of the whole child by expanding pre-kindergarten and after-school and summer programs, increasing access to health care and mental health services, and promoting nutritious food and regular exercise. Under his leadership, the state’s high school graduation rate rose to an all-time high of 80 percent, with a graduation rate hitting nearly 95 percent for those students in career-preparation programs.
Torlakson’s journey has led him from the classrooms of Contra Costa County’s Mount Diablo Unified School District (where he remains a teacher-on-leave), to the Antioch City Council, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, and the California State Senate and State Assembly.
During his tenure in the California State Legislature, Torlakson acted to protect education funding, improve student nutrition and physical education, and ensure school safety. He also championed legislation to increase funding for textbooks, computers, and other instructional materials, and promoted efforts to close the digital divide, eliminate the achievement gap, and reduce the dropout rate.
In 1998 Torlakson authored legislation leading to the development of the largest system of after-school programs in the nation. In 2006, he authored the bill that led to a 300 percent expansion in these programs—so they now reach 4,000 schools around the state. Torlakson authored the Quality Education Improvement Act (SB 1133) in 2006, which dedicates nearly $3 billion to our lowest-performing schools. He also played a key role negotiating and authoring the $9 billion Proposition 1A bond measure in 1998—which has led to public votes supporting over $36 billion to build new schools and improve existing school buildings.
As the chair and founder of the California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness, Torlakson has been a leader on banning junk food from our schools, providing healthier school meals, promoting student health and fitness, and combating diabetes and obesity among our children.
Born in San Francisco, Torlakson served as a fireman in the United States Merchant Marine, earning the Vietnam Service Medal. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, a Life Secondary Teaching Credential, and a Master of Arts in Education from the University of California, Berkeley. Tom lives in Pittsburg with his wife, Mae Cendaña Torlakson, a member of the Ambrose Recreation and Park District Board of Directors.
Janet Napolitano was named the 20th president of the University of California on July 18, 2013, and took office on Sept. 30, 2013.
She leads a university system with 10 campuses, five medical centers, three affiliated national laboratories, and a statewide agriculture and natural resources program.
Napolitano is a distinguished public servant with a record of leading large, complex organizations at the federal and state levels.
She served as Secretary of Homeland Security from 2009-13, as Governor of Arizona from 2003-09, as Attorney General of Arizona from 1998-2003, and as U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona from 1993-97. Before that, she practiced at the law firm of Lewis & Roca in Phoenix, where she became a partner in 1989. She began her career in 1983 as a clerk for Judge Mary M. Schroeder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
As Governor of Arizona, Napolitano focused on education, from pre-kindergarten through public higher education. She was the first woman to chair the National Governors Association, and was named one of the nation’s top five governors by Time magazine.
Napolitano earned a B.S. degree (summa cum laude in Political Science) in 1979 from Santa Clara University, where she was Phi Beta Kappa, a Truman Scholar and the university’s first female valedictorian. She received her law degree in 1983 from the University of Virginia School of Law. Napolitano holds honorary degrees from several universities and colleges, including Emory University, Pomona College and Northeastern University. In 2010, she was awarded the prestigious Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal (Law), the University of Virginia’s highest external honor.
Regent Rodney Davis
Rodney Davis is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Northern California. Prior to becoming a priest, Mr. Davis served as an associate justice for the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District from 1989 to 2009, as a trial judge for the Sacramento Superior Court, and for the Sacramento Municipal Court. Before becoming a judge, he served under three attorneys general while working for the California Department of Justice.
Mr. Davis received a B.A. degree from the University of California, Davis and his law degree from Hastings College of Law. He received an M.A.degree in public administration from the University of Southern California and a divinity degree from Church Divinity School.
Mr. Davis is currently the Vice President of the Alumni Associations of the University of California. He serves as an Alumni Regent for a one year commencing July 1, 2015.
Term as Regent
Term as Alumni Regent
July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Finance
Grounds and Buildings
Oversight of the Department of Energy Laboratories
Regent Yolanda Gorman
Yolanda Nunn Gorman is the President of Phillips Graduate Institute. Prior to assuming the role of President, she was Dean of Academic Affairs, and Chair of the Organizational Consulting doctoral program and has been an organizational consultant specializing in nonprofit management.
President Gorman is a three time graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a BA in Psychology, an MBA in accounting and small business management, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. She has previously served as an Alumni Regent in 2009-2010 and serves on the of the board of the Chaka Khan Foundation. She is the immediate past chair of the board of the California Association of Nonprofits (CAN) and serves as a member of the boards of the UCLA Foundation, CAN Insurance Services and the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California.
Ms. Gorman is currently the President of the Alumni Associations of the University of California. She serves as an Alumni Regent for a one year commencing July 1, 2015.
Term as Regent
Term as Alumni Regent
July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016
Committee Membership (2015-2016)
Compliance and Audit
Educational Policy
Investments
Long Range Planning
