Board of Directors 2025-26

For nearly 35 years, Paco Retana has been serving the vulnerable youth and marginalized communities in Los Angeles. As a recognized mental health expert and Chief Program Officer at Wellnest, he is responsible for all clinical programs, including strategic planning, program evaluation and training in support of Wellnest’s mission through a holistic approach to emotional well-being. Wellnest offers hope, healing and opportunity to the children, young adults, families and communities they serve. Their commitment remains steadfast as they enter their second century of service. Under Paco’s leadership, Wellnest provides quality mental health services, promotes early intervention and ensures easy access for a community in great need by initiating and implementing program changes to meet new funding streams for innovative prevention programs. Additionally, Paco has served as a consultant for numerous community organizations, educational institutions, and foundations including the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, First 5 LA, Watts Gang Task Force, Green Dot Public Schools, the Santa Ana Unified School District, and The California Endowment Sons and Brothers initiative providing professional development training, psychological and facilitation services, counseling, education and crisis intervention. Paco is the former co-chair of the Latino Underserved Cultural Communities for DMH, he is a former voting member of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) System Leadership Team, and former co-chair of the Service Area Advisory Committee for South Los Angeles. Paco serves on the UCLA Order of the Blue Shield and as a Luskin Senior Fellow. He is also a UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor. Paco is the recipient of the Humanitarian Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice and an Honoree of NAMI Urban Los Angeles. Paco earned a bachelor’s in psychology and a master in social work from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.  He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Connect with Paco on UCLA ONE.

On July 7, 2025, Yolanda Gorman B.A. ‘78, M.B.A. ’83, Ph.D. ’93, stepped into the interim role of Associate Vice Chancellor, Alumni Affairs and Advancement Services, and CFO and COO of the UCLA Foundation and the UCLA Investment Company. She has served the University in a variety of capacities, including nine years of distinguished service as chief of staff and senior advisor to the Chancellor. As a proud triple Bruin, she was the first African American woman to serve as president of the UCLA Alumni Association (2006-2008), was a member of The UCLA Foundation Board, and is a two-time Alumni Regent Emerita for the UC Board of Regents. Prior to her UCLA tenure, Yolanda founded a consulting firm specializing in nonprofit management. She then began her career in academia at Phillips Graduate University, rising from department chair, to dean, and ultimately president and CEO. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, an MBA and a Ph.D. in educational psychology.

Cinthia Flores was appointed in 2020 by California Governor Gavin Newsom to serve as a Board Member of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board. She is a quasi-judicial officer, adjudicating claims arising from state labor law. Prior to her appointment, she practiced immigration law, with a focus on defending individuals from deportation at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). Cinthia is Past President of the Latina Lawyers Bar Association, an organization dedicated to supporting Latinas in the legal profession. In 2022, the Hispanic National Bar Association recognized Cinthia as a “Top Lawyer Under 40.” Cinthia is President and founding Board Member of Latinas Lead CA, a political action committee dedicated to supporting Latinas pursuing elected and appointed office. Cinthia has a long history of service to UCLA and the University of California. During her senior year at UCLA, she served as Student Body President, the first Latina to hold the position. Cinthia is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine School of Law. During law school, Cinthia served as Student Regent on the University of California Board of Regents. In 2021, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the UCLA Academic Advancement Program. Cinthia was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA and is the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants.

For more than 25 years, Cathy Choi has bridged the nonprofit, philanthropic, and political spheres to address social justice challenges in Los Angeles and beyond. Currently the Senior Director of Programs at The Eisner Foundation, Cathy oversees the planning, strategic development and distribution of grants and spearheads a variety of foundation initiatives in Los Angeles and New York City. Previously, she served as a Program Officer at the California Community Foundation and held positions in the offices of former U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra, L.A. Unified School District Board Member George Kiriyama, and at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs – U.S. Department of Labor. Cathy also served as the External Affairs Director at the Korean American Coalition national headquarters where she led advocacy activities on legislative issues affecting the Asian Pacific American communities, such as census outreach and the redistricting process. Cathy’s volunteer service includes leadership roles with Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) national board, Southern California Public Radio Education Advisory Council, Southern California Grantmakers (SCG) Health Funders Advisory Group and The Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification, Republic of Korea. During her days at UCLA, Cathy served as Vice President of Undergraduate Business Society (UBS) and an active leader for various campus ministry and community outreach efforts. Cathy is a UCLA Luskin Senior Fellow and a proud UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor. Cathy received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UCLA and Master’s in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Connect with Cathy on UCLA ONE.

Ed Lew is assistant chief counsel at The Walt Disney Company, where he provides legal support for technology-related transactions and initiatives. He also co-chaired the Disney Lawyers of Color affinity group. Ed has volunteered with several non-profit organizations, including serving as president of the Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA, Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County, and OCA-Greater Los Angeles. He is a current officer of the Friends of the Chinese American Museum. Ed co-chairs the annual Asian Pacific American Community Holiday Toy Drive, which brings together nearly 20 community groups to provide toys to families in need. He also co-chairs a steering committee that organizes a week-long summer institute, in partnership with Just the Beginning, for high school students of color interested in legal careers. Ed graduated from UC Berkeley and received his J.D. degree from the UCLA School of Law. While at UCLA, he was co-chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association and editor-in-chief of the UCLA Asian Pacific American Law Journal. Ed was recognized by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association with its “Best Under 40” award. He also received the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association’s Distinguished Service award, UCLA Alumni Association’s Volunteer of the Year award, UCLA Asian Pacific Islander Law Student Association’s Alumnus of the Year award, Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center’s Community Leadership award, and Chinese-American Elected Officials’ Citizen of the Year award.

Lea Rasmusson joined UCLA in February 2012 and took on the role of Chief Financial Officer of the Alumni Association in September 2013. In addition to the CFO role, Lea serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for External Affairs, which includes the departments of Alumni Affairs, Development, Government and Community Relations, and Advancement Services. Lea oversees the operational areas that support alumni engagement and fundraising for UCLA, including application development and project management, finance and business services, gift and data services, fund management, accounting, and treasury management. She serves as the staff liaison for Finance and Audit Committees for the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Lea also works closely with our business development team to build partnerships that provide services to our alumni and generate revenue to support operations. Prior to her time at UCLA, she spent over a decade at Northwestern University, serving as the Senior Director of Operations in the Office of Alumni Relations and Development. Lea holds a BS from the University of Iowa in Health and Human Physiology. Connect with Lea on UCLA ONE.

Sonia Das is the principal attorney at the Law Offices of Sonia Das specializing in non-profit organizations and estate planning. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history (with honors) from UCLA in 1990. UCLA provided a wonderful education, cultural enrichment, and many leadership skills. She was awarded a Congressional Silver Medal in recognition of her academic work and community service including several hundred hours of volunteer work at the Long Beach VA Hospital. Sonia earned her Juris Doctor from Western State University School of Law. However, after law school, she took up quilting as a hobby but surprisingly, most of her quilt guilds wanted her services as an attorney. This led to non-profit law and many leadership roles in quilt guilds including a six (6) year term as President of SCCQG (Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds) – a consortium of 103 quilt guilds in Southern California. She even merged quilting with law when she served as an expert witness on the quilting industry for a legal case. Sonia has also served as legal advisor to several non-profit organizations including New Hope Academy of Change (education), Home & Community (Family & Consumer Studies) as well quilt guilds. Under her leadership, many of these organizations have been recognized for their service to the community.  During Women’s History Month 2022, Acacia Quilt Guild (Buena Park) was recognized by the City of Buena Park, the US House of Representatives, and the California State Assembly. Quilters by the Sea (Long Beach) received The Good Neighbor Award from the City. She was also personally recognized for her efforts for the Community Baby Shower by the Long Beach City Council. Sonia is in high demand as a speaker and presenter for schools, community groups, and quilt guilds. She also edits a wide variety of books, papers, and manuscripts in various disciplines including engineering, theology, and the culinary arts. Once a year Sonia gets to become a college instructor when she teaches Indian Food for the Cultural Foods class at Long Beach City College; she loves sharing her culture and cuisine with the students.  Finally, she loves cruising and is a passionate trivia player!

Devon Dickau is a mission-driven, entrepreneurial leader with experience driving large-scale social impact and transformational change in the corporate, entertainment, nonprofit, and education sectors. Currently, Devon is Organizational Development lead for Google Deepmind, the consolidated artificial intelligence research laboratory of Alphabet, where he collaborates with business leaders to tackle DeepMind’s biggest challenges and opportunities through lenses of people and culture, to enable business performance and the mission of building AI responsibly to benefit humanity. Previously, Devon spent nearly a decade as a leader at Deloitte Consulting, where he advised Fortune 500 companies in areas of corporate purpose, sustainability, ESG, DEI, talent strategy, leadership, culture, analytics and the future of work, primarily focused on media and technology clients. Devon's career has spanned the social impact and education spaces, including as an HIV/AIDS community educator in rural Tanzania, a social impact campaign consultant for the entertainment industry, and co-founding, as UCLA staff, the Parent & Family Programs department. Devon is a proud double Bruin (B.A. in American literature and culture, and MBA) and also holds an M.Ed. in technology, innovation and education from Harvard, where his research focused on how media and technology empower social change. While attending UCLA Anderson, Devon was a TED UCLA Campfire speaker on the topic of identity covering in the workplace and was named one of Poets & Quants “Favorite MBAs” of 2015 for giving voice to the LGBTQ+ community. In 2018, he was named UCLA Young Alumnus of the Year for his equity work at UCLA and beyond - including as past co-president of the UCLA Lambda LGBTQ Alumni Association. Devon was also previously the co-president of the UCLA Young Alumni Development Council, a board member for the Social Impact Fund, a member of the Emerging Leaders Council for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and a fellow with New Leaders Council Los Angeles in 2016. He is currently an inaugural Impact Fellow with the UCLA Anderson Center for Impact. He lives in Calabasas with his husband and their twins. Connect with Devon on UCLA ONE.

Samantha is a cultural storyteller, producer, and leader specializing in building communities of change through vibrant brand identities, dynamic communication strategies, and artistic content. Her work thrives at the intersection of industries such as social impact and sport, entertainment and science. Samantha’s work circles the globe - from Australia to the US, Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa. Currently, as the Managing Director of act.3 Australia, she's supercharging the newest office in the German-HQ’s international portfolio, and leading a team of culture marketeers who shape the future of brands through people, community, and culture. Her impressive cultural marketing portfolio includes leading global strategies for adidas at major sporting events like the FIFA Women’s World Cup ‘23, helming multiple community and fashion campaigns, such as BEYOND MY IMPOSSIBLE; a groundbreaking initiative that supported 11 South African women compete in their first marathon and achieved over 11.1M in global PR reach for the renowned docuseries. Prior to her time at act.3, Samantha honed her skills in Los Angeles with industry heavyweights Propper Daley, BECK Media, and Friends At Work. On top of this, her career journey has been consistently fueled by creative collaborations that seek to deepen storytelling around mental health and the Asian Pacific Islander experience through the studio Mindful Ambition, and her company, SPD Creative. Samantha has paved her way as a leader since her youth, from being recognised by the Australian Defense Force with the Long Tan Leadership Award in 2013, to her role as President for the UCLA Student Alumni Association (2017-18), to being the youngest-serving international board member for the UCLA Alumni Association (2022-present). Through her time at UCLA, she was a dedicated SAA member, UCLA Track and Field Manager, UCLA Rec staffer at the Wooden Center, and more. She continues to be a passionate mentor and advisor for UCLA, students, aspiring female leaders, and Australian social enterprises.

Stephanie is the CEO and founder of Phīla Engaged Giving, a philanthropic advisory firm founded in 2017 that works with donors who are ready to activate their assets for social change. As an advisor and social impact specialist, she works toward a world where philanthropy is a nurturing and equity-centered practice that connects wealth to the people and communities who need it most. She believes strongly in being a compassionate and generous member of society and brings nearly 30 years of her professional and personal life experience in governance, family wealth, and nonprofit leadership to the social sector. In the wake of the racial uprisings of 2020, she co-founded Giving Gap, an online database of Black-founded and led organizations as a means to help donors find and support them in their communities. Having served in a variety of professional capacities—non-profit CEO, social enterprise COO, foundation and non-profit trustee, and corporate board member—her diverse experience and deep knowledge makes her uniquely well-positioned to be a trusted advisor to the world’s most generous families and institutions. Stephanie’s expertise in navigating wealth, impactful generosity, and civic engagement is frequently sought by leading philanthropic institutions and mainstream publications, and as a keynote speaker of major social sector convening’s. She has been appointed by multiple Seattle mayors and Former Washington Governor Gary Locke to serve on a variety of boards and public commissions. She currently serves on the Seattle Art Museum’s Museum Development Authority Board and is on the board of the National Center for Family Philanthropy. She was appointed a Dean of Philanthropy in 2022 by The Purposeful Planning Institute. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in English Literature and also completed coursework for the biochemistry major. Given her keen interest in science, her post-graduate years were spent in university labs working on stem cell and AIDS-related research. She has two adult children and lives in Seattle with her husband, the Russian historian Douglas Smith (UCLA PhD ‘96).

Service driven and politically connected, Dean Florez is the former California Senate Majority Leader. In addition to his service in the California State Senate, he served two terms in the California State Assembly. Currently, Dean serves on the state's climate change agency, the California Air Resources Board and has been an advocate for clean air since his time in the Legislature. Dean is the founder and CEO of Balance Public Relations, a full service strategic consulting firm that supports private and public clients where innovation and regulation intersect. He is one of the most sought after government relations professionals in California. He is a trusted advisor to key internal and external stakeholder groups ranging from executive teams and management, to C-suite executives, boards of directors, investors, and policymakers. Dean has advised Governors, U.S. Senators, and Mayors. In the past decade, Dean has served on many start-up Board of Directors with a focus on financial services companies providing services to underserved populations. He started politics early as the past UCLA Student Body President and past Academic Affairs Commissioner. He was Chairman of ASUCLA during his undergraduate career and was a vocal student advocate on social equity issues, diversity and university governance. Dean holds a bachelor's degree from UCLA and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Working for both commercial and governmental entities, Coretta Harris leverages the ability to think from a systems perspective to execute systems development processes, ensuring stakeholder needs are satisfied. She is known for her effective systems engineering integration efforts through collaborative leadership and interpersonal skills, communicating fluidly with internal and external contacts at all levels. Key areas of strength are project management, architecture development, functional design, requirements development, requirements analysis, interface development, risk management, as well as requirements verification and validation. A UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor, Coretta has served in a number of volunteer leadership roles including chair of the UCLA Alumni Association Awards Committee and president of the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering Alumni Association Governing Board. Currently, she is chair of the UCLA Gold Shield Alumnae Faculty Prize Committee and is a consultant to the dean at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, advising her on fundraising, student diversity and alumni engagement. A long-time volunteer for the Bunche Scholarship Screening Committee, Community College Transfer Scholarship Committee and at college fairs, she has established the Coretta Harris Alumni Scholarship Fund for incoming freshman and transfer students majoring in engineering and supports the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and Women in Engineering Fund.

Chris MacLaughlin is Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer for Kestra Holdings. She leads all elements of integrated marketing for an ecosystem of financial firms delivering wealth management solutions for financial professionals with $153B Assets Under Advisement and $82B Assets Under Management. Previously she served as Chief Marketing Officer of the IBM Partner Marketing Ecosystem. She drove the marketing and communications efforts for the next generation partner ecosystem and IBM’s channel business, with a focus on growing business partner momentum in IBM Cloud and AI technologies. Chris also served as Chief Marketing Officer for IBM Global Financing where she led the global marketing team, supporting the world's largest IT captive financier, with a total asset base of over $41B and clients in over 60 countries spanning more than 20 industries. A three-time CMO at IBM, Chris held a number of worldwide marketing positions in Systems Group, Corporate Headquarters and the Business Partner organization, including leading IBM’s PartnerWorld. Heading IBM partner marketing in Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa, she gained significant global experience while living in the United Arab Emirates. Before joining IBM, Chris was a Partner at Ogilvy & Mather where she focused on brand building advertising for global blue-chip companies including American Express, IBM and Time Inc. A UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor, Christine has been a member of the UCLA Prytanean Alumnae Network for 35 years and has served on the leadership board. While based in the Middle East, she was the UCLA Alumni Network contact in the United Arab Emirates and has participated in the “Dinner for 12 Strangers” program and “UCLA on the Road” events. While an undergraduate at UCLA, she was president of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and was selected for The Order of Omega, a National leadership honor society. Her other volunteer activities include serving as a pro-bono consultant with the IBM Executive Service Corps in South Africa where she focused on economic development, an advisory board member for the Fishlinger Center for Public Policy at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York, fundraising committee chairman and a member of the New York Junior League, and mentor for the Student Sponsor Partners program in New York, helping high school students reach their highest potential through education. She is also a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts of the USA. Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from the University of California, Los Angeles. An avid traveler, Chris has visited 65 countries thus far and is excited for more!

A nonprofit consultant and freelance project manager, Manaf is devoted to creating and maximizing philanthropy and engagement initiatives for colleges and universities, arts and culture organizations, and healthcare nonprofits. With nearly two decades of progressive leadership roles, Manaf provides services to organizations that focus on community engagement, stakeholder and partnership development, management of large and complex projects, strategy implementation, evaluative monitoring, and operational excellence. Among others, Manaf has worked with Stanford University, Harvard University, UCLA, New York University, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Pratt Institute, West Valley College, San Jose State University, and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. Manaf earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theater from UCLA in 2008, and also received a master of education degree with a specialization in organizations, leadership, and entrepreneurship from Harvard University. While at UCLA, Manaf was actively involved with residential life and served as an orientation counselor. Manaf was deeply involved with the Student Alumni Association (SAA), serving as a talent director for Spring Sing and as the student executive director of Homecoming/Blue and Gold Week, both in 2007, and joyfully continues to be a sustaining donor to the university. Manaf is a longtime volunteer and District VII cabinet member for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the premier global professional association for education fundraising, communications, and alumni relations. Manaf resides in San Jose, California.

Corey Matthews is a social change leader with 15 years of experience designing, evaluating and leading community-based programs in a variety of social policy arenas. He currently serves as a Vice President of Global Philanthropy with JPMorgan Chase & Co where he helps to manage a grant portfolio in Los Angeles that aligns with the strategic impact objectives of the company. He also plays a key role in building partnerships to bolster the company's overarching Corporate Responsibility initiatives in the region. Previously, Corey served as the Chief Operating Officer of Community Coalition - a permanent community-based institution in South Los Angeles - where he participated on the executive team to advance a robust policy agenda, direct operations, guide organization-wide strategic planning processes and launch key projects. Throughout his professional career, Corey has facilitated initiatives to serve underrepresented communities and has worked in think tanks, local government and nonprofits committed to changing systems and reducing poverty. He holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Urban Education from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. A native of South (Central) Los Angeles, Corey is committed to solving some of society’s most urgent issues.

Joe Pham is Chairman and CEO at QSC, a global technology leader in the audiovisual industry. QSC is renowned for its advanced Q-SYS platform, a cloud-manageable audio, video and control platform architected to leverage the power of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence. With established solutions across corporate, education, hospitality, venues & events, cinema, government, healthcare, and transportation, Q-SYS redefines what is possible for live and virtual experiences by delivering superior business outcomes, elevating customer experiences, and enhancing human connection. Prior to QSC, Joe was with the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, working with chief executives in Fortune 500’s to develop growth strategies and strengthen operational performance. In the audiovisual industry, Joe has served as Chairman of the Board at AVIXA (formerly InfoComm International) and President of PAMA (Professional Audio Manufacturers Association). Joe is a lifelong UCLA Bruin. He earned four degrees at UCLA, including a Bachelors in Aerospace Engineering, a Masters in Electric Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. His dissertation was in the area of control systems, adaptive signal processing, and applied mathematics. Following his Ph.D., Joe stayed on an additional year at UCLA as a lecturer in the Electrical Engineering department, teaching Systems and Signals and Feedback Control Systems. Joe's dedication to fostering connections and developing people, along with his passion for music, enable him to advance the success of both QSC and its employees. At his core, Joe is an innovator and is dedicated to harnessing the power of technology to improve connection and human experience. qsc.com | qsys.com

Brian Rosenbaum, MSW is a Southern California native and social worker-turned-fundraiser with two decades’ US and international nonprofit experience. Brian currently serves as a Senior Philanthropy Officer at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. He co-leads the LA Fundraisers Network, a grassroots resource and support group for nonprofit development professionals, and provides development and community engagement workshops, strategy, and coaching to nonprofit leaders, boards, and teams as a consultant. Most recently, Brian served as Development Officer at A Place Called Home, an afterschool program in South Central Los Angeles. Previously, he led the development and communications department at the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House, and before that, at Imagine LA, overseeing development, community engagement, communications, volunteerism, and special events. Brian has served in a range of organizations, including United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network Los Angeles, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and PeerForward. Brian has been featured or published in The Volunteer Management Report, Tech Savvy Nonprofit Podcast, Read Conmigo Podcast, the New Social Worker Magazine, the International Society for Organizational Development & Change newsletter, and more. He was one of 40 individuals honored with the Bruin Excellence in Civic Engagement award in 2023, and has spoken and presented on strategic partnership-building and volunteer engagement strategies for Center for Nonprofit Management, Directors of Volunteers in Agencies - Los Angeles (DOVIA-LA), Nonprofit Learning Lab, and Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement (AL!VE). Brian earned his BA in Psychology and Spanish at UCLA and his MSW at Columbia University School of Social Work, where he specialized in program development and community organizing. In his spare time, Brian can be found cooking, gardening, or exploring LA with his wife and two young children. Learn more at brianrosenbaum.org.

Natalie Samarjian is the President & CEO of Coro California, a statewide civic leadership institute that equips leaders with the skills, knowledge, and networks to effect meaningful change, strengthen democracy, and tackle society’s biggest challenges together. Previously, Natalie served for nearly a decade as President & CEO of Coro Southern California. Under Natalie’s leadership, Coro expanded its programs, partnerships, and impact, and cultivated a growing community of Coro alumni who are transforming vital institutions and communities. In 2025, Natalie led the strategy and integration that culminated in a historic merger between Coro Southern California and Coro Northern California, creating Coro California. An attorney by training, Natalie joined Coro following a legal career focused on advancing justice. She served as a senior leader at the California Women’s Law Center, advocating for the rights of women and girls through impact litigation, public policy, and legal education. Earlier, as a Staff Attorney and Dickran Tevrizian Fellow at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, she represented survivors of domestic violence, contributed to significant legal victories - including a successful appeal in Montagner v. Montagner - and led community outreach and policy efforts. She began her legal career as a Labor and Employment litigator at Rutan & Tucker, LLP, where she also led pro bono efforts, including the successful representation of an asylum seeker before the Department of Homeland Security. Prior to her legal career, Natalie was a Human Capital Consultant in Deloitte & Touche LLP’s Public Sector practice, where she led the firm’s National Public Sector Human Capital Community of Practice Initiative. Natalie holds a J.D. from UCLA School of Law, an M.S. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, and a B.A. from UCLA. She also holds executive education credentials from Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders, Harvard Kennedy School Women and Power, and Brown University Leadership & Performance Coaching. She is an alumna of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs and Emerge California, has been recognized as Empowerment Congress’ Emerging Civic Leaders: 40 Under 40, an LA Impact-Maker to Watch, and is a recipient of UCLA’s Bruin Excellence in Civic Engagement Award. She currently serves on the boards of Public Counsel, The Trusteeship (International Women's Forum Southern California), and the UCLA Alumni Association.

Juana H. Sánchez (she/her/hers) is a systems thinker skilled at facilitating diverse groups and collaborative processes to increase postsecondary education attainment, close equity gaps, and drive inclusive economic growth. She has a decade of experience in public sector consulting and collective impact, where she has supported senior and executive leaders across sectors. As a consultant, Sánchez provides policy research and analysis, strategy development, and facilitation for such complex projects as: Beyond Transfer; the California Student Aid Commission’s Student Loan Debt Relief Work Group; the Learning Evaluation and Recognition for the Next Generation (LEARN) Commission; Lumina Foundation Strategy Labs; and the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) Equity Action Intensive, among others. Previously, Sánchez led collective impact efforts in Los Angeles County to increase college readiness and completion. Through the L.A. Compact, she launched regional partnerships that facilitate successful student transitions, including the CSUN Connections reverse transfer program, which won a California Governor’s Award for Innovation in Higher Education and Lumina Foundation designation for the L.A. region as a national Talent Hub. Sánchez also co-founded the Foster Youth College Advancement Project alongside John Burton Advocates to Youth to build the capacity of local education and child welfare agencies to support foster youth to college. A former academic advisor at the University of the District of Columbia and program administrator at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), Sánchez brings a nuanced understanding of the role that higher education institutions play as community anchors. Sánchez is the proud daughter of immigrant parents and a first-generation college graduate of UCLA, where she graduated with honors and distinction as a Harry S. Truman Scholar. She went on to earn her master’s in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and completed further professional training via the Collective Impact Forum and USC Race Equity Center. She resides in northeast Los Angeles with her husband Víctor G. Sánchez and their two sons.

Matt Saucedo is co-founder and head of product management and product marketing at Prism AI. Previously, he was head of core product adoption at Meta. Before joining Meta, he was the co-founder and Head of Product for Pupster, and SVOD pet care company. Matt earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA in Communication Studies from UCLA, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude with Departmental and College Honors. While a student at UCLA, Matt was a member of the UCLA Fencing Team, which won the Southern California championship in his junior year. He was also a recipient of a Ralph Bunche Alumni Scholarship and actively participated in the Alumni Scholars Club. Matt is a UCLA Alumni Association Sustaining Donor. Connect with Matthew on UCLA ONE.

Joseph Vardner is Director of Integrity Risk Management at Meta Platforms, Inc, where he supports a team focused on product compliance. He is also co-chair of Meta’s Pride@North America resource group. Joe has volunteered with several non-profit organizations, including serving as president of the DC LGBT Bar Association, and on the boards of the UCLA Alumni Chapter in DC and DOJ Pride. He is a current board member of the National LGBT Bar Association. Joe graduated from UCLA with a degree in civil engineering and received his law degree from Harvard Law School. After law school, he worked at the US DOJ Antitrust Division where he received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service for his work enforcing competition laws in the credit card industry.

Dr. Diana Zschaschel started her practice in 1999, incorporating her skills in behavioral therapy and hospital dentistry into her private practice. After dental school, she took a position with Children’s Miracle Network, a non-profit organization, providing dental care for the children of migrant workers in Northern California. Diana started Angels’ Smiles with the vision to bring optimum dental and overall quality healthcare to persons with disabilities. She has served on the medical board of directors for the PACE/Headstart program of Los Angeles. In 2001, Diana joined the Army Reserves to assist soldiers and travel for humanitarian missions around the world. In 2004, she was deployed to treat soldiers going to and returning from Iraq. She served as Battalion Commander for the 7452nd Medical Backfill Battalion in San Diego, where she was responsible for five medical, dental and veterinary companies comprising nearly 600 soldiers. She was Dental Consultant to ARMEDCOM division and currently is a Colonel and commander for the 185th Dental Company Area Support in Orange County, where she is responsible for 150 dentists and dental auxiliaries. For many years, Diana served as an Ambassador for the LA area Chamber of Commerce, which named her Volunteer of the Year. In 2007, she received Local Hero of the Year from Union Bank and was featured on KCET’s Hispanic Heritage Month. Diana received the Distinguished Alumna of the Year for Service by Chaminade College Preparatory.At UCLA and St. Vincent’s hospital she worked with medical anesthesiologists to treat severely disabled individuals, enabling them to receive quality dental care. While attending UCLA, she became a behavioral specialist for autistic children and continued to work as a therapist for several years while completing dental school. Following opportunities provided by the UCLA School of Dentistry to work with persons with disabilities, with the help of professors and classmates, Diana started a grassroots campaign with the statewide Special Olympics to provide oral screenings for the athletes. Among other awards, Diana received the Biotene Award for Excellence after completing oral exams of over 300 persons with developmental disabilities for a UCLA Public Health study. Diana is currently involved with the Prytanean Alumnae Association and has been a lecturer at the UCLA School of Dentistry general practice Residency program.

Rhea Turteltaub is the UCLA Vice Chancellor, External Affairs. Appointed in March 2008, she oversees one of the nation’s leading advancement organizations, a diverse and integrated department of over 600 staff comprised of Development, Alumni Affairs, Government & Community Relations, Advancement Services, the UCLA Alumni Association, and the UCLA Foundation. Rhea led The Centennial Campaign for UCLA – which surpassed its $4.2 billion goal 18 months ahead of schedule. The campaign launched publicly in May, 2014 and concluded in December, 2019, right in the midst of UCLA’s 100th anniversary commemoration. During the initiative, nearly 220,000 donors from all 50 states and 98 additional countries contributed more than 574,000 gifts, advancing causes across campus, in communities throughout Southern California, across the nation and around the world. The Centennial Campaign raised a total of $5.49 billion for UCLA, helping to shepherd another century of groundbreaking achievements in teaching, research, and service. Prior to her arrival at UCLA in 1994, Rhea held leadership roles at Otis College of Art and Design and The University of Chicago, as well as campaign positions at the University of California, Berkeley, and her alma mater, Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where she currently serves on the Board of Trustees.