On March 11, 2017 the UCLA Alumni Association Board elected Cheryl Lott as president-elect and six alumni to the serve as board members starting July 2017 through June 2020.  Christine Simmons continues as president through June 30, 2018 and then moves into the UC Regent-elect position.

President-Elect (July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018)

Cheryl Lott ’01
(Political Science, African-American and Chicana/o Studies), J.D. ’04 (Law)
Shareholder, Buchalter
Cheryl Lott is a shareholder in the firm’s Litigation and Labor and Employment Practice Groups in Los Angeles. She is also chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee, and one of the firm’s ombudsperson.  Lott represents corporate clients, banks, mortgage companies and other financial institutions in both state and federal court. Her practice focuses on general business and commercial litigation, construction defect litigation, class action defense, labor and employment litigation, government contract procurement, and Bank Secrecy Act / Anti-Money Laundering advice and counsel.  Lott is also a member of the UCLA School of Law Alumni Board and the UCLA Law Women LEAD founding board.

Alumni Board Directors (July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2020)

Carolyn Baker ’78
(Geography)
Attorney, CA Baker Consulting (retired)
Carolyn Baker was an attorney and lobbyist in the public and private sectors, specializing in energy, environmental and mental health care issues.  She was an active participant in CA energy industry restructuring and deregulation – a time of crisis and great upheaval for all Californians - and chaired the CA Independent Energy Producers Association. She served as the legislative director for several state government agencies, including the California Environmental Protection Agency and State Department of Conservation. Baker has served on the boards of directors of several NGOs, was an appointee to the Sacramento County Environmental Commission, and chaired the City of Sacramento Parks & Recreation Commission. For two years Baker has served as the president of the Sacramento Alumni Network and this fall she oversaw the largest and most successful New Bruin Send-off the region has had in more than 10 years, attended by nearly 140 incoming students, parents and alumni. Baker has participated often in UC Advocacy Day in the State Capitol as a member of the UCLA delegation.

Mitra Best ’87
(Linguistics and Computer Science) U.S. Innovation Leader and New Ventures Principal, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Mitra Best is the Chief Innovation Officer and the New Ventures Principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). In her role in New Ventures, she is responsible for identifying and developing technology-enabled businesses for a portfolio of investments, through collaboration with partners both internal and external to PwC. As Chief Innovation Officer, her role is to enhance and accelerate a culture of innovation to ensure PwC is continually ahead of solving important challenges for its clients and communities. Best is a frequent speaker and panelist at conferences, actively promoting innovation, collaboration, social entrepreneurship, and public/private partnerships. She served on the boards of StartUp UCLA, the Colorado Innovation Network, and on the Los Angeles Mayor’s Council on Innovation and History. This will be her second board term with the UCLA Alumni Association Board.

Max Espinoza, ’99 (History and Chicana/o Studies)
Senior Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Max Espinoza is a senior program officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where his focus is on building the political and public will for postsecondary education reforms in states across the United States. Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, Espinoza was senior vice president of Education Programs & Policy at a national nonprofit, Scholarship America, where he provided leadership for the organization’s education programs and established the organization’s public policy, advocacy and research agenda. Espinoza began his professional career in California’s state capital spending 14 years in key policy making and leadership roles including as a senior advisor to various elected officials and legislative leadership and as an executive leader at the California Student Aid Commission. Espinoza was a first-generation college student from a working-class immigrant family. During his time at UCLA, he was active in campus life, twice being elected to student government as Academic Affairs Commissioner and eventually serving on the UC Board of Regents as the student Regent - the first undergraduate to serve from UCLA in a decade.

Derek  Hu  ’92
(English)
Managing Partner – Shanghai, Eric Salmon & Partners Executive Search
Derek Hu joined Eric Salmon & Partners in 2012 to set up the Shanghai office and to bring his experience in building both China and Asian operations through the placement of key executives. Prior to his career in executive search, Hu served as human resources director for Icon Medialab Asia Ltd based in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Hu grew up in the United States and has been based in Greater China for 15 years. Hu has hosted Alumni Travel guests in Shanghai and continues to advocate for UCLA in the Asia region.  This will be his second board term.

Ed Lew, J.D. ’98 (Law)
Assistant Chief Counsel, The Walt Disney Company
As assistant chief counsel at The Walt Disney Company, Ed Lew provides legal support for technology and innovation initiatives at Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media and other businesses across the company. He has helped to develop leaders in the UCLA community and strengthened alumni engagement. Lew graduated from UCLA School of Law, where he served as the editor-in-chief of the UCLA Asian Pacific American Law Journal (APALJ) and co-chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association and Southern California Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. As president of Asian Pacific Alumni of UCLA, Lew increased development efforts by organizing the inaugural gala, which provides essential funding to APA UCLA's operations and scholarship programs. Lew was also the recipient of the 2016 UCLA Volunteer of the Year award. 

Todd  Sargent ’96
(Political Science)
Practice Lead, Slalom Consulting
Sargent oversees a consulting practice focused on technology adoption and business transformation. He is a seasoned management consultant with more than 15 years of cross-industry experience in program/project management, change enablement, organization design and strategy, talent management, system selection and process improvement. He is a trusted advisor to executive-level staff with a passion for diagnosing and optimizing organizational and human performance. Specific areas of expertise include shaping and engaging organizations, improving collaboration and building internal change capabilities. Sargent was active in the Student Alumni Association, has previously served on the Alumni Association Board and as an alumni representative on the Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC). He currently serves as president of the City of Los Angeles Innovation and Performance Commission.

See the current UCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors.