Information technology executive William Mitchell, P ’07, has been appointed chair of The UCLA Foundation and begins his leadership today.
Chris Adams ’79, M.B.A. ’82, Susan Baumgarten ’73, M.S. ’76, M.B.A. ’79, Jeffrey Brown, and Russell Hagey join returning members Yolanda Gorman ’78, M.B.A. ’83, Ph.D. ’93 and Chair Emeritus Peter Taylor ’80, P ’13 in new terms.
William Mitchell is an active supporter of education and the performing arts. As chair, he will lead accomplished corporate and community leaders to power the campus’s growth and prosperity.
“I am deeply honored by the opportunity to serve as chair of The Foundation, and I am looking forward to this opportunity to work with The Foundation’s new and continuing directors to advance the spirit of philanthropy at UCLA,” Mitchell said. “Furthering UCLA’s philanthropic priorities and growing The Foundation’s $1.7 billion endowment will provide financial stability to enhance the campus’s resources for generations of world-class leaders to come.”
The Foundation enables individuals to turn philanthropy into action to make a global impact as it manages donated resources for the advancement of UCLA.
“The Foundation is keenly focused on strengthening philanthropic support of UCLA, including partnering with fellow leaders to ensure the success of the $4.2 billion The Centennial Campaign for UCLA. I am particularly proud of the board’s commitment to help Chancellor Gene Block raise $1 billion in student support,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell is the founding partner of Sequel Capital Management, founded in 2010 to invest in a diversified portfolio of companies, primarily in the technology sector. Prior to this, he was chair of the board and chief executive officer of Arrow Electronics, a $20 billion Fortune 150 company. He is a member of the executive board of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and he served as a director of the Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Lincoln Center Corporate Leadership Committee and the Eisenhower Fellowships Foundation.
Mitchell holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Princeton University and a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Michigan.
Susan Baumgarten is an executive in residence at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and immediate past president of UCLA’s Women and Philanthropy program. She has a breadth of experience in executive leadership, business development and systems engineering at Hughes Aircraft and Raytheon Company. She was a corporate vice president of Raytheon, an aerospace and defense electronics firm that at the time employed more than 80,000 and had annual revenues exceeding $20 billion. She served as president of Raytheon International, integrating activities in 76 countries throughout the world. During her career, Baumgarten led business and organizational turnarounds, demonstrating her abilities as a visionary and business strategist.
She holds three degrees from UCLA: a bachelor’s in mathematics and biochemistry, a master’s in electrical engineering and a master’s in business administration.
Jeffrey P. Brown is senior vice president and investment specialist for Capital Group’s private client services division, where his responsibilities include strategic asset allocation, global asset optimization and coverage of a number of asset classes. He was a principal with Inferential Focus, a consulting firm in New York City serving investment management companies and Fortune 100 corporations. He was also CEO of Trans-National Research Corporation, introducing portfolio and direct investors to the emerging and frontier markets and providing asset allocation and investment advice driven by proprietary geopolitical analysis. Brown has focused much of his personal philanthropy on educational opportunity, including through his service as past chair of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles and as a board member of the Southern California Asia Society. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international economics from the University of Wisconsin where he did post-graduate work in political economy. He also studied international relations in Switzerland and Russia.
Russell A. Hagey is a senior partner and worldwide chief talent officer of Bain and Company, where he serves health care and consumer products clients and oversees the firm’s recruiting, training and human resources functions across 32 countries. Hagey serves on the boards for LA’s BEST, a nationally recognized after-school program, and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, where he is chair. He is a director of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games. Hagey earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at UCLA and a master’s from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Peter J. Taylor leads the ECMC Foundation, a Los Angeles-based foundation funded by the Educational Credit Management Corp. which makes grants to facilitate improvements to educational systems that impact the academic achievement of young people. Taylor is chair emeritus of The Foundation, regent emeritus of the University of California and past president of the UCLA Alumni Association. He previously served as the UC’s chief financial officer and executive vice president. Prior to joining the UC, he was a managing director at Barclays Capital after a long career at Lehman Brothers. He also serves on the boards of Edison International, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the J. Paul Getty Trust, where he is chair of the audit committee. Taylor received his bachelor’s degree from UCLA and his master’s degree in public policy analysis from Claremont Graduate University.
Yolanda J. Gorman is president of Phillips Graduate Institute, a graduate school of professional psychology and management. A University of California regent emerita, she is holds three UCLA degrees — a bachelor’s in psychology, a master’s degree in accounting and small business management, and a doctorate in educational psychology. She is a board member of Woodbury University, CalNonprofits Insurance Services and the Baldwin Hills Conservancy.
Chris Adams’ experience in senior management roles in corporate real estate activities spans more than 35 years. She serves the UCLA community in the San Gabriel Valley, where she leads efforts to strengthen alumni and donor engagement. Adams earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and master’s degree in business administration from UCLA.
