Bruin Success

Ryan Dusick is an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist with an MA in Clinical Psychology and the founding drummer of the world’s most popular band, Maroon 5.

As a boy, he dreamt of pitching for the Dodgers and writing adventure novels. Arm injuries sidelined his burgeoning baseball career, just as rock music became his new passion and purpose. Founding the band Kara’s Flowers in 1994 with fellow Brentwood High School students Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, and Adam Levine, Ryan worked tirelessly through his college years at UCLA before the band changed its name to Maroon 5 and finally had its first hit record, Songs About Jane. Multiple hit songs, two Grammy Awards, and 20 million albums sold later, Ryan found himself suffering and without direction as his career as a performer came to an end, just as it was taking off.

Struggling with physical and mental health challenges, Ryan finally overcame his struggles in 2016, when he began his journey of recovery, culminating in a new life path full of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. Now working as a mental health professional at The Missing Peace Center for Anxiety in Agoura Hills, CA, Ryan is spreading the message that recovery is possible, and some astounding things can come with it.

Natasha Case is the co-founder of Coolhaus Ice Cream. She created the company with Freya Estreller in 2009 because they did not feel represented by the ice cream brands on shelves and knew they could create higher quality and more unique ice cream with a more authentic story. They launched their ice cream sandwich company from a barely-drivable postal van at the Coachella Music Festival where the brand went viral. Since then, Coolhaus has scaled to a national fleet of trucks in LA and NYC, a flagship store and innovation center in Culver City, and a national grocery business of ice cream sammies, pints, cups, mini sammies, and cones in stores ranging from Whole Foods to Sprouts to Kroger. They launched a very successful dairy-free ice cream line (made from peas & brown rice!) in 2019. Natasha remained the CEO until Coolhaus was acquired by Perfect Day under their CPG umbrella company with a mission to make more sustainable products without compromise in December of 2021. 

Natasha took on a founding CEO role with Lunch Bunch in August of 2022. By then as a mom of a two and five year old, she was driven by the idea of using creative eating experiences to inspire curiosity in even the pickiest of eaters… while also tackling a massive issue for parents around frustrations with packing lunch from a time, management, shopping, quality, cleaning and stress/guilt perspective. She plans to make Lunch Bunch not only a convenient meal delivery platform, but also a merchandise and content world to revolutionize our relationship to food and the way we eat.

Natasha is devoted to transformational positive change by creating mission-led businesses. At Coolhaus, she devoted her work to the next generation of women and LGBTQ founders, entrepreneurs, and creators of diverse backgrounds to feel empowered to turn their dreams into realities in an equitable environment. Natasha partnered with Black Girl Ventures to create ice cream to raise funds for entrepreneurial grants, the Okra Foundation for Pride to create a flavor called EnjoyMINT for All, celebrating our differences through a top 8 allergen-free ice cream, and she is committed to teaching courses and frequent public speaking engagements to push the envelope for the next generation. She looks forward to bringing this ethos into the Lunch Bunch business.

Natasha has been named a Forbes 30 under 30 Food & Beverage, Zagat 30 Under 30, LinkedIn 10 under 35 for Food & Leisure, 10 Most Successful Women in Business by Leaders Globe, and UCLA’s LGBTQ+ 2019 Alum of the Year. She is a published author of the Coolhaus Ice Cream Book which came out in 2014 and was featured on Good Morning America and named as one of Martha Stewart’s favorites. She has been featured in many national publications and media outlets like Entrepreneur, LA Times, and Bon Appetit, and has judged Food Network’s Chopped, King of Cones, and Top Chef Jr. She co-hosted her own podcast, ‘Start to Sale’ through Eater/Vox Media. In 2019, she joined YPO in the Beverly Hills chapter. Natasha is a board member of UCLA Arts Dept, Larchmont Charter School, Startup UCLA, Naturally LA and a member of the Lyft Council (Los Angeles). In 2022 she completed the Victory Institute training for LGBTQ+ leaders of tomorrow.

Garin Hussenjian received her BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing from UCLA in 1996. In 1999, she completed her MFA in Film from Art Center College of Design and in 2000 her short film, Single Moments, was nominated for a Student Academy Award. Initially working in film production as an independent freelance producer and unit production manager, she branched out to work in a variety of fields. This included founding her own Japanese stationery importing company, managing an aerospace engineering company, and most recently, working for the City of Beverly Hills. Within the City of Beverly Hills, she’s held many roles including Public Information Coordinator, Community Outreach Manager, and Deputy Director of Special Projects. To every role, Garin brings some common threads – being an expert listener and communicator, bringing out the best in individuals so teams can achieve their goals.

Corey 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. He holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Urban Education from UCLA and a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley.

Natalie is the president and CEO at Coro Southern California. Under Natalie’s leadership, Coro has developed a new strategic plan, expanded programs, partnerships and revenue, and cultivated a growing community of Coro alumni who are transforming communities across the country. Prior to embarking on 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. In addition to her UCLA degrees, Natalie earned her master of science at the Heinz School of Public Policy & Management at Carnegie Mellon University. Natalie currently serves on the Los Angeles City Commission for Human Rights and the Los Angeles County Economy and Efficiency Commission.

About Chelsea Moore: 

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Chelsea is the CEO and co-founder of BOXFOX. After graduating from UCLA, she and Jenni moved to Venice Beach where the idea for BOXFOX was born after spotting a gap in the lifestyle and service space for elevated and effortless gifting. She is the driving force behind BOXFOX’s creative and aesthetic vision, ensuring we stay true to our customers’ needs and our belief in well-presented and purposeful gifting.

Chelsea graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in English from UCLA in 2013. Prior to starting BOXFOX, she worked in marketing and business development for Brandy Melville, Ogilvy & Mather, and David & Goliath. She was selected as a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 2019 class and helped secure BOXFOX's continued place on the Inc. 5000's Fastest Growing Companies.

About Jenni Olivero: 

Hailing from Half Moon Bay, CA, Jenni co-founded BOXFOX in 2014 and runs operations as COO. Jenni works closely with data, inventory, buying, and finance, driving the development of simple consumer solutions through the lens of data trends. She also packs most of the boxes you see in BOXFOX photoshoots with her keen eye for details and overarching brand vision. Jenni graduated with a B.A. in International Development Studies and a Minor in Anthropology from UCLA in 2013. Prior to starting BOXFOX, she worked in sports marketing at Sports Studio, helping facilitate authentic sports scenes in movies, TV shows, and commercials. She was selected as a member of Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2019 at age 28.

Rod A. Ponce ’06 is Senior Account Executive with First Republic Bank. After graduating in 2006 with a B.A. in History from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he started his career in financial services as a financial advisor with John Hancock. In 2009, he left the financial advising business to become a Licensed Personal Financial Representative for Washington Mutual Bank, where he began to focus primarily on residential and small business lending. When Washington Mutual was acquired by Chase Bank, Rod moved into a supervisory role, and was involved opening a brand new office in West Los Angeles. In 2012, Rod accepted an offer as an Assistant Vice President with Bank of the West (BNP Paribas Group), where he developed a niche in stand-alone home equity lines of credit, and was a consistent Circle of Excellence qualifier for several years standing. Rod joined First Republic Bank in 2019 and currently focuses on financing for professional service firms and their individual partners.

From 2011-2017, Rod was involved with Toastmasters International as an Area Director, where he acted as an advisor to several clubs throughout the Los Angeles area. With regard to UCLA involvement, he currently sits on the board for the Silicon Beach Bruins regional network as their Professional Development Chair, he founded a Bruin Professionals Chapter in Silicon Beach, and he is the current President for the overarching Bruin Professionals organization. For personal hobbies, Rod enjoys snowboarding, camping, and taking long walks with his wife and dog, Maverick.

Nikhil Gupta is Associate General Counsel for the Golden State Warriors. In this role, he advises the organization on a wide range of commercial, litigation, regulatory and compliance matters. He previously served as Associate Counsel for the San Francisco 49ers for two years. Prior to that, he practiced corporate and transactional law at Latham & Watkins LLP in Los Angeles. Nikhil received his JD from UCLA School of Law and his BBA from University of Michigan. Before law school, Nikhil did a year of service with City Year in Detroit public schools. 

Emily Baxt, career coach and principal at Baxt Consulting, specializes in professional growth and development for teams and individuals in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. She has supported students and alumni at the University of San Diego (USD) Career Development Center for over 20 years. She particularly enjoys helping people find purpose and meaning in the workplace, and facilitating groups to promote increased self-awareness, team effectiveness, and workplace skills.

An experienced presenter and facilitator, Emily enjoys working with groups of all sizes. As an adjunct faculty member in the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering at USD, she developed curriculum around NACE’s Career Readiness Competencies and teaches emerging engineers. She is a popular guest lecturer in departments across campus and organizations in the community. Emily received a Master of Arts in Counseling with an emphasis in Career Counseling from USD and a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from UCLA. She is a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® Master Practitioner, a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, and a California Licensed Clinical Counselor (LPCC 314).

Ruben Garcia is Co-Head of the Cultural Business Strategy Group at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). In addition, Garcia works within the CAA Foundation to advise and consult clients on their prosocial and philanthropic initiatives.

Garcia collaborates with company leadership to execute company-wide strategies and implement inclusive business practices that maximize creative and business growth opportunities for the agency’s diverse clients. In addition, he manages a custom slate of programs and initiatives, including CAA Amplify, a platform designed by the agency to leverage the collective influence of cross-industry thought leaders and cultural changemakers of color to create transformational change across business and society.

Garcia also oversees CAA’s corporate partnerships and liaises with clients, businesses and organizations interested in promoting and building philanthropic activities connected to diversity in business and creative fields. His clients include Kendrick Sampson, Anthony Ramos, Becky G, Laurence Fishburne, Edwards James Olmos, Connor Franta, Ricky Martin, and Karla Souza, among others.

He currently leads the Industry Advisory Board for the Latino Film Institute and serves on the regional advisory board for the Friends of the Museum of the American Latino.

Prior to joining CAA in 2011, Garcia worked at Paramount Pictures and The Walt Disney Company. A native of San Diego, he is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Sociology.

Jenn received her B.A. from UCLA in 2007 in American Literature and Culture and a minor in Education studies. While at UCLA, Jenn was an Orientation Leader, Resident Assistant, and a student leader in the Student Alumni Association. Jenn went on to receive her M.A. degree in Higher Education Administration from New York University and her Doctorate of Education in Organizational Change & Leadership at the University of Southern California. Her dissertation focuses on understanding the organizational influences on college chief diversity officers’ ability to impact institutional change. Jenn’s career in education administration focuses on student leadership with an emphasis on identity development and social justice education. Jenn developed a deep passion for the empowerment of girls, women, non-binary, transgender, and BIPOC students after her work at Mills College, Barnard College, and Scripps College.

Her experience in higher education included emergency response, new student orientation, student support services, student government and organizations advising, residential life, and honors programs. Jenn served as a national leader in the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) as a Communications Co-Chair for the Women in Student Affairs Knowledge Community and as a Co-Chair of the MultiRacial Knowledge Community. In the summer of 2020 Jenn transitioned away from higher education, and she currently works as the inaugural Director of Equity and Inclusion for the Marlborough School, a 7th-12th grade independent girls’ school in Los Angeles. In this position, Jenn serves as a chief diversity officer and member of the school’s senior leadership team directing campus-wide leadership, programming, and initiatives aimed at supporting the School’s commitment to inclusion, equity, and accountability.

In addition to her formal role at Marlborough, Jenn is an independent consultant providing diversity, equity, and inclusion workshops for higher education and non-profit organizations. Her workshops focus on implicit bias, racial justice, multiraciality, and gender/sexuality inclusion. As a national presenter at conferences such as NASPA and the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, Jenn’s presentations include topics such as surviving toxic workplace environments and multiracial identity in higher education. As an alum of UCLA, Jenn participated as a host for Dinner for 12 Strangers, attended events hosted by the Bay Area and NYC Alumni networks, and served as an Outreach Chair for the Lambda Alumni Association.

  Mr. Wiener is a Partner, Managing Director and Head of Consulting & Business Development at Innovative Partnerships Group (IPG360), joining the firm less than one year into the company formation. Mr. Wiener oversees growth for the company, serving as a member of the Advisory Board and Executive Team with leadership duties across overall revenue, operations, strategic growth as well as leading property, brand and project-based consulting work including the overall sponsorship and naming rights division across domestic & international clients. Mr. Wiener manages a dynamic, high-performing team across the country and oversees the recruiting and hiring efforts for the firm. 

Prior to Innovative Partnerships Group, Mr. Wiener was a senior executive at Wasserman, responsible for long-term partnerships for the Fortune 500 and global rights holders.

His diverse experience and strategic approach provide a foundation to execute complex, non-traditional partnerships that are mutually beneficial for all parties, building a reputation for his creativity in deal making and delivering win-win-win agreements. 

Prior to Wasserman, Mr. Wiener worked for the San Diego Padres ownership group as a member of the Front Office holding multiple revenue positions, quickly working his way up through the organization holding the top sales position in the front office every year during his tenure in Major League Baseball. 

Mr. Wiener is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles Mr. Wiener is actively involved with his alma mater’s Alumni Association, Sports & Entertainment Network and serves as an executive member of the Milken Institute’s global Young Leaders Circle.

Rachel Salvo, MBA ’15, is a Director of Strategy and Business Planning at Warner Bros. Consumer Products. She currently leads the planning and strategic initiatives across the North America Products team, which includes overseeing and supporting the licensed category business and the owned and operated eCommerce platform. She works collaboratively with the international teams to ensure goals are aligned and efficiencies are shared.

She has been with WBCP since graduating in 2015 but prior to attending Anderson in 2013, Rachel worked at Ernst & Young in their Transfer Pricing practice as well as in Finance at Walt Disney Imagineering.

Rachel was born and raised in a suburb of LA, in La Canada Flintridge, and graduated from Haverford College (Haverford, PA) in 2010 where she was a volleyball athlete, majored in Economics and was pre-med. In addition to her professional experience, Rachel is a Haverford Athletics Leader (part of an athletics alumni group which helps lead initiatives to help the athletics department and current student-athletes), an alumni volunteer at Haverford College, as well as on the alumni board of her high school (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy).

Rafi Sands '18 is an MBA candidate at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he's exploring innovative ways to help communities better adapt to the challenges of the 21st-century, including climate change and economic insecurity. While not in class, Rafi works in Business Development with Pano AI, a wildfire technology company using cameras and AI to help communities better prepare for and respond to catastrophic wildfire events. Prior to Pano, Rafi was a consultant with Bain & Company, with experience supporting C-suite strategy and operations across a range of sectors including utilities, tech and media, and automotive. Rafi graduated summa cum laude from UCLA in 2018.

Kelsey Balance, SVP, Scripted for NBCU International Studios, oversees the Studio’s Scripted division in LA. She has been with International Studios for two years and has been the key executive in packaging and selling a number of shows, including Clickbait for Netflix, Lady Parts for Peacock, The Capture for Peacock, and Stateless for Netflix, as well as major development deals and creative on premium projects at SVODs such as Apple and Amazon. Together with the wider creative teams across the UK, US, Australia and Canada, Balance is charged with building on the company’s track record of creating premium scripted content with global appeal and with developing series with emerging and diverse voices.

Prior to joining International Studios, Balance was Head of Programming at NBCUniversal’s comedy streaming venture Seeso, where she had oversight of all originals, acquisitions and co-productions, including the critically acclaimed Flowers, Take My Wife and HarmonQuest.  Prior to NBCUniversal, Balance was at Participant Media where she worked on multi-award winning comedy (or critically acclaimed series) Please Like Me, (Emmy Award winning) Hitrecord ON TV, and Sky Atlantic's Fortitude. 

Lucy Tseng is a Life & Resilience Coach working with folks who are experiencing major changes, particularly athletes of all levels who are transitioning to life after sports. Additionally, she is part of the development team that raised $5.49 billion during The UCLA Centennial Campaign and focuses on raising funds for scholarships and student support.

With clients internationally, Lucy currently resides in Los Angeles, where she was born and raised. In 2012, she graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, Asian American Studies, and Education Studies. At UCLA as a student, she was involved with several campus organizations including UCLA UniCamp, Pediatric AIDS Coalition, and served as a Resident Assistant for the Office of Residential Life. In 2014, Lucy graduated from the University of San Francisco (Southern CA campus) with a Master’s Degree in Sport Management. Her master's thesis was focused on building a comprehensive life skills program that included development training for student-athletes.

Shortly after grad school, Lucy was recruited to work for Environmental Charter Schools (ECS), where she learned in great depth about the world of business development. After two years of being hands-on with almost every project at this growing charter school network, Lucy returned to her alma mater to contribute through the development team. To this day, she is a very active Bruin alumna and staff member. In July 2020, she was appointed as a Staff Advisor to the UC Board of Regents by President Janet Napolitano.

Lucy's breadth of experience has helped her discover her passion: being a resource to all people. More specifically, her purpose in life is to inspire and support others in finding, pursuing, and living their own passions and purpose.

Outside of working at UCLA and pursuing her passion as a Coach, Lucy is involved with several global and local nonprofit organizations including Rotary International (fighting human trafficking), NextLA (formerly known as Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce), and Delta SigmaPi International Business Fraternity. Lucy is passionate about living a lifestyle of natural healthcare and serves as a Wellness Advocate fordōTERRA, an essentials oils company. Lucy also enjoys staying active and spending time with loved ones, including her furry children named @Tunechi_Kobe.

Hannah Gordon is the Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of the San Francisco 49ers. Gordon is a Bay Area native who grew up in Oakland and attended Stanford for law school. She is a former board member of Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation, among other nonprofits. Named by NFL.com as one of the most influential women in football, Gordon advises on all legal issues involving both the football team and Levi’s® Stadium and leads the ESPN Humanitarian Team of the Year-winning community impact division which includes the 49ers Foundation’s co-ed youth football programs and STEAM education program which serve tens of thousands of Bay Area youth each year. Gordon is a Presidential Leadership Scholar, a Sports Business Journal Forty Under 40 and Game Changer, The Athletic NFL Forty Under 40, Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Forty Under 40, 100 Women of Influence, Corporate Counsel Diversity Champion, ICA Cristo Rey Leader in Mission, and PureWow’s 20 in ’20 list honoring 20 Up-and-Coming Leaders Working to Better Our World. She is the author of SZN of CHANGE: The Competitor’s Playbook for Joy on the Path to Victory that has been featured by Good Morning America.

Dr. Kristen Choi is a psychiatric nurse and Assistant Professor of Nursing and Public Health at UCLA. Dr. Choi studies health services and policy approaches to promoting mental health among children and adolescents. Her current research projects include studies on adverse childhood experiences, developmental disabilities, and the intersection of homelessness and mental illness. As both a clinician and a scientist, Dr. Choi maintains a clinical practice as a registered nurse at a safety net psychiatric hospital in Downtown Los Angeles. In addition to her role at UCLA, Dr. Choi is an Investigator with Kaiser Permanente Southern California and an Associate Director for the UCLA National Clinician Scholars Program. She was the first and only nurse included on the US 'Forbes 30 Under 30 Healthcare' list in 2020 and was recently inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Kal Penn is an actor, writer, producer, and former Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. He is known for his starring roles in Designated Survivor, House, Mira Nair’s The Namesake, the Harold & Kumar franchise, and the patriotic immigration sit-com Sunnyside which he co-created for NBC. 

From 2009 to 2011, Kal took a sabbatical from acting to serve in the Obama/Biden administration, where he served as the President’s Liaison to Young Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the Arts community. In these roles, he worked on a range of issues, including the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the Affordable Care Act, Pell Grants, arts and culture programs, the DREAM Act, and rapid response to the BP Oil Spill and earthquake in Haiti.

He was a national co-chair for the Obama/Biden re-election campaign in 2012 and served on the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities, focusing on arts education and cultural diplomacy, including the first-ever US Government arts delegation to Cuba. Penn has taught courses at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Los Angeles. Originally from New Jersey, he received his undergraduate degree in sociology, theater, film, and television at the University of California, Los Angeles, and received a graduate certificate in international security from Stanford University. He has been a term member at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Penn recently wrapped production on the CBS Drama, Clarice (based on Silence of the Lambs), and Freeform’s late night youth election format show Kal Penn Approves This Message. He currently stars in the animated Disney Junior series Mira, Royal Detective, is an Executive Producer on the Viacom/Paramount + comedy, Surina & Mel, and can be heard in Nickelodeon’s It’s Pony. 

His culinary competition series Money Hungry airs on Food Network. 

Kal’s first book You Can’t Be Serious released on November 2nd, 2021 from Simon and Schuster/Gallery Books. He also narrates the audiobook.

Matt Kaczmarek, Director, is head of sustainable investing and macro policy research for the global credit investment team at BlackRock. He also serves as a senior member of the firm's external affairs team and is co-chair of BlackRock's Los Angeles leadership team. He is a member of the firm's geopolitical risk and inclusion and diversity committees. Matt teaches public policy analysis as adjunct assistant professor of public service at NYU's Wagner School. He serves on the board of directors of the UCLA Alumni Association, the campaign board of the national LGBT Victory Fund, and is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Prior to joining BlackRock, Matt held senior appointments in the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama, including as senior advisor to the Deputy National Security Advisor for international economic policy in the White House. He served in the international finance division of the U.S. Treasury Department during the global financial crisis and later as Secretary of State John Kerry's White House liaison. Matt has managed or advised eight federal, state, and local candidate and issue campaigns, including as chief economic policy advisor to a leading presidential campaign in the 2020 cycle.

Matt received his BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was president of the University of California Student Association, and MA from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he was editor-in-chief of the SAIS Review of International Affairs.

Dr. Jasmine Talei is a California licensed Naturopathic Doctor. She completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Film Studies at UCLA and received her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University, California. Dr. Talei focused her clinical training on the skin-gut connection, autoimmune conditions, and mold-related illness. She has furthered her training in homeopathy, IV nutrient therapy, and craniosacral therapy. She currently also works with women and men to optimize their hormonal health and provides post-surgical naturopathic care. In alignment with her philosophy of treating the root cause, Dr. Talei understands the need for a holistic approach when it comes to achieving optimal health.

Bruin Success is hosted and produced by Christian Chavez '13.

Tim Gallati '10, MLIS '13 is a Cybrarian on the Virtual Library team at Oracle with responsibilities in data, user experience research, research services, and learning curation. Following his UCLA BA (’10) and MLIS (’13), Tim served in corporate, academic, and non-profit libraries. He also explored a career in Theological Librarianship and received a Master of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School (’18). He recently taught a course in “Community Data” at the UCLA iSchool and looks forward to connecting with the next generation of UCLA students.

Bruin Success is hosted and produced by Christian Chavez '13.

Jamal Madni, M.S. '08, '12 is Co-Founder & CEO of Ingage, a company intersecting artificial intelligence and human connection by developing a behavioral signal analytics videoconferencing platform to help individuals better read and react to the virtual boardroom, exam room and classroom. Before technology entrepreneurship, Jamal was Managing Director of Enterprise Technology Strategy for Boeing. In this capacity, he spearheaded the $100B company’s integrated research & development road mapping, internal boutique technology assessments and technical due diligence for corporate M&As. Prior roles at Boeing included program managing the RF integrated electronics payload suite for NISAR, which is the world’s most expensive Earth-imaging satellite. Furthermore, as a Boeing software engineer, Jamal architected and developed a machine learning system for “spacecraft disease diagnosis,” which was a variant of his thesis work in wireless health at UCLA.

For these efforts, Jamal has been nationally and internationally recognized by organizations such as the Ellis Island Honor Society, IEEE, SAE, SSPI, IET, and The Engineers’ Council. Passionate about organizational culture, Jamal founded the da Vinci Summit, named North America’s Employee Engagement Project of the Year in 2017. Finally, as a social entrepreneur, Jamal created a college application preparatory program, which has sent over 50 first-generation, low-income, underrepresented minority students to pursue STEM-based higher education. In addition to his double masters at UCLA, Jamal graduated with his master’s degree in management from Stanford Graduate School of Business as a Robert Joss Scholar.

Bruin Success is hosted and produced by Christian Chavez '13.

Liz Schneider '14 works on Google's real estate sustainability team, where she is currently the team's first-ever data manager. She helped create this role last year when it became clear that Google's ambitious new sustainability goals would require an unprecedented level of thoughtfulness around data management. In this new role, she's guiding the development of data systems that provide insight into all aspects of real estate sustainability, from renewable energy to water efficiency and waste tracking.

Prior to Google, she spent five years as a sustainability consultant, working with federal agencies and Fortune 500 companies to develop and implement strategies for sustainability and climate resilience. When Liz isn't working, she can usually be found outside, climbing rocks and enjoying the Southern California sunshine.

Bruin Success is hosted and produced by Christian Chavez '13.

Anthony Martore '16 is a Manager on the Business Diversity & Inclusion team at NIKE. In his current role, he leads an enterprise-wide initiative to expand NIKE's economic investment into diverse communities and diverse-owned businesses through the implementation of NIKE's first-ever global Supplier Diversity Program. Anthony hails from San Francisco, CA and is a first-generation American. He greatly enjoys international travel, and has visited over 40 countries to-date to continue his pursuit of learning from cultures, backgrounds and walks of life that vary from his own.

Bruin Success is hosted and produced by Christian Chavez '13.

Kate Pflueger ’11 is Manager of Asset Optimization Strategy at Netflix. After graduating in 2011 with a BA in Communications, Kate launched her career at Paramount Pictures in their Worldwide Marketing Partnerships group. In 2015, Kate began a new chapter of her career as a producer for Netflix where she worked with both international and domestic studios, as well as filmmakers to develop and optimize the imagery representing their content on the Netflix platform. She now leads a team focused on providing data-driven creative insights to producers, designers, and editors responsible for creating the rich visual promotional experience on the streaming platform.

Bruin Success is hosted and produced by Christian Chavez '13.

Brandon Dang '16 is responsible for user acquisition at Headspace - an app for meditation, mindfulness and mental health. He graduated UCLA in 2016 as an Economics major unsure of what career path he wanted to pursue. Digital marketing was a field that presented itself after he pursued an interest in tech and media. Brandon's young career has been a non-linear path that has always been inspired by a restlessness to continue exploring and learning.

Bruin Success is hosted and produced by Christian Chavez '13.

Sei Ishikawa '05 began his career in the global mobility industry over 15 years ago. After graduating from UCLA with double majors in Political Science and International Development Studies in 2005, he started his career as a US immigration specialist at an immigration law firm in Los Angeles, CA. While working at the firm, he developed a passion for HR, which led him to pursue an MBA in Strategic HR. He managed a full suite of People functions while working in wholesale in Los Angeles. Sei then relocated to New York in 2014 to join the mobility group at Fast Retailing, a public Japanese retail holding company for brands such as Uniqlo, Theory, and Hemut Lang. In 2016, he joined WeWork as Director of Global Mobility. During his first year, he created the global mobility policies and processes from scratch, aiding the company in its global expansion efforts. In 2020, he took on additional responsibilities to serve as a point of contact for all HR matters related to divestiture and franchise deals.

Bruin Success is hosted and produced by Christian Chavez '13.

When someone says “career,” you probably think of the classic ones like Doctor, Lawyer or Teacher, right? It makes sense yet so many career choices exist beyond the ones we may think of first.

Over the next 10 episodes, Bruin Success will be featuring UCLA alumni who are paving their way in careers you probably haven’t heard of. If you are familiar with the careers, you’ll be getting an even closer look at the roles and experiences to help demystify each field and industry.

We have a great lineup of alumni so subscribe to the podcast, connect with us on social media and help us get the word out as we explore 10 Careers You’ve Never Heard Of.

Bruin Success is hosted by Christian Chavez ’13, Associate Director for UCLA Alumni Career Engagement. In his role, Christian leads programs and initiatives that support the career and professional development needs of UCLA alumni and current students. In addition to managing his portfolio of programs and resources offered by the UCLA Alumni Association, he works with multiple campus partners at UCLA to bring professional development opportunities to UCLA communities on and off-campus.

The Alumni Career Engagement team provides resources, opportunities and events for Bruins at all stages of their careers through the help of faculty, staff, alumni, employers, and the UCLA community. 

Joshua Arce serves as the City of San Francisco's Director of Workforce Development following his appointment by Mayor London Breed in August 2018. In this role, Arce and his department support tens of thousands of unemployed residents and workers that have been displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic, working with community-based organizations, labor unions, and employers to prepare for San Francisco's economic recovery and advance employment equity for all community members.   Arce previously served in the administration of the late Mayor Ed Lee as the Director of CityBuild, San Francisco's landmark construction training program that has trained nearly 1,600 disadvantaged job seekers to become union construction apprentices since 2006. Prior to joining the City government, he spent 15 years as a civil rights attorney and labor representative for Laborers' Union Local 261, working with community members to improve employment, housing, and environmental conditions in low-income communities of color. In 2005, Arce founded civil rights non-profit Brightline Defense Project which advances sustainable communities strategies that promote job opportunities, clean energy, and affordable housing. Arce's career in public service began in 2012 with his work as the President of the San Francisco Commission on the Environment, and he currently chairs the Board of Directors of Mission Housing Development Corporation, one of the city's largest affordable housing non-profits. Arce and his wife Lisa Weissman-Ward, an Immigration Defense Attorney at the Stanford Law School Immigrants Rights Legal Clinic, live in San Francisco's Mission District with their two sons.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13, and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

Sudheer Doss, Ph.D., is responsible for creating the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s data and technology vision and strategy and for all patient data generated from PanCAN’s scientific and medical affairs initiatives. He oversees a team responsible for health data organization-wide at PanCAN. Doss previously worked as director of the precision medicine practice for Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC). For more than a decade, he led PwC consulting engagements to develop and execute precision medicine strategies for stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem. Doss’ educational background in science – specifically genomics and bioinformatics – and his professional experience in strategic and operational initiatives in precision medicine, make him a natural fit with PanCAN’s multitude of innovative scientific and clinical programs. Doss is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received a Ph.D. in human genetics and bioinformatics and a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and molecular genetics.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13, and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

Judge Kevin C. Brazile’s life reflects a series of firsts — he was the first in his family to graduate from college, first to graduate from law school, the first African American division chief of the General Litigation Division of the Los Angeles County Counsel, and the first African American presiding judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Judge Brazile entered UCLA as a transfer student, where he excelled graduating cum laude with a B.A. in political science. A double Bruin, he earned his Juris Doctor at the UCLA Law School. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Brazile was a civil trial attorney for the Los Angeles County Counsel’s Office from 1984-2002, where he handled personal injury, employment discrimination, dangerous condition of public property, and federal civil rights litigation. He has distinguished himself in government service and has argued cases before the Ninth Circuit and the California Courts of Appeal. He was the last member of the L.A. Office of the County Counsel to successfully argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court where he received a unanimous judgment in his favor.

Judge Brazile was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in December 2003. He holds the distinction of being elected by his peers to serve as the first African American presiding judge of the largest trial court system in the nation, where he has increased the diversity in the court’s leadership to reflect the city of Los Angeles. While a student at UCLA, he received support from other graduates, and now he serves as a mentor for other Bruins, repaying the kindness and guidance that was bestowed upon him. The Hon. Kevin C. Brazile is also the recipient of the 2020 UCLA Award for Public Service.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13, and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

Craig is the former chairman of the GSMA, the world’s largest trade association for the mobile industry, a position that he held for seven years. He is also former chairman of Carmel Ventures Asia, a leading venture capital company. Craig currently serves as the lead independent director of Bharti Airtel, the world’s fourth-largest telecom company, and has sat on public boards in Hong Kong, Israel, India, the Philippines, and the United States.

In the Philippines, Craig was vice-chairman of publicly listed ISM and formerly a board member of publicly listed PhilWeb, the country’s leading gaming company. He served as chairman of Taiwan’s largest cable television company, kbro. Craig is also chairman and co-founder of Novare Technologies Inc., an onshoring and outsourcing software development company, based in Hong Kong that serves clients around Asia. He is also chairman of GTI Beijing, a virtual open platform that advocates cooperation among global mobile operators. Craig currently serves on the board of Israel-based company Lumos Global which provides mobile electricity to customers in Africa.

Craig has been involved in Hong Kong’s communications industry since he first settled in Hong Kong in 1987. He joined Hutchison Cablevision as managing director in October 1987 and was a founding member of the team that launched STAR TV, Asia’s first satellite-delivered multichannel television network. After four years with Hutchison Whampoa, he became the group operations director at Hutchison Telecommunications and was responsible for the company’s operations in 10 countries.

In 1993, Craig left the Hutchison group and established companies involved in the introduction of cable television and paging services. He sold these companies in September 1996 and started Hong Kong mobile operator. SUNDAY Communications Ltd. in November 1996. Craig was formerly a board member of ECI (NASDAQ) Hutchison Telecom Group, Roamware, and ITU Telecom. He is also a member of UCLA/Peking University Joint Research Institute Advisory Committee and former board chair as well as a founding member of Center for Global Management at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. In 2015, Craig became a member of the UCLA Foundation Board and subsequently its Executive Committee. He established the Norma Ehrlich Scholarship Fund, which to date has helped 65 women attend UCLA, all from California public schools. He is also a former student body president at UCLA.

Craig holds a B.A. degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, a master’s degree from Occidental College, and a postgraduate fellowship with the Coro Foundation. He resided in Hong Kong for 29 years and now splits his time between Los Angeles and Hong Kong.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13, and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

Maximilian "Max" Barnes ’16 is the Communications Manager at the San Francisco Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) where he leads media + public relations, press around new housing developments, internal communications, and much more. He frequently writes speeches and prepares talking points for a number of local elected officials and Eric Shaw, director of the agency and a fellow Bruin. He was previously the agency's senior communications associate. Prior to the Mayor’s Office, he worked in communications for the San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure, focusing on development efforts in a few of San Francisco's neighborhoods, including Bayview/Hunters Point and Mission Bay. In addition to serving the people of San Francisco, Max dabbles in recreational softball, enjoys sparkling americanos, and walking his rescue dog, Nico. Max graduated in 2016 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in urban and regional planning from the Luskin School.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13 and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

As we all start a new year and reflect on all the change 2020 brought us, Bruin Success is here to support you in exploring, clarifying, and achieving new career goals you have in mind for the year. In this episode, our host Katie will share some career tips on self-reflection, resume gaps due to 2020, resume recommendations, interviewing tips for success, and networking. Remember to celebrate any and all wins you’ve gained over the last year, and kick-off 2021 in the right way by taking control of your career direction.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13 and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

Leslie Gilbert-Lurie is a lawyer, human rights and children’s rights advocate, author, philanthropist, and former television executive. She is also an active member of the DNC National Finance Committee and the Biden for President Southwest Finance Committee. 

Leslie is a member of the International Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch (HRW), where she is Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee. She is also the Past Co-Chair of HRW’s Los Angeles Committee and a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy. 

As a Founding Board Member and past Board Chair of the Alliance for Children’s Rights, Leslie has been instrumental in guiding a leading legal rights organization for abused, at-risk, and foster youth. In further advance of child welfare reform, Gilbert-Lurie served as the Vice-Chair of the Los Angeles Blue Ribbon Commission on Child Welfare, which led to widespread policy change in Los Angeles County. 

Leslie has worked to improve public education in a variety of settings. She is a member of the UCLA Foundation Board of Directors, and Chair of its Nominating and Governance Committee. She is a member of the Board of Advisors to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and the UCLA School of Law. As a student at UCLA, she was the Student Regent on the Board of Regents of the University of California. She also served for over a decade on the Los Angeles County Board of Education, and she was President of the Board for three terms. 

Gilbert-Lurie’s memoir, Bending Toward the Sun, published by Harper Collins, chronicles her mother's experience in the Holocaust and the intergenerational transmission of trauma. She has spoken in a variety of countries and across the US about the book, the Holocaust, and its implications for the world. 

Leslie spent her earlier career as a television executive at NBC, where she oversaw NBC Productions and the comedy division, co-wrote television episodes for Alf and Saved by the Bell, and co-founded an in-house production company, Lurie-Horwits Productions. She later consulted for USA Network and Disney Television. As a lawyer, Gilbert-Lurie worked at the law firm of Manatt, Phelps, Rothenberg and Tunney, and she served as a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Law Clerk for Judge Harry Pregerson.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13 and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

Araceli Almazan ’04, Senior Associate at Alvarez-Glassman & Colvin (AGC), represents municipal entities and public entity clients in all areas of civil litigation, handling both litigation and transactional matters. She currently serves as Deputy City Attorney for the cities of Commerce, Pico Rivera, Montebello, Lynwood, Huntington Park, Norwalk and Buena Park, and as Special Counsel for the City of Santa Ana.

Prior to joining AGC, Araceli represented employers in various areas of employment, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Araceli also worked for a healthcare litigation firm, where she represented major California healthcare providers.

She has taken on leadership roles with the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the California State Bar, and the American Bar Association. Araceli earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis. She also earned a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in public policy from Columbia University and a second master’s degree in public affairs with a concentration in Management from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Araceli is past president of the UCLA Alumni Southeast Network, active with the First Gen Alumni Network, a member of the Chancellor’s Society and currently serves on the UCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13 and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

John Arboleda ’96 has been based in Europe since 2004, and currently resides in Barcelona, Spain, where he serves as the Head of Primary & Secondary (K12) Education across EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) for Adobe. In his role John engages and collaborates with Adobe education teams, customers and partners to deliver growth in the education sector across EMEA.

Before Adobe, John’s experience spans a 20+ year career in international education and most recently served as the Director of Special Projects & Innovation at one of Europe’s leading design schools, Istituto Europeo di Design (IED). And, for several years he owned and operated a consultancy that applied human-centered innovation using service design focused on helping clients to develop a more user-centric approach. John has also held leadership roles at ESADE Business School (Spain), the University of California Office of the President, and Goethe University (Germany). John has served for two years as the Alumni Relations co-chair and planning committee member for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Europe Annual Conference, as a founding committee member for the ICARe alumni conference and was also co-chaired for the CASE International K12 Schools Advancement Conference.

John graduated from the Coro Fellowship in Leadership & Public Affairs, and is a UCLA first-gen, transfer and study abroad student that graduated cum laude with a degree in Latin American Studies. John serves on the UCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13 and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

Paco Retana ’87, M.S.W. ’90 has been serving the vulnerable youth and marginalized communities in Los Angeles for nearly 30 years. As a recognized mental health expert and vice president of programs at Wellnest (formerly Los Angeles Child Guidance Center), he is responsible for all clinical programs, including strategic planning, program evaluation and training in support of Wellnest’s mission to provide quality mental health services, promoting early intervention and ensuring 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 and educational institutions including First 5 LA, Watts Gang Task Force, Green Dot Public Schools and the Santa Ana Unified School District, 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 Gold Member of the Alumni Association.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13 and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

Cathy Choi is senior director of programs at The Eisner Foundation, overseeing the planning, strategic development and distribution of $7 million in annual grants. She develops grantee relationships during and after the grant-making process and works to build organizational sustainability among the foundation’s partners, promoting innovative practices and creative solutions to social justice challenges in Los Angeles and beyond. Cathy has more than 20 years of diverse professional experience in philanthropy and the nonprofit and public sectors. Before joining The Eisner Foundation, she was a program officer at the California Community Foundation (CCF), managing a number of special grant programs covering issues such as access to health care, arts education, youth programs and historic preservation.

In addition to her professional experience, Cathy’s volunteer service includes leadership roles with Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, Southern California Public Radio, Korean American Coalition, the Democratic National Convention (2000) and The Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification, Republic of Korea. 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. 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 member of the UCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors and a Gold Member.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13 and made possible by UCLA Alumni.

Vito A. Costanzo is a partner in the litigation section of the Los Angeles office of Holland & Knight, where he assists technology companies in protecting their intellectual property rights. Costanzo was formerly employed as a trial attorney by the Los Angeles County District Attorneys’ office. He is an active speaker and author and is the recipient of several client service awards, including the BTI Client Service All-Stars Award for the years 2014, 2016 and 2017.

Costanzo has a B.A. in economics from UCLA and a law degree from Loyola Law School. Costanzo is a Gold Member of the Alumni Association.

Bruin Success is hosted by Katie Russo, produced by Christian Chavez '13 and made possible by UCLA Alumni.