Board of Directors 2009-10

Lori Pelliccioni’s career has taken her from the courthouse to the classroom. She received her juris doctorate in 1986 and worked as a litigation associate with Katten Muchin and Zavis. She moved on to the United States Attorney’s Office where she served as an assistant United States attorney prosecuting health care fraud cases. Since leaving government service, Pelliccioni has been a partner in PricewaterhouseCooper’s Health Care Practice, the chief compliance officer and acting general counsel for DaVita, Inc. and health care consultant and interim corporate counsel for Amgen, Inc. She currently serves as the acting general counsel and chief compliance officer for Simplex Healthcare, Inc.

At UCLA, Pelliccioni studied health law, examining regulatory compliance, health care fraud and abuse. She is currently an assistant professor in the School of Public Health.

Pelliccioni is the immediate past chair and the alumni regent designate of UC California for the UCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors, a member of the School of Public Health’s alumni board and a past president of the UCLA Health Policy and Management Alumni Association. She is also a member of the Delta Omega Society.

Upon graduation, Van Schultz received the Outstanding Bachelor of Science Candidate Award from the UCLA Engineering Alumni Association. After completing his Master of Science degree, he began his career in the petroleum industry working for Shell Oil in Ventura, Houston and New Orleans. He is currently the senior vice president, Strategic Development and Innovation, for Aera Energy LLC in Bakersfield, Calif.

An alumnus of Triangle Fraternity, Schultz has remained involved at UCLA. He served on a variety of committees at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and was president of the Engineering Alumni Association from 2004 to 2006. Schultz graduated from the Alumni Association Alumni Academy in 2001 and has participated on a number of Association committees since, most recently the Audit Committee. He completed two years as a director and one year as chair-elect on the UCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors before becoming the chair.

Schultz shares his Bruin pride with his wife, Susan ’75, and son, Stephen ’04, while daughter, Jennifer, graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2007 with a bachelor of architecture. The Schultz family enjoys following the Bruin football and basketball teams. They are members of the Chancellor’s Associates.

Noah Manduke has more than 25 years experience helping organizations optimize their branding, marketing and communications practices. After graduating from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in political science, he apprenticed directly with public relations pioneer Henry Rogers. Manduke then spent 13 years at ad agency Ogilvy & Mather and eight years at international branding firm Siegel & Gale, where he worked on global branding initiatives for organizations such as Technicolor, Lexus, Sony PlayStation, Mattel, Adobe, Microsoft and Yahoo! He was named president and chief operating officer of Siegel & Gale in 2005.

Manduke is now president of Durable Good, a branding firm that helps nonprofits and other social businesses leverage brand building disciplines to achieve performance goals. Durable Good’s clients include World Vision, Walt Disney Company, Participant Media (producer of An Inconvenient Truth), the Skoll Foundation and Half the Sky Foundation.

Manduke has been involved with numerous nonprofit organizations. He is a former national trustee for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society; was recruited by Arnold Schwarzenegger to assist with the rebranding of the After-School All-Stars Foundation when Schwarzenegger was its chairman; and is an advisor to eBay co-founder Jeff Skoll regarding Skoll’s philanthropic and media ventures.

Sally Kay graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in politi¬cal science. Following graduation, Kay worked for a number of years in the restaurant and retail industries, then spent more than six years with Cadence Design Systems, Inc. as a program manager in the research and development group, and a project manager in the legal department. She attended law school at Santa Clara University where she earned her J.D., cum laude, in 1999. She joined Cooley Godward Kronish LLP in 1999, where she currently is a partner in the corporate group. At Cooley Godward Kronish, Kay has a general business and corporate law practice, representing both emerging and public companies in a variety of matters including venture capital financings, public offerings and SEC report¬ing and compliance. She also represents investment banks and venture capitalists in a variety of equity transactions, including public offerings and private placements.

Currently, Kay lives and works in the San Francisco Bay area, and she continues to be involved in UCLA’s future. She has been active with Alumni Scholarships since 1994 and served as chair of the Scholarship Steering Committee from 2005 to 2008. In addition, Kay is a member of UCLA Women and Philanthropy and has served as the scholarship chair for Bay Area Bruins. Her commitment to students was demonstrated to an even greater level when she recently established an endowment for Alumni Scholarships.

After earning two UCLA degrees, Brian Maillian joined Salomon Brothers, and later became vice president of First Boston Corporation. He is founder and managing partner of Olympius Capital, L.P., special¬izing in hedge funds, real estate and private equity. He also is founder and chief executive officer of Whitestone Capital Group, Inc., where he specializes in global and private capital markets, and advising the U. S. government. He is managing director of Rideau Lyons & Co.

A mentor to the next generation of African American financial leaders, Maillian is active in the Sponsors for Educational Opportunities Program, which offers employment and mentoring opportunities on Wall Street to African American youth.

Maillian serves on the Board of Trustees of Continuum Health Part¬ners, Inc. in New York. He has served on boards of the National Urban League, Toyota Financial Savings Bank, National Association of Securi¬ties Professionals, New York Urban League and Bay Area Urban League. In 2008, Maillian was honored as a Distinguished Champion at the UCLA Academic Advancement Program’s 35th Anniversary Celebra¬tion. He received the Jackie Robinson Lifetime Achievement Award from the UCLA Black Alumni Association in 2007.

Since 1990, Ralph Amos has gained progressive experience in alumni relations and marketing communications. He has been a leader in alumni relations nationally and internationally. He is a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and has served on its Committee on Opportunity and Equity, Commission on Alumni Relations and the CASE International Board of Trustees.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Amos received his bachelor of arts in interna­tional studies from Ohio State University in 1986. He received a master of public administration from Ohio University in 2004 and is pursuing a doctorate in higher education administration at Ohio University.

After receiving her degree in dance from the School of Arts and Architecture and her education credential from UCLA, Susan Crockett enjoyed a rewarding career as an educator. Since then, she has spent more than a decade as an independent contractor and wardrobe consultant in the fashion industry.

Crockett is an active UCLA alumni volunteer, currently sharing district chair duties for the Alumni Association’s Freshman Scholarship Program with her husband, David J.D. ’69. She is also past chair of Alumni Academy and serves on the newly established Parents Council, the Chancellor’s Associates Orange County Advisory Committee and the Bruin Woods Advisory Committee.

Crockett’s older daughter, Molly, is a 2005 UCLA graduate, and her younger daughter, Cailin, will be a UCLA graduate in 2010.

Kristen Montet Lonner studied psychology at UCLA, and enjoys a successful career in real estate, serving as vice president of land use and planning at Cerrell Associates. She is an experienced land use planner and political strategist with an extensive career in the public sector working on a variety of development projects. In addition, Lonner is past area chair for the Association’s Ralph J. Bunche Scholarship and serves on the Scholarship Steering Committee. Lonner is past president of the 900-member Los Angeles County Young Democrats and a graduate of the Los Angeles Chamber’s Leadership L.A. program.

While earning her UCLA degree in sociology, Jennifer Poulakidas par­ticipated in various campus organizations including the Student Alumni Association, USAC and Mardi Gras Committee. After graduation, she earned a master’s degree in public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

After obtaining her master’s degree, Poulakidas became the legislative director for science and research issues for the University of California Office of Federal Government Relations in the Washington, D.C. During her 11 years with UC, she was engaged actively in the federal science and research advocacy community.

Currently, Poulakidas is vice president of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC) for Congressional and Governmental Affairs. She works closely with the leadership of NASULGC’s 215 member institutions to promote public higher education positions to Congress and the executive branch.

Poulakidas continues to give back to UCLA. She is a past president and current board member of the UCLA Club of Washington D.C., and she participates in the Bruin Caucus, Order of the Golden Bruin and Alumni Association events such as Dinners for 12 Strangers.

Todd Sargent is a senior manager at Hitachi Consulting, the global business and IT consulting company of Hitachi Ltd., where he leads the Southern California Organizational Transformational Strategy practice, which includes corporate strategy, change management, human capital management and organizational design solutions. After graduating from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in political science, he earned an M.B.A. in international business from George Washington University, where he served as graduate student president and director of full-time M.B.A. admissions.

Sargent is a graduate of the UCLA Alumni Academy, chair of Lambda Alumni, member of the Order of the Golden Bruin, past alumni representative for the Undergraduate Students Association Council, Alumni Scholar mentor and host for Dinners for 12 Strangers. He currently serves on the Alumni Association’s Strategic Planning and Review, Finance, and Technology committees and as a member of the Chancellor’s Circle.

Recipient of the 2007 National Volunteer of the Year for Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, Sargent is an advisor for the UCLA and CSUF chapters. He also is active in the community, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, Skid Row Housing Trust (Los Angeles), Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, StandUp for Kids and the Clinton Millennium Foundation.

Lawrence Carr completed his undergraduate degree in political science at Norfolk State University. He then joined the U.S. Army, serving as an officer in electronic warfare and computer information systems for 23 years. He retired from the military in 1992 as a lieutenant colonel. In 1976, he earned an M.B.A. in computers and information systems from the UCLA Anderson School, and began his second career by founding the JROTC and AVID/MESA Academy at Sacramento High School.

An active member of the Sacramento community, Carr served or continues to serve as a board member or past president of the EnterFund Microenterprise Loan Program, Environmental Council of Sacramento, 100 Black Men of Sacramento, InnerCity Housing Corporation, Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce, South County Neighborhood Accountability Board, Special District Advisory Committee to the Sacramento Local Area Formation Commission, Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization and Sacramento City Charter Review Commission. He is also a past president and current member of the Sacramento Area UCLA Alumni.

Carr’s passion is board governance. He consults with boards large and small on improving board focus and subsequent organizational performance. Currently, he is executive director of a business improvement district and an elected director of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, one of the largest public utilities in the nation.

Julie Croner is a health care executive who specializes in developing service lines, strategic partnerships and new models of care. Most recently, she was the vice president for strategic planning and business develop­ment at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, with responsibility for building community partnerships and developing a regional network for pediatric health care.

Croner received both her bachelor and master of public health degrees from the School of Public Health at UCLA. She began pursuing her career in health services at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital. Years later, she returned as a planning consultant for the UCLA Department of Neurology. Her focus became service line management and developing centers of excellence within the academic health center. In this capacity, she became the director of the Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, responsible for operations, strategic planning, business development and financial management.

For more than 15 years, Croner has devoted her time and expertise to graduate students through the UCLA Internship and Mentor programs within the department.

Michael Johnson is the senior vice president of member services for Auto Club of Southern California, where he has worked since 2001. Prior to that, Johnson worked primarily in the financial services sector, spending 16 years with First Interstate Bank and Wells Fargo Bank, where he served as senior vice president of marketing, at Opal Concepts as director of marketing and products, and at Western Financial Bank as executive vice president of marketing and operations.

Johnson dedicates his time to several civic affiliations, including the United Way of Orange County, where he serves on the board of directors. He served as the Alumni Association’s Marketing Committee chair from 2006 to 2008. He is also a member of the Chancellor’s Associates. As a student, Johnson held several leadership positions, including president of his fraternity, Chancellor’s Marshall and co-director of the Orientation program.

Ness Okonkwo earned her bachelor’s degree in economics/international area studies from UCLA and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Currently, Okonkwo is a vice president at Morgan Stanley Private Bank, where she provides banking and lending services for high net worth clients. Her previous professional experiences include positions in investment banking, com¬mercial mortgage-backed securities and leveraged finance.

Since graduating, Okonkwo has continued to give back to UCLA. She is a graduate of the UCLA Alumni Academy and, in addition to serving on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, she volunteers her time and expertise to Interview with a Bruin and the Dr. Ralph J. Bunche Freshman Scholarship Committee.

Martin Sklar graduated from UCLA in 1956. He majored in political science. He was editor of the Daily Bruin, a member of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and served in student government.

After graduation, Sklar joined Disneyland and created Vacationland magazine to publicize and market Disney. In 1961, he joined the Walt Disney Imagineering team, developing industry-sponsored shows and pavilions for General Electric, Ford, Pepsi-Cola/UNICEF and the State of Illinois. He worked with American industry to develop and sponsor attractions for Disney parks and resorts worldwide. He became Imag­ineering vice president, EPCOT in Florida in 1974, vice president of cre­ative development in 1979, and then executive vice president in 1982. He served as president and vice chairman from 1987 to 1996. Then he was named executive vice president and Imagineering ambassador, leading the Imagineering creative staff in delivering breakthrough entertainment concepts for Disney parks and resorts.

In 2005, Sklar served as one of three float judges for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade. He has been elected to two terms on the Anaheim City Board of Education and served as its president. Today, he is president of Ryman Arts, a foundation he co-founded 20 years ago with his wife, Leah, and four others, which has provided more than 2,500 scholarships to talented high school artists in Southern California.

Sklar was honored with the 2007 UCLA Award for Professional Achievement.

After graduating with a history degree, Alex Fay joined the office of Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl as a legislative and environmental deputy. He was responsible for managing office online com-munications and serving as lead staff advisor for environmental policy with an emphasis on protecting the coastal ecology of Santa Monica Bay. In June 2009, Fay joined the Los Angeles mayor’s Office of Economic Development to work on the Clean Tech LA project and help establish Los Angeles as a leader in the research, production and deployment of environmentally friendly technologies.

While an undergraduate, Fay was an Alumni Scholar and received the Gold Shield Alumnae Scholarship. He has remained involved with UCLA as a member of the Order of the Golden Bruin, the School of Public Affairs Undergraduate Program, and as vice chair of the 2008-09 Alumni Academy. He is also an active member of the UCLA Downtown Committee.

After earning his degree in economics and Latino American studies, Plinio Garcia worked briefly for the Brazil-California Trade Association. He next co-founded Chef Merito, Inc., a family-owned Hispanic specialty foods manufacturing firm based in Van Nuys, where he currently serves as president, CEO and director. Garcia is also a consultant for startup businesses.

As a student, Garcia was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and participated in the UCLA Studies Abroad Program to Sao Paulo, Brazil. As an alumnus, he was a co-founder of the UCLA Latino Alumni Asso¬ciation and Chef Merito Scholarship Fund. He continues to support the UCLA Latino Alumni Association. He has served on the UCLA Foundation Board of Counselors, Board of Governors and Board of Directors. In 2005, he received the UCLA Award for Community Service.

Plinio lives in Los Angeles and has two sons, Luke and Zachary.

After graduating from UCLA, Grace Ng pursued a career in accounting with firms such as Texaco and AIG SunAmerica. Ng is a senior manager in the IT business office at DirecTV, where she has worked in various finance and accounting capacities. Her areas of expertise include finance, accounting, auditing and management.

Ng was active as an undergraduate in the Student Accounting Society, Undergraduate Business Society and Mardi Gras Committee. She is a member of the Rose Bowl Bruins and an active volunteer on a number of different committees, including the Alumni Association Finance and UCLA Awards committees. She was chair of the UCLA Alumni Association Audit Committee for two terms.

After graduating from UCLA with a degree in history, Randall Schnack went to law school at Southwestern School of Law, earning his J.D. in 1986. He joined West Publishing, where he was responsible for negotiating, drafting and executing licensing agreements, and later became the senior attorney (section chief) for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Schnack is now the managing attorney for the United States District Court, where he presides over the legal unit responsible for all legal services provided to the federal bench, clerk’s office and federal bar.

In addition to his civil duties, Schnack is active in his community, volunteering for the Manhattan Beach Police Department, the Mira Costa High School Parent Teacher Association and the American Youth Soccer Organization. He also contributes time to the Junior International Badminton Tournament through the Manhattan Beach Badminton Club, the Manhattan Beach Arts Festival and the Manhattan Beach Park and Beach Clean-up Crew.

As a UCLA undergraduate, Schnack was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He is on the board of the South Bay Bruins and the regional chair of the Chancellor’s Associate Volunteer Committee. He participates in UCLA Alumni Association programs such as Dinners for 12 Strangers, Alumni Mentor Program, Bruin Woods and Freshman and Community College Transfer Scholarships.

Aris Tagle has held management and leadership roles in marketing, business development, strategic planning and technology in the Internet, consumer products, telecom, financial and advertising industries. He is currently senior analyst of global and Internet marketing at Herbalife In¬ternational, leading worldwide marketing analytics and project planning across digital, print and broadband media.

While at UCLA, Tagle was president of the UCLA Samahang Pili¬pino student advocacy group. He has since served on multiple nonprofit boards and managed numerous special events, fundraisers and communi¬ty service projects. Still active in the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association (PAA), he served as chair and led many alumni mentoring, scholarship and career networking programs, and community service projects includ¬ing the annual PAA Scholarship Fundraising Benefit and Distinguished Alumni of the Year Awards, which he co-founded in 2000. Tagle is a member and past board chair of FilAm ARTS, a nonprofit cultural arts organization that produces the annual Los Angeles Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture. He also participates in the UCLA Anderson School Riordan Fellows Program, Yale M.B.A. Alumni Admissions Commit¬tee, Staples Center Foundation and the ABC Unified School District Finance Advisory Committee in Cerritos, Calif., his hometown.

After receiving his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from UCLA, Tagle earned an M.B.A. from the Yale University School of Management.

Yolanda Nunn Gorman is president and chief executive officer of Brilliance Strategies, Inc. (formerly Nunn Consulting, Inc.), a full service management consulting firm dedicated to the needs of nonprofit agencies. She teaches workshops on proposal writing, evaluation, nonprofit board development, fundraising and nonprofit management. In addition, Gorman is core faculty and the director of a doctoral program in Organizational Consulting at Phillips Graduate Institute in Encino, Calif. Recipient of the Richard Riordan Award for Business Leadership, Gorman also serves as a proposal reviewer for the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Gorman is a graduate of the inaugural class of the Alumni Association’s Alumni Academy and past Association president and vice president. An active volunteer with multiple community, civic and cultural organizations, she has served as chair of the board of the California Association of Nonprofits and the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California and is currently the alumni regent on the UC Board of Regents.

Johana Fiserova is a fourth-year student with a double major in geogra¬phy and political science with a focus on international relations. Origi¬nally from the Czech Republic, she immigrated to San Diego with her family. She has been involved with the Student Alumni Association since her first year at UCLA. She also served as an alumni relations director for the office of the USAC president, student leader for the Office of Residential Life, camp counselor for UniCamp (UCLA’s official charity) and tutor for BruinCorps.

Fiserova’s interests include philanthropy and international development. She plans to pursue a career in development for nonprofit organizations addressing social issues.

Cinthia Flores is president of the Undergraduate Students Association Council, the first Hispanic student body president in UCLA’s history. She is a fifth-year student with a double major in political science and Chicano/a studies, specializing in labor and workplace studies.

Previously, Flores was chair of the Student Activities Center Board of Governors and undergraduate representative on the ASUCLA Board of Directors. She gained advocacy experience lobbying key local, state and national figures while serving as campus organizing director for the office of the USAC external vice president. In addition, she was a student worker, working with student groups and funding sources for the Program Activities Board in the Center for Student Programming.

Flores is an active participant in the UCLA community and the greater Los Angeles area.

Originally from Oxnard, Calif., Miguel Lopez completed his bachelor’s degree in 2004 at UC Santa Barbara. While there, he completed an am¬bitious research project and presented his findings at the annual conven¬tion of the American Sociological Association in Atlanta. He was elected student body president, serving as the official UCSB student representa¬tive for local, state and federal matters, and exercising his organization and managerial skills. He oversaw an operating budget in excess of $3 million and supervised the department staff. He also served on a number of campus boards and committees and volunteered with many commu¬nity organizations.

In 2005, Lopez moved to Los Angeles to pursue a graduate degree. After earning his master’s, he continued his research training in the doctoral program in higher education and organizational change. He has served as a teaching assistant in the Graduate School of Education Cesar E. Chavez Department of Chicana/o Studies. His research focus is access and equity, individual and interpersonal processes, and organizational behavior. His most recent work has centered on diversity, campus climate, and the experience of underrepresented students and faculty of color at American colleges and universities. At UCLA, Lopez served as presi¬dent of the Graduate Students Association in Education, vice chair of the Student Fee Advisory Committee, and member of the Education Executive Committee and the Executive Committee of the UC Council on Student Fees.

Betsy Wood Knapp, chair of the UCLA Foundation, has extensive man­agement experience as an entrepreneur and CEO/COO in the software, technology, publishing and digital media fields. She has founded several companies and is currently an angel investor through her company, Big­Picture Investors LLC. She is chair of the board of Kreido Biofuels, Inc., a Camarillo-based company with a patented chemical process technology.

At the UCLA Anderson School, Wood Knapp serves on the Board of Visitors. She established the Betsy Wood Knapp Chair in Innovation and Creativity, is a founder of Entrepreneur’s Hall and the Knapp New Venture Competition and currently is developing a conference on in­novation and creativity. Wood Knapp served on the UCLA Chancellor’s Campaign Cabinet raising more than $3 billion for Campaign UCLA. She continues to serve on the Chancellor’s Competitiveness Council.

A graduate of Wellesley College, Wood Knapp serves as a trustee and chairs the Development Committee. She has co-chaired the Wellesley Campaign for $400 million and served as chair of the National Develop­ment and Outreach Council.

Wood Knapp is a member of by-invitation organizations that promote women’s business leadership, outreach, and education: the Committee of 200, the Los Angeles Trusteeship, the International Women’s Forum, and Women Corporate Directors.

Robin Garrell is the vice provost for graduate education and dean of the graduate division at UCLA. She holds a biochemistry degree from Cornell and advanced degrees in macromolecular science and engineering from the University of Michigan. In 1991, she joined the faculty of the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. She was chair of the UCLA Academic Senate in 2009 and chair faculty of the College of Letters and Science from 2003 to 2007. She is PI/director of the UCLA NSF-IGERT materials creation training program and a member of the CNSI and biomedical engineering faculty. She is also a charter member of the NIH enabling bioanalytical and imaging technologies study section.

Garrell received the National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award, Herbert Newby McCoy Award for Outstanding Research at UCLA, Iota Sigma Pi Agnes Fay Morgan Award, Hanson-Dow Award for Teaching Excellence at UCLA, 2003 UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award and UCLA Gold Shield Faculty Prize in 2009. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an honorary fellow of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy.

Rhea Turteltaub was appointed Vice Chancellor, External Affairs at UCLA in March 2008.

As vice chancellor, Turtletaub oversees a diverse, yet integrated department comprising Development, Alumni Relations, University Communications & Public Affairs, Government & Community Relations and The UCLA Foundation.

Leading a team of nearly 500, Turtletaub is actively working with campus leadership on the preparations for the University's 100th anniversary celebration which include plans for a Centennial Campaign.

Turtletaub previously served as associate vice chancellor for Development with management responsibility for one of the most successful development programs of its kind. The campus has averaged more than $400 million in annual private support during the past three years.

Campaign UCLA, completed in 2005, generated a record-setting $3.052 billion.

Turtletaub began her UCLA career in the Office of Planned and Major Gifts. During the last 28 years, she served in varying capacities in annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, research, alumni and donor relations, regional development and campaign planning.

Prior to arriving at UCLA, Turtletaub held leadership positions at Otis College of Art and Design and The University of Chicago, as well as campaign positions at the University of California, Berkeley, and Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree in political science.

Turtletaub resides in Encino, California, with her husband, Adam, and their two young sons.

Dr. Gene Block became chancellor of UCLA in August 2007. As chief executive officer, he oversees all aspects of the university’s three-part mis­sion of education, research and service.

A biologist, Block holds UCLA faculty appointments in the David Gef­fen School of Medicine and the College of Letters and Science. He also leads a research lab funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Block previously served as vice president and provost of the University of Virginia. There, he headed an NIH graduate training program designed to increase the number of scientists from under­represented groups. He also received the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Outstanding Public Service Award for his work with Virginia’s business community.

A native of Monticello, N.Y., Block holds a bachelor’s degree in psychol­ogy from Stanford University and a master’s and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Oregon. He is a fellow of the American Associa­tion for the Advancement of Science.

The inventor of a number of devices, Block holds a patent for a non-contact respiratory monitor to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.