UC San Diego Alumni Announces New Board (2024)

Story by:

• Diane Distefano - ddistefano@ucsd.edu

Media contact:

• Natalee Ellars - nellars@ucsd.edu

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The UC San Diego Alumni Association has welcomed a new slate of executive officers and directors to its ranks, led by incoming board president Melody Gonzales ’02.

First formed by a group of graduates in 1974, today’s Alumni Board of Directors consists of 28 dedicated volunteer alumni, representing five decades of graduating classes. The Directors come from a wide variety of fields and majors, each bringing their own unique perspectives and expertise to the collective whole.

“We are excited to have Melody Gonzales as the new Alumni Board President,” said Natalee Ellars, Senior Executive Director, Alumni Engagement. “Our alumni community has a powerful voice and represents a vast, untapped resource of advocacy and support for UC San Diego. With Melody’s leadership and the support of our new and returning directors, the board is well-positioned to drive progress and make a meaningful impact."

As it embarks on its new term, the Alumni Board is excited to engage the UC San Diego community in shaping the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center; due to open in 2026, this vibrant campus hub will be a place for Tritons to connect, inspire and leave their mark. The new board also looks forward to cheering on our Division I Scholar-athletes and are proud to support the university's bold pursuit of Hispanic Serving Institution designation — initiatives that embody the audacious Triton spirit — and they encourage all alumni to join them in writing the next chapter of the UC San Diego story.

Board President
Melody Gonzales ’02

Warren College |Communication

Melody Gonzales is a current Biden-Harris Administration appointee serving as Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Equity, Educational Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. A creative, impact-oriented, bilingual professional, Gonzales has worked for two decades in strategically advancing innovative policy, public engagement, programmatic and process improvements within local and national organizations. She is the Founder of Hope and Power Strategies, an executive leadership and career coaching business to bolster leaders’ capacity, resiliency, impact and ability to thrive.

Director
Samantha Begovich ’91

Muir College | Political Science

After graduating from Stanford Law School in 1994, Samantha Begovich has enjoyed a 30-year career as litigation and appellate counsel in San Diego and Washington, D.C. After her retirement as a U.S. Immigration Judge, she founded a global litigation law firm and was appointed as Full Counsel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in 2024. Begovich grew up in a military family in Okinawa, Germany, and throughout the United States, attended public schools and began her college career at San Diego Mesa Community College. She is passionate about highlighting and expanding the compelling role that public education plays in equalizing opportunity among first generation college students and students from impoverished backgrounds.

Director
Coleen Clementson ’88

Muir College |Urban Studies and Planning

Coleen Clementson is the Immediate Past Chief Executive Officer of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) — the leading research, planning and transportation agency for the San Diego region. During her tenure as CEO, she oversaw the agency’s priority projects including implementation of a transformational transportation plan for the region, development of a third international border crossing and creation of a central mobility hub with a direct connection to the San Diego International Airport. She is a regular Urban Studies and Planning guest lecturer at UC San Diego. In 2019, she was awarded the inaugural UC San Diego Urban Studies and Planning Alumni of the Year. In 2023, she was inducted as a UC San Diego Alumni Award honoree.

Director
Michael Lumpkin ’86

Revelle College |Anthropology

Michael Lumpkin is the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Chief of Staff. He has a long history of public service, including 21 years active-duty service in the U.S. Navy, where he qualified as both a Surface Warfare officer and Navy SEAL. For his service during combat and peacetime, Lumpkin has been honored with more than 40 awards and citations. He has also held senior executive positions in both the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs. He has been awarded DOD medals for Distinguished Public Service, Secretary of Defense medals for Outstanding Public Service and the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence.

Director
Jocelyn Portales ’14

Roosevelt College|Political Science

Jocelyn A. Portales is an Associate Attorney at Goldfarb & Lipman, handling a variety of both transactional and public agency affordable housing and real estate transaction matters. Portales represents numerous public agencies and nonprofit housing developers in all aspects of affordable housing projects, including the development, financing and management of affordable housing projects and programs. Portales is a former president of the Community Law Project, encouraging students to become lawyers. She serves on board committees for the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center and Student Engagement.

Director
Noorjit Sidhu ’14

Roosevelt College|International Studies

Noorjit Sidhu is an Impact Investor at Social Finance and Adjunct Professor at UC Berkeley and Saint Mary’s. Previously, he spent eight years as an institutional venture capital & private equity investor, investing in over two dozen startups with a concentration in education, workforce, healthcare, climate and AI. Sidhu started his career in law working for organizations like The World Bank and holds a J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School. He serves on board committees for the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center and Philanthropy.

Director
Teresa Stivers ’90

Warren College|Communication

Teresa Stivers is the CEO of Walden Family Services, a pioneer in foster care and adoption services, and the second largest provider in Southern California. Her commitment to foster children in San Diego County has helped launch and establish many signature programs, including the Guardian Scholars Program and Mary’s House, a transitional living program for former foster youth. In 2022 and 2023, Stivers was named an API Leader of Influence by the San Diego Business Journal. She sits on the Scholarship Committee for UC San Diego’s Asian Pacific Islander Alumni Council, is a board member for the Asian Business Association Foundation and co-founded the Women’s Leadership Council.

Director
Larry Stullich ’96, MS ’00

Warren College and Jacobs School of Engineering|Electrical Engineering

Larry Stullich is a Director of Engineering with Northrop Grumman Mission Systems Sector and the Corporate Executive Sponsor for UC San Diego. He is responsible for ensuring successful programs and careers by providing the engineering oversight, talent development, career management, process control, design vision and engineering tools that are required to be best-in-class now, and in the future. Stullich holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from George Mason University. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Larry proudly served in the U.S. Navy onboard a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine.

Ex-Officio Faculty Representative
Brookie Best ’94, MAS ’07

Revelle College |Chemistry, Advanced Studies in Clinical Research

Brookie Best is the Dean of the University of California San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS) and a professor of clinical pharmacy and pediatrics. She is a renowned expert in dosing, efficacy and safety of medication use during pregnancy, lactation and childhood, called perinatal and pediatric clinical pharmacology. As an educator, Best is passionate about training the next generation of leaders in pharmacy. She has been named Professor of the Year by the Associated Students numerous times and received UC San Diego’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Academic Senate Members.

Learn more about the board and view the full slate of executive officers here. To discover the many ways alumni can stay connected to their campus and the greater Triton community, visit the UC San Diego Alumni website.

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