Pomona College Alumni Association Board Meeting Minutes
May 4, 2025 – 10 a.m. to Noon | Seaver House
Officer & Committee Chair Attendees: Andrea Venezia '91, Monika Moore '03, Stuart Friedel '08, Robi Ganguly '00, Emily Zheng '19, Nina Zhou '19
Board Members in Attendance: Soren Austenfeld '15, Eliza Bennitt '98, Michael Bright '10, Miguel Delgado-Garcia '20, Renee Dupont '80, Anne Elsberry '91, Jackie Huffman '83, Anthony King '97, Toran Langford '21, Te'auna Patterson '18, Jim Sutton '84 P'22, James Zhang '95
Staff and Faculty Representatives: Tray Hammond '22, Pritina Irvin, Mariam Khwajazada, Kerry Martin
Guests Attendees: Maria Watson
Excused Absences: Lauren Clarke '83, Joshua Rodriguez '13, Ken Wolf (Faculty Representative)
Quorum: The quorum for a meeting of the Board shall be a majority of the voting members. Therefore, this meeting had the necessary number of voting members (18) in attendance for a quorum.
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 10:00am by President Andrea Venezia '91.
Prior Meeting Minutes: from 3.15.25 were distributed to the Board for review.
Absent any questions, comments or corrections, Stuart Friedel '08 motioned to approve the minutes. Anne Elsberry '91 seconded the motion. Minutes approved without dissent; motion passed.
President's Remarks: Andrea Venezia '91 welcomed the Alumni Board members to the meeting and thanked them for their volunteer participation at the many events of Alumni Weekend 2025.
Leadership Development Committee Updates: Alfredo Romero '91 emphasized that diversity (including majors, industries, geographies, and demographics) is important when selecting incoming board members.
The following candidates were interviewed and selected to join the board:
- Robert Chew '14
- Fred Feller '71
- Rebecca Golden '10
- Jessica Stoneman '12
- Jacob Wilson '15
The motion to approve the slate of new board members was made by Andrea Venezia '91 and seconded by Robi Ganguly '00. The motion was approved unanimously by the board.
President-Elect: The PCAAB unanimously nominated Robi Ganguly '00 as President-Elect. Board members cited Robi's passion, deep connections with the College community, commitment to the mission, and skill in navigating challenging conversations with respect and optimism. Robi's nomination was praised as an opportunity to continue strategic work already underway and to support the alignment of the board's efforts with the college's long-term goals.
PCAAB Shared Vision and Alignment Planning: The board reaffirmed the importance of strategic planning, supported by the College, with the aim of clarifying the alumni association's mission, operational structure, and impact.
Emphasis was placed on the board's advisory (not governance) function, and the need to clarify what decisions it can influence versus what lies within administrative or trustee jurisdiction.
The strategic planning process aligns with a broader shared governance initiative underway at the college. This effort aims to define the roles and responsibilities of various governing bodies, including faculty, staff, the Alumni Association, and the Board of Trustees.
An external facilitator will be engaged to guide the planning process, ensuring neutrality and structured progress. One goal is to formalize the Alumni Board's mandate, giving it recognizable scope, influence, and ownership.
A timeline was discussed for this work:
Summer: Information Gathering
- Consultant and board members start contextual research and planning over the summer with the caveat that an in-person board gathering in summer is unlikely due to availability.
Fall (October): Dedicated Retreat
- Leverage already-planned gathering for the in-person retreat.
- Consultant should use summer to understand institutional history and context beforehand.
Winter–Spring: Sequenced Work
- Continue the process remotely between fall and spring with structured touchpoints.
- Aim to deliver something concrete by February, such as language, outcomes, or next steps.
Spring (Alumni Weekend): Reveal
- Final presentation or engagement moment during Alumni Weekend to share progress or results.
PCAAB Member Retirements: Deep appreciation and gratitude were shared for Soren Austenfeld '15, Michael Bright '10, Josh Rodriguez '13, and Nina Zhou '19 whose terms have ended. Soren, Michael, and Nina all expressed gratitude for the opportunity to connect with the College and the alumni board.
Alumni Weekend Debrief:
- Kudos: Praise was given to the staff and leadership for a joyful event filled with a sense of belonging. It was noted that last year's feedback was clearly heard and applied in this year's planning.
- Event App: Improvements for the app were discussed such as jumping to the current day's schedule and organizing attendees by class year. There was acknowledgment that the app is designed for attendee experience rather than volunteer roles.
- Volunteer Roles: The volunteer assignments spreadsheet was well organized and it was decided to continue to share these via Google Docs. All agreed that board members should own events like Taste of Pomona where they have clarity on their roles. It was determined that remarks are not necessary during the Taste of Pomona event. A suggestion was made to train front of house issue with staff.
- Parade of Classes: Encouraging alumni to participate, particularly the younger reunion classes. Suggestions were made for classes to wear a particular item (e.g., funky hat)
- Suggestions for Alumni Weekend 2026: Enhance board presence and outreach, improve app usability (event descriptions, filtering, live time updates), engage younger alums more actively.
Cookbook Project: Gratitude was expressed to Maria Watson and Crystal Gammon, Assistant Vice President, Advancement Communications, for their leadership on this project. Although this is primarily a volunteer-driven alumni board project, a request was made for a recipe submission portal to be provided by the College.
The selection committee is forming with Jim Sutton '84 P'22 taking the lead. It was noted that Victoria Sancho-Lobis of the Benton Museum is excited to collaborate on this project and that opportunities for student group involvement are being explored.
New Business & Action Items: Monika Moore '03 and Maria Watson provided an update on the status of the Oldenborg Center:
- The Oldenborg Center will be replaced by a newly constructed Center for Global Engagement (CGE), a state-of-the-art residence hall and program space.
- The CGE will retain key features of Oldenborg, including language tables and global programming, while expanding its capacity and functionality.
- The project involves two buildings totaling 115,000 square feet.
- The Board of Trustees has been engaged in ongoing design and development reviews, with an additional evaluation and sign-off anticipated this fall.
- Construction is targeted to begin in Summer 2026, following demolition, with a projected two-year build timeline aiming for completion by May 2028.
- The building is being designed with community, memory, and student experience at its heart.
Adjournment: Having no further business being brought to the Board, the President Andrea Venezia '91 adjourned the meeting at 12:04pm.
Next Alumni Board Meeting: Saturday, June 21, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. PT on Zoom
Key Dates: 2024 - 25
7/27/24 New Member Onboarding
8/10/24 Alumni Board Meeting #1
8/17/24 New Student / Family Orientation
10/18/24 Oct. Alumni Board Retreat: Senior Class/AB Mixer
10/19/24 Oct. Alumni Board Retreat: New Faculty Dinner (Faculty Award)
10/19/24 Alumni Board Meeting #2 (Hybrid)
11/1/24 Family Weekend 2024
12/7/24 Alumni Board Meeting #3
3/15/25 Alumni Board Meeting #4
5/1 – 5/4/25 Alumni Weekend 2025
5/4/25 Alumni Board Meeting #5
6/21/25 Alumni Board Meeting #6