Pomona College Alumni Association Board Meeting Minutes
October 12, 2025 – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Pomona College, Hart Room, Smith Campus Center
Attendance
Committee Chair & Officers: Andrea Venezia ’91, Monika Moore ’03, Robi Ganguly ’00 -president elect (absent), Anne Elsberry ’91 P’14, Stuart Friedel ’08, Emily Zheng ’19, Jim Sutton ’84 P’22, Jackie Huffman ’83, Eliza Bennitt ’98
Board Members: Robert Chew ’14 (absent), Lauren Clarke ’83 P’18, Miguel Delgado ’20, Renee Dupont ’80 P’09, Fred Feller ’82, Rebecca Golden ’10 (absent), Tony King ’97, Toran Langford ’21, Te’auna Patterson ’18, Jesse Stoneman ’12, Jacob Wilson ’15, James Zhang ’95, Grace Zheng ’26
Alumni and Family Engagement Staff: Janncarlo Flores, Pritina Irvin, Mariam Khwajazada (absent), Jenny Kong
Special Guests: Andy Shaindlin (GG+A), Lisa Brown, Sophia Barron (Huron)
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 9:20 am by President Andrea Venezia ’91 without dissent.
Welcome, Scope and Framing: Andrea Venezia ’91
President Andrea Venezia ’91 opened the meeting by welcoming attendees and facilitating introductions, where each member shared a word representing their passion. She emphasized the meeting's purpose: to clarify the Alumni Board’s role and responsibilities in support of Pomona’s mission. Andrea also reviewed the agenda and highlighted that the retreat represents a new phase in aligning the Board’s purpose, structure, and culture.
The College Context for Volunteer Leadership: Maria Watson
Vice President for Advancement Maria Watson expressed appreciation to the Board and consulting partners from GG+A and Huron Consulting Group. She reflected on Saturday’s New Faculty Dinner, emphasizing connection, belonging, and the 'Life Cycle of a Sagehen'; from students in the nest to alumni who find their flock. Her desired outcomes included clarifying board roles and responsibilities, ensuring every member understands their 'why,' and creating a foundation of connection that supports Pomona’s shared governance and Campaign for the Future.
Lay of the Land: What We Heard: Huron Consultants Consultants
Andy Shaindlin (GG+A), Lisa, and Sophia Barron (Huron) presented pre-read takeaways and a landscape analysis. The session introduced a shift toward purpose-driven board leadership, emphasizing four principles: purpose-first thinking, equity mindset, community voice, and ecosystem awareness. Findings from stakeholder interviews revealed the need for clearer guiding principles, improved communication, and alignment between board expectations and college priorities.
Strengths and Gaps (Facilitated Exercise)
Board members participated in a group exercise to identify key strengths and gaps within the Alumni Board’s current structure and culture. Common strengths included strong alumni connections, active engagement opportunities, and the board’s commitment to service. Gaps included lack of clarity around committee structure, communication flow, and global alumni inclusion.
Defining AAB Success & Purpose in Alignment with College Priorities (Facilitated Exercise)
The Board reviewed the AAB and AFE missions to align strategic goals. Core goals included achieving steady growth in alumni engagement, advancing a culture of engagement on campus, engaging alumni in rewarding volunteer roles, becoming a data-informed board, and fostering an environment for campaign success. Andrea encouraged reflection on ownership versus influence in advancing these objectives.
Road Map to Shared Impact (Andy and Lisa)
GG+A & Huron consultants guided a working session to develop a roadmap to shared impact. Tables discussed and collaborated on 'How can we…' goal statements, including impact and measures of success for 2026 and beyond. Emerging themes included:
- Deepen alumni-student mentorship through structured volunteer roles.
- Strengthen communication pathways between the Board, staff, and faculty.
- Create shared data dashboards for tracking engagement. • Incorporate faculty storytelling into alumni programming.
- Measuring success beyond attendance, focusing on relational impact, and sense of belonging.
Wrap Up and Next Steps
Andrea Venezia summarized the weekend’s outcomes as clarity, alignment, and shared purpose. She thanked the Board for their dedication and thoughtful participation. Andrea emphasized continued collaboration toward purpose-driven engagement and confirmed follow-up actions with the consulting team. Key next steps included synthesis of findings by Huron, review of draft PCAAB Framework and Committee Alignment, and preparation for the January 2026 session.
Action Items:
- Huron to synthesize feedback and share a draft Alumni Board Framework by December.
- AFE Team to circulate summary notes and survey link for post-retreat feedback.
- Board members to review committee alignment and submit interest forms before January 2026.
- Andrea and Monika to collaborate with GG+A on agenda design for the January virtual meeting.
Meeting Adjourned
The meeting adjourned at 2:00 PM. Andrea thanked all participants for their collaboration, emphasizing the importance of sustaining momentum toward a purpose-driven, data-informed Alumni Board.
Next Meeting: Saturday, January 24, 2026 – Virtual Board Meeting
Key Dates: 2025 – 26
8/23/25 Alumni Board Meeting #1
10/11/25 Oct. Alumni Board Retreat: New Faculty Dinner (Faculty Award)
10/12/25 Alumni Board Meeting #2: Sunday* (on campus)
01/24/26 Alumni Board Meeting #3
03/21/26 Alumni Board Meeting #4
05/03/25 Alumni Board Meeting #5: Sunday* (on campus)
06/20/26 Alumni Board Meeting #6