Alumni Association Board Meeting Minutes 6/25/22

Pomona College Alumni Association Board Meeting Minutes

June 25, 2022 – 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Zoom Meeting

Members In Attendance: Aldair Arriola-Gomez ’17, Andrew Brown ’77, Alisa Fishbach, Paula Gonzalez ’95, Marcel Green ’90, Terril Jones ’80, Carol Kruse ’84, Jeff Levere ’12, Megan Kaes Long ’08, Linda Luisi ’81, Jim McCallum ’70, Vicki Paterno ’75 P’07, Lew Phelps ’68, Amy Van Buren Rhodes ’07, Alfredo Romero ’91, Julie Siebel ’84, Don Swan ’15, Dominic Yoong ’88

Board Members absent: Paola Franco ’17, Andrea Ravich ’06, Veronica Roman ’95, Andrea Venezia ’91

Board Members-Elect present: Michael Bright ’10, Robi Ganguly ’00, Jason Howie ’03, Josh Rodriguez ’13, Nina Zhou ’19

Board Members-Elect absent: Soren Austenfeld ’15

Special Guests: President G. Gabrielle Starr, Maria Watson, VP Advancement, Dave Wallace, Chief Investment Officer, Rodger Devine, AVP Advancement Operations, Shahan Sanossian, AVP, Adv. Comms & Events

Staff present: Pritina Irvin, Mariam Khwajazada, Kerry Martin, Dena Negrete, Lucy Takahashi

Call-to-Order and Welcome: President Don Swan ’15 called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. and invited new members to introduce themselves.

President's Report & General Updates: Don Swan ’15 updated the board on the most recent Trustee discussions. He shared with the board that Professor Yuqing Melanie Wu, Science Department Chair, has been named the new Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, as of July 1, 2022. He also shared that Princeton Review ranked Pomona College among the top 5 colleges for best Financial Aid; that 3 National Championship titles were won last year by PP Athletics; and reminded the board of the Fall opening of the new Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness (CARW). Lastly, Don shared a special note of appreciation for the Alumni Board members whose terms have come to an end: Terril Jones ’80, Andrea Ravich ’06 and Jim McCallum ’70.

Project Update: All-Alumni Attitudinal Survey: Special Guest Rodger Devine, AVP Advancement Operations provided updates to the Board regarding the Alumni Attitudinal Survey, its strategic overview and the timeline of the project. Rodger shared that next steps of this project will include an opportunity for the Alumni Board to review and test, then promote the survey. A special presentation of survey findings will be scheduled with the Alumni Board this Fall.

Special Presentation: The Pomona College Endowment: Special Guests Maria Watson, VP Advancement and Dave Wallace, Chief Investment Officer shared their appreciation for the opportunity to speak to the board about the College’s endowment. Dave gave an overview of the endowment — explaining what it is and its core components. He also explained the Endowment Spend Rate, and a general overview of how the endowment fund works. Maria gave the Board an overview of the College’s operating budget (funded by the endowment), how it breaks down: Fin. Aid, Tuition, operating expenses, salaries, etc. After discussion, Maria and Dave confirmed that follow up materials, including an “Endowment Q&A”, will be provided to the Alumni Board for their use in engaging with alumni on the topic of the endowment.

Committees End-of-Year Reports:

1. Development Committee: Megan Long ’08, Committee Chair, gave a last call for gifts to round out the fiscal year. Megan discussed the appeals, micro-campaigns, and stewardship programs that the committee worked on with the Annual Giving team during the last year. She offered thanks and appreciation to the entire board for their hard work, in support of the Development Committee. For the coming year, Megan shared possible goals for the committee for the coming year: input regarding messaging around giving, focusing on encouraging alums to give, and making sure that meaningful appreciation is conveyed to alumni donors. Lastly, Megan announced that Dominic Yoong ’88 will be the new Chair of the Development Committee in FY22.
2. Alumni Engagement Committee: Paula Gonzalez ’95, Committee Chair, thanked those AB members who will be rolling off the board for their service and commitment to Pomona College. She shared with the board a report on the committee’s engagement efforts this past fiscal year and announced the creation and roll-out of the Alumni Engagement Committee Charter and Mission Statement.
3. Regional Chapters Committee: Linda Luisi ’81 shared general information regarding the Summer Welcome Parties and their locations, encouraging Board and RCC members to attend. Andrew Brown ’77 shared with the board that the RCC is working on updating the committee’s Mission Statement and Regional Chapters Handbook. He also shared that the committee is focusing on their messaging, encouraging more Regional Chapters to hold more events throughout the year. Julie Siebel ’84, Committee Chair, shared that 2-3 events are the norm right now, and the committee is hoping to increase this number of scheduled events by:
   1. Improving communication between the College, A&FE and Regional Chapters
   2. Actively recruiting to increase regional chapter volunteers
   3. Taking a deeper dive into the Regional Alumni Survey
   4. Assist A&FE to meet with other alums in other areas to increase interest in new chapters and events

President-Elect's Report: President-Elect Alfredo Romero ’91 encouraged those alumni board members whose terms are ending to continue to participate and engage with events/activities. Alfredo announced the new Chairs of each Committee for the coming ’22-’23 year and shared his vision and commitment to continuing the work needed to accomplish the goals shared by all the committees, in support of the College. New Committee chairs are:

• Development Committee: Dominic Yoong ’88
• Engagement Committee: Andrea Ravich ’91
• Regional Chapters Committee: Julie Siebel ’84

Special Guest Remarks and Conversation: President Gabi Starr joined the Board meeting to express her gratitude for the work of the Alumni Board during the past year. She acknowledged those members whose terms are concluding and welcomed the new members who will be joining the Board for ’22-’23. Conversation and discussion continued.

Adjournment: Don Swan ’15 adjourned the meeting at 1 p.m.