Pomona College announces the election of six new members to its Board of Trustees, which oversees the College’s leadership, planning and resources.
Betsy Atwater '79
Betsy Atwater has engaged in nonprofit board work for a variety of institutions, including the Guthrie Theater, Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, Breakthrough Collaborative, Public Radio International, and served as board chair of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and Graywolf Press. Atwater's board work has focused on governance, development and strategic support for the nonprofit's mission and its executive director.
During her time at Pomona, Atwater majored in history. She then earned a J.D. degree at NYU School of Law before moving to Minneapolis. A fourth-generation Californian, Atwater now lives in Santa Barbara. Her mother, uncle and two grandparents attended Pomona College.
Nathan Dean ’10
A forensic accountant in FTI Consulting’s Los Angeles office, Nathan Dean focuses on understanding companies and their internal and external records, including financial and non-financial records. He advises outside counsel on damages and accounting issues in commercial litigations and advises entities with their sustainability/ESG reporting.
For the last three years, Dean served as the national chair of Annual Giving at Pomona College. A biology major at Pomona, he went on to earn a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern California and is a certified public accountant. His wife, Ty Hollingsworth ’07, is also a Pomona alumna. They live in Santa Monica, Calif., with their two young sons.
Johny Ek Aban ’19
As investment associate at Architect Capital in San Francisco, Johny Ek Aban works with start-ups across the world, but particularly in Latin America, to provide debt funding at early stages of a company’s life. He enjoys working with entrepreneurs and start-up hubs that reach beyond Silicon Valley and applying his liberal arts education to underwrite companies and structure creative deals.
Ek Aban also serves on the Young Leaders Board for Next Generation Scholars, a nonprofit college access program in Marin County that coached him on his journey to be the first in his family to graduate from college and enter the corporate workforce.
An economics major, Ek Aban was very active during his time at Pomona serving on the President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity (PAC-D), was a leader for FLI Scholars and worked with the College’s leadership to improve the experience of first-generation, low-income students at Pomona.
Carlos Garcia ’73
Carlos Garcia has had a long career in marketing research with a focus on the Latino market. He currently serves as the CEO of Garcia Research, a market research firm of 90 employees based in Palm Desert, Calif.
A foreign languages major at Pomona College, Garcia appeared in some of Professor Leonard Pronko's Kabuki productions. His senior year production was one of 10 shows featured by the American College Theater Festival at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
After Pomona, he earned an M.A. from UC Berkeley in comparative literature, an MBA from National University in San Diego and studied medieval theater and French literature at the Sorbonne III. While at Berkeley, he earned a Ford Foundation Fellowship for Mexican Americans. Garcia and his husband live in Palm Desert, Calif., where they are both active in local politics.
Erika H. James ’91
Pomona College alumna Erika James became the dean of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2020. Trained as an organizational psychologist, James is a leading expert on crisis leadership, workplace diversity and management strategy. Prior to her appointment at Wharton, she was the John H. Harland Dean at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
An award-winning educator, accomplished consultant and innovative researcher, she has paved the way for women in leadership both in education and corporate America. She serves on the boards of Morgan Stanley and The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. She is a sought-after thought leader whose expertise has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, Bloomberg, The Washington Post and numerous other media outlets.
Steve Olson P’23 ’26
Steve Olson is partner in the Los Angeles office of O’Melveny & Myers LLP and co-chair of the firm’s white collar defense and corporate investigations practice. He also advises non-U.S. headquartered companies on investing and operating in the U.S. and navigating the regulatory and political environment. In 2021, Olson served as interim general counsel and chief legal officer for Hyundai and Genesis Motor America.
Olsen currently serves as chair of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) and the World Trade Center Los Angeles. He also serves on the board of the Public Policy Institute of California and the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation. Olson and his wife Liz chair Pomona College’s Family Leadership Council.
Christina Tong ’17
Christina Tong is a product management and LGBTQ+ nonprofit leader. She joins Pomona as national chair for annual giving, an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees.
Currently, she is a senior product manager at Google Maps, leading a team responsible for the user experience and growth of products including Immersive View, Street View, Live View, and the look and feel of the Google Maps mobile apps. Her work has been featured in leading tech publications like The Verge, TechCrunch, Engadget and VentureBeat, and she has Augmented Reality research patents.
Tong also brings her product leadership to LGBTQ+ nonprofits. She is the chair of the board at InReach, the world’s first tech platform connecting LGBTQ+ people in need with verified, safe resources like therapists and lawyers.
The new trustees begin their terms July 1, 2023, except for Erika H. James, who is deferring the start of her service to July 1, 2024.
Seven current trustees will complete their terms June 30, 2023 and then shift to emeriti status. They are Alison Rempel Brown '80, Jean Moran Kaplan '83, Nathaniel "Nate" Kirtman III '92, Margaret G. Lodise '85, R. Carlton Seaver, Michael S. Segal '79 and Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran '69.
About Pomona College
Pomona College is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading liberal arts colleges, offering an ideal environment for intellectually curious students to pursue their academic and life goals. Established in 1887, the College is in Claremont, Calif., about 35 miles east of Los Angeles.
Pomona holds a unique role in creating opportunity in American higher education and is committed to enrolling the best students regardless of financial circumstances. To that end, Pomona College is one of a small group of colleges committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of all students who enroll.