What motivated you to take on this leadership role?
In 2019, I was invited to a Welcome ReSCeption by the East Bay USC Alumni Club. I hadn’t been involved before, but everyone was so welcoming that I decided it was time to embrace my USC roots and get connected. When football season came around, I asked in the USC Alumni East Bay Facebook group if anyone planned to host the game watches. A long‑time supporter replied, “Why don’t you do it?” I’m a shy introvert and had never done anything like that before — but in the spirit of Roger De Bris from The Producers, I thought, “I’ll do it!”

By my third year of hosting, I realized alumni were hungry for a deeper connection. So in 2024, I expanded our gatherings to include “Friday Eve” happy hours and naturalist‑led hikes in the local regional parks. Organizing these events genuinely brought me joy — I loved seeing Trojans meet, connect, and become instant friends.

My goal is to offer at least one event every month — creating more opportunities for Trojans to meet, reconnect and strengthen our East Bay community.

What are you most looking forward to as Co-Chair?
I feel that stepping into the co‑chair role gives me added credibility and the visibility needed to bring even more alumni together. That’s what drives me — strengthening the East Bay Trojan Family. I want to offer a wide range of activities so there’s something for everyone, and with the support of the Regional Network, there will be others to collaborate with, exchange ideas and help make it all happen.

What’s something about you that others might not know?
I used to work weekends at the Renaissance Faire when it was in Novato. One year, I won the costume competition, the first peasant to ever do so.

What does USC mean to you, and what do you hope to achieve as network co-chair?
USC means tradition and family to me. Even though USC is a large university, it offered the kind of supportive and nurturing atmosphere you might expect from a much smaller school. I want to help carry that spirit forward for alumni long after graduation.

I also feel deeply connected to my father’s legacy. He attended USC on the GI Bill after World War II, became a CPA and eventually led his own firm. We had season tickets to football games, so I grew up a Trojan from the very beginning — there was never any question about where I would go to college. He also served one term as president of the USC Long Beach–Harbor Alumni Club and even organized memorable events, like a trip to the USC Marine Science Center on Catalina. That experience stayed with me. In many ways, giving back to USC feels like honoring him. I hope to contribute to our community with the same commitment and generosity he showed.