Members

As a third-generation Tiger, it was a thrill to attend Oxy and graduate in 1994 with a double-major in Diplomacy & World Affairs and Economics. Following my graduation from Oxy, I attended USC Law School and obtained my Juris Doctorate in 1997. I have worked as an attorney in private practice since then, and have spent the last 12 years working for a multi-service law firm headquartered in Newport Beach, where I currently serve as the Managing Partner. I have been fortunate to stay active in the Occidental Alumni Community, and have recently been selected to serve as the Orange County Regional Alumni Chair. As an Oxy student, I played football, was an active member of the ATO fraternity, served as President of the Inter-Fraternity Council, co-founded an organization dedicated to the support of survivors of sexual assault, and was a Manager at the Student Activities Center. I also spent a summer studying at Cambridge University after my sophomore year. I live in Costa Mesa with my wife, Katy, and our three young children, Savannah, Elle and Quinn.

Raymond Yen ’82 – President-Elect

Raymond S. Yen, MD, FACC ’82 Dr. Yen is a cardiologist and partner with Foothill Cardiology/California Heart (FCCH) Medical Group. He graduated from Occidental with an AB in economics and received his MD from Chicago Medical School. He then returned to UCI and UCLA for his postgraduate training. In addition to serving on FCCH’s Board of Directors from 1999-2001, he is currently on the Board of the non-profit Foundation for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke. He was a recipient of the American College of Cardiology California Chapter’s Future Leader Award in 2010 and Advocate of the Year Award in 2011. Named as a Top Doctor by Los Angeles magazine four years in a row (2009-12), he specializes in advanced catheter-based techniques such as coronary angiography, stent and pacemaker insertions. As a member of the Contractors Advisory Committee for Palmetto GBA, the Medicare contractor for the western United States, he is regularly consulted on coverage and reimbursement issues. Having been on the Executive Committee of the alumni Board of Governors since 2009 and currently chairing its Development and Awards Committees, he resides in Pasadena with his wife, Mary Bateman, and their two sons, Jonathan Henry and Michael Willis.

Kathie Green '03

Lauren Beglin '04

Lauren graduated from Oxy in 2004 with a degree in politics. While at Oxy, Lauren was (overly) active in student life, serving as sports editor of the Oxy Weekly, the liaison between the President and Dean of Students' advisory committees, a resident advisor and hall coordinator with residence life, and an admissions tour guide, to name a few of her extracurricular activities. She currently resides in Los Angeles and is active with Oxy GOLD and the local political community. Lauren served on her class reunion committee and as a reunion gift volunteer in 2009. She recently graduated from law school, where she volunteered with several pro bono organizations and spent two tax seasons with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Patti Wilson Brugman '78

Patricia (Patti) Wilson Brugman '78 majored in English at Oxy and spent her junior year abroad Japan. After Japan, she took the Transiberian Railroad to get to Europe where she and Diane Larson, (’78), met in Europe for a hilarious, two-month tour. At Oxy, Patti received the Arnston Award for essay writing, the Creative Writing Award and the Oliver Award creative writing. After graduation, Patti went to Claremont Graduate University to earn a Master's degree in English and study more Japanese. She taught English at Damien High School, then in 2006, Patti wrote two academic essays that were presented at conferences, in Liverpool, UK and Albany, New York. With her husband, she also plays in the "Dads' Band Plus One" Dixieland group and in the Oxy/Caltech Wind Ensemble. She is a member of ALOED and is the secretary for the class of 1978 and an avid golfer. Patti is also a private college counselor at Perfectfitcollege.net and works with students all over the Pasadena area.

David A. Carpenter '59

Dave is a native California with proud Mexican American and indigenous roots dating back to 1832 Los Angeles. Anticipating a career in the military, he graduated from New Mexico Military Institute and joined the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. After his discharge in 1955, he enrolled at San Jose State College, and a year later transferred to Occidental in 1956. When his GI Bill ran out in 1957, he took a semester off to work for the Atomic Energy Project at UCLA School of Medicine, gathering radioactive fallout in the Nevada desert during above-ground testing of nuclear weapons.

In 1959 he earned his Oxy degree in Biology and began his 30 year career in the healthcare industry as a representative in pharmaceutical and surgical marketing and sales. He retired from corporate healthcare in 1989 after serving as Director of Marketing for the Doheny Eye Hospital, and Director of Continuing Medical Education at the Doheny Eye Institute at the USC School of Medicine.

He then enjoyed substitute teaching at local secondary schools in Ventura County until, in 1998, he was recruited for a full time position teaching Biology at Moorpark High School. He enrolled in the School of Education at California Lutheran University and earned his teaching credential at age 66. After retiring from teaching high school science, he is now writing screen plays based upon his personal genealogy in Southern California and the training of jet fighter pilots during the Korean War.

Casey Clow '75

I graduated from Oxy in 1975 with a degree in history. But, my class work was not done as I had arranged to take my last two classes from Sociology Professor Mike McAleenan at "Oxy in Hawaii" that summer. Needless to say, I enjoyed those classes immensely. After working in Los Angeles in various positions and traveling for a while, I started at Hastings College of the Law in 1979 and graduated in 1982. I have practiced law (civil litigation) ever since, in Century City for the first two years, then in San Francisco. Since 1997 I have been a partner in a small firm located in the Jackson Square area of San Francisco. I am married to Melinda, another Oxy grad (Melinda Unsworth, Class of 1978) and we live in a Craftsman bungelow in Oakland. I got involved in Oxy alumni matters in December 2006 and have been the Bay Area Region Alumni Chair ever since.

Jennifer Freeman '97

During Jennifer's years at Oxy she spent most of her time in Taylor Pool on the water polo and swim teams. After Oxy she stayed around to earn a M.A.T. She entered the teaching field at Toll Middle School in Glendale. After several years of teaching middle school, coaching high school water polo and swim she changed job descriptions. Jennifer is now a full-time mom to three little ones. She has also entered the world of volunteerism, participating in the National Charity League Juniors of Glendale and the Franklin Elementary PTA. She has stayed in contact with Oxy via regular attendance at the Oxy men’s basketball games with husband Allen Freemon ’95 and as an ALOED board member.

John Fuller '55

John was active in student government while at Oxy. Serving as Student Body Treasurer and then Student Body President. He was a Commerce and Finance major and a member of Alpha Tau Omega. After graduation he served three years in the Air Force including a tour of duty in Germany. After the Air Force he worked for Valley Federal Savings for 26 years working his way up to be President. He took early retirement to join the staff of California Institute of the Arts as Vice President for Finance and Administration. During his fourteen years at Cal Arts his responsibilities included leading the recovery from the 1994 Earthquake which did 35 million dollars in damage to the campus. The buildings were repaired in nine months and the loss mitigated by the receipt of FEMA funding. He retired in 1998 and has enjoyed continuing his volunteer activities with a diverse group of non-profit organizations.

John C. Garner '71

John Garner graduated from Oxy with a degree in Business Administration in 1971. While at Oxy he was the equipment manager for the baseball team, statistician for the baseball and football teams, editor of the football and basketball programs, sportswriter for The Occidental, Assistant Sports Information Director, Student Representative on the Faculty Athletic Committee and a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the honor society in economics. After graduating, he began his career in employee benefits with an insurance company. While working there, he also served as Sports Information Director for Oxy. He left both those positions to become business manager for a minor league baseball team in North Carolina, followed by a similar position in Tennessee. He returned to Southern California and resumed his career in employee benefits with another insurance company. He became an employee benefits consultant in 1977 and founded Garner Consulting in Pasadena in 1987. He is the author of the Health Insurance Answer Book. He is the national legislative and government affairs advisor for the Disability Management Employer Coalition, a past member of the Board of Directors of the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists and a past President of four professional organizations. He is past chair of the Community Health Education Committee for the Los Angeles Division of the March of Dimes. He is a former ordained deacon and elder in the Presbyterian Church and now serves as an Usher Captain at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, where his wife, Gerti, serves on the Vestry. He is on the William Stewart Young Society Executive Committee, is a past Board member of Occidental Business Associates and has been a member of every reunion planning committee for the Class of 1971, including serving as chair. He has also been a volunteer in the Walk in My Shoes program.

Danielle (Mantooth) Gordon ’10

Danielle graduated from Oxy in 2010 with a major in History and a minor in Sociology. As a student, she was active in Hillel, chaired the Senior Class Gift Committee and worked as a student manager at TeleFund. It was here that she found her passion for fundraising. Danielle is now the Director of The Webb Fund at The Webb Schools in Claremont, CA, an independent boarding school serving students in grades 9-12. She manages the annual giving program as well as alumni relations. She is delighted to continue her service to Occidental, having volunteered as a class agent and member of the Oxy GOLD committee since 2010.

Jeff Grosvenor '04

Jeff is the Vice President of Television at Wonderland Sound and Vision. His responsibilities include scripted and non-scripted television development for both network and cable, DVD oversight, and digital development for original and derivative content. Jeff joined the Wonderland team as a feature development assistant in 2005. In 2007 he became an executive in Wonderland’s television department. Jeff played an integral role in expanding McG’s new media business. In 2008 he produced Wonderland’s first web series, Sorority Forever (WB.com, MySpace, iTunes). He also recently Exec. Produced the SUPERNATURAL web spin-off, GHOSTFACERS (CW.com/WB.com) and EXPOSED (WB.com).

In addition to digital content, Jeff played an integral role in the development of Wonderland’s most recent shows, NIKITA and HUMAN TARGET. Jeff’s responsibilities extend beyond development, also managing Wonderland’s current television shows: SUPERNATURAL (WBTV/CW), CHUCK (WBTV/NBC) HUMAN TARGET (WBTV/FOX) and NIKITA (WBTV/CW).

Prior to Wonderland, Jeff was a television literary assistant at Creative Artists Agency. He graduated Occidental College in 2004 with a major in Art History and a minor in Sociology.

Jay Hansen '95

Jay Hansen is the Chief Strategy Officer for the California Medical Association (CMA) and a longtime fixture in Sacramento and California politics. Jay comes to the CMA after ten years with the California Building Trades Council, AFL-CIO as their Chief Lobbyist and Political Director. Prior to that Jay worked for four different Speakers of the Assembly as Special Assistant to the Speaker including Speakers Willie Brown, Cruz Bustamante, Antonio Villaraigosa and Bob Hertzberg.
As a native Californian, Mr. Hansen serves his community and state in a variety of ways including as an appointed member of the City of Sacramento Parks and Recreation Commission. Jay has also been asked to serve as a member of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson’s Transition Team with a special focus on Children’s Healthcare and on Workforce Development.
Jay is an appointee of Secretary of State Debra Bowen as one of her delegates to the California Democratic Party. Additionally, he is an appointee of California Democratic Party Chair John Burton to the Executive Committee of the Party and serves on the Party’s Rules Committee.
Jay is an undergraduate of Occidental College and received a Master’s Degree from USC in Public Administration.

Shawn (Lovell) Hansen '83

Shawn Hanson graduated from Oxy in 1983 with a degree in psychology. While at Oxy, she was active in Alpha Lambda Phi Alpha sorority and the Oxy cheer squad. After receiving her teaching credential, she taught for several years before “retiring” in 1991 to become a full-time wife and mom. 2012 is a transition year as Shawn and her husband, Pete Hanson’82, send their youngest child off to college. Shawn and Pete have three children: Drew ’11 is currently pursuing his Masters of Divinity at Fuller Seminary, Elise ’14 is an Oxy biology major, and Taylor is attending Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Pete has practiced orthopaedic surgery in San Diego for 20 years and Shawn has been instrumental in managing the business side of his practice. Shawn is active in their local Presbyterian Church and Grossmont Hospital Foundation committees.

Louis Hook '80 P'12

Daniel Kang '94

Dan Klink ‘97

Dan graduated from Oxy in 1997 with a degree in economics. In 1998, he earned a Masters of Accounting from the University of Southern California and subsequently became a certified public accountant. He currently works as the Vice President of Finance at the Frederick’s of Hollywood Group after having spent twelve years in the audit practice at Deloitte & Touche. While at Oxy, Dan was on the football and baseball teams, was an active member in the Alpha Tau Omega
fraternity, the President of the Greek Council and a resident advisor. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes with his wife Courtney and children Patrick and Cady.

Lisa (Kanes) Mandel '81 P'14

Shumway Marshall '05

Shumway Marshall is the online director at the American Foundation for Equal Rights. Through its landmark case challenging California’s Proposition 8, AFER is leading the fight for the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian Americans.
Previously, Shumway headed the online efforts at Equality California, the state’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization. There, his efforts helped pass scores of legislation for the LGBT community, including domestic partner rights, the Harvey Milk Day bill, and gender identity protections. During the No on Proposition 8 campaign, Marshall helped raise over $20 million online in the final month of the campaign. He is also a board member of the Scott Hitt Foundation, which grants scholarships for internships at organizations who seek to achieve equality for LGBT communities.

At Oxy, Shumway majored in French and was a member of Glee Glub, active in student government, and headed the college’s gay straight alliance. He currently serves as a member of the GOLD committee and as a class agent.

J. Michael Mathis '78

I was a theater student at Occidental and found my post-Oxy career in the creative arts. I’m a television producer and own my own company producing series for a variety of non-fiction networks including TLC, Food Network, Animal Planet and others. (The New York Times said our recent Food Network series “The Chef Jeff Project” was “Reality TV giving back and compensating for a hundred previous sins.”) Prior to starting my own company I was a director and was nominated for a Prime Time Emmy for my work on the NBC series, Unsolved Mysteries. I have been on Occidental’s President’s Circle for several years and involved in the Oxy alumni community. Oxy students intern at my company and every one of them has done a fantastic job. I live in San Marino with my 15-year old son, Noah, who is a great guy. I’m active in my Episcopal church and the local San Marino community. I’m a life-long magic aficionado and Magician Member of the Magic Castle in Hollywood.

Steffi Miller '64
I grew up on Io Truimphe!! My grandfather went to Oxy, both of my parents and all 3 of my children graduated from Oxy, so Occidental College is a family tie as well as my beloved Alma Mater. I have known several of Oxy’s presidents, beginning with Dr. Coons and seen many significant changes in the campus and leadership over the years. I am grateful for the thoughtfulness, excellence, and diversity to which the college is committed. The Department of Labor says that people usually make 3-5 career decisions. I am part of that statistic: immediately after graduating from Oxy, I was an elementary school teacher in Carmel; later I directed a gang prevention program for the Boy Scouts; and then after receiving my MDiv from Princeton Seminary, I served as minister of the Presbyterian Church, USA. Each choice built on experiences I had had at Oxy and informs my decisions today. I am married, have 3 children, 6 grandchildren, and live in La Crescenta. Besides Oxy, I love the beach, reading, bicycling, and playing all kinds of games and puzzles.

Peter M. Polydor '09

Peter joined SAIL in early 2009 and has been an active entrepreneur, market analyst, and policy advisor. Currently, he focuses on global cleantech networks, portfolio company acceleration, operations and new investment opportunities.

Prior to SAIL, Peter spent time conducting research for a Citigroup private wealth management group on the public alternative energy space. Prior to that, Peter focused on energy and foreign policy first at the US House of Representatives and later with the Apollo Alliance. His background also includes real estate development and property management at a privately-owned development firm focused on renovating existing buildings in urban centers.

Peter serves on a number of non-profit boards, and has spoken at several universities on Cleantech and Sustainable investment. Currently, he serves on the American Hellenic Council Board of Directors, and is a Charter Member of the Canadian C100. Peter was an Edmonson Fellow at the University of Southern California and is a graduate of Occidental College where he earned a B.A. in Political Science with an emphasis on Energy Policy. Peter is a dual citizen of Greece and Canada and is able to converse in both Spanish and Greek.

Ana Ramos-Sanavio '93

Ana is a clinical social worker and works for the LAUSD. Previously, Ana spent ten years as an elementary school teacher and before that she was an aspiring filmmaker. Ana was a producer in the docu-comedy, "In Search of Aztlan" starring Culture Clash and Lupe Ontiveros and directed by Jesus Salvador Trevino '68. As an Oxy student Ana spent a lot of time learning inside and outside of the classroom. She was a member of the Oxy Glee Club, MEChA, the Feminist Consciousness Coalition, and the Anti Apartheid Coalition. She chaired a charity concert (7 Bands for a Buck) held at the Bird HillsideAmphitheater to benefit persons affected by the Los Angeles Riots in 1992. As a student she also founded the Latina Women's Support Group and co-founded the Women of Color's Support Group. Ana has been a member and board member of OCLAA.

Ana lives in Los Angeles with her husband Alessandro Sanavio (whom she met at Oxy when he participated in an English language program for international students housed on campus) and their two kids.

Angelica Salas '94

Angelica Salas graduated from Occidental in 1993 with a degree in Sociology and History and later returned in 2007 to receive an honorary doctorate for her work to convince both Democrats and Republicans that the immigration system is badly broken. Since becoming the Executive Director for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles in 1999, Angelica Salas has spearheaded several ambitious campaigns locally, statewide, and nationally. She helped win in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students and established day laborer job centers that have served as a model for the rest of the nation. She led efforts to allow all California drivers to obtain a driver license and is a leading spokesperson on federal immigration policy as an active member of Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and Reform Immigration for America (RIFA).

She comes by her understanding of the immigrant experience firsthand. As a five year old, Angelica came to the U.S. from Mexico to rejoin her parents who had come to the U.S. to find work and better provide for their family.

Erin Englert Schaffner '02

I graduated from Oxy in 2002 with a degree in physics. While at Oxy, I was involved with Delta Omicron Tau sorority, had the opportunity to study abroad in Nepal, and was very busy within the physics department TAing and doing research. After graduating, I began working at Northrop Grumman, which is where I still work today. I also returned to school and recived my master's degree in physics from UCLA. I continued to be involved with Oxy, working for a couple years as an adjunct physics professor, becoming very active with Prof. Chin's Afro-Hatian dance troupe, and helping to plan the class of 2002 five-year and ten-year reunions.

Susan (Watson) Tierney '57

Susan graduated in the class of 1957 as a psychology major. While teaching in LAUSD for six years, she earned her MA and School Psychology Credential at CSULA. She worked as a school psychologist part-time and full-time for the next forty years. During those years she served at Oxy as a member of many reunion committees, a member of the board and president of the William Stewart Young Society, a representative of many college fairs, and currently, a class agent and member of the Alumni Board of Governors. Susan is married to Andrew Tierney '56 and is the mother of David Lewis Oxy '86, Steven Lewis CSU Chico '88' and Carol Lewis Breaux Oxy '89. She currently lives in Laguna Niguel where she is active in the Assistance League of Capistrano Valley, a walking group and the Laguna Niguel Presbyterian Church Choir.

Peter Wright '05

Peter Wright has served as Director of Emergency Planning and Preparedness for the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges since July 2008. In this position, his responsibilities include leading the Disaster Resistant California Community Colleges Project, which supports California’s 112 community colleges in complying with Federal and State emergency management guidelines. Peter represents the Chancellor’s Office on several statewide advisory committees, such as the California State Citizen Corps Council.
Prior to joining the Chancellor’s Office, Peter was an Executive Fellow for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Working in the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, Peter led on several high level policy issues including school safety and authoring a $90 million section of the Office’s federal grant application, which brings in over a quarter billion dollars to California’s first responders.
Peter holds his Bachelor of Arts degree in politics from Occidental College in Los Angeles and serves on the Occidental College Alumni Board of Governors.

He earned a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. After graduating from Occidental, Peter was a Teach For America corps member in North Carolina. Over 80 percent of his kindergarten students reached Teach For America’s highest bar of success by showing 1.5 years of growth in math and reading. Peter is currently working on a PhD in political science at UC Santa Barbara.

Silva Zeneian '01