The Occidental College Board of Trustees welcomed five new members and a returning trustee to its ranks on July 1. In addition to their commitment to Occidental’s mission, they bring skills and expertise in a range of fields, including public health, law, diplomacy, the arts, healthcare, finance, and real estate.
Namandjé Bumpus ’03 is chief scientific and innovation officer at Charles River Laboratories, where she leads the company’s scientific strategy, oversees its research and development portfolio, and advances innovation in nonclinical science. She also is a venture partner at F-Prime Capital and is a member of the Board of Directors of Recursion Pharmaceuticals. Previously, she served as the Food and Drug Administration’s principal deputy commissioner and chief scientist from 2022 to 2024. Prior to joining the FDA, she was the E.K. Marshall and Thomas H. Maren Professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she also served as associate dean for basic research. Her research has focused on drug metabolism, pharmacogenetics, bioanalytical chemistry, and infectious disease pharmacology.
Bumpus majored in biology at Occidental, where she was an HHMI Fellow and was mentored by Professors Elizabeth Braker, Gretchen North, and Roberta Pollock. She earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Michigan and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular and experimental medicine at the Scripps Research Institute. Her honors include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and she is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Bumpus is a past president of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, and she also previously chaired the NIH Xenobiotic and Nutrient Disposition and Action Study Section. A 2021 recipient of the College’s Alumni Seal Award for Professional Achievement, she served on the Science Task Force and was a member of the Occidental Board of Trustees from 2022 to 2023.
Kwame Do ’16 is vice president at Lakebridge, a real estate investment and asset management firm, where he leads originations, financial underwriting, and asset management. Before joining Lakebridge in 2020, Do worked at Goldman Sachs, specializing in risk management and funding allocation for the equity derivative synthetic product group.
An economics and mathematics double major at Occidental, Do was a four-year starter on the football team, becoming the SCIAC’s all-time rushing leader and the Tigers’ single-season rushing leader. He also served as vice president of the Blyth Fund, president of Great Strides, and a drive organizer for Be the Match, and was recognized as a Roy M. Dennis Scholar-Athlete.
On July 1, Do began a two-year term as president of Occidental’s Alumni Board of Governors (BOG) after previously serving as BOG president-elect and co-chair of the Careers and Mentorship Committee.
Bill Ellis ’79 P’14 is a senior partner in the real estate practice at Akerman LLP, where he represents private equity funds, financial institutions, and developers in complex real estate transactions throughout the United States. His work spans hospitality, industrial, and commercial properties, as well as specialized areas including cell tower leasing and hotel acquisitions.
Most recently, Ellis served as general counsel and corporate secretary for Reading International, Inc., overseeing real estate and entertainment assets in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Earlier in his career, he was a partner at Sidley Austin LLP and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. In 2025, he was included among the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers in Southern California and was a finalist for American Lawyer’s 2025 California Real Estate Lawyer of the Year.
A political science major at Oxy, Ellis served as consulting editor of The Occidental and was a member of the Honor Court and Phi Beta Kappa. He has remained active with the College as a reunion volunteer for the Class of 1979. Other Oxy graduates in the family include his son, Chris Ellis ’14, a political science major; his sister, Janet (Ellis) Thompson ’77, and his brother-in-law, Ross Thompson ’76.
Kristina Kvien ’87 P’20 was appointed president and chief executive officer of the Pacific Council on International Policy in March 2026 after a diplomatic career spanning more than three decades. She most recently served as the 10th U.S. ambassador to Armenia from 2023 to 2026.
Prior to her ambassadorship, Kvien served as chargé d’affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, from 2019 to 2022. Her diplomatic assignments also included postings in France, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Moscow, Brussels, and Manila. In Washington, D.C., she served as a director for Europe at the National Security Council and held positions at the U.S. Department of State focused on European Union issues and bilateral relations with Slovenia.
A political science major and third-generation Occidental graduate, Kvien was a member of Delta Omicron Tau and the HD/RA Council while in college. She has remained engaged with the College through the Obama Scholars Program and the Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) program. Kvien’s daughter, Hanna White ’20, majored in English at Oxy.
Megan Wanlass ’94 has been managing director of Cornerstone Theater Company since 2014, overseeing strategic planning, fundraising, financial management, producing, and organizational leadership. She has been instrumental in securing significant institutional support for Cornerstone, including a $1.8 million award from the James Irvine Foundation’s New California Arts Fund. Wanlass spent 14 years as executive director of SITI Company, where she supported more than 35 touring productions across 86 cities, 31 states, and 18 countries.
A theater major and longtime patron of the arts at Occidental, Wanlass and her family have supported Oxy Arts, the Department of Theater & Performance Studies, and Children’s Theater through the Kathryn Caine Wanlass Charitable Foundation. She has also volunteered with Oxy Entertainment, Arts Alumni, the Summer Drama Festival, and the Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) program. Wanlass remains active in the national arts community through board service, teaching, and leadership roles with arts and nonprofit organizations.
Raymond Yen ’82 is medical director of cardiology for the Cigna Group and president of OTB Healthcare Consulting. Yen was in private practice for more than two decades and was a partner and board member at Foothill Cardiology/California Heart Medical Group. He later held leadership positions at Concentra and Amgen.
An economics major at Oxy, Yen received his medical degree from Chicago Medical School and recently completed the Global Healthcare Leadership Program at Harvard Medical School.
Yen has been a dedicated volunteer leader for Occidental, serving as president of the Alumni Board of Governors from 2013 to 2014 and president of the Alumni Council from 2015 to 2016. In 2022, he received the Alumni Seal Award for Service to the College.
In addition, the Board elected two outgoing trustees to emeriti status: Steve Robinson ’77, who started his service in 2008; and Reid Samuelson ’72, who joined the Board in 2011.
Also departing the Board are Larry Solomon ’84, after a single four-year term; and Jake Stevens ’08, following two years of service as Board of Governors president.
