Whittier College is a four-year, residential college of the liberal arts and sciences, serving about 1,700 undergraduates and more than 15,000 College alumni. 

Higher Education

Whittier College

Miguel A. Santana '91 was appointed president and C.E.O. of the Weingart Foundation in 2021.
He has over 30 years of experience leading numerous fiscal, legislative, political, and community issues. Santana served as president and C.E.O. of [Fairplex](/org/los-angeles-county-fair-association), a nonprofit community benefit regional organization based in Pomona, CA, from 2016-2020. Previously, he was the city administrative officer for the City of Los Angeles, where he oversaw the City’s $9 billion budget and designed the City’s first comprehensive homeless strategy, resulting in a $1.2 billion voter-approved housing bond and a doubling of the City’s general fund investment on programs to end homelessness. Prior to joining the City, Santana served as one of five deputy chief executive officers for Los Angeles County, overseeing all social service programs supporting children, families, veterans, and persons experiencing homelessness.

Santana engages in numerous civic efforts to create a more equitable Southern California region, including serving as chair of the Committee for Greater L.A. He has also served on numerous nonprofit boards and been on the [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college) Board of Trustees since 2016.

Santana has a B.A. in sociology and Latin American studies from [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college) and a master’s degree in public administration from [Harvard University](/org/harvard).

Miguel Santana

David Houser began his term as a vice president for finance and chief financial officer for Whittier College on October 15, 2022. 

Houser has a 20-plus-year career working in higher education within the area of finance and administration. He most recently served as chief financial and administrative officer for Weingart Center Association. His portfolio included finance, accounting, human resources, facilities, and information technology. Previous to that, he worked at Antioch University in Los Angeles, holding various posts including chief financial officer and vice president for finance. He's also held posts at USC, Caltech, and Southern California University of Health Sciences.

Houser has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management.

David Houser

Tim Yamauchi is currently a trustee at [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college). From December 2002 to July 2016, they served as executive vice president and chief financial officer at PRIDE Industries. Tim was responsible for developing, directing, and executing growth strategies that increased revenue from $91M to $300M. Tim also increased headcount from approximately 3,000 to 6,000 employees spanning 15 states. Approximately 2/3 of employees are people with disabilities.

Yamauchi has also completed key strategic financial transactions, including the $25M sale and leaseback of facilities, $25M tax-exempt bond defeasement, and 3 lines of credit ranging in size from $15M to $85M (3 bank syndicate). Tim has also performed the corporate liaison function with federal government stakeholders, including the Senate, House of Representatives, AbilityOne, and Department of Defense. In addition, they have developed and structured strategic partner relationships with a range of entities, including Fortune 100 companies, defense primes, native-American tribes, and 8a small businesses.

Yamauchi has also directed the following corporate functions: planning, enterprise risk, corporate development, sales & marketing, government relations, procurement, finance, accounting, legal, treasury, and internal audit. Tim has also architected and migrated company financial & operational systems to a Tier 1 ERP system. Furthermore, they have redesigned benefits plans including healthcare, retirement, and deferred compensation plans. Finally, they has

Tim Yamauchi has a Masters in Business Administration from [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school) with a focus on strategy and entrepreneurship. Tim also has a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration/Accounting from California State University, Los Angeles. Tim is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), although they are currently inactive.

Tim Yamauchi

Shveta Mujumdar is a trustee at [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college). Shveta was previously an operator at Collective, Mr. Cooper (NASDAQ: COOP), and [Intuit](/org/intuit). At [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin), they served as a consultant from May 2015 to August 2015. At Lynda.com, they were the VP and head of global corporate development from January 2013 to May 2015. While at Lynda.com, they were actively involved in the $186M Series B investment, the $1.5Bn sale to [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin), and led the company's unofficial investor relations function in preparation for a possible IPO. Shveta also built and managed the P&L and budget for business model leveraging growth through acquisitions. Shveta was the 1st official SF employee at Lynda.com and helped grow the office to ~ 70 people within 1 year. Shveta also sourced and negotiated the office lease for our SF office and developed culture and office policies including helping to manage headcount and office budget.

Shveta Mujumdar has a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Economics from the [University of Southern California](/org/university-of-southern-california), and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Economics from the [University of Southern California](/org/university-of-southern-california). Shveta also attended Whitney High School.

Shveta Mujumdar

Barbara Groce is a trustee at [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college). Barbara was previously employed as a commercial and private banking intern at [Comerica](/org/comerica) from June 2021 to August 2021. Prior to that, they were self-employed as a manual worker from June 2020 to August 2020. From September 2020 to May 2021, they were a research analyst intern at [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college). From September 2018 to May 2020, they were a research assistant at the same institution.

Barbara Groce has a BA in Mathematics-Economics and Business Administration from [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college). Barbara also has a High School Diploma from Seattle Preparatory School.

Barbara Groce

Daniel supports Whittier's innovation and new venture initiatives including working with the team to launch new programs, developing business plans and financial projections, supporting accreditation of new initiatives, and organizing and coordinating other activities. He also leads Whittier's campus-wide strategic planning efforts.

Prior to joining Whittier, Daniel served eleven years in academic administration at the University of La Verne, including vice provost of strategic planning and effectiveness, where he led accreditation and assessment efforts. Daniel’s professional background includes a unique combination of faculty positions and business world experience. With expertise in strategy and organizations, he has held faculty appointments at Stanford, MIT, Emory, and the Claremont Colleges. Daniel received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Northwestern University, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Ph.D. in Corporate Strategy and International Business from the University of Michigan. 

Daniel T. Byrd

As Associate Vice President and Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Kay Sanders provides intellectual and strategic leadership and advocates for the structural and cultural changes necessary to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at Whittier College. 

Additionally, Sanders is a Professor of Child Development. Her research focuses on the racial and ethnic socialization processes of child care for low-income racial, ethnic, and language minority children.

She received her Ph.D. at UCLA Graduate School of Education. Sanders teaches the undergraduate series of courses in the Department of Education and Child Development. Her research focuses on the racial and ethnic socialization processes of child care for low-income racial, ethnic, and language minority children.

Kay Sanders

A native of Los Angeles, Oubré previously served as the Dean of the College of Business at [San Francisco State University](/org/san-francisco-state-university) (SFSU) for six years, leading approximately 6,100 undergraduate and graduate students and 120 faculty in 10 academic departments. During her time at SFSU, she increased fundraising by more than 300 percent—including support for student career and leadership development—and launched innovative programs including a graduate curriculum review and a new executive MBA program. 
 
Prior to SFSU, Oubré was executive director of corporate relations and business development, and chief diversity officer for the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis. At [UC Davis](/org/uc-davis-transplant-center), she oversaw the school’s corporate relations and business development start-up effort and led the development and implementation of an enrollment growth, marketing, and visibility strategy for the Bay Area MBA program. 
 
With decades of corporate experience, Oubré previously served as president and CEO of LSO Ventures, a new venture investment and consulting firm, and was one of the founders and president of BriteSmile, a company that she took public on NASDAQ. She has held leadership roles in various companies including Tri Com Ventures, Times Mirror Company, and the Walt Disney Company. During her career, Oubré has received accolades such as a “Forever influential woman in business” by the San Francisco Business Times and the Trailblazer Award from the San Francisco chapter of the Council of 100 Black Women, among others.
 
Oubré holds a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles, an MBA from [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school), and an Ed.D. in higher education management from the [University of Pennsylvania](/org/university-of-pennsylvania). In addition to her duties as President, she is professor of Business Administration at [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college).
 
President Oubré resides in the College’s Wardman House, in the hills overlooking the campus, with her husband Nathaniel, a senior executive at Kaiser Permanente. They have two adult sons, Nathaniel and Alexander.

President Oubré

James Parks has over forty years of diversified tax, business management and litigation consulting experience with Fortune 500, small and medium sized public, closely held companies and high net worth individuals.
He has testified or been deposed on a variety of proceedings including federal and superior courts, arbitration, and has served as special accounting master to the California Superior court on motion picture accounting matters. Mr. Parks has served as a tax expert for the U.S. Department of Justice and has extensive experience as an expert witness in entertainment, marital dissolution, trust accounting and real estate related legal proceedings; valuation of partnership interests in real estate partnerships; bankruptcy proceedings; creditor work-out plans; and bank credit negotiations. Mr. Parks has performed valuation work on motion picture films for litigation proceedings and federal and state income and estate tax purposes.

In the entertainment and media industry, besides representing numerous individuals, Mr. Parks has provided accounting services to corporate entertainment/media clients including MGM, Miller Publishing Group, LLC, Twentieth Century Fox, and Hanna Barbara. In the real estate industry, Mr. Parks, over the years, has been involved in the acquisition and disposition of over two billion dollars of real estate. Mr. Parks has provided professional services to the real estate industry in every phase from property acquisition analysis, leasing, financing and disposition. Mr. Parks is Chairman of the Board of Realty Center Management, Inc., a privately held real estate management and development company which manages and through its affiliates owns an interest in over nine thousand apartment units and approximately two hundred thousand square feet of office and commercial properties.

James R. Parks

Timothy Anderson leads new initiatives and business development efforts in support of new revenue generation for the College. He focuses on developing and implementing new programs and building support from industry, government, and other organizations through partnership development. 

Anderson has an extensive career in business development, marketing and planning in both higher education and industry. Prior joining Whittier in 2018, Anderson served as the Chief Development Officer for the College of Business at [San Francisco State University](/org/san-francisco-state-university) as well as the institution's Executive Director of Development and Operations. There, Anderson increased fundraising for the College of Business by more than 6000%. He was also instrumental in finding new funding and collaborating with over 200 faculty to implement new programs in career leadership development, innovation and entrepreneurship, commercial real estate, and hospitality.

Anderson brings a wealth of leadership and start-up experience as an internet and marketing veteran at Amazon.com, SBCSMARTpages.com, and j2 Global. Anderson started his career in finance, strategic planning, and business development at the Times Mirror Company, Knight-Ridder Information, and the Washington Post.

Originally from South Central Los Angeles, Anderson is a first-generation college attendee. He received his Bachelor of Arts in economics from UCLA and his MBA from the [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school). 

Timothy Anderson

Bela Vargas

Brisa Ramirez

Brandon Watt

Christopher T. Cross '62 is an expert in the field of education. He is currently chairman of the education policy consulting firm Cross & Joftus, where he contributes his considerable strategic planning, policy analysis, and development skills.
Cross also serves as a distinguished senior fellow with the Education Commission of the States and is a consultant to the Broad Foundation and the C.S. Mott Foundation. Previously, he was a senior fellow with the Center for Education Policy.

Cross has written extensively on education and other public policy areas and has been published in numerous professional journals and newspapers. He has written two books, Political Education: National Policy Comes of Age and Political Education: Setting the Course for State and Federal Education Policy.

Cross holds a B.A. from [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college) and an M.A. in government from California State University, Los Angeles. During his time at Whittier, Cross was a member of the William Penn Society, Quaker Campus, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Pi Sigma Alpha (political science). Cross previously served as a Whittier trustee (2000-2011) and Poet Council member. He’s a long-time member of the John Greenleaf Whittier Society and has been a faithful supporter of other major Whittier campaigns.

Christopher T. Cross

Cynthia Joseph provides oversight to the Department of Human Resources, Campus Safety, Payroll Office, mailroom, bookstore, facilities and grounds, and food services. In addition to leading efforts related to legal and compliance issues, Joseph implements strategic programs for employee development and training, succession planning, and programs that support diversity, equity, and inclusion. She also provides leadership and strategic thinking as the College works to strengthen its infrastructure and key support services. 

As Associate Vice President of Human Resources, Joseph created strategic partnerships with campus leaders to develop employee relations infrastructure and processes and to drive and implement key business performance initiatives in support of our mission.
 
Joseph joined [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college) in 2014 as Director of Human Resources and was promoted to Senior Director in 2017. Cynthia has a long career as a human resources and student service professional in industry and higher education. Prior to joining Whittier, she worked as the executive director of human resources and employee relations at Next Level Enterprises, director of operations and human resources at Vocational Concepts, and spent several years as vice president of student services for Lawton College. 

Joseph received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from [Loma Linda University](/org/loma-linda-university) and is on track to receive her Juris Doctorate from William Taft Law School.

Cynthia Joseph

Ana Lilia Barraza serves as chief marketing and communications officer, leading and implementing the College's overall communications strategy. She oversees all marketing initiatives for admission, alumni programs, fundraising, new revenue generation programs, and athletics, among others.
 
Barraza has been at Whittier since 2008. Most recently, Barraza led the marketing team in the College’s most substantial marketing and advertising campaign aimed at increasing brand awareness, recruitment, and enrollment. Barraza has led internal and external communication efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. She also oversees all media and public relations efforts on behalf of the College. Additionally, she oversees the Office of Alumni Relations, working with the team to expand alumni engagement efforts.  

Prior to Whittier, Barraza worked for more than a decade as a radio journalist and producer for the Latino public radio network Radio Bilingüe, KPFK Pacifica, and KBAC radio. She also worked with an East Los Angeles-based non-profit, serving as a grant writer, program manager, and public relations coordinator. Barraza graduated with a bachelor's degree in Chicano Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and has an M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Ana Lilia Barraza

sal johnston, joined the faculty of [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college) in 1996 after receiving his doctoral degree in sociology from the [University of Oregon](/org/university-of-oregon).

A recipient of the [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college) Nerhood Teaching Award in 2003, he has served in several faculty leadership positions at Whittier including chair of EPC and chair of the faculty. johnston also was highly involved in previous faculty-led curriculum reviews as a member of the faculty curriculum committees in 1997-1998 and again in 2001-2003.

Sal Johnston

Matt Knight is a partner in Clocktower Partners, a media investment and advisory firm.
Previously, from 2000 until 2008 Knight worked for Jerry Perenchio, the CEO and controlling-shareholder of [Univision](/org/univision) Communications, at both Perenchio’s privately held [Chartwell](/org/chartwellinc) Partners LLC and at [Univision](/org/univision). At [Chartwell](/org/chartwellinc) and [Univision](/org/univision) Knight was part of the executive team that executed the strategy which saw [Univision](/org/univision) grow from a single network with 12 television stations to a media conglomerate with two broadcast networks, 36 full-power TV stations, the #1 Spanish-language website, and the largest Spanish-language radio group. [Univision](/org/univision) was sold to a private equity consortium for $13.7 billion in early 2007.

Prior to [Chartwell](/org/chartwellinc), Knight spent 11 years at [Paramount Pictures](/org/paramount-pictures) in various capacities, including serving as CFO of the Paramount Stations Group from 1994 to 2000. From 1989 until 1994 he was in strategic planning at Paramount. Knight began his career at Times Mirror, parent of the [Los Angeles Times](/org/los-angeles-times) and other major newspapers, magazines, professional book publishers, TV stations, and cable systems. 

Knight received his bachelor’s degree in economics from [Yale University](/org/yale-university) and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Matt Knight

Erin Clancy is a public policy manager on Facebook’s Strategic Response Policy team where she manages high-profile incidents that affect the business and reputational risk of the company.

Prior to joining Facebook, Erin advanced U.S. foreign policy as a career Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State for 15 years. Her diplomatic assignments included the U.S. Embassies in Syria, Jordan, Oman, the State Department’s Office of UN Political Affairs, special assistant to then Deputy Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, and the U.S. Mission to the [United Nations](/org/united-nations) in New York where she was the lead American negotiator in the UN Security Council on Syria and Burma. In 2019, Erin received the State Department’s highest award, the Distinguished Honor Award, for her role in negotiating the successful evacuation and repatriation of over 400 members of the Syrian Civil Defense (the White Helmets) out of Syria. She is currently a term member of the [Council on Foreign Relations](/org/council-on-foreign-relations) and a member of the Atlantic Council’s LGBTI fellowship. Outside of her work for the U.S. government, Erin has also advised democratic presidential campaigns on foreign policy and national security issues. She is a graduate of [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college) and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Erin J. Clancy

Jessica Cobb oversees major gifts, loyalty giving, planned giving, donor relations, advancement services, and foundation relations.  

Jessica has been a part of the major gifts team since 2016 and previously served as Director of Development, with responsibility for a portfolio of high-value major gifts prospects, the College’s donor relations program, and the planned giving program. In 2019, Jessica led the launch of the Presidential Innovation Fund and associated innovation challenge, Whittier Innovates, with the goal of advancing the culture of innovation on the Poet campus. To date, the fund has raised nearly $100,000 and provided grant funding to three unique initiatives which modernize the ways that the College supports student success. She also currently serves on the College’s Strategy Task Force and the President’s Executive Advisors Council (PEAC).

A first-generation college graduate and Whittier native, Jessica attended Cerritos College before transferring to Whittier College to complete her bachelor’s degree with a major in psychology. She earned an MBA from California State University, Long Beach, with a focus on marketing and management. 

Prior to her role at Whittier, Jessica led a luxury Napa Valley wine brand as national sales manager, overseeing every aspect of sales, marketing, compliance, and operations. During her tenure, she cultivated relationships with key wholesale and retail partners to increase sales, market share, and ROI, ultimately expanding distribution from 8 to 23 states (and 3 countries) and improving margins on every product line. She also led technological advances in order and data processing, and accounting.

Her professional experience and passion for expanding access, affordability, and professional opportunities to today’s students make Jessica a wonderful ambassador for Whittier College.

Jessica Cobb

Michael L. Brown

Raised in the hospitality industry, Patel’s father bought his first hotel, the original Peter Pan Motor Lodge, in the mid-70’s. The family later built the Castle Inn & Suites across the street from Disneyland Resort.

Bharat was on the Poet Council from 2012 to 2014 and serves on the Board of Directors for the [Anaheim Family YMCA](/org/anaheim-family-ymca).

He and his wife Ragini are the parents of recent Whittier graduate Rakesh Patel ’16. They live in Villa Park, Calif.

Rakesh Patel

Vincent E. Vigil

Stephanie Wiggins

Leda Muller

Anne O'Donnell

Irene Gallardo manages the Office of the President and provides support to the senior leadership of the College to advance its mission and strategic priorities. Irene staffs the President’s Cabinet, provides research and administrative support, and manages communications. Gallardo also coordinates the activities of the Board of Trustees including logistics and communications.

Gallardo joined [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college) in November 2000 as an Assistant to the Dean of First Year Student Programs in Academic Affairs. She has served in several other additional roles and has been the Assistant to the President since 2005.

Irene Gallardo

Yukiyasu Hayashi

Jascha Kaykas-Wolff is a trustee at [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college). Jascha was previously the Chief Marketing Officer at [Mozilla](/org/mozilla) from May 2015 to April 2020. Prior to that, they were the Chief Marketing Officer at [BitTorrent](/org/bittorrent) from March 2014 to August 2015 and Mindjet from October 2011 to March 2014. Jascha was also the SVP Marketing & Customer Success at Involver from July 2010 to December 2011 and VP, Global Marketing at WebTrends from October 2008 to September 2010.

Jascha Kaykas-Wolff completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from [Whittier College](/org/whittier-college).

Jascha Kaykas-Wolff

Meghan Morrissey

Bharat Patel

Yvonne Romero da Silva

Kenya L. Williams

Rock Carter ’89 is the director of athletics. He most recently held the position of senior associate director of athletics and has worked at the College since 1990. 
 
Carter’s focus is to build upon the notable work that has been achieved in athletics over the past decade. He will be leading new initiatives focused on improving student success, enhancing academic performance of student-athletes, engaging with faculty, and increasing fundraising.

Whittier College

Org chart

Teams

Board of Directors

Leadership Team

CEO and Executive Team

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