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Photo three people at a podium outside; the right side has a blue overlay with the UC San Diego branded element of a stylized tridentYour Alumni Board

Members of the board are elected by the alumni and meet throughout the year to establish, in collaboration with the dean and UC San Diego Alumni, the goals and objectives for the school. The board assists the staff in the implementation of programs for more than 3,000 alumni worldwide annually.

Alumni Board President Message

Dear Fellow GPS Alumni,

It is a privilege to serve as the GPS Alumni Board president for the 2021-2022 academic year. The GPS Alumni Board is the strongest it has ever been, with 14 returning members continuing their dedicated service: Helio Bertachini, Dennis-Michael Broussard, Darcy Cook, Gwendolyn Guzman Rose, Ziwen Han, Jason Kim, Peter Moritzburke, Greta-Paa Kerner, Liliana Pao, Jamal Russell Black, Victor Tineo, Kevin Trepa and King Tsao. We welcomed two new members in July who have already impressed us with their strong efforts to advance the school: Chenyu (Isabelle) Ho ’07 and David Noel ’14.

It was a delight to see many of you virtually at the October online reunion, where our new Dean Caroline Freund answered your questions, and Jay Hanson ’96 and Lisa Sterner Hanson ’96 were both recognized as Outstanding Alumni of the Year.

The board is taking on a number of initiatives this year, including:

  • Volunteering with GPS Career Services to help current students practice mock interviews for jobs and internships in January and with GPS Admissions to answer questions from admitted students in March; both of these opportunities are open to any interested alumnus – please contact the school or any board member if you are interested in joining such initiatives.
  • Continuing fundraising efforts with a focus on funding student summer internships that will culminate in a Day of Caring donation drive in May.
  • Helping raise the profile of the school through communications and social media channels.
  • Liaising with a number of stakeholders: the Graduate Organization of GPS, the faculty, GPS Career Services, and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Fellows.

There will be significant turnover of the GPS Alumni Board in summer 2022, and so we will be looking for diverse new members with a track record of service to the school, especially Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree program alumni (who are not yet represented on the board). The nomination period will open in June.

The increased use of online tools during the coronavirus pandemic has opened the doors of opportunity for increased alumni engagement with GPS, as well as with wider UC San Diego campus resources. Internally, the board is currently soliciting ideas for topics of interest to alumni for our next two webinars, following on the success of last year’s introduction of this series. We also encourage all GPS alumni to sign up to receive the school newsletter, take advantage of the Triton Table Talks career development series, join virtual events put on by the many academic centers affiliated with GPS, consider UC San Diego Extension courses, and join the GPS LinkedIn group and UC San Diego’s Tritons Connect to remain aware of the many ways our school can continue to serve you long after graduation.

Furthermore, I urge all GPS alumni to reach out to any GPS Alumni Board member with new ideas or requests for how the board can better provide value to you, our alumni community. Our primary goal is to ensure that your relationship with GPS does not end after graduation, but that you continue to view the school as a lifelong resource that helps with your career progressions and transitions, quenches your interest in global policy issues and keeps you in touch with old friends and mentors who share similar passions.

The GPS Alumni Board continues to look for ways to benefit our alumni community, and we welcome your ideas.

Sincerely,
Jessica Megill
GPS Alumni Board President, MPIA ’10

Board members

  • Helio Bertachini, MPIA ’09, African Development Bank (Johannesburg)

    Helio Bertachini, MPIA ’09, African Development Bank (Johannesburg)

    Helio Bertachini works at the African Development Bank as a principal quality, results and monitoring officer, overseeing projects in the southern region of the continent. Previously, Helio was an M&E officer for the International Finance Corporation, working with the organization’s investment and advisory services on financial markets in the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Prior, Helio worked for the Inter-American Development Bank as the M&E officer for impact investing projects in Latin America. Helio holds a bachelor degree in international relations from Fundacao Armando Alvares Penteado and an MPIA from UC San Diego.
  • Dennis-Michael Broussard, MPIA '08, Silk Road Productions (San Diego)

    Dennis-Michael Broussard, MPIA '08, Silk Road Productions (San Diego)

    Dennis-Michael Broussard is an entrepreneur, event producer and non-profit consultant. He has also initiated an international humanitarian project that focuses primarily on clean water access, and has also incorporated supplying educational equipment to various developing countries including Senegal, Nepal, Kenya, Tanzania, the Philippines and Uganda. Broussard is dedicated to volunteering for various community organizations including serving on the USS Midway's Diversity and Inclusion Committee. He is also a board member of the National Association of Asian American Professionals SoCal Chapter and the San Diego International Sister Cities Association. In addition, he serves as vice chair of the Asian Culture and Media Alliance Board of Directors. He earned his bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of New Orleans and an MBA from the University of San Diego.
  • Darcy Cook, MPIA ’91, Mission Resource Conservation District (Fallbrook)

    Darcy Cook, MPIA ’91, Mission Resource Conservation District (Fallbrook)

    Darcy Cook serves as the district manager at Mission Resource Conservation District (MRCD) in Fallbrook, Calif. As an independent, non-regulatory special district, MRCD works closely with its community, growers and producers providing technical assistance and education on best management practices to restore and solve complex habitat, agriculture, water and other environmental challenges.

    Her background is in the San Diego high-tech sector in the environmental, marine and international arenas. Cook previously worked at Leidos, SAIC and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and more recently, as an independent consultant for blue tech and environmental start-ups and nonprofits, providing market and regulatory research and strategic planning services. 

    Cook was in the second class at GPS when the school was known as IR/PS. Her focus was on international environmental policy and her language, Mandarin Chinese.
  • Gwendolyne Guzman Rose, MAS-IA ’18, UC San Diego Extension International Programs

    Gwendolyne Guzman Rose, MAS-IA ’18, UC San Diego Extension International Programs

    Gwendolyne Guzman Rose has worked in international higher education for the last 15 years specializing in international relations and business development. She is in charge of recruiting students and establishing collaborations with universities and companies from all over the world into a portfolio of visiting student programs. She has traveled to over 60 countries for work, and she has lived and studied abroad in Spain and Thailand. Guzman Rose currently sits on the board of directors for Study California, an association established by the U.S. Commercial Services to promote California higher education globally. She has been a member of various international education associations such as NAFSA: Association for International Educators, the European Association for International Education (EAIE), and Asia Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE). Guzman Rose received her bachelor’s degree in public relations with a minor in Spanish from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
  • Ziwen Han, BA/MIA ’15, China Merchants Bank (Shanghai)

    Ziwen Han, BA/MIA ’15, China Merchants Bank (Shanghai)

    Ziwen Han currently works as a product manager at China Merchants Bank (CMB) in Shanghai. Prior to this position, she worked as product manager at a top Chinese Insurotech company for three years. She also worked at China Telecom’s Los Angeles office as a pricing analyst before she moved back to China in 2017. Han earned her bachelor's degree in economics and master's degree in international affairs from UC San Diego. Since graduation, she has gained experience in product launch management, business strategy, financial modeling and cross functional collaboration in the finance industry.
  • Chenyu (Isabelle) Ho, MPIA 07, InComm Payments (Shanghai/ Taipei)

    Chenyu (Isabelle) Ho, MPIA 07, InComm Payments (Shanghai/ Taipei)

    Isabelle Ho is currently working as an APAC business development director with InComm Payments. She has dedicated her time to the financial and consultancy sectors since graduating from GPS in 2007. Her job gave her opportunities to work with teams and partners from different countries including the U.S., South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the UK. She credits what she learned at GPS with helping her better take on the challenges across regions. Due to work, she has been living and working between Shanghai and Taipei for the past 15 years. She is also an active member of both the Taipei and Shanghai Triton alumni clubs.
  • Jason Kim, MAS-IA '12, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (Honolulu)

    Jason Kim, MAS-IA '12, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (Honolulu)

    Jason Kim is a U.S. Army Foreign Area Officer specializing in the Indo-Pacific region. He is currently assigned to the Strategic Planning and Policy Directorate (J5), U.S. Indo-Pacific Command overseeing security cooperation operations. Jason previously served on the U.S. Embassy Seoul Country Team and as a Country Desk Officer for India, Japan, Korea and Vietnam at U.S. Army Pacific Headquarters. Kim possesses extensive experience in international affairs and strategic engagement working with civilian and military organizations throughout Asia. Kim also holds a B.S. in Information Systems from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
  • Jessica Megill, MPIA '10, U.S. Department of State (Washington, D.C.)

    Jessica Megill, MPIA '10, U.S. Department of State (Washington, D.C.)

    Jessica Megill has served as a political officer in the U.S. Foreign Service since 2004. Her overseas postings include China, Germany, Paraguay and East Africa. Domestically, she has served at the State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., as well as at U.S. Pacific Command. She earned her bachelor’s degree in linguistics from Cornell University.
  • Peter Moritzburke, MPIA '96, AEP Energy (San Francisco)

    Peter Moritzburke, MPIA '96, AEP Energy (San Francisco)

    Peter Moritzburke is a renewable energy project developer based in the San Francisco area with over 20 years of experience in renewable energy, energy market entry strategy, energy policy and water resource management. He is currently director of Renewable Development at AEP Energy, and has held leadership positions with E.ON, SunPower, BESST and CERA, as well as board positions with multiple renewable energy trade associations. Moritzburke has supported GPS over the years through hosting student delegations, internships and working with alumni and faculty focused on carbon reduction strategies.
  • David Noel, MPIA ’14, WorldSprout (Houston/Austin)

    David Noel, MPIA ’14, WorldSprout (Houston/Austin)

    David Noel is the founder and president of WorldSprout – an education-tech platform connecting middle and high school students with international cultures. He had also co-founded Red Phoenix Entertainment, a sports agency that secured Chinese, Japanese and Korean corporate endorsements for sports teams and athletes from the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL. Noel was previously an Operational Excellence manager and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt for Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and the Banc of California, where he led operational efficiency programs. At GPS, Noel led Export Access Global Consulting and the Environmental Policy Business Forum. He previously lived and taught English in Liaoning, China. He earned his master’s from GPS with a China regional focus, and his bachelor’s in economics from UC Santa Barbara.
  • Greta Paa-Kerner, MPIA ’96, University of East London (London)

    Greta Paa-Kerner, MPIA ’96, University of East London (London)

    Greta Paa-Kerner is the head of employer engagement at the University of East London. She also oversees the university’s business incubation workspaces and apprenticeship programs across multiple campuses. Paa-Kerner represents the university on several regional boards dedicated to business innovation, job skills and cultural heritage.

    Prior to her role in higher education, she worked in several marketing and management roles in London, Barcelona and San Diego. The central theme in her varied career is that she is a "builder” — she cultivates opportunities, builds teams, creates impact and turns ideas into action.

    In her spare time, she is an avid potter and sells her ceramics in a local gallery. She is a dedicated Triton and also holds a B.A. in political science from UC San Diego. 

    LinkedIn
  • Liliana Pao, MPIA '02, European Commission (Brussels)

    Liliana Pao, MPIA '02, European Commission (Brussels)

    Liliana Pao is a senior staff engagement and HR management officer at the European Commission in Brussels, where she designs and manages communication and talent management strategies. Prior to joining the European Commission in 2010, Pao was a senior consultant for strategic and corporate communications at FleishmanHillard and board member of the Belgian Public Relations Consultants Association. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and political science from UC San Diego.
  • Jamal Russell Black, MIA '16, ENGIE Impact (Remote)

    Jamal Russell Black, MIA '16, ENGIE Impact (Remote)

    Jamal Russell Black graduated from GPS in 2016 and is an experienced data scientist and business strategist. Immediately after graduating, he worked as a consultant in the education workforce development space. Through bespoke models, he helped develop, monitor and evaluate partners’ programs. More recently, Russell Black has worked on decarbonization initiatives with ENGIE Impact, assisting cities, companies and countries in their transition away from conventional energy sources. Through his work he aimed to identify, implement and evaluate sustainable climate practices in both the private and public sectors.
  • Victor Tineo, MPIA ’11, U.S. Department of the Treasury (Washington D.C.)

    Victor Tineo, MPIA ’11, U.S. Department of the Treasury (Washington D.C.)

    Victor Tineo is an international economist working in the East Asia office at the U.S. Department of the Treasury where he manages the Japan, Australia and New Zealand portfolio analyzing macroeconomic developments and shaping U.S. economic policy. Tineo has worked at the Treasury Department since 2015, and prior, worked as a financial economist at the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EIB) where he was responsible for country risk assessments of the sub-Saharan Africa markets portfolio. Tineo began his tenure at the EIB in 2011 as a U.S. Presidential Management Fellow. While at GPS, Tineo co-founded the Political Analysis and Strategic Simulations (PASS) group, and was the finance director of the Strategic Community Consulting group. Tineo received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Vassar College.
  • Kevin Trepa, MPIA ’05, Oregon Tool (Portland)

    Kevin Trepa, MPIA ’05, Oregon Tool (Portland)

    Kevin Trepa is currently the chief supply chain officer at Oregon Tool. Prior to this role, he was the chief information office and senior vice president for Blount International’s global supply chain. Further, Trepa led the Global Sales team for five years at Leupold & Stevens and was the vice president of the global supply chain at Sony Electronics. He also served for 24 years in the United States Marine Corps in both the active and reserve components. Trepa served as Chief of Current Operations for General Petraeus in Baghdad in 2007. He retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel in 2009.
  • King Tsao, MPIA ’90 (Los Angeles)

    King Tsao, MPIA ’90 (Los Angeles)

    King Tsao “re-retired” in 2021 as the chief risk officer from a San Francisco-based bank. Before his early retirement in 2016, he had worked in various financial institutions, including HSBC Group, GE Capital, Bank of America, The World Bank Group and Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank. King received his undergraduate degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and pursued his graduate studies from UCSC, UCLA and UC San Diego. He has over 30 years of professional experience in research, marketing, credit, risk management, compliance and legal in the finance industry.

Past presidents

  • Past Presidents

    We would like to acknowledge and thank the past presidents for their service.

    Rebecca Eyre, MPIA '90 (1991 – 1993)
    Mark Spalding, MPIA '92 (1993 – 1996)
    Mike Stankiewicz, MPIA '94 (1996 – 1998)
    Heather Shepard, MPIA '95 (1998 – 2000)
    Jennifer Kellogg, MPIA '93 (2000 – 2002)
    Melissa Dennis, MPIA '97 (2002 – 2004)
    David Freitas, MPIA '97 (2004 – 2006)
    Matt Hill, MPIA '04 (2006 – 2008)
    Ben Bahney, MPIA '06 (2008 – 2009)
    Anne Craib, MPIA '93 (2009 – 2010)
    Brooke Partridge, MPIA '91 (2010 – 2013)
    Jeff Rector, MPIA '97 (2013 – 2016)
    Aaron Jacobson, MPIA ’08 (2016 – 2018)
    Blake Tye, MPIA '10 (2018 – 2020)
    Liliana Pao, MPIA '02 (2020 – 2021)