Adewunmi Adelaja
Adewunmi Adelaja is an MD/PhD dual degree candidate in the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSoM) and Molecular Biology Interdepartmental program at UCLA. His research focuses on the specificity of inflammatory response by innate immune cells. Ade has previously served as the director of communication for UCLA’s Graduate Students Association, a student advisor for the re-applicant program at DGSoM, vice-chair for technology of the American Physician-Scientist Association, and chapter vice-president of the Student National Medical Association. Furthermore, he is a co-founder of New Beginning Healthcare Services, LLC., which is a home health agency that provides home nursing services to residents of Central Ohio.
Ade earned his bachelor’s degree at the Ohio State University (OSU) with a major in Biology and minors in Computer Science and Neuroscience. He earned his degree with Honors in Arts and Sciences and Honors Research Distinction in Biology. Further, he was a recipient of the prestigious Morrill Excellence Scholarship and OSU College of Arts and Sciences Rising Star Award and was a Health Sciences Scholar.
Janay Williams
Janay Williams is a first-year J.D. candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law. She graduated from UCLA in 2016 with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. Throughout her undergraduate career at UCLA, Janay served as the Chairperson of the Afrikan Student Union, and was a director in the USAC office of President, External Vice President, and Academic Affairs Commission. Prior to joining ASUCLA BOD, she served as both a graduate and undergraduate student representative for the UCLA Student Fee Advisory Committee. More recently, Janay also acted as a first-year representative for the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and is currently the Alumni Relations Coordinator for BLSA. Janay is a Keker, Van Nest, and Peters 2020 Diversity Scholar, UCLA Graduate Student Opportunity Fellow, Class of 2018 Scholarship Recipient, and spent her first summer after law school as a legal intern at Apple, Inc. Prior to law school, she spent two years working as a public high school biology and chemistry teacher in Southern California, which motivated her to pursue a legal career focusing on technology and business. Janay is excited to bring her passion for UCLA students, and her experience as a law student to the ASUCLA Board of Directors in her two-year appointment.
Jazz Kiang
Jazz Kiang is a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education & Organizational Change program at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. For over seven years, Jazz has served on and chaired numerous campus and UC-wide committees, including UCLA’s Student Fee Advisory Committee and the UC Council on Student Fees. Through working groups and other appointed roles, Jazz has advised members of the UC Board of Regents, leaders of the Academic Senate, and administrators of both UCLA and the UC Office of the President regarding budgetary planning, student services, and diversity initiatives.
With a coalition of students, faculty, and administrators in 2014, Jazz spearheaded the final campaign to implement UCLA’s undergraduate Diversity Requirement—a curricular change passed by the Academic Senate that required three decades of student advocacy. In 2016, Jazz co-authored the Social Justice Referendum—a student fee ballot measure approved by undergraduates that generates $2.5 million+ annually for student services at UCLA.
Jazz’s current research explores how public universities are financed and governed, with a specific focus on how students design tuition/fee policies to generate revenue for initiatives they deem important. A “triple Bruin,” Jazz previously received both his M.A. in Higher Education & Organizational Change and B.A. in Asian American Studies from UCLA.
Adewunmi Adelaja
Adewunmi Adelaja is an MD/PhD dual degree candidate in the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSoM) and Molecular Biology Interdepartmental program at UCLA. His research focuses on the specificity of inflammatory response by innate immune cells. Ade has previously served as the director of communication for UCLA’s Graduate Students Association, a student advisor for the re-applicant program at DGSoM, vice-chair for technology of the American Physician-Scientist Association, and chapter vice-president of the Student National Medical Association. Furthermore, he is a co-founder of New Beginning Healthcare Services, LLC., which is a home health agency that provides home nursing services to residents of Central Ohio.
Ade earned his bachelor’s degree at the Ohio State University (OSU) with a major in Biology and minors in Computer Science and Neuroscience. He earned his degree with Honors in Arts and Sciences and Honors Research Distinction in Biology. Further, he was a recipient of the prestigious Morrill Excellence Scholarship and OSU College of Arts and Sciences Rising Star Award and was a Health Sciences Scholar.
Janay Williams
Janay Williams is a first-year J.D. candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law. She graduated from UCLA in 2016 with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. Throughout her undergraduate career at UCLA, Janay served as the Chairperson of the Afrikan Student Union, and was a director in the USAC office of President, External Vice President, and Academic Affairs Commission. Prior to joining ASUCLA BOD, she served as both a graduate and undergraduate student representative for the UCLA Student Fee Advisory Committee. More recently, Janay also acted as a first-year representative for the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and is currently the Alumni Relations Coordinator for BLSA. Janay is a Keker, Van Nest, and Peters 2020 Diversity Scholar, UCLA Graduate Student Opportunity Fellow, Class of 2018 Scholarship Recipient, and spent her first summer after law school as a legal intern at Apple, Inc. Prior to law school, she spent two years working as a public high school biology and chemistry teacher in Southern California, which motivated her to pursue a legal career focusing on technology and business. Janay is excited to bring her passion for UCLA students, and her experience as a law student to the ASUCLA Board of Directors in her two-year appointment.
Jazz Kiang
Jazz Kiang is a Ph.D. student in the Higher Education & Organizational Change program at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. For over seven years, Jazz has served on and chaired numerous campus and UC-wide committees, including UCLA’s Student Fee Advisory Committee and the UC Council on Student Fees. Through working groups and other appointed roles, Jazz has advised members of the UC Board of Regents, leaders of the Academic Senate, and administrators of both UCLA and the UC Office of the President regarding budgetary planning, student services, and diversity initiatives.
With a coalition of students, faculty, and administrators in 2014, Jazz spearheaded the final campaign to implement UCLA’s undergraduate Diversity Requirement—a curricular change passed by the Academic Senate that required three decades of student advocacy. In 2016, Jazz co-authored the Social Justice Referendum—a student fee ballot measure approved by undergraduates that generates $2.5 million+ annually for student services at UCLA.
Jazz’s current research explores how public universities are financed and governed, with a specific focus on how students design tuition/fee policies to generate revenue for initiatives they deem important. A “triple Bruin,” Jazz previously received both his M.A. in Higher Education & Organizational Change and B.A. in Asian American Studies from UCLA.
Zeyna Faucette
I am rising third-year student pursuing a degree in African American Studies with a minor in Public Affairs.
Throughout my time at UCLA I have been involved in the Afrikan Student Union, serving as the CoDirector of Internal Public Relations, the Academic Affairs Commission serving as the CoDirector of Access and Equity, and worked for UCLA Athletics and the Black Community Center.
I am extremely passionate about providing resources to all students to ensure their success at UCLA and to make sure student voices are heard and taken seriously.
Arsh Gupta
Arsh Gupta (pronouns: he/him/his) is a rising third year pursuing a double major in B.S. Applied Mathematics and B.A. Economics. During his time at UCLA, he has had the honor of working in various spaces that enhance student experience on campus.
As the Student Advocacy Partnership Director in USAC, Arsh resolved operational and financial issues facing student clubs and organizations by facilitating funding literacy workshops. In OCHC, as the first elected National Communications Coordinator, he strengthened UCLA’s network and relations on a regional and national level, and increased representation on those platforms. Through these experiences he has been able to better understand the system of shared governance and realize the stake that students and student voices hold in such spaces.
Arsh is passionate about increasing accessibility and envisions to foster a greater engagement across all constituents of ASUCLA during his term on the Board of Directors. He strongly believes that the organization’s autonomy and student representation are its greatest strengths and is excited to use his experience in increasing ASUCLA’s presence on campus and strengthening its various business partnerships.
Steven Moran
Steven is a 4th year PhD Student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research focuses on designing mixed-signal neuromorphic computing architectures for accelerating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) computation. Steven has previously served as the President of the Engineering Graduate Student Association (EGSA), the Chair of the IEEE EDS/EPS Joint Student Chapter at UCLA, and is currently serving as the Vice-President of the Electrical & Computer Engineering Graduate and PostDoc Society (ECEGAPS) at UCLA.
Steven also earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Electrical & Computer Engineering at UCLA and was a recipient of the UCLA Electrical Engineering Department Fellowship in 2016. Throughout his tenure as a student at UCLA, he has been heavily involved in a large number of student organizations including EGSA, GradSWE, GSA Forum, ECEGAPS, Building Engineers and Mentors (BEAM), and various mentorship programs.
Zeyna Faucette
I am rising third-year student pursuing a degree in African American Studies with a minor in Public Affairs.
Throughout my time at UCLA I have been involved in the Afrikan Student Union, serving as the CoDirector of Internal Public Relations, the Academic Affairs Commission serving as the CoDirector of Access and Equity, and worked for UCLA Athletics and the Black Community Center.
I am extremely passionate about providing resources to all students to ensure their success at UCLA and to make sure student voices are heard and taken seriously.
Arsh Gupta
Arsh Gupta (pronouns: he/him/his) is a rising third year pursuing a double major in B.S. Applied Mathematics and B.A. Economics. During his time at UCLA, he has had the honor of working in various spaces that enhance student experience on campus.
As the Student Advocacy Partnership Director in USAC, Arsh resolved operational and financial issues facing student clubs and organizations by facilitating funding literacy workshops. In OCHC, as the first elected National Communications Coordinator, he strengthened UCLA’s network and relations on a regional and national level, and increased representation on those platforms. Through these experiences he has been able to better understand the system of shared governance and realize the stake that students and student voices hold in such spaces.
Arsh is passionate about increasing accessibility and envisions to foster a greater engagement across all constituents of ASUCLA during his term on the Board of Directors. He strongly believes that the organization’s autonomy and student representation are its greatest strengths and is excited to use his experience in increasing ASUCLA’s presence on campus and strengthening its various business partnerships.
Steven Moran
Steven is a 4th year PhD Student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. His research focuses on designing mixed-signal neuromorphic computing architectures for accelerating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) computation. Steven has previously served as the President of the Engineering Graduate Student Association (EGSA), the Chair of the IEEE EDS/EPS Joint Student Chapter at UCLA, and is currently serving as the Vice-President of the Electrical & Computer Engineering Graduate and PostDoc Society (ECEGAPS) at UCLA.
Steven also earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Electrical & Computer Engineering at UCLA and was a recipient of the UCLA Electrical Engineering Department Fellowship in 2016. Throughout his tenure as a student at UCLA, he has been heavily involved in a large number of student organizations including EGSA, GradSWE, GSA Forum, ECEGAPS, Building Engineers and Mentors (BEAM), and various mentorship programs.
Siena Villegas
Siena Villegas is a rising third-year student studying Business Economics with a Minor in Accounting. Before coming to UCLA, Siena grew up in East Bay Area, where she had the opportunity to interact with people of diverse backgrounds and identities.
In her second year at UCLA, Siena served as Financial Coordinator for Samahang Pilipino at UCLA and as a Resident Assistant in Hedrick Summit. Through these roles, Siena was able to see firsthand the financial hardship that students on this campus face, and how that affects their retention at UCLA. She is passionate about understanding the ways in which identity intersects with and affects finances and access to resources. Siena is honored to have the opportunity to uplift student voices, empower communities, and advocate for students’ needs through her position on the ASUCLA Board of Directors.
Alexis Wells
Alexis Wells is a rising third-year student pursuing a B.A. in Political Science and African American Studies.
Alexis has proudly taken part in spaces such as the African Student Union, serving as the Marketing and Publicity Chair for Admit Weekend Committee, worked for the Central Ticket office and UCLA’s Annual Fund, the Call Center. She is excited and determined to highlight the core values that ASUCLA upholds.
Alexis is passionate about highlighting student experiences through ASUCLA and providing spaces that will allow for the overall success of students both here at UCLA and their everlasting impacts after UCLA. As a first year on the Board of Directors, she hopes to ensure the amazing true values of ASUCLA such as high quality and low cost are continuously being upheld and felt throughout the campus.
Frank Wada
Frank Wada entered the student affairs professional over 20 years ago for one purpose: to help students successfully achieve their personal and professional higher education goals. He arrived at UCLA in 2011 to serve as the University Registrar and added Executive Director Responsibilities in 2014. Previously, Frank has held campus leadership roles at UC Davis, San José State University, and Menlo College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and sociology from San José State University, a master’s degree in education from UCLA, and is in progress to finish a doctorate degree in education from UC Davis.
Siena Villegas
Siena Villegas is a rising third-year student studying Business Economics with a Minor in Accounting. Before coming to UCLA, Siena grew up in East Bay Area, where she had the opportunity to interact with people of diverse backgrounds and identities.
In her second year at UCLA, Siena served as Financial Coordinator for Samahang Pilipino at UCLA and as a Resident Assistant in Hedrick Summit. Through these roles, Siena was able to see firsthand the financial hardship that students on this campus face, and how that affects their retention at UCLA. She is passionate about understanding the ways in which identity intersects with and affects finances and access to resources. Siena is honored to have the opportunity to uplift student voices, empower communities, and advocate for students’ needs through her position on the ASUCLA Board of Directors.
Alexis Wells
Alexis Wells is a rising third-year student pursuing a B.A. in Political Science and African American Studies.
Alexis has proudly taken part in spaces such as the African Student Union, serving as the Marketing and Publicity Chair for Admit Weekend Committee, worked for the Central Ticket office and UCLA’s Annual Fund, the Call Center. She is excited and determined to highlight the core values that ASUCLA upholds.
Alexis is passionate about highlighting student experiences through ASUCLA and providing spaces that will allow for the overall success of students both here at UCLA and their everlasting impacts after UCLA. As a first year on the Board of Directors, she hopes to ensure the amazing true values of ASUCLA such as high quality and low cost are continuously being upheld and felt throughout the campus.
Frank Wada
Frank Wada entered the student affairs professional over 20 years ago for one purpose: to help students successfully achieve their personal and professional higher education goals. He arrived at UCLA in 2011 to serve as the University Registrar and added Executive Director Responsibilities in 2014. Previously, Frank has held campus leadership roles at UC Davis, San José State University, and Menlo College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and sociology from San José State University, a master’s degree in education from UCLA, and is in progress to finish a doctorate degree in education from UC Davis.
Steve Yu
Steve Yu is a double Bruin with a bachelors in Econ and MBA from UCLA. He is the CFO and Assistant Dean at the UCLA Law School overseeing a $100 million budget. Steve served three terms as president of the UCLA Alumni Association Westside Bruins and was voted the 2017 UCLA Alumni Volunteer of the Year. Steve is a paid public speaker and has been president of two UCLA Toastmasters clubs (Bruin Toastmasters, True Blue Toastmasters), and is a presenter at the UCLA Anderson Riordan Program and the UCLA Bruin Leaders Project.
Steve is the alumni representative and hopes to utilize his 25+ years of business and finance experience to the ASUCLA Board of Directors.
Jesse Torres
Jesse Torres has served as California’s state small business advocate and deputy director of small business in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development since April 2015. Previously, Jesse had served as regional director of the Los Angeles Small Business Development Center Network from 2011 to 2015. Prior to his work with SBDC, Jesse served in advancement positions in higher education and the arts, most notably for Pepperdine University where he served as director of Alumni Relations for the Graziadio School of Business and Management from 2005 to 2011. Jesse earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Pepperdine University and Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UCLA. He lives with his wife Jennifer and his two children, Alex and Ava, in South Pasadena, CA.
Paul Abramson
Paul Abramson currently serves as Director of the Central Ticket Office for UCLA. He reports directly to the Administrative Vice Chancellor and is responsible, on behalf of our campus partners, for overseeing the servicing, processing and sale of tickets for UCLA events held on and off campus.
While a student at UCLA in the early 80’s, Paul was an employee of the Central Ticket Office and was heavily involved in organizing the annual Mardi Gras event, serving as Chair of the 1985 event. He came back to UCLA in 1990 when he joined the Central Ticket Office as Assistant Director overseeing customer and client service. He has been with the ticket office since and was promoted to Director in July of 2011.
Paul received a B.A. degree in Economics from UCLA in 1986. His wife is also a graduate of UCLA and received her degree in 1989.
Steve Yu
Steve Yu is a double Bruin with a bachelors in Econ and MBA from UCLA. He is the CFO and Assistant Dean at the UCLA Law School overseeing a $100 million budget. Steve served three terms as president of the UCLA Alumni Association Westside Bruins and was voted the 2017 UCLA Alumni Volunteer of the Year. Steve is a paid public speaker and has been president of two UCLA Toastmasters clubs (Bruin Toastmasters, True Blue Toastmasters), and is a presenter at the UCLA Anderson Riordan Program and the UCLA Bruin Leaders Project.
Steve is the alumni representative and hopes to utilize his 25+ years of business and finance experience to the ASUCLA Board of Directors.
Jesse Torres
Jesse Torres has served as California’s state small business advocate and deputy director of small business in the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development since April 2015. Previously, Jesse had served as regional director of the Los Angeles Small Business Development Center Network from 2011 to 2015. Prior to his work with SBDC, Jesse served in advancement positions in higher education and the arts, most notably for Pepperdine University where he served as director of Alumni Relations for the Graziadio School of Business and Management from 2005 to 2011. Jesse earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Pepperdine University and Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UCLA. He lives with his wife Jennifer and his two children, Alex and Ava, in South Pasadena, CA.
Paul Abramson
Paul Abramson currently serves as Director of the Central Ticket Office for UCLA. He reports directly to the Administrative Vice Chancellor and is responsible, on behalf of our campus partners, for overseeing the servicing, processing and sale of tickets for UCLA events held on and off campus.
While a student at UCLA in the early 80’s, Paul was an employee of the Central Ticket Office and was heavily involved in organizing the annual Mardi Gras event, serving as Chair of the 1985 event. He came back to UCLA in 1990 when he joined the Central Ticket Office as Assistant Director overseeing customer and client service. He has been with the ticket office since and was promoted to Director in July of 2011.
Paul received a B.A. degree in Economics from UCLA in 1986. His wife is also a graduate of UCLA and received her degree in 1989.
Avanidhar (Subra) Subrahmanyam
Professor of Finance Avanidhar (Subra) Subrahmanyam (Ph.D. ’90) is an expert in stock market activity and behavioral finance. He is known for his pathbreaking research in the use of psychological principles to explain stock price movements and has published numerous articles in leading peer-reviewed finance and economics journals.
Appearing frequently in the media, Subrahmanyam is consulted for his expertise on the superior performance of value stocks and the phenomenon of stock market momentum to analyze spikes in gasoline prices, herd-like behavior around Apple stock, uncertainty in everyday use of the bitcoin crypto-currency and the effects of war on the stock market.
Subrahmanyam’s current research interests range from the relationship between the trading environment of a firm’s stock and the firm’s cost of capital to behavioral theories for asset price behavior and empirical determinants of the cross-section of equity returns. “We need to accept that humans are governed by a number of non-rational considerations,” he says in relation to investing behaviors. “An investor may be reluctant to admit an erroneous investment decision, which may prevent correction of over-heated stock market valuations. Academic research has indicated to investors that irrational investing can cause a significant loss of wealth.”
Subrahmanyam has served as a consultant to the Nasdaq Stock Market, the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai, India, San Jose Mercury News and Irwin/McGraw-Hill. He is a UCLA Anderson Inspirational 100 alumnus.
A founding editor of the Journal of Financial Markets, Subrahmanyam previously served as associate editor of the Review of Financial Studies and the Journal of Finance. He is a member of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Working Research Group on Market Microstructure.
His scholarly efforts have been recognized with best paper awards at the Western Finance Association meetings and the International Conference of Finance in Taiwan, and he was honored with the Smith Breeden Prize for the best paper published in the Journal of Finance (1999). His documentation of market liquidity led to a number of studies analyzing why trading costs fluctuate over time and earned him the Fama-DFA prize for the best paper on investments published in the Journal of Financial Economics (2000).
Pouria Abbassi, P.E.
Pouria Abbassi has been the CEO of large companies in three distinct industries – hospitality, health care, and higher education. In each capacity, he has led organizations through business and cultural transformations to unprecedented results while giving back to the communities they serve.
In 2018, Pouria rejoined his alma mater as the CEO and Executive Director of the Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA), the largest organization of its kind in the world. Pouria leverages his executive experience and his passion for “all things Bruin” to work with the ASUCLA Board of Directors, its 1,800+ family of employees, campus partners, and other stakeholders. In doing so, Pouria leads ASUCLA to serve the student body through a multifaceted set of businesses and on-campus services and extend the UCLA brand globally through operations in over 100 countries. Pouria has previously led four mental and behavioral health companies amid health care reforms (ACA) through 17 facilities as the President of the Phoenix Houses of California, Inc. (PHC). Prior to PHC, he was the CEO of Los Angeles Convention Center, leading the sports and entertainment district’s unprecedented development and revitalization of Downtown LA’s South Park area. In prior capacities, Pouria has led teams in project engineering, debt financing, financial modeling, environmental analysis, and information technology implementation. He also has done research and published in the areas of cryogenics and high-temperature superconductivity.
A registered mechanical engineer in the State of California and a graduate of UCLA School of Engineering and UCLA Anderson School of Management/Executive Management program, Pouria sits on various boards, including the Los Angeles Business Council, Providence Hospital Foundation Board of Governors, Beyond Vision Music Foundation, PAAIA/IA 100, and the Norooz Celebration Foundation. He also works with various other community organizations, including PARS Equality Center, KCIS, and Farhang Foundation. Pouria is also an active member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and is engaged with various policy and think tank groups at local and national levels. Pouria frequently gives presentations on leadership to student groups and mentors young professionals in their careers. Among more than 30 community, business, and service awards, Pouria has also been awarded the 2020 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, in recognition of his contributions towards the betterment of all the communities he has served throughout his distinguished career. Pouria lives in Los Angeles with his wife, whom he met when they were both studying at UCLA, and their two children.
Avanidhar (Subra) Subrahmanyam
Professor of Finance Avanidhar (Subra) Subrahmanyam (Ph.D. ’90) is an expert in stock market activity and behavioral finance. He is known for his pathbreaking research in the use of psychological principles to explain stock price movements and has published numerous articles in leading peer-reviewed finance and economics journals.
Appearing frequently in the media, Subrahmanyam is consulted for his expertise on the superior performance of value stocks and the phenomenon of stock market momentum to analyze spikes in gasoline prices, herd-like behavior around Apple stock, uncertainty in everyday use of the bitcoin crypto-currency and the effects of war on the stock market.
Subrahmanyam’s current research interests range from the relationship between the trading environment of a firm’s stock and the firm’s cost of capital to behavioral theories for asset price behavior and empirical determinants of the cross-section of equity returns. “We need to accept that humans are governed by a number of non-rational considerations,” he says in relation to investing behaviors. “An investor may be reluctant to admit an erroneous investment decision, which may prevent correction of over-heated stock market valuations. Academic research has indicated to investors that irrational investing can cause a significant loss of wealth.”
Subrahmanyam has served as a consultant to the Nasdaq Stock Market, the National Stock Exchange in Mumbai, India, San Jose Mercury News and Irwin/McGraw-Hill. He is a UCLA Anderson Inspirational 100 alumnus.
A founding editor of the Journal of Financial Markets, Subrahmanyam previously served as associate editor of the Review of Financial Studies and the Journal of Finance. He is a member of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Working Research Group on Market Microstructure.
His scholarly efforts have been recognized with best paper awards at the Western Finance Association meetings and the International Conference of Finance in Taiwan, and he was honored with the Smith Breeden Prize for the best paper published in the Journal of Finance (1999). His documentation of market liquidity led to a number of studies analyzing why trading costs fluctuate over time and earned him the Fama-DFA prize for the best paper on investments published in the Journal of Financial Economics (2000).
Pouria Abbassi, P.E.
Pouria Abbassi has been the CEO of large companies in three distinct industries – hospitality, health care, and higher education. In each capacity, he has led organizations through business and cultural transformations to unprecedented results while giving back to the communities they serve.
In 2018, Pouria rejoined his alma mater as the CEO and Executive Director of the Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA), the largest organization of its kind in the world. Pouria leverages his executive experience and his passion for “all things Bruin” to work with the ASUCLA Board of Directors, its 1,800+ family of employees, campus partners, and other stakeholders. In doing so, Pouria leads ASUCLA to serve the student body through a multifaceted set of businesses and on-campus services and extend the UCLA brand globally through operations in over 100 countries. Pouria has previously led four mental and behavioral health companies amid health care reforms (ACA) through 17 facilities as the President of the Phoenix Houses of California, Inc. (PHC). Prior to PHC, he was the CEO of Los Angeles Convention Center, leading the sports and entertainment district’s unprecedented development and revitalization of Downtown LA’s South Park area. In prior capacities, Pouria has led teams in project engineering, debt financing, financial modeling, environmental analysis, and information technology implementation. He also has done research and published in the areas of cryogenics and high-temperature superconductivity.
A registered mechanical engineer in the State of California and a graduate of UCLA School of Engineering and UCLA Anderson School of Management/Executive Management program, Pouria sits on various boards, including the Los Angeles Business Council, Providence Hospital Foundation Board of Governors, Beyond Vision Music Foundation, PAAIA/IA 100, and the Norooz Celebration Foundation. He also works with various other community organizations, including PARS Equality Center, KCIS, and Farhang Foundation. Pouria is also an active member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and is engaged with various policy and think tank groups at local and national levels. Pouria frequently gives presentations on leadership to student groups and mentors young professionals in their careers. Among more than 30 community, business, and service awards, Pouria has also been awarded the 2020 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, in recognition of his contributions towards the betterment of all the communities he has served throughout his distinguished career. Pouria lives in Los Angeles with his wife, whom he met when they were both studying at UCLA, and their two children.