Teniope Adewumi-Gunn
Teniope Adewumi-Gunn is a doctoral student in the Environmental Health Sciences department at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Teniope’s research interests include applying industrial hygiene to underserved worker communities, sustainability, and environmental policy. She was previously the Environmental Justice Research and Policy Analyst for Black Women for Wellness, where she used her industrial hygiene skill set to engage community members to influence local, state, and national level policies that regulate the safety of chemical use in cosmetics and personal care products.
She is a Women’s Policy Institute Fellow; Student Section National Chair of the American Industrial Hygiene Association; and serves on the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology Health and Safety Committee. In addition to numerous awards for her health and safety work she was named a 2015 Radiant Women of Action by Radiant Health Magazine. Her work has been featured in HuffPost Live, Cosmopolitan, Essence Online, Atlantic CityLab, Think Progress and more.
Teniope completed her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences at California State University, San Bernardino and her Masters of Science in Environmental Health Sciences/Industrial Hygiene at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Avi Oved
Avi Oved is currently pursuing his J.D. at UCLA School of Law and serves on the board of UC’s National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. Prior to graduating in 2016 from UCLA with a B.A. in Economics, Oved served a two-year term on the UC Board of Regents as the Student Regent, the sole representative of 250,000 students across the 10-campus system. As Regent, Oved established an additional student seat on the board, co-authored the UC Statement of Principles Against Intolerance, an anti-discrimination policy, and advocated for UC’s disinvestment of $200M from coal and tar sand companies, as well as $30M from private prisons. Prior to this, Oved served as USAC’s Internal Vice President, where he institutionalized UCLA Circle of 6, a mobile safety app that centralizes emergency communication efforts.
In between graduating UCLA and starting law school, Oved worked for the Hillary For America campaign, SKDKnickerbocker, a democratic political consulting firm, and Sunshine Sachs, a communications and public relations firm.
Lawrence Traylor
Lawrence Traylor Jr. received a B.A. in Political Science and African-American Studies from UCLA and is currently pursuing a J.D. at UCLA School of Law. A strong advocate for human rights and social equality, he’s an active member of his local church and several mentoring programs. Lawrence’s passion lies in servicing underprivileged communities, like his hometown of Oakland, California.
His professional interests focus on civil liberties, constitutional law, and equitable economic structures. In addition, he is currently a scholar in UCLA Law’s Critical Race Studies (CRS) program – The only program of its kind in the United States – where he scholastically interrogates the intersection between race and the law.
Teniope Adewumi-Gunn
Teniope Adewumi-Gunn is a doctoral student in the Environmental Health Sciences department at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Teniope’s research interests include applying industrial hygiene to underserved worker communities, sustainability, and environmental policy. She was previously the Environmental Justice Research and Policy Analyst for Black Women for Wellness, where she used her industrial hygiene skill set to engage community members to influence local, state, and national level policies that regulate the safety of chemical use in cosmetics and personal care products.
She is a Women’s Policy Institute Fellow; Student Section National Chair of the American Industrial Hygiene Association; and serves on the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology Health and Safety Committee. In addition to numerous awards for her health and safety work she was named a 2015 Radiant Women of Action by Radiant Health Magazine. Her work has been featured in HuffPost Live, Cosmopolitan, Essence Online, Atlantic CityLab, Think Progress and more.
Teniope completed her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences at California State University, San Bernardino and her Masters of Science in Environmental Health Sciences/Industrial Hygiene at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).
Avi Oved
Avi Oved is currently pursuing his J.D. at UCLA School of Law and serves on the board of UC’s National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. Prior to graduating in 2016 from UCLA with a B.A. in Economics, Oved served a two-year term on the UC Board of Regents as the Student Regent, the sole representative of 250,000 students across the 10-campus system. As Regent, Oved established an additional student seat on the board, co-authored the UC Statement of Principles Against Intolerance, an anti-discrimination policy, and advocated for UC’s disinvestment of $200M from coal and tar sand companies, as well as $30M from private prisons. Prior to this, Oved served as USAC’s Internal Vice President, where he institutionalized UCLA Circle of 6, a mobile safety app that centralizes emergency communication efforts.
In between graduating UCLA and starting law school, Oved worked for the Hillary For America campaign, SKDKnickerbocker, a democratic political consulting firm, and Sunshine Sachs, a communications and public relations firm.
Lawrence Traylor
Lawrence Traylor Jr. received a B.A. in Political Science and African-American Studies from UCLA and is currently pursuing a J.D. at UCLA School of Law. A strong advocate for human rights and social equality, he’s an active member of his local church and several mentoring programs. Lawrence’s passion lies in servicing underprivileged communities, like his hometown of Oakland, California.
His professional interests focus on civil liberties, constitutional law, and equitable economic structures. In addition, he is currently a scholar in UCLA Law’s Critical Race Studies (CRS) program – The only program of its kind in the United States – where he scholastically interrogates the intersection between race and the law.
Joshua Mayer
Joshua L. Mayer is a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology at UCLA. His research focuses on sovereignty, governance, rights, and race in Indigenous and Afrodescendant communities in Nicaragua. Mayer has previously served as the administrative affairs director for UCLA’s Graduate Students Association and was the administrative coordinator for Northwestern University’s Faculty Senate prior to his doctoral studies.
Mayer was raised in Portage, Michigan, on the ancestral lands of the Bodéwadmi people. He received a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in political science from Amherst College and a master’s degree in the social sciences from the University of Chicago. Mayer is also the recipient of a 2014–15 Fulbright research grant for his work in Nicaragua.
Erika Bricky
Erika Bricky is a rising third-year student pursuing a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in African American Studies.
Erika first began working for ASUCLA in the summer of 2017 for the Marketing Department. She was an integral part of transitioning ASUCLA’s social media presence to be focused on highlighting the Core Values and increasing student engagement. Erika has worked in various marketing and branding capacities for UCLA Athletics, Tinder, and Match.com. She looks forward to continue the work of the current board’s efforts to reinvent ASUCLA’s brand.
Erika firmly believes in ASUCLA’s mission and in her first year on the board she hopes to use her new position as an opportunity to ensure that we our achieving our goals.
Aidan Arasasingham
Aidan Arasasingham is a rising first-year pursuing a B.A. in Global Studies and Economics with a minor in Art History specializing in architecture. During his time at UCLA, he has worked in the Office of the External Vice President on local, state, and federal government advocacy in support of student needs and will be leading the office’s legislative strategy this year. He has also held postings on the UCLA Division Academic Senate related to undergraduate admissions and financial planning as well as on the Arts Restoring Community Fund.
Aidan is particularly interested in issues relating to the intersections of politics, economics, and design on a global scale and looks forward to interrogating these intersections further during his academic and professional career. Aidan is proud of the independence and student-focus that ASUCLA has brought to the campus and community for almost a century and is excited to help move the organization toward even greater success in the future on behalf of UCLA students and stakeholders.
Joshua Mayer
Joshua L. Mayer is a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology at UCLA. His research focuses on sovereignty, governance, rights, and race in Indigenous and Afrodescendant communities in Nicaragua. Mayer has previously served as the administrative affairs director for UCLA’s Graduate Students Association and was the administrative coordinator for Northwestern University’s Faculty Senate prior to his doctoral studies.
Mayer was raised in Portage, Michigan, on the ancestral lands of the Bodéwadmi people. He received a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in political science from Amherst College and a master’s degree in the social sciences from the University of Chicago. Mayer is also the recipient of a 2014–15 Fulbright research grant for his work in Nicaragua.
Erika Bricky
Erika Bricky is a rising third-year student pursuing a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in African American Studies.
Erika first began working for ASUCLA in the summer of 2017 for the Marketing Department. She was an integral part of transitioning ASUCLA’s social media presence to be focused on highlighting the Core Values and increasing student engagement. Erika has worked in various marketing and branding capacities for UCLA Athletics, Tinder, and Match.com. She looks forward to continue the work of the current board’s efforts to reinvent ASUCLA’s brand.
Erika firmly believes in ASUCLA’s mission and in her first year on the board she hopes to use her new position as an opportunity to ensure that we our achieving our goals.
Aidan Arasasingham
Aidan Arasasingham is a rising first-year pursuing a B.A. in Global Studies and Economics with a minor in Art History specializing in architecture. During his time at UCLA, he has worked in the Office of the External Vice President on local, state, and federal government advocacy in support of student needs and will be leading the office’s legislative strategy this year. He has also held postings on the UCLA Division Academic Senate related to undergraduate admissions and financial planning as well as on the Arts Restoring Community Fund.
Aidan is particularly interested in issues relating to the intersections of politics, economics, and design on a global scale and looks forward to interrogating these intersections further during his academic and professional career. Aidan is proud of the independence and student-focus that ASUCLA has brought to the campus and community for almost a century and is excited to help move the organization toward even greater success in the future on behalf of UCLA students and stakeholders.
Kevin Kato
Kevin Kato is a third year Economics major interested in the effect of market externalities on society. Born in Brazil, he moved to Los Angeles as a child and dreamed of one day becoming a Bruin.
In his first two years at UCLA, Kevin worked in the UCLA Store as a customer service representative and supervisor at the Market, where he gained an intimate understanding of the Association. In that time, he worked with ASUCLA management to establish a food donation program between the Market and the Community Programs Office at UCLA. He treasures his experiences as a student worker and is committed to ensuring that all students are aware of the amazing resources that the Association has to offer them.
Kevin has also worked in the USAC Office of the External Vice President throughout his time at UCLA. He served as the Assistant to the Chief of Staff and the Campus Organizing Director, through which he helped to create the Bruin Defenders Program, which gives individual student groups the resources and support necessary to lobby on their own behalves to government officials. Next year as the Bruin Defenders Director, he will work to expand the program and to make it accessible to all students on campus.
Kevin is honored by the opportunity to serve on the Board and is dedicated to elevating the experiences and stories of all students at UCLA to the board space.
Navi Sidhu
Navi Sidhu is currently a second-year student pursuing a degree in psychobiology, with a minor in accounting. He is particularly interested in healthcare management and the intersection of health and business and one day hopes to use the skills he has learned to establish a non-profit mental health advocacy organization.
Serving as a representative on multiple advisory committees and boards throughout high school, Navi continued to engage and serve students at UCLA, joining the Office of the President, the Office of the Internal Vice President, the Financial Supports Commission, and the Student Wellness Commission, where he was worked issues such funding reform, transparency, and campus climate. In this next year, he hopes to foster more communication and collaboration between the ASUCLA entities, especially Services and Enterprises and USAC, to be able to better serve the student body.
Navi values and appreciates ASUCLA’s uniqueness, independence, and student-centric role on this campus and is committing himself to steering the organization in a way that continues to serve the UCLA population.
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.
Kevin Kato
Kevin Kato is a third year Economics major interested in the effect of market externalities on society. Born in Brazil, he moved to Los Angeles as a child and dreamed of one day becoming a Bruin.
In his first two years at UCLA, Kevin worked in the UCLA Store as a customer service representative and supervisor at the Market, where he gained an intimate understanding of the Association. In that time, he worked with ASUCLA management to establish a food donation program between the Market and the Community Programs Office at UCLA. He treasures his experiences as a student worker and is committed to ensuring that all students are aware of the amazing resources that the Association has to offer them.
Kevin has also worked in the USAC Office of the External Vice President throughout his time at UCLA. He served as the Assistant to the Chief of Staff and the Campus Organizing Director, through which he helped to create the Bruin Defenders Program, which gives individual student groups the resources and support necessary to lobby on their own behalves to government officials. Next year as the Bruin Defenders Director, he will work to expand the program and to make it accessible to all students on campus.
Kevin is honored by the opportunity to serve on the Board and is dedicated to elevating the experiences and stories of all students at UCLA to the board space.
Navi Sidhu
Navi Sidhu is currently a second-year student pursuing a degree in psychobiology, with a minor in accounting. He is particularly interested in healthcare management and the intersection of health and business and one day hopes to use the skills he has learned to establish a non-profit mental health advocacy organization.
Serving as a representative on multiple advisory committees and boards throughout high school, Navi continued to engage and serve students at UCLA, joining the Office of the President, the Office of the Internal Vice President, the Financial Supports Commission, and the Student Wellness Commission, where he was worked issues such funding reform, transparency, and campus climate. In this next year, he hopes to foster more communication and collaboration between the ASUCLA entities, especially Services and Enterprises and USAC, to be able to better serve the student body.
Navi values and appreciates ASUCLA’s uniqueness, independence, and student-centric role on this campus and is committing himself to steering the organization in a way that continues to serve the UCLA population.
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.
Michelle Goodman
Michelle Goodman is the Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs for GRB Entertainment, an Emmy award winning multimedia production and distribution company, where she oversees all business affairs and legal for the company. Michelle has over a decade of experience representing studios, television networks, production companies, celebrities and other industry players in connection with a wide variety of legal matters. She also has well respected expertise with respect to policy creation and organizational, risk and project management.
Michelle earned her B.A. in History from UCLA in 2002, graduating within 3 years, and her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 2005. She has extensive experience planning and producing events, starting during her time at UCLA and continuing through today. In addition to her work with ASUCLA, Michelle is actively involved in alumni affairs, including serving as the Programs Chair for UCLA’s Westside Bruins Regional Network from 2015-2018.
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.
Michelle Goodman
Michelle Goodman is the Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs for GRB Entertainment, an Emmy award winning multimedia production and distribution company, where she oversees all business affairs and legal for the company. Michelle has over a decade of experience representing studios, television networks, production companies, celebrities and other industry players in connection with a wide variety of legal matters. She also has well respected expertise with respect to policy creation and organizational, risk and project management.
Michelle earned her B.A. in History from UCLA in 2002, graduating within 3 years, and her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 2005. She has extensive experience planning and producing events, starting during her time at UCLA and continuing through today. In addition to her work with ASUCLA, Michelle is actively involved in alumni affairs, including serving as the Programs Chair for UCLA’s Westside Bruins Regional Network from 2015-2018.
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.
Kevin Eagan
Kevin Eagan is Assistant Professor in Residence and Director of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), the longest-running and largest empirical study of higher education in the country. He is also the Managing Director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA (HERI), where the CIRP surveys are administered. Dr. Eagan’s research interests include issues related to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, contingent faculty, student retention, institutional contexts and structures of opportunity, survey validity and reliability, and advanced quantitative methods. He obtained his Ph.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change from UCLA, his M.S. in Higher Education Administration from North Carolina State University, and his B.S. in Mathematics from Greensboro College.
Pouria Abbassi, P.E.
Pouria Abbassi 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, in February, 2018. In this leadership role, Pouria leverages his over two decades of executive experience in multiple industries—and his passion for “all things Bruin”—to work with the ASUCLA Board of Directors, the incredible ASUCLA family of employees, campus partners and other stakeholders, moving the organization forward to its next opportunity phase of success and accomplishments in serving the Bruin student body and extending the UCLA brand globally.
Prior to joining ASUCLA, Pouria was the President and CEO of the Golbanoo Group, a specialty business management & consulting firm supporting large scale real estate developments, asset utilization practices through public private partnerships, conference and convention programming and digital health and wellness platforms and technologies.
Pouria previously led Phoenix Houses of California, Inc. (PHC), one of the largest mental health and behavioral health organizations nationally, as its President overseeing the significant service growth of the entire California operations through four companies, across 17 facilities, over 30 programs and a versatile array of services available to Californians.
Prior to Phoenix House, Pouria was the CEO of the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC). Under his leadership , LACC became among the very few convention centers nationwide to attain fiscal solvency, after over three decades of operational fiscal deficit, had the highest occupancy and customer satisfaction rating within its competitive set and was the first convention center of its size and age to achieve LEED-EB Gold certification. During his tenure, he was also involved with all aspects of the multi-billion dollar LA Live development and later collaborations including the 1,000 room convention center headquarter hotel and other venues on the campus to leverage the said assets in promoting Los Angeles. During this time, LACC also became a model of corporate social responsibility through its services, reach and engagement with various communities groups and educational institutions. Pouria was one of the key executives leading the various components of master planning of the $1.5 billion LACC modernization. Prior to joining the LACC, Pouria led teams in project engineering, debt financing, financial modeling, environmental analysis and information technology implementation.
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 has published several scientific papers in cryogenics and superconductivity and is a recipient of over 30 business and performance awards. He sits on various boards including the Los Angeles Business Council, Providence Hospital Foundation Board of Governors, Beyond Vision Music Foundation, Woodbury University, PAAIA, IA 100, Norooz Celebration Foundation, and 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 the local and national levels. Pouria frequently gives presentations on leadership and visioning to student groups and mentors young professionals in their careers. Pouria lives in Los Angeles with his wife, whom he met when they were both studying at UCLA, and their two children.
Kevin Eagan
Kevin Eagan is Assistant Professor in Residence and Director of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), the longest-running and largest empirical study of higher education in the country. He is also the Managing Director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA (HERI), where the CIRP surveys are administered. Dr. Eagan’s research interests include issues related to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, contingent faculty, student retention, institutional contexts and structures of opportunity, survey validity and reliability, and advanced quantitative methods. He obtained his Ph.D. in Higher Education and Organizational Change from UCLA, his M.S. in Higher Education Administration from North Carolina State University, and his B.S. in Mathematics from Greensboro College.
Pouria Abbassi, P.E.
Pouria Abbassi 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, in February, 2018. In this leadership role, Pouria leverages his over two decades of executive experience in multiple industries—and his passion for “all things Bruin”—to work with the ASUCLA Board of Directors, the incredible ASUCLA family of employees, campus partners and other stakeholders, moving the organization forward to its next opportunity phase of success and accomplishments in serving the Bruin student body and extending the UCLA brand globally.
Prior to joining ASUCLA, Pouria was the President and CEO of the Golbanoo Group, a specialty business management & consulting firm supporting large scale real estate developments, asset utilization practices through public private partnerships, conference and convention programming and digital health and wellness platforms and technologies.
Pouria previously led Phoenix Houses of California, Inc. (PHC), one of the largest mental health and behavioral health organizations nationally, as its President overseeing the significant service growth of the entire California operations through four companies, across 17 facilities, over 30 programs and a versatile array of services available to Californians.
Prior to Phoenix House, Pouria was the CEO of the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC). Under his leadership , LACC became among the very few convention centers nationwide to attain fiscal solvency, after over three decades of operational fiscal deficit, had the highest occupancy and customer satisfaction rating within its competitive set and was the first convention center of its size and age to achieve LEED-EB Gold certification. During his tenure, he was also involved with all aspects of the multi-billion dollar LA Live development and later collaborations including the 1,000 room convention center headquarter hotel and other venues on the campus to leverage the said assets in promoting Los Angeles. During this time, LACC also became a model of corporate social responsibility through its services, reach and engagement with various communities groups and educational institutions. Pouria was one of the key executives leading the various components of master planning of the $1.5 billion LACC modernization. Prior to joining the LACC, Pouria led teams in project engineering, debt financing, financial modeling, environmental analysis and information technology implementation.
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 has published several scientific papers in cryogenics and superconductivity and is a recipient of over 30 business and performance awards. He sits on various boards including the Los Angeles Business Council, Providence Hospital Foundation Board of Governors, Beyond Vision Music Foundation, Woodbury University, PAAIA, IA 100, Norooz Celebration Foundation, and 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 the local and national levels. Pouria frequently gives presentations on leadership and visioning to student groups and mentors young professionals in their careers. Pouria lives in Los Angeles with his wife, whom he met when they were both studying at UCLA, and their two children.