Welcome Aboard
William Barkett is president of Merjan Financial Corporation, a La Jolla, Calif.-based real estate investment firm. He also is a co-founder and principal of Energy Systems International, a leading Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project developer and consultant. He earned his B.S. in combined sciences from Santa Clara University and his J.D. from Pepperdine University.
Leslie Berger is the principal of Idea Resources, Inc. and a strategy, innovation and executive coaching consultant for leaders and leadership teams of Fortune 1000 companies. Her clients include GE, Nestle Purina, Kraft Foods, SC Johnson and PepsiCo. Ms. Berger earned her bachelor’s degree in American studies as well as her master’s degrees in learning and organizational change, and advertising from Northwestern University.
MaryLou Boone is the widow of USC alumnus and Life Trustee Dr. George Boone. Mrs. Boone and her husband were founding members of the USC Presidential Associates. The Boones established the George and MaryLou Boone Center for Science and Environmental Leadership at the College’s Wrigley Marine Science Center. An avid art collector, Mrs. Boone is the author of the catalog that accompanied a 1998 exhibition of highlights from her collection at Scripps College. She earned a B.S. in dental hygiene from the USC Ostrow School of Dentistry and an M.A. in art history from the USC Roski School of Fine Arts.
Diane Dixon is senior vice president of communications and corporate affairs for Avery Dennison Corporation. In this position, she is responsible for the strategic direction and management of all aspects of corporate communications and government relations programs, including financial, shareholder and investor communications, corporate and brand advertising, employee communications, media and community relations and public affairs. She also serves as president of Avery Dennison Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Ms. Dixon earned a B.A. in political science from USC College.
Richard S. Flores is senior vice president/regional manager, real estate industries division at Bank of the West. He earned a B.A. in international relations from USC College and a B.S. in business administration from the USC Marshall School of Business.
Shane Foley is vice president, private banker for Wells Fargo Private Bank. He serves on the board of directors for A Better LA and the Blind Children’s Learning Center in Orange County. A former quarterback on the USC Trojans football team, Mr. Foley also serves on the Trojan Board of Directors, a volunteer group dedicated to supporting the USC Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Mr. Foley earned a B.A. in political science from USC College and a B.A. in communication from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Lisa M. Goldman is secretary for the board of directors of the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, a private foundation committed to providing support for charitable organizations that enhance society. She also serves on the boards of Youth Tennis Advantage and the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund. Ms. Goldman was previously the executive director of the Fresno Jewish Community Federation and the founding executive director of the Fresno Jewish Community Center. She earned a B.A. in communication from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Yossie Hollander is a successful serial entrepreneur and philanthropist who has 40 years of experience in the software industry and is among the pioneers of the Israeli software industry. He serves on the executive board and management committee of the Weizmann Institute of Science, where he launched a renewable energy initiative. Mr. Hollander is chairman of the Israeli Institute for Economic Planning and has been involved in advancing free market laws and policies in Israel.
Samuel King is president and chief executive officer of King’s Seafood Company, Inc. The restaurant group operates successful restaurants including the Water Grill, Ocean Avenue Seafood, i.Cugini, 555 East Steakhouse, Lou & Mickey’s, and the King’s Fish House/King Crab Lounge establishments. Mr. King serves on various boards including the Aquarium of the Pacific and the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies. Mr. King is the co-founder of the Sustainable Seafood Forum, which is dedicated to helping people identify seafood procured through responsible fishing operations or environmentally friendly aquaculture techniques.
Mitchell Lew is currently the chief medical officer of Prospect Medical Group. He previously served as president and chief executive officer of Genesis Healthcare, a medical group he founded after working in private practice as an OB/GYN for 10 years. He holds a B.S. in biological sciences from USC College and an M.D. from the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Dr. Lew is president of the USC Asian Pacific Alumni Association as well as a member of the Alumni Association Board of Governors Executive Committee and the USC Associates Board of Directors.
Andrew Littlefair is president and chief executive officer of Clean Energy, the largest provider of vehicular natural gas and related services in North America. He also serves as chairman of NGVAmerica, a national organization dedicated to the development of a growing, sustainable and profitable market for vehicles powered by natural gas or hydrogen. Mr. Littlefair earned a B.A. in political science from USC College.
Kelly Porter is managing director at investment bank Woodside Capital Partners, where he specializes in advising Internet, digital media and entertainment companies engaged in media, web 2.0/3.0, advertising and entertainment. Prior to Woodside Capital Partners, he was managing partner of ZAP Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. Mr. Porter earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast management from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and a master’s degree as a Sloan Fellow at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Michael Reilly is the chief investment officer of the Equities Group and director of U.S. equity research for Trust Company of the West, an investment management firm in Los Angeles. Mr. Reilly earned three degrees from USC: a B.A. in Spanish from USC College as well as a B.S. in finance and an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business.
Harry Robinson is a director in the Los Angeles office of McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. He works extensively across a broad range of industries — entertainment, gaming, hospitality, private equity and mining — on a range of strategy and operation topics. Mr. Robinson earned a B.A. in mathematics and economics from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Kumarakulasingam “Suri” Suriyakumar is chairman, president and chief executive officer of American Reprographics Company, the largest company of its kind in the world. An active philanthropist, Mr. Suriyakumar serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations including those dedicated to education, relief and war reclamation efforts in Southeast Asia, and the CREST Foundation, Inc., which funds and awards scholarships to children of reprographics industry employees.
Read more articles from USC College Magazine’s Fall 2010/Winter 2011 issue