Andy Perlman
Andy Perlman became a supporter of USC Dornsife through his son, Jay Gardner Perlman, a 2012 psychology graduate. While studying at USC Dornsife, Jay would frequently tell his parents about his experiences, impressing them with the individualized attention he received and the interesting programs and opportunities he was able to access. “We were struck by the quality of the education that he received,” Perlman says. “It made us supporters of USC.”
Dynamic Thought Partner
That desire to support the university recently inspired Perlman to join USC Dornsife’s Board of Councilors (BOC), a body of business, community and academic leaders who provide strategic advice to USC Dornsife. Dean Amber D. Miller. Perlman said Miller played a primary role in recruiting him to the BOC. “Meeting her and hearing her vision for USC Dornsife definitely played a role,” he said. “I was deeply impressed by the way she thinks about problems and the way that she entertains different ideas.”
Perlman comes to the BOC with decades of experience in pharmaceutical research and development, as well as philanthropy. After graduating with an undergraduate degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he earned an M.D. and a Ph.D. from New York University (NYU) and did post-graduate work at the Stanford School of Medicine and NYU. He spent several years as an assistant professor at Stanford, before joining Genentech, which was among the first companies to embrace the promise of gene cloning.In the succeeding years, he worked for or led a number of innovative biotechnology companies, including Tularik and Innate Immune, Inc. He currently serves as managing director and chief medical officer for Velocity Pharmaceutical Development. Over the course of 30 years in the field, he has led research into pharmaceutical therapies for cancer, asthma, hypertension, autoimmune diseases and many other medical conditions.
Philanthropy as a Duty
He and his wife, Phyllis Gardner, have given widely to higher education and to numerous other causes, including anti-hunger initiatives and medical research. Perlman explained this giving as an expression of belief and commitment. “We see philanthropy as a duty,” he said. “And as a privilege.”
In the years ahead, Perlman says he hopes to help realize USC Dornsife’s potential as a model for other liberal arts colleges to emulate. “The fundamentals are here and the vision,” he says. “What’s left is to build on that.”