Announcing newly elected members of the WesternU Board of Trustees
Board of Trustees
December 14, 2021
Members of the WesternU Community,
Last month during the November board meeting, the Board of Trustees at Western University elected six new members to join the nine individuals who serve in this capacity.
Over the past year, the board has focused heavily on strengthening shared governance. With a belief that all voices and opinions are valued and the goal of working with all stakeholders collegially to move the university forward, the board is expanding the size and composition of the Board of Trustees. The knowledge and diverse experience contributed by these new leaders is an important part of sustaining the university’s strong position and identifying new directions for advancement. The addition of the new trustees brings a dynamic set of insights – and will provide support for WesternU as it enters its next chapter. The board is excited to welcome these new trustees and is sharing some background about each of them.
In the coming year, each of these trustees will become more acquainted with the institution, and we trust that you’ll welcome them to the WesternU family. We hope that you have a wonderful holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you in 2022.
Warmly,
Elizabeth Zamora, Chair
WesternU Board of Trustees
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Daniel Aldrich
Dr. Aldrich is the co-founder of Molecule USA, Inc., and consultant for the University of California, Irvine’s $2 billion capital campaign. Dr. Aldrich has spent much of his career in higher education supporting and leading advancement endeavors at the University of California, Irvine, the University of California Riverside and the University of California, Santa Cruz. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from UC Davis, a master’s cognate in Public Administration from UCLA and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from UCLA.
Xiangmin D Min Cui
Dr. Cui is founder and managing partner of Decheng Capital, an investment firm focused on life science companies. He is the Chief Executive Officer of DCH Molecular Diagnostics, Inc., a medical and diagnostics laboratory. Dr. Cui sits on the boards of more than a dozen corporations and is the co-founder for CNetwork, a San Francisco based non-profit organization dedicated to serving Chinese communities in North America. Dr. Cui sits on the board of Cue Health, which was co-founded by Robin Farias-Eisner. Dr. Cui holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Molecular Biology from Peking University in Beijing and a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from Stanford University School of Medicine.
Kelly Day
Day is the co-founder and chairwoman of Immortalana and now Cove I&II, a Los Angeles-based investment company focused on making strategic investments in earlystage companies serving the life science and technology sectors. In 2014, Day served as an early angel investor and a member of the co-founding team of Cue Health. Other early co-investors in Cue Health included Leonardo DiCaprio, Marc Benioff and Sherpa Capital. Robin Farias-Eisner is also a member of the co-founding team of Cue Health and of Cove I&II. Day currently sits on the board of the Guerin Foundation and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Michael Okaty
Okaty is managing partner of Foley & Lardner LLP in Orlando, FL. His professional practice focuses on a wide range of corporate transactions, governance and counseling. He has been recognized in several publications including The Best Lawyers in America since 2010 in the field of corporate law. Okaty sits on the board of directors at the University of Central Florida and New York University’s Alumni Association. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from University of Central Florida and a J.D. and LLM from New York University’s School of Law.
Dianne Philibosian
Dr. Philibosian retired in 2015 after spending 42 years in service to California State University Northridge (CSUN) in various capacities. Most recently she was the director of the Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing and an associate dean of the College of Health and Human Development. Dr. Philibosian, a nationally recognized expert in the care and education of children, served on faculty at CSUN in four different departments at two colleges. She served as a long-time regent at the University of the Pacific, including for four years as board chair. Dr. Philibosian holds a bachelor’s degree in Theatre and French Literature from the University of the Pacific. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Early Childhood Development and Curriculum and Instruction from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL.
Rob Richardson
Dr. Richardson is an assistant professor of Family Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences, Oregon College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific and a distinguished alumnus. Dr. Richardson practices at Samaritan Lebanon Health Center in Lebanon, OR. Between 2017-18, Dr. Richardson served as medical director for the Samaritan Lebanon Health Center and is a current supervising physician in the Advanced Practitioner Clinic. Dr. Richardson was named DO of the Year in 2007 by Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of Oregon. Dr. Richardson serves as a board member for the Heatherington Foundation, where he also chairs the gifts committee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Willamette University and a Doctor of Osteopathy from WesternU.