Bruin Success

Joseph Vardner '06 is Director of Integrity Risk Management at Meta Platforms, Inc, where he leads a team focused on trust & safety product compliance. He is helping to set new standards for how trust & safety compliance is established and scaled across the globe. He is a current board member of the UCLA Alumni Board and the National LGBT Bar Association. Vardner graduated from UCLA wi...

In this episode, we interview Daedra Staten, J.D. '13 , founder of SCG Diversity Consulting. Drawing from her background in law and international experiences, Daedra breaks down how organizations can move past performative gestures and commit to building anti-racist, equity-driven workplace cultures. Follow for more stories of Bruin Success: IG: @bruinsuccesspodcast alumni.ucla.edu/bruin-succe...

Dan Kim, MBA ’06 is Executive Vice President of Media Distribution and International Strategy at the National Hockey League. From his days at UCLA Anderson to leading the NHL’s global media initiatives, he shares insights on navigating the landscape of sports media and the pivotal role his Bruin experience played in shaping his career. Tune in to hear how he combines strategic vision with a passio...

Senator Dean Florez's journey from UCLA to the California State Senate reflects a lifelong commitment to public service and policy innovation. A proud Bruin and champion of accountability, Senator Florez shares how his UCLA experience shaped his leadership values, the lessons he learned navigating the political landscape, and why bold ideas still begin in Westwood. Tune in for an inspiring con...

Dr. Yalda T. Uhls is the founder and CEO of the Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA, which is the only youth-centered organization to bridge the gap between social science research and media creation to help storytellers better reflect the lives of adolescents. She is an internationally recognized research scientist, educator, author, and expert on the science of media and adolesc...

Jenny Vazquez-Newsum, Ed. D. '14  is redefining leadership.   Inspired by her experiences in the nonprofit world, her organization, Untapped Leaders , is dedicated to empowering the voices of historically underrepresented professionals. Tune in to hear her insights on imposter syndrome, sustainable work practices and making an impact by embracing authenticity.  Follow for more stories of Bruin Suc...

Branden Brough '00, M.S. '03, Ph. D. '06  was drawn to big ideas and bringing people together long before his career as the Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO). In this episode, he reflects on his UCLA legacy, the lifelong relationships built as one of the founding members of The Den and the power of collaborative leadership. Follow for more stories of Bruin Success:...

Jessica Warshal '23  reflects on how her lifelong love of dance transformed at UCLA, where she began exploring movement as an academic discipline and cultural practice. After training at the London School of Contemporary Dance and completing a residency in Cameroon, she speaks on navigating dance professionally and the bravery to choose joy.  Follow for more stories of Bruin Success: IG: @brui...

Evan Lovett '00 started his social media career with a newspaper and a TikTok – now he's LA famous. This self-described "relentlessly curious" Bruin created L.A. in a Minute , a platform that celebrates the dynamic and often lesser-known history of the city he's proud to call home. Tune in for a conversation about the evolution of storytelling journalism and fun facts about Los Angeles. Follow for...

Regina Wallace-Jones is the CEO and President of ActBlue, an organization established in 2004 that builds a fundraising platform for Democratic candidates, progressive organizations and the small-dollar donors that support them.   In her decades-long career in technology, Regina has held executive roles at Mindbody, Inc., Yahoo, eBay, Facebook, and LendStreet. She has built products and platforms...

Shirley Wang '90 is founder and CEO of Plastpro Inc., an award-winning fiberglass doors manufacturer which has been recognized for innovation by Construction Tech Review and Window and Door Magazine. In 2022, CIO Views listed Ms. Wang among the year’s most admired women business leaders. She was the first Asian American Woman chair for the UCLA Foundation and was on the UCLA Executive Campaign...

LaMonica Peters '94 is a News Reporter for KTVU Fox 2, covering Silicon Valley and South Bay. Her work has been seen on CNN, ABC News Live, CBS News, Spectrum News Network and Fox Live Now. She was selected as a Knight Digital Media Center Fellow by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2011. In 2013, she was given the Mississippi Associated Press Award of Excellence for a 3-part se...

Cinthia Flores ’10 is a Board Member of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board. Prior to her appointment, she practiced immigration law with a focus on removal defense defending individuals from deportation. Cinthia has a background in labor law having previously represented public and private sector unions.   Currently, Cinthia serves as Vice President of Latinas Lead California, a Pol...

Kevin Berson ’96 is the founder of Kinected Advisors, a Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and Exit Planning Advisory firm. Kinected helps lower-middle market business owners (businesses generating $5M-$50M in annual revenue) navigate the process of selling their businesses for maximum value. Prior to founding Kinected in 2014, Berson spent 18 years with global firms Technicolor and Arthur Anderse...

In partnership with UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives, the Bruin Success Podcast presents a collaboration episode: Out N About: Navigating Identity in the Workplace. Moderated by Cleve Wong ’10, featured speakers Devon Dickau ’07, MBA ’15 and Matt Kaczmarek ’05 share their insights, reflections, and strategies on navigating the professional world as a LGBTQ+ individual. They include...

As a cultural storyteller, Samantha D'Souza specializes in developing communities of change through robust brand identities, dynamic communications strategies, and artful content. She is captivated by the “in-between” moments and delves into the intersection of industries such as entertainment and science, social impact and sport.   In her journey thus far, she has worked around the world (and...

Olympic bobsledder Carlo Valdes grew up playing almost every sport you can think of. He was on the football team for a year at UCLA and also competed on the track team during his four years, participating in decathlon and javelin. At the encouragement of his coach, he tried out for the USA bobsled team once he graduated. This led to an 8-year career, 2 Olympic appearances, 10 World Cup Medals, and...

Mineh Badmagharian, OTD, OTR/L, received a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA in 2013 and a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from USC in 2020. She is registered with the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy and has experience working with the pediatric population in a variety of settings such as schools, outpatient clinics, and homes. In 2020, Badmagharian joined Expper Technologies as...

Marina Jurica is a passionate advocate for climate education as a meteorologist and climatologist for KCBS/KCAL Los Angeles. Previously, she spent four years with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and worked on many Earth missions there including SWOT, Sentinel-6, NISAR, and the landing of the Perseverance Mars rover. She has a master's degree in geosciences with an emphasis in meteorology...

Enrique Chiabra '09  is an Emmy, GLAAD and Ruben Salazar award-winning journalist currently serving as primetime news anchor for Telemundo 52 in Los Angeles. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, his dedication to reporting on impactful stories within the Latino, immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities has been a central focus throughout his career. Tune in to learn more about his journey to UCLA and beyond...

Ryan Dusick is an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist with an MA in Clinical Psychology and the founding drummer of the world’s most popular band, Maroon 5. As a boy, he dreamt of pitching for the Dodgers and writing adventure novels. Arm injuries sidelined his burgeoning baseball career, just as rock music became his new passion and purpose. Founding the band Kara’s Flowers in 1994 with fel...

Natasha Case is the co-founder of Coolhaus Ice Cream. She created the company with Freya Estreller in 2009 because they did not feel represented by the ice cream brands on shelves and knew they could create higher quality and more unique ice cream with a more authentic story. They launched their ice cream sandwich company from a barely-drivable postal van at the Coachella Music Festival where the...

Garin Hussenjian received her BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing from UCLA in 1996. In 1999, she completed her MFA in Film from Art Center College of Design and in 2000 her short film, Single Moments, was nominated for a Student Academy Award. Initially working in film production as an independent freelance producer and unit production manager, she branched out to work in a variety...

Corey currently serves as a Vice President of Global Philanthropy with JPMorgan Chase & Co where he helps to manage a grant portfolio in Los Angeles that aligns with the strategic impact objectives of the company. He also plays a key role in building partnerships to bolster the company's overarching Corporate Responsibility initiatives in the region. Previously, Corey served as the Chief O...

Natalie is the president and CEO at Coro Southern California. Under Natalie’s leadership, Coro has developed a new strategic plan, expanded programs, partnerships and revenue, and cultivated a growing community of Coro alumni who are transforming communities across the country. Prior to embarking on her legal career, Natalie was a human capital consultant in Deloitte & Touche LLP's Public...