UCI Foundation welcomes new chair Gary Singer ’74 and 11 new trustees

Irvine, Calif., May 15, 2023 — Gary Singer ’74, a retired partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP and chair of the Ronald M. Simon Family Foundation, has been elected as the new chair of the UCI Foundation Board of Trustees, effective June 1. This is the first time an alumnus will chair the board. 

Since graduating with a degree in political science, Singer has positively affected many areas across the university. He was instrumental in bringing two prominent features to campus, the Irvine Barclay Theatre and the UCI School of Law. Additionally, he and his wife, Melanie, established the Singer Endowed Scholarship, which is awarded to a student-athlete in the School of Social Sciences. 

Singer has been deeply involved in UCI Athletics and the School of Law. He was a lecturer at the law school from 2017 to 2022 and founded the O’Melveny diversity scholarship there. He has also served on the School of Social Sciences’ Dean’s Leadership Society, the School of Law’s Board of Visitors, the Chancellor’s Club and the UCI Foundation, the latter as both a trustee and member of its executive and stewardship committees. 

In 2017, for his many contributions over the years, Singer received the Extraordinarius Award – the UCI Alumni Association’s highest honor. 

“Gary brings a tremendous amount of insight and experience to the role,” said Brian Hervey, vice chancellor for University Advancement & Alumni Relations and president of the UCI Foundation. “This is an extraordinarily exciting time for UCI, and I am delighted that Gary, a proud UCI alumnus, is going to lead the foundation as we enter the final phase of the Brilliant Future campaign.” 

Singer succeeds Julie Hill, who assumed the position in June 2017 and is the longest-serving chair of the UCI Foundation Board of Trustees. 

“It is an honor to follow in Julie’s footsteps,” said Singer. “The role of chair is a demanding and complex one, and we should all recognize the significant accomplishments Julie achieved over these last six years.” 

As part of a larger vision, the board has experienced strategic growth in recent years, adding 11 prominent community members since September 2021.

UCI Foundation trustees, who serve three-year terms, advise campus leadership on matters related to investments and philanthropy while mobilizing current and new supporters to help increase the university’s endowment. They also advance fundraising efforts aligned with UCI’s Brilliant Future campaign. Currently, there are 67 voting trustees, 16 ex officio (non-voting) trustees and six emeriti trustees.

The newest trustees include:

Philip K. Anthony, Ph.D.
Managing Partner, The CoreGroup 

Lucy Dunn
President & CEO (retired)
Orange County Business Council 

Oscar Gonzalez
Co-President, Northgate Markets 

Anthony K. Jones
Senior Executive Vice President of Operations (retired)
CommonSpirit Health 

Yang-Uk Kim
Founder, The Kim Yang Group 

Lawrence N. Kugelman
President & CEO (retired)
The Health Plan of America 

Marci Lerner Miller, J.D.
Partner, Potomac Law Group, PLLC 

Shawn R. Miller, J.D.
CEO & Founder, Archwest Capital 

Eloy Ortiz Oakley, MBA ’99
President & CEO
College Futures Foundation 

Greg Palmer
Chairman and CEO Supplemental Healthcare 

Ruben A. Smith
Partner, Frost Brown Todd LLP 

Three ex officio trustees were recently named to two-year terms: 

Pamina E. Barkow ’03, MBA ’16
CEO and Co-Founder, PI Medical Partners
Orange County Pain Management
(representing The Paul Merage School of Business) 

Timothy A. Kashani, MBA ’88
CEO, IT Mentors Inc.
(representing the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences) 

Vicki Vasques ’81
Owner & CEO, Tribal Tech, LLC
(representing the School of Education) 

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu. 

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