Distinguished Alumni

About

Pepperdine is committed to celebrating the exceptional achievements of its alumni, and we want to provide you, as a member of the Pepperdine family, with a platform that honors these distinguished individuals. Each year, prior to graduation, Pepperdine schools select Distinguished Alumnus Award recipients to address the graduating class. These alumni are recognized for their outstanding personal and professional accomplishments in their respective fields and for emulating Pepperdine's mission by living lives of purpose, service, and leadership.

Congratulations to the 2026 Distinguished Alumnus Award Honorees!

Henning Strauss

(鈥�01)
Strauss CEO

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Henning Strauss

Henning Strauss is the chief executive officer of , Europe鈥檚 leading workwear and lifestyle brand. A visionary business leader and global brand innovator, Strauss has elevated his family鈥檚 company into one of the most recognizable names in international workwear. Under his leadership, the Germany-based Strauss brand has grown from a regional enterprise into a global powerhouse known for quality craftsmanship, creative marketing, and world-class partnerships鈥攊ncluding collaborations with the Union of European Football Associations, the National Football League in Europe, and Major and Minor League Baseball.

During Waves Weekend 2025, Strauss was honored and recognized at the Alumni Banquet for his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to Pepperdine鈥檚 mission of purposeful leadership. His journey from Seaver College business student to international CEO exemplifies the values of academic excellence, service, and community that define the Pepperdine experience.

As the Distinguished Alumnus, Strauss will partner with the University to engage with students in opportunities that inspire excellence in the pursuit of purpose, service, and leadership. Strauss鈥檚 term as Distinguished Alumnus will culminate at Seaver College commencement, where he will speak to the graduating class of 2026.

Thomas Fessler — Thomas A. Fessler

(JD 鈥�83)
Former Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for VSP Global

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Thomas A. Fessler

Thomas A. Fessler, the former chief legal officer and general counsel of VSP Global, a $10 billion plus healthcare organization based in Sacramento, California, has practiced law for nearly 40 years. Prior to his tenure with VSP Global, Fessler served in senior general counsel positions with Mellon Bank and Dover Corporation. He brought his unique domestic and international legal and business background to his many years of service on the boards of Buck, Heinzmann GmBH companies, and VSP Global and its subsidiaries, including Marchon Eyewear. Fessler also served as chair and trustee of the National Elevator Industry pension and health plans. Throughout his legal career, he has supported 色片软件免费 as a member of the George Pepperdine Society and the law school and Straus Institute advisory boards. Fessler received an athletic scholarship from Marquette University where he graduated with a double major magna cum laude in 1980 and earned a JD from Pepperdine School of Law in 1983.

Martha Molina Bernadett

(MBA 鈥�01, PKE 105)
Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair, The Molina Foundation

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Martha Molina Bernadett

Martha Molina Bernadett is a family physician, innovator, and philanthropist. She earned her MD at the University of California, Irvine, and her MBA from Pepperdine鈥檚 Graziadio Business School, where she now serves as a University Board member and has been recognized with the Waves of Service George Award and as an Outstanding Alumni in Healthcare.

Pepperdine鈥檚 deeply aligned values inspired her and husband, Faustino, to establish the Drs. Martha and Faustino Bernadett Endowed Faculty Fellows Program at Graziadio, supporting top faculty in teaching, research, and principled leadership.

Bernadett treated patients in rural California before serving as executive vice president and chief innovation officer at Molina Healthcare鈥攍eading digital transformation teams and driving data tools such as Palantir Foundry. She led both the company鈥檚 internal business consulting group and its external consulting activities with hospitals, health systems, and municipalities nationwide. In 2003, seven years after the passing of C. David Molina, her father and the company鈥檚 founder, her family took Molina Healthcare public. It stands as a Fortune 500 company today.

Bernadett has been principal investigator in research and programs developed for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, First5 California, and others. In 2004 she and her husband launched the Molina Foundation to improve access to education and health, honoring her parents who both started their careers as elementary school teachers. The foundation has distributed new books to more than 11 million children and families nationwide.

Bernadett serves as a trustee on the 4-H National Council Board, First Book, and the Gasol Foundation.

Daniel Klein

(MPP 鈥�12)
Chief Executive Officer of Jewish Silicon Valley

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Daniel Klein

Daniel Klein is the chief executive officer of Jewish Silicon Valley, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting, supporting, and advocating for the Jewish community across Silicon Valley and the region. Klein joined the organization in January 2023 as chief philanthropy officer and was selected as CEO later that year. Under his leadership, the organization has expanded its impact and visibility.

Klein has been a visible and vocal advocate on the issues that matter most to the communities he serves. He has testified in Sacramento, and in September 2025, he authored an op-ed in the San Jose Mercury News challenging opposition to Assembly Bill 715. This landmark piece of legislation, which he helped draft, strengthens protections against antisemitism and hate in California鈥檚 public schools. Writing both as a communal leader and as a parent with children in those schools, Klein made a forceful public case for the bill. AB 715 went on to pass both chambers of the California legislature and was signed into law by the governor in October 2025. Throughout this period and beyond, Klein has been recognized for his leadership during one of the most challenging chapters in recent Jewish communal life, helping guide his community through crises with compassion, clarity, and resolve. His expertise in policy and communal leadership was recently recognized by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the nation鈥檚 largest community foundation, where he was chosen to serve on its Community Advisory Council, helping guide the foundation鈥檚 strategic direction and civic engagement across Silicon Valley.

Previously, Klein spent more than six years in the biomedical industry before pivoting to mission-driven work in the Jewish and pro-Israel communities鈥攁 calling he has pursued for more than a decade. He served six years with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and nearly five years as executive director of Israel Bonds for the Pacific Northwest. During his tenure at Israel Bonds, Klein helped craft and champion a successful, landmark policy effort to authorize the state to participate in the purchase of Israel Bonds to access higher yields for California taxpayers and pension holders.

Klein holds a master of public policy from the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, where he focused on state and local politics and economics, and a bachelor鈥檚 degree in history from the University of California, Santa Cruz. While at Pepperdine, he interned in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, while also helping run a successful school board race.

2025 Distinguished Alumnus Award Honorees

Kevin D. McGowan

(MPP 鈥�10)
School of Public Policy
BIO

Kevin D. McGowan

Kevin D. McGowan (MPP 鈥�10), is the director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. Leading an all-hazards emergency management program, McGowan is responsible for emergency preparedness, planning, coordination, training, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts for the largest county in the United States.

Alan Beard

(鈥�94, MPP 鈥�99)
Seaver College and School of Public Policy
BIO

Alan Beard

Alan Beard (鈥�94, MPP 鈥�99), is the chief executive officer of Synonymous and served as a member of Pepperdine鈥檚 Board of Regents from December 2019 to May 2025. A marketing strategy expert, Beard cofounded McBeard Media, where he served as chief executive officer until it was acquired by Fullscreen Media in 2015. He continued to lead the team at Fullscreen as chief marketing officer. When AT&T acquired it in 2018, Beard became chief brand officer at AT&T鈥檚 digital group, Otter Media. Beard has also served as the minister at Camarillo Church of Christ since 2011 and cofounded Waves Church on Pepperdine鈥檚 campus in 2023. He was recognized as Distinguished Alumnus at the School of Public Policy in 2009 and in 2017 was named one of Pepperdine鈥檚鈥�40 Over 40鈥� alumni.

Ryan Dusick

(MA 鈥�21)
Graduate School of Education and Psychology
BIO

Ryan Dusick

Ryan Dusick (MA 鈥�21), is a licensed marriage and family therapist, a mental health advocate, author, speaker, and podcaster. Formerly the drummer for the band Maroon 5, Dusick earned his master鈥檚 degree at GSEP and has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the field of mental health and serving the needs of those who are struggling to find direction or meaning in their lives.

Bernice L. Ledbetter

(EdD 鈥�05)
Graduate School of Education and Psychology
BIO

Bernice L. Ledbetter

Bernice L. Ledbetter (EdD 鈥�05), is the dean of students and founding director of the Center for Women in Leadership at the Graziadio Business School. Ledbetter oversees three master of science programs at the school, including organization development, management and leadership, and human resources, and she teaches courses focused on organization theory and management. She also serves as co-chair of the Graziadio Diversity and Belonging Council. Ledbetter is a sought-after keynote speaker, and she has addressed audiences at such businesses as ESPN, AEG, Amgen, and Farmers Insurance, as well as many others. As a widely published researcher, her work has appeared in a number of academic journals and media outlets, including the *Huffington Post, Business Insider, Reuters, and the Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics.*

Janet Kerr

(鈥�75, JD 鈥�78)
Seaver College and Caruso School of Law
BIO

Janet Kerr

Janet E. Kerr (鈥�75, JD 鈥�78) is professor emerita of law at the 色片软件免费 Caruso School of Law. She began teaching at the Caruso School in 1983 and was named the school鈥檚 associate dean in 1987. In 2000 she founded the Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law and served as its executive director until 2013. In 2011 she was named the inaugural holder of the school鈥檚 Laure Sudreau-Rippe Endowed Chair. Her academic achievements included numerous teaching awards and scholarly articles in the fields of corporate law and securities regulation. In 2016 Professor Kerr took on the role of vice chancellor of 色片软件免费, a title she held until her retirement in 2023.

A technology pioneer, Professor Kerr developed and cofounded several companies focused on data analytics, document sharing, and virtual augmented reality, one of which was purchased by Bloomberg where she served as a strategic advisor. She has provided her corporate governance expertise to several organizations throughout her career, serving over the past 21 years as a director on six public boards鈥攑reviously CKE Restaurants Holdings (the parent company of Carl鈥檚 Jr./Hardee鈥檚), Fidelity National Financial, and a public mutual fund of TCW, and currently AppFolio, La-Z-Boy, and Tillys.

Her support was critical to the founding of the Disaster Relief Clinic at the Caruso School of Law, and she served as an executive producer of REMAND, the award-winning documentary about the origins of the school鈥檚 Sudreau Global Justice Institute. She was recognized as Distinguished Alumnus of Seaver College in 1994.

Janet Kerr earned her bachelor of arts in political science from Pepperdine鈥檚 Seaver College in 1975. She completed her juris doctor at the Caruso School of Law in 1978, and she holds a master of laws in corporate law from New York University.

John Figueroa

(MBA 鈥�97)
Graziadio Business School

Honorary Doctorate
BIO

John Figueroa

Special congratulations to our 2009 Distinguished Alumnus, John Figueroa (MBA 鈥�97), serving as a commencement speaker and receiving an honorary doctorate.

John G. Figueroa (MBA 鈥�97), senior advisor to the secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, served as the commencement speaker for the Graziadio Business School. A visionary leader with 35 years of experience in healthcare, Figueroa specializes in pharmacy services, hospital supply chain logistics, and the broader healthcare ecosystem. He was the founder, CEO, and executive chair of CarepathRx, a company dedicated to innovative pharmacy solutions for hospital health systems, focusing on specialty, infusion, and home-based pharmaceutical care.

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Past Distinguished Alumnus Award Recipients

Years 1996 - 2001
Years 2002 - 2006
Years 2007 - 2011
Years 2012 - 2026

1996 Rick Caruso JD 鈥�83
1996 Donna Kasser 鈥�66, MA 鈥�76, MS 鈥�84, MS 鈥�87
1996 Janet Kerr 鈥�75, JD 鈥�78
1996 Arthur Southam MBA 鈥�92
1996 Robert Van Dine MBA 鈥�91
1997 Al-Saud Ahmad JD 鈥�88
1997 Russell Bach MBA 鈥�78, PKE 28
1997 Holly Bridges 鈥�77
1997 Viggo Butler MBA 鈥�80
1997 Sharon Draper 鈥�69
1997 Mike Phares 鈥�96
1997 Reid Rutherford 鈥�75
1997 Edward Yang MBA 鈥�88, PKE 75
1998 Robert Dudley 鈥�75
1998 Morteza Ejabat MBA 鈥�81
1998 Clyde Oden MBA 鈥�75, PKE 15
1998 Sherry Skidmore MA 鈥�68
1999 James Brinton 鈥�57
1999 Lorraine Brinton 鈥�60
1999 Christos Cotsakos 鈥�83
1999 Steven Goldman MBA 鈥�89, PKE 76
1999 Mark Hiepler JD 鈥�88
1999 Marcus Hiles MBA 鈥�92, PKE 85
1999 Bobbie Scoggins 鈥�92
2000 Cary Bren 鈥�81, MBA 鈥�98
2000 Boyd Clarke MS 鈥�94
2000 Jami Miscik 鈥�80
2000 Arthur Rogers MBA 鈥�90
2000 Pierre-Richard Prosper JD 鈥�89
2000 Ziegfred Young MS 鈥�83, EdD 鈥�88
2001 Thomas Burnett MBA 鈥�95
2001 Shirley Choi MBA'93
2001 James Crowe MBA 鈥�82
2001 Steven Fazio MBA 鈥�93 EdD 鈥�99
2001 Leonardo Marmol 鈥�60, MA 鈥�62

2002 Michael Bekins 鈥�77
2002 A. Ronald Berryman 鈥�62, MBA 鈥�67
2002 Raymond Boucher JD 鈥�84
2002 Nina Curtis BSM 鈥�99, MBA 鈥�99
2002 Matt Harris MBA 鈥�95
2002 Jeff Jani 鈥�84
2002 Carl Lambert 鈥�78
2002 Audre Levy 鈥�92
2002 Linda Ruffin 鈥�87
2002 Dwayne Simmons 鈥�80
2003 Robert Ctvrtlik 鈥�85
2003 Michael Klein MBA 鈥�97, PKE 97
2003 Ted Leenerts MA 鈥�90
2003 Ruth Novodor 鈥�78, MBA 鈥�90
2003 Richard Phillips 鈥�87
2003 Sylvia Rousseau EdD 鈥�99
2003 Gregory Totten JD 鈥�82
2004 Richard Alonzo 鈥�87
2004 Rhonda Brinkley-Kennedy MA 鈥�86
2004 Frank Cornell MBA 鈥�78, EdD 鈥�04
2004 John Monroe 鈥�79
2004 Morin Seymour BSM 鈥�71, MBA 鈥�72
2005 Sara Crosby-Hartman MBA 鈥�93
2005 Ned Doffoney EdD 鈥�91
2005 D. K. Grossman MBA 鈥�92
2005 Marilyn S. Wright MA 鈥�89, PsyD 鈥�95
2005 Victor Tsao MBA 鈥�86
2006 Gloria Austin MBA 鈥�87
2006 Michael Bidart JD 鈥�74
2006 Raymond Boucher JD 鈥�84
2006 Robert Creson 鈥�75
2006 Richard Cordova MBA 鈥�84
2006 Lloyd Hedstrom 鈥�51, MA 鈥�54
2006 Pamela Hemminger JD 鈥�76
2006 Lillian Maimone BSM 鈥�96
2006 Marco Maimone MBA 鈥�94
2006 Geoffrey Palmer JD 鈥�75
2006 Lisa Stern JD 鈥�83
2006 Eryn Witcher Tillman 鈥�97, MPP 鈥�99

2007 Katherine K. Freberg JD 鈥�90
2007 Forescee M. Hogan-Rowles MBA 鈥�96
2007 Bradley Ogden Hudson PsyD 鈥�90
2007 Graciela Italiano-Thomas EdD 鈥�97
2007 Denny Lewis 鈥�65
2007 James R. Marshall MBA 鈥�93
2007 Robert C. Marshall MBA 鈥�76, PKE 19
2007 Arif Shakeel MBA 鈥�81
2008 Alejandro Bustamante MBA 鈥�82
2008 Luis Faura MBA 鈥�04, PKE 111
2008 Leslie Landon Matthew 鈥�87
2008 Montgomery "Monty" F. Moran JD 鈥�93
2008 Monica Grace Rivera Mindt MA 鈥�94
2008 Andrew Weather 鈥�98, MPP 鈥�00
2009 Alan Beard 鈥�94, MPP 鈥�99
2009 Neva Chauppette PsyD 鈥�92
2009 John Figueroa MBA 鈥�97
2009 Fiona Ma MBA 鈥�00
2009 Sam Schmidt 鈥�86, MBA 鈥�87
2009 Jennifer Trubenbach MA 鈥�04
2010 Andr茅 Birotte, Jr. JD 鈥�91
2010 David M. Bowman MBA 鈥�96
2010 Tod A. Burnett EdD 鈥�05
2010 Cathryn J. Kingsbury 鈥�97, MPP 鈥�99
2010 Elizabeth A. Laugeson MA 鈥�00, PsyD 鈥�04
2010 John 鈥�83 and Deanne Lewis 鈥�84
2011 Randy Clark EdD 鈥�05
2011 Dennis W. Lowe 鈥�75, MA 鈥�77
2011 Emily Scott-Lowe 鈥�76
2011 Jason Pates 鈥�95, MPP 鈥�99
2011 Olena Kozlova-Pates MPP 鈥�99
2011 Erin Rank MA 鈥�89
2011 James M. Rishwain, JD 鈥�84
2011 Robin L. Washington MBA 鈥�95

2012 Paul A. Perry 鈥�50
2012 Geoffrey F. Segal MPP 鈥�00
2012 Lore Harp-McGovern MBA 鈥�81, PKE 53
2012 Jeffrey C. Sprecher MBA 鈥�84
2012 Britta M. Wilson MBA 鈥�92, EdD 鈥�16
2012 Laure R. Sudreau JD 鈥�97
2012 Kurt S. Takamine EdD 鈥�00
2012 Leanne M. Neilson 鈥�85, MA 鈥�88, PsyD 鈥�92
2013 Kimberly A Greene MA 鈥�93, EdD 鈥�99
2013 Rebecca Burge Cooper MA 鈥�97
2013 Paul H. Reim 鈥�83
2013 Jeffrey M. Jones MPP 鈥�02
2013 Blake J. Irving MBA 鈥�88
2013 David W. Neu MBA 鈥�09, PKE 122
2013 Zackery A. Hicks BSM 鈥�97
2013 Gilbert L. Purcell JD 鈥�83
2014 Brad A. Starkey 鈥�88
2014 Ximena V. Del Carpio 鈥�98, MBA 鈥�00, MPP 鈥�00
2014 Earl M. Cummings MBA 鈥�09, PKE 122
2014 James N. Harger MBA 鈥�85
2014 Mark J. Miller MBA 鈥�04
2014 Shirley P. Kinsey MA 鈥�76
2014 Gail M. Wilburn MA 鈥�05
2015 Kandice R. McLurkin-Hasani MS 鈥�95
2015 Dennis Joseph Palumbo MA 鈥�88
2015 John R. Rettberg 鈥�59
2015 Peter N. Peterson MPP 鈥�07
2015 Thomas A. Lucas MBA 鈥�83
2015 Ali H. Alireza MBA 鈥�86
2015 Don M. Bailey MBA 鈥�86
2015 Beverly R. O'Connell JD 鈥�90
2016 Timothy C. Phillips 鈥�87
2016 Evelyn Aleman MPP 鈥�00
2016 Kimber L. Maderazzo MBA 鈥�10, PKE 123
2016 Cindy U. Ayloush BSM 鈥�80, MBA 鈥�13, PKE 130
2016 Robert Kyncl MBA 鈥�97
2016 Jennifer C. Dorsey JD 鈥�97
2016 Stephen N. Kirnon MBA 鈥�89, EdD 鈥�08
2016 Paula L. Pompa-Craven MA 鈥�95, PsyD 鈥�00
2017 Kathleen A. Plinske EdD 鈥�08
2017 Jack Gershfeld MA 鈥�12
2017 Jared Hankins 鈥�01
2017 Natalie Hankins 鈥�01
2017 John S. Thomas MPP 鈥�10
2017 James S. Metcalf MBA 鈥�83
2017 Cedric L. Watkins MBA 鈥�80
2017 Paul S. Wagstaff MIB 鈥�95
2017 Jerren P. Wright JD 鈥�09, MBA 鈥�11
2018 Sara Young Jackson 鈥�74
2018 Lance Ray Christensen MPP 鈥�04
2018 Quincy C. Newell MBA 鈥�12
2018 Oscar Munoz MBA 鈥�86
2018 Vincent J. Monteparte MBA 鈥�01
2018 Tricia A. Bigelow JD 鈥�86
2018 Betty R. Uribe MBA 鈥�00, EdD 鈥�12
2018 Tamara L. Anderson MA 鈥�88
2019 Frances Esparza MS 鈥�05, EdD 鈥�15
2019 Christine M. Ford MA 鈥�91
2019 Dee Anna Smith 鈥�86
2019 Nicole K. Neily MPP 鈥�06
2019 Dan J. Sanders MBA 鈥�10, PKE 124
2019 Robin L. Washington MBA 鈥�95
2019 Michael C. Leach JD 鈥�86
2020 Alan Beard 鈥�94, MPP 鈥�99
2020 Virginia F. Milstead JD 鈥�04
2021 Vianey L. Lopez MPP 鈥�12
2021 Brett M. Johnson MBA 鈥�05, PKE 113
2021 Christa C. Zofcin Workman 鈥�97, MBA 鈥�00, JD 鈥�01
2021 Andrew T. Kubitz MBA 鈥�11, PKE 125
2021 Angela M. Powell 鈥�93, JD 鈥�97
2022 Sylvia R. Franson 鈥�87
2022 Hattie P. Mitchell MPP 鈥�12
2022 Thomas R. Magnuson MBA 鈥�89
2022 Steve B. Totzke MBA 鈥�15, PKE 134
2022 Jeffrey S. Boyd JD 鈥�91
2022 Fereshteh Amin EdD 鈥�06
2022 Edrick H. Dorian PsyD 鈥�03
2023 Stephen P. Birch MDR 鈥�17, EdD 鈥�18
2023 Brittany N. Winters MA 鈥�09, PsyD 鈥�14
2023 A. Ronald Berryman 鈥�62, MBA 鈥�67
2023 Troy V. Senik MPP 鈥�07
2023 Michael A. Cusumano MBA 鈥�94, DBA 鈥�22
2023 Brandi M. Harleaux MBA 鈥�12
2023 Mark T. Cramer JD 鈥�98
2024 Sevet Johnson MA 鈥�04
2024 Dale A. Brown 鈥�64
2024 Gary A. Hanson JD 鈥�80
2024 Denise A. Roberson MBA 鈥�14, PKE 131
2024 Shelby Eli Steele MPP 鈥�11
2024 Keith Dorsey MBA 鈥�13, PKE 130

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