Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan is made up of alumni who represent the Leaders and Best in business and industry from across the nation. As a governing body, their job is to have full legal and fiduciary responsibility as it relates to the Alumni Association in serving its community and the University.

Mary Kay Haben headshotMary Kay Haben, MBA’79

Chair | Glenview, Illinois

Mary Kay Haben is a member of the boards of directors of The Hershey Company, Equity Residential, and Grocery Outlet Inc. In 2011, she retired from a 33-year career managing consumer food in confectionary businesses as group president for Kraft Inc., and president of North America for Wm. Wrigley Jr Co.

Kathleen Wilson-Thompson headshotKathleen Wilson-Thompson, ’79

Past Chair | Chicago, Illinois

Kathleen Wilson-Thompson is the founder and principal of KWT LLC, a human capital management advisory firm with a client base of global Fortune 500 companies. She’s the former executive vice president and global chief human relations officer of Walgreens Boots Alliance, where she helped create a positive work experience for 450,000 employees worldwide. An independent board director, Wilson-Thompson also serves on the board for Tesla, McKesson, and Wolverine Worldwide and is a member of the NAACP Foundation Board of Trustees.

Thomas Hawkins headshotThomas W. Hawkins, ’83

Treasurer | Miami, Florida

Tom Hawkins serves on boards of public companies, including MSP Recovery and Lionheart III Corp., as well as not-for-profit entities. In the past, he led numerous functions as an executive at three Fortune 500 Companies, including Blockbuster Entertainment, AutoNation, and Republic Services. Hawkins has a long history of involvement with the University of Michigan, most recently as co-chair of the South Florida Council for the Victors for Michigan campaign.

Gabriela Teran headshotGabriela Teran, ’96

Secretary | New York, New York

Gabriela Teran is the managing director of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Teran has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Ayanna McConnellAyanna McConnell

Ex Officio | Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ayanna McConnell is the president and CEO of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan. She provides leadership and direction to the organization and its leadership team, coordinating all Board of Directors activities and working with all U-M campuses. McConnell has more than 25 years of experience leading student and alumni programs.

Jamar Adams headshotJamar Adams, ’07

New York, New York

Jamar Adams is the founder and managing principal of Essence Development, a social impact firm that works to create affordable housing in urban cities. Adams previously was the vice president of New York development at Related Companies and also focused on the redevelopment and preservation of affordable multifamily housing across the United States. He played in the National Football League with the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles.

Tonya AllenTonya Allen, ’94, MSW’96, MPH’96

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Tonya Allen serves as president of the McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation that seeks to advance a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and the planet thrive. Allen is also the chair of the Council on Foundations and the co-chair of the Executives’ Alliance for Boys and Men of Color. Throughout her 25-year career, Allen has been a bridge-builder and a civic diplomat focused on community-led philanthropy and the power of transforming place.

Tom Baird headshotThomas A. Baird, ’83

Ex Officio | Ann Arbor, Michigan

Tom Baird is the vice president for development at the University of Michigan, where he is responsible for all fundraising and development activities across the University. This includes leading the central Office of University Development as well as oversight of more than 30 U-M fundraising units, including Michigan Medicine, UM-Flint, and UM-Dearborn.

Wendell Brooks HeadshotWendell Brooks, ’87

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Wendell Brooks is the founding partner of Snowcloud Capital, a venture capital firm focused on providing growth capital to the hardware and deep technology sectors. Brooks previously served as president of Intel Capital and senior vice president at Intel Corporation. Prior to Intel, Brooks had a 25-year career as a merger and acquisitions advisor.

Fritz Brown headshotFritz Brown, ’90, MPP’96

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Fritz Brown is partner at Treystar, a southwest Michigan-based developer and manager of retail and office properties. His responsibilities encompass the day-to-day management of the company’s 500,000-square-foot commercial real estate portfolio as well as its ancillary businesses. Previously, Brown worked in the business development office of Bechtel Corp., an engineering, construction, and project management company.

Wayee ChuWayee Chu, ’97

San Francisco, California

Wayee Chu is a general partner at Reach Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital fund supporting entrepreneurs in the areas of education and the future of work. Prior to joining Reach, she was the co-founder of the NewSchools Seed Fund and an equity research analyst at Merrill Lynch. She began her career as a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley. Chu also serves on the board of trustees of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and is actively involved with several education nonprofits.

Joseph Giles height=Joseph Giles, ’96, MBA’01, JD’01

Chicago, Illinois

Joseph Giles is a venture chair with Redesign Health, a health care innovation platform based in New York. Prior to Redesign Health, Giles was founder and CEO of Midwest Vision Partners, a provider of eyecare management services to leading ophthalmology and optometry practices in the Midwest, including more than 120 physicians and 55 locations. He previously served as president and chief operating officer of Athletico Physical Therapy and spent 14 years in investment banking and private equity. Giles has served on numerous corporate boards.

Salene Hitchcock Gear 354x260Salene Hitchcock-Gear, ’84

Potomac, Maryland

Salene Hitchcock-Gear is the president of Prudential Individual Life Insurance, a business unit of Prudential that offers competitive financial solutions through a robust portfolio of life insurance products. With more than 30 years in the insurance industry, she previously served as president and CEO of Ameritas Investment Corp. and president and CEO of Acacia Life Insurance Co. She is also an advisory board director for the Women Presidents Organization.

Monica Howard DouglasMonica Howard Douglas, ’94

Atlanta, Georgia

Monica Howard Douglas is senior vice president and general counsel of The Coca-Cola Company, overseeing the company’s global legal function. Douglas joined Coca-Cola in 2004 as senior managing counsel. She is a member of the board of directors for VICI Properties Inc., Junior Achievement USA, and Cool Girls Inc.

Li Li Leung 360x260Li Li Leung, ’95

Indianapolis, Indiana

Li Li Leung is the president and CEO of USA Gymnastics, where she has led the organization through an ongoing cultural transformation. Previously, Leung served as vice president at the National Basketball Association, where she was responsible for building, leading, negotiating, and managing key partner relationships around the world. She was a four-year member of the four-time Big Ten champion U-M gymnastics team and was an NCAA Championships participant.

Prakash Patel 360x260Dr. Prakash Patel, ’89

Boca Raton, Florida

Dr. Prakash Patel is currently a senior advisor for Growth Curve Captial, a private equity firm. Patel has more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive in the health care industry. He previously served as executive vice president and president for Anthem Inc.’s Diversified Business Group.

Anup PopatAnup Popat, ’95

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Anup Popat is chairman and CEO of Systems Technology Group (STG), a global software and digital technology services firm that helps Fortune 500 customers enable their digital transformation strategies. He is also co-owner and an executive board member of Portland Thorns FC, a team in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Charles SchwartzDr. Charles F. Schwartz, ’90

Birmingham, Michigan

Dr. Charles F. Schwartz is the director of cardiothoracic surgery at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital in Michigan. He previously served as assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery at New York University Langone Medical Center from 2002-2012. He is actively involved in Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit and is on the board of directors at Temple Israel.

Rajiv Shah 360x260Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, ’95

Washington, D.C.

Dr. Rajiv J. Shah is the president of The Rockefeller Foundation, a global institution with a mission to promote the well-being of humanity around the world. He previously served as the administrator for the United States Agency for International Development under President Barack Obama.

Steve Shindler 1Steve Shindler, ’85

Darien, Connecticut

Steve Shindler is chairman of Nikola Corp., a hydrogen fuel cell trucking company providing zero emissions solutions. Shindler is also a director of NII Holdings Inc., a provider of differentiated mobile communications services in Latin America, where he served as CEO for 14 years and on the board of directors since 1997.

Paul Viera headshotPaul Viera, ’81

Atlanta, Georgia

Paul Viera is the founder and chief executive officer of EARNEST Partners, a global investment firm responsible for overseeing more than $25 billion for municipalities, states, corporations, endowments, and universities. He conceived and developed Return Pattern Recognition, the investment methodology used to screen equities at EARNEST Partners.

Rick WallaceRick Wallace, ’82

Palo Alto, California

Rick Wallace serves as the chief executive officer and president of KLA, a technology company in the semiconductor industry. He also serves on the company’s board of directors. Wallace began as an applications engineer at KLA Instruments in 1988 and has held various general management positions throughout his more than 30-year tenure with the company. Earlier in his career, he held positions with Ultratech Stepper and Cypress Semiconductor.

Kurtis WilderKurtis Wilder, ’81, JD’84

Novi, Michigan

Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kurtis T. Wilder is a shareholder at Butzel Long and practices in the firm’s Detroit office. He rejoined Butzel after nearly 27 years as a trial judge, judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals, and Michigan Supreme Court Justice. He is one of only five jurists in Michigan history to have served on all three levels of Michigan’s court system.

Lynn Wooten headshotLynn Wooten, PHD’95

Boston, Massachusetts

Lynn Perry Wooten is the president of Simmons University, a women’s-cented private college in Boston. Wooten previously was the David J. Nolan dean and professor of management and organizations at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. She also has had a robust clinical practice, providing leadership development, education, and training for a wide variety of institutions. 

Linda Zhang 360x260Linda Zhang, ’96, MSE’98, MBA’11

Canton, Michigan

Linda Zhang is the chief engineer for the all-electric F-150 Lightning at Ford Motor Co. She has been with Ford for more than 25 years, working in manufacturing, product development, finance, and corporate strategy. She has worked on programs such as the Ford Explorer, Ford Escape, and Ford F-150.

Calendar of Events

2024

  • Feb. 22-24 – Winter Retreat (Miami)
  • June 7-9 – Spring Meeting (Camp Michigania)
  • Sept. 12-13 – Fall Meeting (Ann Arbor)

Join the Board of Directors

Would you like to apply to serve on the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan Board of Directors? The 2024 application is now available and will be open until 5 p.m. ET on Friday, April 19.

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