The annual meeting of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 16 at 11:15 a.m. at the Alumni Center, 200 Fletcher Street, Ann Arbor, MI.
Members of the Association are welcome to attend and will be asked to vote to elect members of the board.
Officer candidates:
Treasurer
Thomas W. Hawkins, ’83, Miami, Florida (incumbent)
- Served boards and committees of both private and public companies for more than 30 years as a lawyer, executive, and member.
- Led law departments, corporate development teams, and other functions at three Fortune 500 Companies, including Blockbuster Entertainment, AutoNation, and Republic Services.
- Co-Chair of the South Florida Council for the Victors for Michigan campaign.
Chair Elect
Salene Hitchcock-Gear, ’84, Potomac, Maryland
- President of Prudential Individual Life Insurance, overseeing the manufacturing and distribution of a diverse portfolio of life insurance products.
- Brings more than 30 years of industry experience, previously serving as president and CEO of Ameritas Investment Corp. and president and CEO of Acacia Life Insurance Company.
- Earned a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.
- Serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American College of Financial Services and on the Life Insurance Committee of the American Council of Life Insurers.
- Current member of U-M Investment Committee.
Board of Directors candidates:
Dan Braga, ’97, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Part of the investing team at Morningside, a Cambridge-based venture capital and private equity firm.
- Formerly spent 17 years with McKinsey & Company before co-founding and scaling a mid-market private equity fund with The Zaf Group.
- Serves as board chair for TalkingPoints, an education technology non-profit.
- Serves on the U-M LSA Economics Leadership Council and is a major donor to LSA and Michigan Medicine.
Monica Howard Douglas, ’94, Atlanta, Georgia (incumbent)
- Executive vice president and global general counsel of The Coca-Cola Company, overseeing the company’s global legal function.
- Joined Coca-Cola in 2004 and previously served as chief compliance officer, associate general counsel, and legal director for Coca-Cola Southern and East Africa.
- Holds a law degree from Stanford University.
- Active leader in the Atlanta community, serving on the boards of VICI Properties, Woodward Academy, and the High Museum of Art.
- Remains actively engaged with U-M Club of Atlanta.
Li Li Leung, ’95, Indianapolis, Indiana (incumbent)
- Former president and chief executive officer of USA Gymnastics (2019–2025), where she led a significant cultural transformation.
- Previously served as vice president at the National Basketball Association (NBA), managing global corporate relationships, and managing director at Helios Partners, launching their China and UK offices.
- Former elite gymnast, U.S. Junior National Team member, and U.S. representative at the Junior Pan American Games.
- Holds a master’s of science and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
- Full-scholarship student-athlete and four-year member of Michigan’s four-time Big Ten championship gymnastics team, competing at the NCAA Championships.
Richard Erwine, ’90, New York, New York
- Partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, with nearly 30 years of experience litigating complex intellectual property, patent, and trade secret matters for companies such as Qualcomm, Samsung, and IBM.
- Manages pro bono litigation matters for the firm and plays an active role in firm recruiting, associate mentoring, and partnership selection.
- Earned his Juris Doctor from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
- Serves on the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan’s Tri-State Campaign Council and partners with the College of Engineering on AI thought leadership.
- Parent of a U-M student in the class of 2029.
Donica Varner, JD’93, Ithaca, New York
- Seasoned higher education executive and attorney with 32 years of experience, most recently serving as vice president and general counsel of Cornell University and previously as vice president, general counsel, and secretary at Oberlin College.
- Spent 15 years in higher education administration at the University of Michigan.
- Active leader in national legal and civic organizations, including serving as a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.
- Parent of a current U-M sophomore.
Linda Zhang, ’96, MSE’98, MBA’11, Canton, Michigan (incumbent)
- Works at Ford Motor Company as global director for vehicle programs, with more than 30 years of experience.
- Led the development and launched Ford’s first all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck.
- Featured on the cover of TIME Magazine representing the team electrifying the world’s most popular truck in November 2021.
- Member of the Automotive Hall of Fame.
- Worked extensively in manufacturing, product development, finance and corporate strategy.
