On July 1, 2022, former UCLA Anderson alumni board president Kate Pletcher (’07) passed the leadership torch to the new alumni board president, Zubin Davar (’15). They shared their vision for a more engaged, empowered and impactful board and explained how it’s being realized this year.
Kate Pletcher: I’m proudest of the reinvention of our alumni board structure, especially since it was accomplished during the pandemic. When COVID hit, I was worried it might limit what we would be able to accomplish, but we used it as an opportunity. It was a great time to shake things up! We wanted to create a new structure that would make board service both more rewarding for our members and more impactful for the alumni network and the school. It was a lot of work, but with Zubin helping spearhead our efforts, our vice president Amy Bergrud (’04) providing great counsel and our entire executive committee committed to our goal, we did it!
Zubin Davar: I am not that far out from my MBA, so it was an unexpected honor to even be suggested for this role. I have always been intent to serve the school. But the board presidency is a big commitment. Kate and I talked a lot about the role, not just of the presidency, but of the board itself. We agreed that there was a lot of work that needed to be done to make the board as impactful as it could be. I consider myself very lucky to have had Kate to help me think through the opportunity, and to mentor me through the transition. She didn’t just say she’d be there to support me, she followed through. One of Kate’s strongest qualities is her natural spirit and how she brings it to bear on the tasks at hand. With the board reorganization, we’ve established a platform that I was able to walk into with real confidence.
KP: The board now consists of 50 members, led by an executive committee whose members chair or co-chair seven sub-committees: affinity, career/industry, communication/reunions, culture, events, governance/finance and strategic initiatives. In addition to the committees, our new structure also includes four leadership councils: current class presidents, chapter presidents, affinity group presidents and industry group presidents.
ZD: Prior to the reorganization, we were like that kids’ soccer team in which everyone moves to the ball at the same time; now everyone is playing positions. We can partner more strategically with stakeholders across the school, the alumni base and industry. We get to do more, create more, drive more impact. Board members are more excited about their contributions. It’s a virtuous cycle of engagement.
KP: We are now better aligned to our mission and to each other. The board’s purpose is to foster lifelong connections among our alumni worldwide, current students and Anderson. We needed a board structure that not would not only empower us to operate more effectively and efficiently, but that would also support a strong and caring culture for our volunteer leaders.
ZD: We went through the standard analysis process we learned in business school. First, clearly identify your mission, next determine any problems keeping you from achieving your mission, then diagnose accordingly. Three strategic questions kept bubbling up: 1) How do we best support and amplify the strategic initiatives of the school? 2) How can we provide a better and more closed feedback loop to the school? and 3) How do we make the work of our volunteer leaders translate into value — for the school, for the alumni network and for the leaders themselves, in terms of a positive experience? The structure took shape as we thought through answers to these questions.
KP: The seven committees formed each focus on a fundamental function or key initiative of the board. The goal was to enhance the relevancy and impact of our work. We wanted to empower each committee to generate ideas and counsel for the school.
ZD: We see our committees as a starting point. By design, this structure is malleable. Committees define their own charters; they are more fluid and self-directed than in the prior structure, which makes perfect sense for an Anderson board of MBAs.
KP: We need to create a high level of engagement and a satisfying experience for each of our board members. It’s very important everyone feel that their time is well spent and their efforts have real impact.
KP: Don’t be afraid to shake the trees. This is a time of change — embracing and leveraging change is the path forward.
ZD: I think Kate’s advice is very salient. The restructuring of the board was a huge change and it will help us to move other change forward. My first goal as president is to “land the plane”: We need to get the restructured board working in an optimal way to make real impact. Then, within the next year, I’d like us to identify just one or two areas of opportunity that the board can own. For example, it might be creating an alumni-sponsored case competition, something world-class, both highly funded and highly aspired to — a crown jewel for the school, along the lines of the John Wooden Global Leadership Awards.
KP: If you attended Anderson, then you are, by nature, someone who raises their hand. You aren’t waiting around for the world to change, you are a change-maker. If you want to continue learning and growing from this amazing community of 40,000 fellow Anderson alums, we need you to raise your hand.
ZD: The greatest leaders I know model servant leadership. Alumni who open themselves up most, give encouragement without expectation and offer support without strings reap the greatest benefits from our community. If you engage, I am without doubt your service to Anderson will also serve you well.