Latest News from College Access Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2009

 

COLLEGE ACCESS FOUNDATION OF CALIFORNIA WELCOMES TWO INVESTMENT AND EDUCATION EXPERTS TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – February 19, 2009 – Today, College Access Foundation of California, the state’s largest provider of strategic scholarship grants, announced the appointment of two new Board Directors, Russell Gould of Wachovia Bank and Toby Rosenblatt of Founders Investments, Ltd. and Pacific Four Investments, LP. With more than $300 million in assets, the College Access Foundation Board of Directors seeks to increase enrollments, retention, and completion of higher education for low-income and first-generation college-bound students by awarding scholarship grants through community-based college preparation and support programs in California.

“These two individuals bring with them a wealth of expertise accumulated over distinctly accomplished careers,” said Julia I. Lopez, President and CEO. “Their depth of finance and investment knowledge along with a shared commitment to higher education in California make them uniquely qualified to help guide College Access Foundation during these challenging economic times.”

Mr. Gould currently serves as Vice Chairman to the University of California Board of Regents, and sits on the committees for Governance, Oversight of the Department of Energy Laboratories, and Finance, for which he is the Chair. Mr. Gould’s extensive experience in public and private finance management also includes his work as Executive Vice President for the J. Paul Getty Trust, as California’s Director of Finance, and as the state’s Cabinet Secretary of the Health and Welfare Agency. He presently holds the dual positions of Senior Vice President for Wachovia Bank and Senior Managing Director at Wachovia Portfolio Services.

Mr. Gould has served on the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors, the Constitution Revision Commission and the California Performance Review Commission. A Past Chair of the Board of Directors for the California Chamber of Commerce, he has also served as a board member of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

Mr. Rosenblatt’s personal commitment to the fields of education, parks and public spaces, and the arts spans more than three decades, including service as director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, Chair of the Trustee Committee of the California Association of Independent Schools, Chair of The Presidio Trust, and more than ten years with the San Francisco Art Commission.

Mr. Rosenblatt has served as President of Founders Investments, Ltd., a private investment limited partnership, since 1999. He also serves as a director of the BlackRock Equity Liquidity Mutual Funds and Forward Management, LLC, and is a trustee of The Thacher School in Ojai, CA and the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. He was a director of the James Irvine Foundation for more than ten years, during which time he served as Vice Chairman and Chair of its Investment Committee.

“I look forward to working with our newly expanded Board to further our strategic grantmaking in this difficult economic climate,” said Ms. Lopez. “More than ever, California’s students are in need of financial aid and support services, and now is the time for focus, creativity and a renewed commitment to the education of our young people and the future prosperity of our state.”

About College Access Foundation of California
College Access Foundation of California helps California students who have financial need attend college. The Foundation makes grants to community-based college advising and academic support programs, which use the funds to award college scholarships to students they serve.

For more information on College Access Foundation and its grantees, visit www.collegeaccessfoundation.org or contact Kristen Stancik at 310.656.1001.

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