Board of Directors
UCLA Investment Company
The UCLA Investment Company Board of Directors and Officers of the Corporation comprise investment, finance and business professionals and University leadership committed to the advancement of UCLA. The volunteers of the board are appointed by The UCLA Foundation Board of Directors.
Members of the Board of Directors
David A. Ackert ’77, JD/MBA ’82, Managing Member, Crystal Lake Capital
Andrea Auerbach, Partner and Global Head of Private Investments, Cambridge Associates
Justin E. Barton, President and Chief Investment Officer, UCLA Investment Company
Andrea Eisfeldt, Chair in Finance, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Yolanda J. Gorman, MBA, PhD, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor of Alumni Affairs and Advancement and Chief Financial Officer for the UCLA Foundation and Investment Company
Philip Han ’91, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Saban Capital Group
Reem Hanna-Harwell, UCLA Interim Vice Chancellor, and Chief Financial Officer
Julio Herrera ’82, Managing Director, Oaktree Capital Management
Melvin Lindsey, Founder and Managing Partner, Nile Capital Group
Cheryl M. Lott ’01, JD ’04, Chair, The UCLA Foundation; Attorney, Buchalter
John T. Mapes ’90, Chair, UCLA Investment Company; Partner, Aurora Capital Partners
Officers of the Corporation
Justin E. Barton, President and Chief Investment Officer, UCLA Investment Company
John T. Mapes ’90, Chair, UCLA Investment Company; Partner, Aurora Capital Partners
Michael Marvelli, Corporate Secretary and Deputy Chief Investment Officer, UCLA Investment Company
Biographies
Andrea Auerbach, Partner and Global Head of Private Investments Cambridge Associates. Andrea leads a 50-person global team sourcing and underwriting private equity, growth equity, distressed, and venture capital funds, as well as direct, co-investment, and secondary investment opportunities. She is the chair of the Co-investment and Secondaries Investment Committees and a member and former chair of the firm’s Private Investment Committee. Her career with CA spans nearly two decades. Andrea has co-authored a significant amount of in-depth private investment research, backed by over 40 years of CA’s proprietary data. Andrea is frequently asked to keynote at private investment industry conferences worldwide. She is also a faculty member at the Institutional Limited Partner Association (ILPA) Institute, where she has taught classes for over 10 years. In 2020, Andrea was recognized by Chief Investment Officer magazine as a “Knowledge Broker All-Star.” Andrea joined Cambridge Associates in 2001 as Head of International Private Equity and Venture Capital Research. Prior to that, she was a Senior Director in the Private Equity Group at Prudential Insurance and began her career in that firm’s Leverage Buyout Group where she led early efforts to benchmark Prudential’s $5 billion buyout portfolio, and domestic and European private equity and venture capital fund investment portfolios, among other investment responsibilities. Andrea earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and her BA in Economics from Smith College.
Andrea Eisfeldt, Chair in Finance, UCLA Anderson School of Management. Andrea Eisfeldt is the Laurence D. and Lori W. Fink Endowed Chair in Finance at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. In addition to her 22-year career in research and teaching in finance, Andrea has extensive experience in asset management. She was consultant to and then Chief Economist of Structured Portfolio Management, a fixed income hedge fund with over $3 billion in assets under management. Andrea also consulted for several years for AQR Capital Management, a large, diversified asset manager of over $140 billion. Currently, as well as serving on the board of the UCLA Investment Company, she is an academic advisor to Vise, a FinTech investment management firm. Andrea recently served on the board of directors of the American Finance Association, and has also served on the Board of Directors for the Gutmann Center for Portfolio Management, the Chicago Research Data Center of the US Census, and the Western Finance Association. She is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Her research on fixed income and equity market investing is cited worldwide, and she frequently speaks at conferences, universities, central banks, and asset-management institutions. Andrea has deep expertise in mortgage-backed securities and treasuries, as well as equities and real estate. Her ideas for incorporating intangible assets into investment strategies have influenced both academic research and the investment portfolios of several large asset managers.
Andrea earned a B.S. with highest honors from the College of Commerce at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1994, and received her M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago in 2000.
David A. Ackert, Managing Member, Crystal Lake Capital. Mr. Ackert joined The Foundation Board of Directors in 2016. At UCLA, he is a founding member of The Laurence and Lori Fink Center for Finance & Investments Board. Since 2010, David has been the Managing Member of Crystal Lake Capital and was previously an Operating Director at Paine + Partners. From 1994 until 2007 he was an executive vice president at AIG Financial Products Corporation, where he served as head of corporate marketing for North America and global head of the transaction development group and the energy practice. From 1986 until 1994 he was a VP in the capital markets department at Goldman, Sachs & Co. From 1983 to 1986 he was an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell, a New York City law firm. Mr. Ackert earned his B.A. (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), MBA and J.D. (Law Review, Moot Court Honors) degrees from UCLA. He also attended Hong Kong University as a Rotary Foundation Fellow. He serves as Treasurer for the Archaeological Institute of America, is a founding member of the Harvard University National Advisory Board for Public Service and is also a founding and current board member of Off Broadway Angels. Mr. Ackert and his wife, Charlotte, have one son, Nicholas.
Julio Herrera ’82, Managing Director, Oaktree Capital Management. Julio has served as the portfolio manager of Oaktree’s Emerging Markets Opportunities and Emerging Markets Debt Total Return strategies since their inception. In addition to overseeing a diverse team of investment professionals, he sits on Oaktree’s Senior Leadership Council and the Global Credit strategy’s investment committee.
Throughout his 30+-year career in asset management, Julio has played a leading role in many of the largest debt restructurings in the emerging markets. Prior to joining Oaktree in 2012, he was president of Fintech Advisory, Inc., a large family office focused on distressed situations in emerging economies. During his 15-year tenure, Fintech completed landmark deals in Latin America, Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe. Before this, he was the Head of Emerging Markets Corporate Fixed Income Research at Lehman Brothers Inc., vice president in emerging markets proprietary trading at ING Capital Holdings Inc., and an investment analyst RRH Capital Management.
Julio and his family have long supported arts, educational and social organizations in California, Connecticut and New York. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies from UCLA and attended Stanford University on a California Graduate Fellows.
John T. Mapes ’90, Chair, UCLA Investment Company; Partner, Aurora Capital Partners. John is a Partner of Aurora Capital Partners (“Aurora” or the “Firm”). Aside from two years in investment banking after college, John has spent his entire professional career in the private equity industry at Aurora where he has served as the Firm’s Managing Partner and Chairman of the Investment Committee.
Aurora was founded in 1991. With assets under management in excess of $4.5 billion, Aurora is a private equity investment firm that invests across a number of funds in middle market companies across the country. Aurora is currently investing out of its sixth fund. The Firm acquires controlling interests in companies in three sectors: engineered products, distribution and tech-enabled services. John’s corporate board experience spans numerous companies including: Roller Bearing Co of America, Coast Gas Industries, Western Nonwovens Inc., Impaxx Inc., Autocam Corporation, Douglas Dynamics, K&F Industries, Ames Taping Tools, Mitchell International, RecoverCare, National Technical Systems, Pace Analytical Services, and Restaurant Technologies.
Following his graduation with a BA degree in Economics/Business in 1990 from UCLA, where John played varsity tennis for the Bruins, he spent two years with Salomon Brothers, Inc. in both New York and Los Angeles, in their Corporate Finance Group. He left Salomon Brothers to join Aurora in 1992 and then rejoined the Firm after graduating from Harvard Business School in 1995.
At UCLA, in addition to serving on The UCLA Foundation Board (as Board Chair from 2018-2020), the UCLA Investment Company Board as the current Chair, and on the UCLA Technology Development Corp Board, the Mapes’ endowed five student-athlete scholarships — two in men’s tennis, men’s basketball, football, and women’s beach volleyball. Additionally, the Mapes funded a gift to support the construction of new beach volleyball facility at UCLA which is known on campus as Mapes Beach. John formerly served as Chairman of the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame Committee and on the UCLA Centennial Campaign Executive Committee.
John has been involved in the Los Angeles community with the Special Olympics and the St. Matthew’s Vestry, which oversees the Church and Episcopal Day School at St. Matthew’s Church. He is also active on behalf of Harvard Business School.
John’s wife Carrie earned a BA in History from UCLA in 1990 and a Master’s in Education and Multiple Subject Instruction Credential from UCLA in 1991 and is a co-founder of Hello Again Products, a women’s wellness product company. Carrie belongs to UCLA Women & Philanthropy and is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association. John and Carrie have a son who graduated from UCLA in 2020 and a daughter who graduated from Duke in 2022.
Justin E. Barton, President and Chief Investment Officer, UCLA Investment Company. Mr. Barton is the President and Chief Investment Officer at the UCLA Investment Company. The Investment Company is responsible for the UCLA Foundation endowment, a global, multi-asset portfolio. Along with the Investment Company team, Mr. Barton oversees all aspects of the endowment including executing investment strategy, portfolio construction, and governance. Mr. Barton began his investment career in Brown University’s investment office before joining Old Square Capital, a New York-based investment firm. He moved to London in 2011, where he worked for Investec Asset Management, an institutional investment manager. Mr. Barton has a BA degree from Princeton University and an MA in International Relations from the University of Cape Town. Mr. Barton holds an Investment Management Certificate from the CFA Society of the UK and the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.
Philip Han ’91, Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Saban Capital Group. Saban Capital Group is a private investment firm based in Los Angeles specializing in the media, entertainment, and communication industries. Mr. Han oversees a globally diversified portfolio of investments across equities, fixed income, and alternative investments. He also leads Saban Real Estate Group, which owns a portfolio of office, self-storage, student housing and manufactured housing properties across 23 states. Prior to joining Saban Capital Group, Mr. Han was with PricewaterhouseCoopers and EYM Technologies, a venture-backed email infrastructure start-up. Mr. Han was formerly a Commissioner with the California Commission for Economic Development and is currently on the Board of Trustees with the Orthopedic Institute for Children. Mr. Han attended UCLA where he earned both his BA in Economics/Business and MBA in Finance.
Melvin Lindsey, CFA, Founder and Managing Partner of Nile Capital Group. Nile Capital Group is a private equity firm that invests in GP stakes of innovative performance-driven asset management companies. Mr. Lindsey serves on the boards of Nile’s portfolio holding companies including Welton Investment Partners LLC, Prytania Asset Management, Kvasir Technologies, Wilshire Lane Capital LLC, Strategic Global Advisors LLC, Denali Advisors LLC, and Convergence Investment Partners LLC. Prior to founding Nile, Mel co-managed Julius Bär Investment Management (JBIM) as Managing Director of Global Distribution. During his tenure at JBIM, assets under management grew from $800 million to a peak of $78 billion, ultimately resulting in an IPO and listing on the NYSE in 2009. Mel previously worked at Investec Asset Management as Director in the Institutional North America division. He was also Managing Director and portfolio manager at Wells Capital Management and a Vice President at Shearson Lehman Brothers. Mel holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and received his MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management. Mel also attended IMD Global Leadership Program in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is a member of the Los Angeles Society of Financial Analysts. Mel serves on the Board of Trustees and the Investment Committee for the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), the UCLA Foundation Board, UCLA Anderson School of Management Board of Advisors, and Saint John’s Health Center Foundation.
Cheryl M. Lott ’01, JD ’04, Chair, The UCLA Foundation; Attorney, Buchalter. Cheryl is an attorney with Buchalter, A Professional Corporation who represents corporate clients, banks, mortgage companies and other financial institutions in both state and federal court. Her practice focuses on general business and commercial litigation, as well as labor and employment litigation, construction defect litigation, and class action defense. She also has extensive experience working on local, state, and federal regulatory matters. In this realm, she has significant experience assisting financial institution clients with Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering detection procedures. Cheryl also co-chairs Buchalter’s Los Angeles office’s litigation department. Cheryl is a past President of the UCLA Alumni Association, and is the chair-elect of the UCLA Foundation Board. Cheryl is a member of the UCLA School of Law Alumni Board and is a founding member of the UCLA Law Women LEAD Board. In 2019, Cheryl was recognized as an Emerging Leader at the UCLA Law Awards.
Cheryl earned her J.D. at the UCLA School of Law with a Concentration in Critical Race Studies and a Specialization in Corporate Law. Cheryl earned her B.A. in Political Science and African-American Studies, with a minor in Chicano Studies at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Dr. Yolanda Gorman, MBA, PhD, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor of Alumni Affairs and Advancement and Chief Financial Officer for the UCLA Foundation and Investment Company. From 2016 to 2025, she was Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff to the UCLA Chancellor, where she co-led the university’s strategic planning process and provided guidance across a $9 billion portfolio. In this role, she advised senior leadership, represented the Chancellor to key stakeholders, and spearheaded major institutional initiatives. Prior to UCLA, she was President and CEO of Phillips Graduate University, bringing academic and executive expertise in organizational management and strategic development.
As founder of Gorman Partners, LLC, Dr. Gorman has led research, consulting, and training efforts for nonprofits, universities, and government agencies. Her work spans strategic planning, governance, and resource development, including securing over $300 million in funding to support programs addressing critical human needs. She has facilitated leadership development and board training for organizations nationwide and partnered with city councils and school districts to shape long-term vision and strategy.
A committed civic leader, Dr. Gorman serves as a Los Angeles County Commissioner for Women and a governor-appointed member of the Baldwin Hills and Urban Watershed Conservancy. She is a Regent Emerita of the University of California, a former trustee of Woodbury University, and the first African American woman to chair the UCLA Alumni Association Board. She continues to advance nonprofit leadership through her role with the African American Board Leadership Institute and other statewide initiatives. A triple Bruin, Dr. Gorman holds a B.A. in psychology, an M.B.A. in accounting and small business management, and a Ph.D. in educational psychology with a minor in clinical psychology and psychiatry.
Reem Hanna-Harwell serves as Interim Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer at UCLA. She stepped into this role in February 2026 and will serve in this capacity while a national search is launched for the position. Reem holds a Master of Business Administration from Schiller University, Heidelberg, Germany. She started her career in higher education in Development Operations at Princeton University. Reem then joined UCLA in 1997 and initially served in financial officer positions for 10 years, culminating in the role of Director of the UCLA College of Letters & Science Budget Office. She then served as Associate Dean for Humanities for 19 years. In this capacity, she also served as Senior Associate Dean, Finance and Administration, for the UCLA College as a whole, before stepping into her current interim role. Reem is fluent in four languages and has been guided throughout her career by a deep commitment to higher education.