Board of Trustees Chair Donald P. GouldClaremont, Calif. (August 27, 2021)—Pitzer College is pleased to announce that Donald P. Gould has been elected chair of the Pitzer College Board of Trustees. Trustee and Pitzer parent Jill Klein P’15, executive in residence at American University’s Kogod School of Business, will serve as the board’s vice-chair. Gould succeeds Harold A. Brown, who has served as board chair since 2017 and will remain on the board as an active member.
“I am both honored and excited to lead Pitzer’s Board of Trustees in this next chapter of the College’s growth,” Gould said. “Our trustees are a remarkably talented and dedicated group, generous with their time, expertise, and resources on behalf of Pitzer. I believe Pitzer is on a great trajectory for the future. The board looks forward to supporting President Oliver, his leadership team, the faculty, and the entire Pitzer community in making that bright future a reality.”
Don Gould joined Pitzer’s board in 2006 and has served as vice-chair since 2017. During his 15 years of service, he has led numerous committees, including the search for Pitzer’s sixth president, resulting in the appointment of Melvin L. Oliver in 2016. He also chaired the board’s investment committee and Climate Change Working Group.
In 2014, Gould spearheaded the board’s unanimous approval of the student-driven working group’s Fossil Fuel Divestment-Climate Action Model, which made Pitzer the first private higher education institution in California to commit to divesting its endowment of fossil fuel stocks. He also helped pioneer an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)-focused and fossil fuel-free global equity index fund, which was designed for endowments, foundations, and other nonprofits that want to invest responsibly. In 2018-19, he served as co-chair of Pitzer’s Strategic Planning Committee.
Gould is president and chief investment officer of Gould Asset Management of Claremont, which he founded in 1999. He brings to Pitzer’s Board of Trustees four decades of experience in financial asset management, including founding the Huntington Funds in 1985 and serving in a variety of senior management positions at Franklin Templeton Investments.
Gould has taught investment management at both Claremont McKenna College and Claremont Graduate University and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Claremont. While he did not attend Pitzer, he is a Sagehen, having graduated from Pomona College with a BA in economics before earning his MBA from Harvard Business School. Gould is a life-long Dodgers fan and an avid pianist who enjoys all things musical.
Board of Trustees Vice-Chair Jill KleinVice-chair Jill Klein P’15 joined the Pitzer College Board of Trustees in 2014. A self-described recovering CIO with a background in banking and consulting, Klein teaches at American University’s Kogod School of Business, where she is an executive in residence. She has also served as the interim dean of the School of Professional and Extended Studies. Klein is a strong advocate for diversifying corporate boards and has played a crucial role promoting the efforts of Women in Technology, a professional organization, since its inception in 2010. She earned a BA from Cornell University and an MBA from American University. Her daughter, Susie, graduated from Pitzer with a degree in organizational studies and was awarded a Fulbright to Mexico in 2015.
Pitzer College would also like to take this opportunity to express its great gratitude for outgoing chair Harold Brown’s service. A renowned entertainment lawyer, Brown had no direct ties to Pitzer when a colleague introduced him to the College more than a decade ago. He was captivated by Pitzer’s ethos and approach to education. He joined the board in 2009, and the College has benefited from his wisdom, wit, and incredible work ethic ever since.
