Left to right: Mark Cunningham ’89 P’25, Derric Johnson ’95, Josue Pasillas ’17, Jai Phillips ’02, and Elijah Pantoja ’18
Claremont, Calif. (June 6, 2023)—Pitzer College’s Alumni Board embarks on its next chapter with exciting changes in leadership and the introduction of new roles and members. These Alumni Board members will continue and expand their dedication to connecting fellow alumni with one another and the College.
As president for the past two years, Diana Bob ’02 has represented alumni on the Board of Trustees and has successfully overseen all pillars and committees of the Alumni Board. Bob will remain a member-at-large as she passes the torch to the Alumni Board’s next president, Mark Cunningham ’89 P’25, effective July 1.
Cunningham has served on the Alumni Board since 2020 and is also a parent of a Pitzer student. He is a senior partner in the New Orleans office of Jones Walker LLP, where he co-leads the firm’s Corporate Compliance and White Collar Defense Team. He serves as primary outside antitrust counsel for companies in a wide range of industries and has focused his pro bono work on criminal justice reform, serving as lead trial counsel for legal challenges against systemic prosecutorial misconduct and the denial of criminal defense counsel to the poor. Cunningham also served as the 75th president of the Louisiana State Bar Association and has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including the Orleans Public Defenders Award for Extraordinary Commitment to Public Defense.
Derric Johnson ’95 steps in as the Alumni Board’s inaugural race and justice chair to support alumni engagement by identifying and activating alumni in support of the College’s social justice programs and efforts. This role will support social justice and foster greater inclusiveness and engagement of the alumni community and the College.
Josue Pasillas ’17 will also take on a new role as the reunion chair, a role created to help advance reunion giving efforts and increase alumni engagement through volunteerism and alumni weekend participation.
The Alumni Board has also appointed new members, Jai Phillips ’02 and Elijah Pantoja ’18.
Jai Phillips ’02 holds a BA in Psychology and Black Studies. He is a senior program officer of youth development at the California Community Foundation (CCF), which has served Los Angeles County for more than 100 years, addressing core community issues like safe and affordable housing, accessible health care, quality education, and access to arts and culture. Prior to joining CCF, he served as a regional development officer for the Children’s Defense Fund California and as a development operations manager for the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
Elijah Pantoja ’18 holds a BA in Political Science and follows the two-year term of Josue Pasillas ’17 as the new secretary for the Alumni Board. Pantoja is the assistant director of digital communications and analytics at Pomona College and previously supported Pitzer’s Annual Giving Office. He served on the Student Senate’s Executive Board and Diversity Committee and was chair of the Pitzer College Events Board (2017–2018). He also assisted the College’s Melvin L. Oliver Racial Justice Initiative (RJI) as an appointed member of the RJI’s Advancement working group.
Learn more about how you can be involved in the Alumni Association and Alumni Board.
