Michele Siqueiros ’95 to Serve as Chair of Board of Trustees

Pitzer College announces the selection of Trustee Michele Siqueiros ’95 to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees, and of Trustee Jon Graham ’82 to serve as vice chair. Siqueiros succeeds Don Gould, who was elected chair in 2021 and will remain an active member of the board. Her three-year tenure started July 1.

An innovative leader in supporting higher education and community access to news media, Siqueiros is one of just three Pitzer alumni to serve as board chair and the first Latiné member of the College community to hold this role.

"Pitzer didn't just educate me—it fundamentally transformed how I see the world and my role in it,” said Siqueiros. “I was a first-generation college student, and the College opened doors I never knew existed and taught me that with opportunity comes responsibility. Pitzer showed me that critical thinking isn't just an academic exercise; it's a tool for social change. Everything I've done since, from expanding college access to strengthening local journalism, stems from the values and vision I developed during my time here. I'm honored to serve as chair and help ensure Pitzer continues opening worlds of possibility for future generations."

A Los Angeles native, Siqueiros is the daughter of immigrants and the first in her family to attend college. She attended Pitzer and received a bachelor’s degree in political studies and Chicano/a Studies. She continued her education at UCLA, where she received a master’s degree in urban planning.

Siqueiros transformed California's higher education landscape during her twenty-year tenure at the Campaign for College Opportunity, serving as president for sixteen years. Under her leadership, the organization evolved from a startup into California's most influential higher education advocacy organization. Her strategic approach combining research, advocacy, and community engagement resulted in historic policy victories, including landmark transfer reform making it easier for students to transfer from community colleges to four-year universities, and groundbreaking community college placement reform that provides direct access to college-level courses for students. Siqueiros successfully raised over $35 million in funding and built a statewide network of more than 12,000 coalition supporters. Her advocacy efforts resulted in billions of dollars in state funding for higher education, expanded financial aid programs including support for undocumented students, and legislative reforms that have benefited countless California students. She authored critical research reports on California's economy and workforce needs, serving as the statewide spokesperson on higher education policy.

In 2025, Siqueiros pivoted to another area of need in the state: local news media. She now serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Local News Initiative, working to ensure that all Angelenos have free access to representative, relevant, and trusted news and information. Under Siqueiros' leadership, the organization is expanding its community-centered journalism model to underserved neighborhoods across the city, with a focus on building civic engagement and ensuring that journalism serves as a catalyst for community empowerment.

Additionally, Siqueiros is a partner with Secoya Affect, where she provides expertise to leaders in nonprofit, philanthropic, and educational institutions to advance a more fair, just, and equitable society. Siqueiros also sits on the board of the California Endowment, Community Coalition, and Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles County. She is a 2024 recipient of The James Irvine Foundation’s Leadership Award.

For Pitzer President Strom C. Thacker, Siqueiros’ deep sense of commitment to local communities and to Pitzer made her an ideal candidate for the chair position.

“Throughout the years, Michele has maintained a steadfast commitment to her alma mater, its mission, and its values, and her professional work reflects a similar approach,” Thacker noted. “Both Pitzer and California have been enriched by her vision and dedication, and our community is thrilled to welcome her into this new leadership role. I am excited to work closely with her to continue to advance the College and its mission.”

Welcome to New Vice Chair Jon Graham '82

Joining Siqueiros in the board’s leadership is Jon Graham ’82, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Amgen, a multinational biopharmaceutical company known for its role in the biotechnology revolution and the pioneering development of innovative human therapeutics.  

Graham, who majored in economics at Pitzer before earning a law degree from the University of Texas, oversees Amgen’s legal and corporate affairs functions.  He previously served as senior vice president and general counsel for the Danaher Corporation and was a partner at Williams & Connolly LLC.  After law school he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Joseph T. Sneed, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Longtime, Steadfast Board Leadership: Donald P. Gould

The College would also like to express its deepest appreciation to Don Gould for his service as chair of the board. Gould first joined Pitzer’s board in 2006 and served as vice chair in 2017 before taking on the role of chair in 2021. For more than eighteen years, Gould has chaired numerous committees, including presidential searches and 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-focused and fossil fuel-free global equity index fund, which was designed for endowments, foundations, and other nonprofits that want to invest responsibly. 

Gould is president and chief investment officer of Gould Asset Management of Claremont, which he founded in 1999.

The College is grateful for Gould’s impactful leadership and his continuing service to the College.