Meet the 2026 Spring Cohort

We're thrilled to welcome the Pacific Council's newest cohort of members! This group reflects the depth and diversity that define our community, bringing new viewpoints, expertise, and enthusiasm that enrich us all. Together they share a commitment to advancing global dialogue and deepening the West Coast's engagement with the world. We encourage you to reach out and connect with them at upcoming events or through our Member Directory. Please join us in giving a warm welcome to our 2026 class of new members, featured below!

Meet Our New Members

• Mr. Asaad Alnajjar—Senior Manager, Public Works BSL, City of Los Angeles
• Mr. Sam Baron—Research Fellow, Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS)
• Mrs. Hillary Batjer Johnson—Founder and Principal, HBJ Global Solutions, LLC; Senior Consultant, Lexpat Global Services, LLC; Former U.S. Diplomat
• Mr. Jyot Bawa—President, LA Gauge Company
• Dr. Luisa Blanco—Professor of Public Policy, Pepperdine University
• Mr. Tyrone Bland—Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Global Policy, WISECODE
• Mr. Adam Boudjemai—Vice President, Interlock Equity
• Mr. Peter Brooks—CEO, Sylmar Group
• Dr. Robin Brooks—Visiting Fellow in Global Policy and Governance, Pomona College
• Mr. Neal Caldwell—GSOC Analyst, Crisis24
• Mr. Grant Cambridge—Partner, Capital Research Global Investors, Capital Group
• Dr. Lila Carlsen—Vice Provost, Pepperdine University
• Dean George Carlsen—Divisional Dean of International Studies and Languages, Seaver College, Pepperdine University
• Mr. Patrick Cole—Managing Director, Lawfare Institute
• Mr. Sean Connell—U.S. Congressional Staff
• Ms. Dawn Donley—Membership Manager, The California Club
• Mr. Thomas Epley—Retired ex-CEO of Technicolor, Bekins, Paradyne, Globespan, AMF, others; Author, ''The Plague of Good Intentions''
• Mr. Jason Erb—Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, Hyundai Motor North America
• Chief Economic Consul Omer Fein—Chief Economic Consul, State of Israel
• Ms. Akiko Fujita—Reporter
• Ambassador (ret.) Samuel D. Heins—Ambassador (ret.) U. S. Embassy Oslo; Retired Partner, Heins Mills and Olson, Minneapolis
• Dr. Vito Imbasciani—Chairman, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
• Dr. Shaheen Kassim-Lakha—Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
• Zoe Kreitenberg—Attorney
• Ambassador (ret.) Frank Lavin—Author; Business Advisor; Former Under Secretary for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce
• Ms. Caroline Lefever—Attorney
• Mr. Jake Levine—Congressional Candidate, California's 32nd District; Former Advisor, Department of Angels
• Ms. Alyssa Litoff—Founder and CEO, Cogito Media Group
• Dr. Jonathan Lunine—Chief Scientist, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Professor of Planetary Science, California Institute of Technology; Senior Fellow on Science and Technology, Pacific Council
• Ms. Zohreh Mizrahi—Founder and President, Persian American Civic Action Network (PACAN)
• Ms. Sonia Moldovan—Vice President, Strategy and Programs, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
• Mr. Timur Nazarov—LL.M. Student at UCLA Law
• Ms. Noelle Newton—President Elect, American Women of International Understanding
• Mr. Glenn Osaki—Managing Director, USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD)
• Mr. Rohit Palekar—Chief Operating Officer, JustFab
• Dr. Thomas Poon—President, Loyola Marymount University
• Counselor Lin Qiu—Counselor, Consulate General of China in Los Angeles
• Ambassador Shefali Razdan Duggal—72nd U.S. Ambassador to Kingdom of the Netherlands (2022-2025)
• Professor Anne Rimoin—Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Gordon-Levin Endowed Chair in Infectious Diseases and Public Health; Director, UCLA Center for Global Health and Pandemic Preparedness; Director, UCLA-DRC Health Research and Training Program
• Mr. Matthew Rosenbaum—Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
• Ms. Su Ross—Regulatory Practice Chair, Cybersecurity and Privacy Practice Chair, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
• Ms. Sophia Salmore—ACLU of Southern California
• Mr. Jonathan Schreiber—Vice President, Community Engagement, Cedars-Sinai
• Mr. Antonio Spears—CEO, CityGlobal.Earth
• Mr. Zack Spratling—Founder & CEO, Dear America Network
• Mr. Chris Steiner—CEO, Helvetas USA
• Mr. Peter Theroux—Writer and translator
• Ms. Christine Tran—Portfolio Manager, Ballmer Group
• Mr. Sushil Tyagi—Doctoral Fellow, RAND
• Ms. Jenny Yu—Partner, Epstein, Becker & Green

 To learn more about Pacific Council membership or nominate a member, please contact membership@pacificcouncil.org.