December 18, 2009 —

Berkeley, CA

Richard N. Goldman, a graduate of the Class of 1941, has been selected as the 2010 Alumnus of the Year by the Cal Alumni Association (CAA) at the University of California, Berkeley. Founder of Richard N. Goldman & Co. Insurance Services, the 2010 award recipient is being recognized for his personal dedication to supporting the Bay Area, environmental causes, population issues, Jewish affairs, and Israel, as well as for his generous contributions to the University.

 “We are honored to pay tribute to Richard Goldman by awarding him with the Alumnus of the Year Award,” said CAA President Alan C. Mendelson ’69. “It is the Cal Alumni Association’s greatest honor and in accepting it, he joins the ranks of Cal’s most accomplished alumni.” Recent past awardees include Robert D. Haas ’64; Thelton E. Henderson ’55, J.D. ’62; Donald G. Fisher ’50; Warren Hellman ’55; and Maxine Hong Kingston ’62, C. Ed. ’65.

“Richard Goldman exemplifies the skill and spirit of our outward-looking students and alumni,” says former Dean of the Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy, Michael Nacht. “His lifetime achievements in business, on behalf of the environment, and in public service more than demonstrate the excellence of a UC Berkeley education. He is a Cal alum who has truly made a difference in the world.”

As a businessman, civic leader, and philanthropist, Richard N. Goldman has gained world renown for establishing the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund and the Goldman Environmental Prize. A San Francisco native, he attended public schools prior to enrolling at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1941. Ten years following graduation, he and his wife Rhoda H. Goldman (Class of ‘46) established the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund. The Goldman Fund provides grants to nonprofit organizations working to protect the environment, strengthen the Jewish community, stabilize global population, and support Israel. Since its founding, the Fund has distributed well over a half-billion dollars, including almost $40 million to Cal. In addition to establishing the Goldman Fund, in 1990 Mr. Goldman and his wife established the Goldman Environmental Prize. The prize annually acknowledges six international grassroots environmental activists for their heroic and significant efforts to preserve the natural world.

The Goldmans have contributed generously to their alma mater. Most notably, a transformative $10 million gift to the School of Public Policy in 1997, followed by an additional $5.4 million, has doubled the number of students and the learning space, and also has greatly enhanced programs and public outreach. Today the Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy has risen in national rankings to become the No. 1 graduate school in the nation in public policy analysis.

Recognition in the following categories is also being awarded:

The Excellence in Achievement Award is being presented to Joan Blades ’77, Co-Founder of MoveOn.org; John “Steve” Cook ’69, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration in Indonesia; Carol Galante, M.C.P. ’78, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing Programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Gary W. Matkin, M.B.A. ’70, Ph.D. ’89, Dean of Continuing Education at UC Irvine; and Renee Montagne ’73, Host of NPR’s Morning Edition.

The Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement by a Young Alumnus is being presented to Mathias Craig ’01, Co-Founder of blueEnergy. 

The Excellence in Service Award is being presented to William “Bill” Ausfahl ’61, UC Berkeley Foundation Chair Emeritus; Darek DeFreece ’93, President Emeritus of the Cal Alumni Association; Carmel “Candy” Friesen ’50, Founder of the Carmel P. Friesen Chair in Urban Studies at the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design; and Jill Duerr Berrick, M.S.W. ’87, Ph.D. ’90, Co-Director of the Berkeley Center for Child and Youth Policy at UC Berkeley. 

The Bradford S. King Award for Excellence in Service by a Young Alumnus is being presented to Travis Lee Darrow ’98, Leader of the Cal Hong Kong alumni club. 

The Alumni Group of the Year Award is being presented to Cal Alumni Pride, the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) alumni club.