I have so much to be grateful for as we prepare to enter a new school year. I am still thrilled by the opportunity to serve as executive director of the Cal Alumni Association (CAA)—an opportunity made possible by the exceptional education I received at Cal. Each day, I collaborate with an amazing community of fellow alumni whose dedication inspires and empowers our work and makes our programs possible. Together we make CAA an important touchpoint for thousands of Cal students and fellow alumni.
Thanks to your support, CAA is growing. Never before have we been able to offer such a rich array of programs. Most especially, in 2019 CAA celebrates 85 years of Alumni Scholarships which help fund our future leaders in science, business, public service, and the arts.
Almost 20 years ago, CAA established The Achievement Award Program (TAAP) to support first-generation, low-income students. Today, thousands of TAAP alumni serve in leadership and professional positions worldwide, making great contributions to their communities.
I am privileged to be among a community of distinguished alumni who established the Equity Scholarship, specifically designed to increase access to education for underserved minority students. Now called the Kruttschnitt Aspire Scholarship Program (KASP) in honor of Theodore (Ted) Kruttschnitt ’67, whose generosity and leadership have nurtured this ground-breaking program, KASP provides guidance and support to ensure students succeed at the number one public university in the world.
We can be proud to have grown The Leadership Award (TLA) from a small stipend with just a handful of recipients in 1934 to an important component of financial aid that, over the years, has supported thousands of talented leaders.
We’re still celebrating 150 years of light—a landmark birthday for the founding of this great university. You have brought us here. Let’s keep it going. Our students, our faculty and leadership, our great community of alumni—together we’ll build the next 150 years.
Clothilde Hewlett ’76, J.D. ’79
Executive Director
