January 18, 2008
Vice Chancellors, Deans and Directors
Dear Colleagues:
I am very pleased to announce the selection of Kevin S. Reed as vice chancellor, legal affairs, UCLA, and associate general counsel, University of California. The appointment is effective March 1, 2008, pending the approval of the UC Board of Regents. The position reports jointly to me and the general counsel of the UC.
Kevin, who has served since 2004 as general counsel for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), brings to UCLA a broad understanding of and appreciation for the value of public education. Throughout his distinguished career, he has championed equity and access to education, transportation, healthcare, housing and criminal justice. He has successfully managed a broad range of complex issues, many of which we face frequently at UCLA.
For the LAUSD, Kevin has advised department and division heads on such issues as public finance, ethics, bond measures, regulatory compliance, civil rights, human resources, environmental law, the public records act and real estate. He has overseen the district’s offices of ethics, educational equity compliance and equal opportunity and directed its collective bargaining with eight different unions.
Between 1996 and 2004, first as associate and later as partner at Strumwasser & Woocher LLP in Santa Monica, Kevin specialized in civil litigation and counseling on complex issues of education law, constitutional law, insurance regulation and advice to nonprofits. Cases involved a constitutional challenge to the method used in distributing state funding for school construction, resulting in more than $600 million in state funding for the LAUSD.
Kevin received his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his B.A., with high distinction, from the University of Virginia. He is a member of the California, New York and Massachusetts state bars and the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
On behalf of UCLA, I want to express my appreciation to the search/advisory committee and the consultants. Together, they recruited a truly outstanding pool of candidates for this position. My co-chair on the committee was Charles F. Robinson, general counsel and vice president for legal affairs, Office of the General Counsel of the Regents. Committee members were Norman Abrams, acting chancellor emeritus and professor of law emeritus; David M. Birnbaum, university counsel, Office of the General Counsel of the Regents; Ann E. Carlson, professor of law; Diane F. Geocaris, chief campus counsel, UCI; Sam J. Morabito, administrative vice chancellor; Steven A. Olsen, vice chancellor, finance, budget and capital programs; and Thomas Rice, vice chancellor, academic personnel. The consultants were Caroline Nahas and John Amer of Korn/Ferry International.
I also want to express our deep gratitude to Joe Mandel, who has so graciously served as special assistant to the chancellor for legal affairs following his retirement as vice chancellor.
Sincerely,
Gene D. Block
Chancellor