The UCR Foundation Board of Trustees has a new chair and nine new members, all of whom begin their terms Wednesday, July 1.
The 40-member volunteer Board of Trustees oversees UCR’s affiliated foundation, receiving and managing the investment of a $190.9 million endowment as of May 31 that supports the long-term strength of UCR’s research programs, colleges, and scholarship funds. Trustees advocate for UCR and advance its mission by seeking and securing private support for all of its programs.
Brian Hawley, a trustee since 2013 who was named chair-elect last year, will step into the role of board chair for a two-year term, starting July 1. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UCR in 1989 and 1991, respectively.
Hawley is chairman and chief technical officer at Luminex Software Inc. in Riverside. He is a past chairman and founding member of the Riverside Technology CEO Forum; a recipient of the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering Honored Alumni Award; a member of the Bourns College Dean’s Council of Advisors; a member of the School of Business Deans Advisory Council; and past chair of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce board.
The nine new members are:
Virginia Blumenthal
Blumenthal is the founding partner of Blumenthal Law Offices in Riverside and was re-elected in 2018 to her fourth term on the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees. She’s also served as president of the Riverside County Philharmonic and founded the Riverside County High School Mock Trial program.
Blumenthal has been named Alumnus of the Year by the Riverside Community College District, Citizen of the Year by the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce, and Riverside County Woman of the Year by the California Legislature. She has been recognized for her legal work by several groups including the Riverside County Bar Association.
Tim Jenkins
Jenkins, who once served as the Bourns College of Engineering’s system administrator, is a co-founder of SendGrid, a customer communications marketing company, and the founder of Table Needs.
A UCR graduate, Jenkins is a mentor for UCR’s Entrepreneurial Proof of Concept and Innovation Center, or EPIC, a launchpad for entrepreneurs and startup companies in Riverside.
Jeff Krynski
Krynski is a senior consultant with herronpalmer, a human resources and benefits consulting company.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in administrative studies from UCR and a master’s in business administration from Pepperdine University. Krynski has been a member of the UCR Alumni Association Board of Directors since 2008, serving as president for the last two years until June 30.
Sam Konyn
Konyn has worked as a software developer for over 40 years with his current focus on vehicle diagnostics. He graduated from UCR with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1979.
In 2017, he established the Cathleen and Sam Konyn Endowed Student Project Fund for collaborative projects for students from different colleges and departments.
Marigold Linton
Linton, who received her bachelor’s degree in experimental psychology from UCR in 1958, has taught at San Diego State University, University of Utah, Arizona State University, and the University of Kansas. Her work on long-term memory has been internationally recognized.
A member of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Linton is a founder of both the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, and the National Indian Education Association. She’s received many awards and honors including the 2009 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, and UCR’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2012.
Allison Mackenzie
Mackenzie is president and CEO of Babcock Laboratories in Riverside where she began her career as an environmental chemist in 1978 after graduating from UCR with a bachelor’s degree in biology. A member of the American Council of Independent Laboratories board, she has promoted accreditation and ethical standards in laboratories.
She is a member of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences dean’s advisory board, the Research and Scholarly Distinction Committee for UCR’s strategic planning initiative, and Riverside’s Monday Morning Group, an organization of business and community leaders who advocate on behalf of the Inland Empire. She’s served as president of the Rotary Club of Riverside and a board member of the United Way of the Inland Valleys.
Byron Pollitt
Byron Pollitt graduated from UCR in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in business economics and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
A retired senior executive, Pollitt served as CFO for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Gap, and Visa. He is a former vice chair of the Finance Commission of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and is currently a senior executive advisor to the International Division of the American Red Cross. He also serves on both the Board of Directors and Board of Trustees of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Board of Councilors for the School of Dramatic Arts at USC, and the Board of Directors of Population Services International, a global health NGO.
He received UCR’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2015 and served as an Executive Fellow and commencement speaker at the School of Business.
Teresa Pollitt
Teresa Pollitt graduated from UCR in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and later earned an MBA from USC.
A retired financial executive, she has over 40 years of volunteer service with nonprofits at the local and national levels. Pollitt spent 15 years as a security analyst with the investment counsel firm of Scudder, Stevens & Clark, where she retired as a vice president of Equity Research.
She serves on the board of the San Diego/Imperial Counties Chapter of the Red Cross, the Tiffany Circle National Council of the American Red Cross, and the Board of Trustees of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
In 2017, the couple formed the Teresa and Byron Pollitt Endowed Term Chairs for Interdisciplinary Research and Learning in the Humanities & Social Sciences in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
Victor Tolan
Tolan is the president and CEO of B&K Precision Corporation in Yorba Linda, a company that designs and manufactures test and measurement instruments. He acquired the company in 1996 after a career as a research engineer before moving into marketing and business.
Tolan serves on the Bourns College of Engineering Dean’s Council of Advisors and was an Executive Fellow with the UCR School of Business in 2016-17.
