West LA Times

Two new members have been elected to The UCLA Foundation board of directors this year, along with a new board chair. UCLA alumni Edward Barnett and Matt Kaczmarek, who began their terms on March 7, join Cheryl Lott, a current board member whose election as chair was announced in January and who will begin her two-year tenure on July 1.

Lott succeeds outgoing chair Alicia Miñana de Lovelace, who will continue her service on the board as immediate past chair.

The volunteer-led board is made up of staff, ex officio and elected members who serve as key advisors to UCLA and promote philanthropy for areas across the campus. The board oversees the UCLA Investment Company, which manages the foundation's endowment and assets and sets the payout rate from endowed funds to campus units.

Edward Barnett is a principal at Newbury Capital Management LLC, a privately held investment advisory and wealth management firm serving high-net-worth individuals, families, institutional investors, professional athletes, and coaches. Focusing on risk management, portfolio construction, and intelligent planning, Barnett helps investors plot a roadmap to financial success. He is also the co-founder of PCF Restaurant Management, a multi-unit Buffalo Wild Wings franchisee committed to serving the communities in which it does business; Barnett leverages the sports bars as platforms to offer economic empowerment through career opportunities, civic engagement, and service to the community.

Barnett earned his bachelor’s degree from UCLA, where he competed in track and field and was an all-conference high jumper. His professional accomplishments and philanthropic endeavors later earned him the UCLA Black Alumni Association’s Tom Bradley Alumnus of the Year award.

Barnett is also the founder of the Choices Mentoring Program for Young Men, which prepares young African American males for college and life success by developing and strengthening their decision-making skills and expanding their perspective of opportunities. He is also a board member of Hav A Sole, a nonprofit that provides marginalized populations with quality footwear to encourage healthy lifestyles. Additionally, he serves as an advisor to the National College Resources Foundation (NCRF), a nonprofit focused on curbing the high school dropout rate and increasing educational opportunities for underserved students.

Matt Kaczmarek is the managing director, global head of sustainable private debt investing and head of the Los Angeles office for BlackRock. His team delivers innovative sustainable investing strategies with market-leading environmental, social governance (ESG) integration alongside technology-enabled ESG data reporting supporting $16 billion in sustainability-oriented private debt assets under management. Kaczmarek is also global chair of BlackRock’s Out & Allies LGBTQ+ employee network. He previously held senior economic policy appointments in the Obama White House as well as at State Department and Treasury Department.

Kaczmarek received his bachelor’s degree in 2005 from UCLA where he was president of University of California Student Association before earning his master’s from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies where he was editor-in-chief SAIS Review International Affairs journal. In addition to serving on UCLA Alumni Association Board he serves campaign board National LGBTQ+ Victory Fund while being member Pacific Council International Policy Council Foreign Relations organizations.

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