SAN FRANCISCO, California, January 30, 2004 — The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) announces the election of Gary Hart and Vilma Martinez to its Board of Directors.
“Today we have enriched our ranks by welcoming two of California’s most dedicated civic leaders to our board,” says David Lyon, PPIC’s President and CEO. “Each of them brings an exceptional record of leadership and professional experience encompassing some of the most consequential issues facing California today.”
Gary Hart is founder of the Institute for Education Reform (IER) at California State University, Sacramento. He teaches in the Program in America and California Explorations (PACE) – an innovative core humanities initiative he created – at Kennedy High School in Sacramento. Hart served as Secretary of Education under Governor Gray Davis and was a distinguished member of the California State Legislature for twenty years, representing Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. While in the legislature, he authored important education legislation concerning school finance, class size reduction, and charter schools. Prior to his election to the legislature, he was a high school and college instructor. Hart received a B.A. in history from Stanford University and an M.A. in education from Harvard University.
Vilma Martinez is a partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. She specializes in federal and state court litigation, including defense of wrongful termination, employment litigation, and other commercial litigation. Prior to joining the firm, she served as President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) for nine years. During that time she devoted herself to promoting an array of civil rights issues, including access to public education and the ballot box. She served on the Board of Regents of the University of California from 1976 to 1990 and spent two terms as board chairperson. Martinez received a B.A. from the University of Texas and an LL.B. from Columbia Law School. She is involved with many corporate and nonprofit boards, including Bank of the West, Shell Oil Company, Anheuser-Busch Companies, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, and the Pacific Council on International Policy.
Other members of PPIC’s Board of Directors are: Raymond L. Watson (Chairman), Vice Chairman of the Board, The Irvine Company; Edward K. Hamilton, Chairman, Hamilton, Rabinovitz & Alschuler, Inc.; Walter B. Hewlett, Director, Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities; David W. Lyon, President and CEO, PPIC; Cheryl White Mason, Chief, Civil Liability Management, Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office; Arjay Miller, Dean Emeritus, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University; Ki Suh Park, Design and Managing Partner, Gruen Associates; Constance L. Rice, Co-Director, The Advancement Project; Thomas C. Sutton, Chairman and CEO, Pacific Life Insurance Company; Cynthia A. Telles, Department of Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine; and Carol Whiteside, President, Great Valley Center.
The Public Policy Institute of California is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public policy in California through independent, objective, nonpartisan research on major economic, social, and political issues. The institute was established in 1994 with an endowment from William R. Hewlett. The institute celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2004.