I would like to start by thanking JB and Nana for opening their beautiful home to all of us.
Janet, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to celebrate you this evening — and to do so not only as Chair of the Board of Regents, but as one of UCLA’s own. Long before you became a Regent, you were a Bruin.
You came to UCLA from Sacramento as the first in your family to graduate from college. And you graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. But those achievements tell only part of the story. What has always struck me is how deeply you have remained connected to the values that define this University. For many people, graduation marks the end of their relationship with their alma mater. For you, it marked the beginning.
Your life has been a wonderful example of what it means to be a Bruin — not simply through professional success, but through a lifelong commitment to service, curiosity, and giving back.
As we have been developing UCLA for Life, we often talk about the idea that education does not end with a diploma. Rather, it becomes a lifelong relationship with learning, with community, and with purpose.
Janet, your life beautifully illustrates that philosophy. Whether helping to establish Clinic by the Bay to provide compassionate care for uninsured Californians, supporting students and educational opportunity, or serving the University of California, your work has consistently reflected a simple but profound belief: that success carries with it a responsibility to serve others.
One of the things I have especially appreciated is that you have never stopped being genuinely interested in students, faculty, and the future of this institution. Your questions have always reflected both intellectual curiosity and deep humanity. Those are qualities that every university hopes to inspire in its graduates.
Janet, thank you for representing UCLA so extraordinarily well. And thank you for leading the Board of Regents at these unprecedented times in higher education.
I am very happy that you will continue to serve on the Board of Regents. Like everyone here, we look forward to the continued fruits of your generosity, wisdom, and kindness.