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Chapter Leader Newsletter
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Alumni Spotlight, Chapter Leader Training, SF Pride Parade, and More!
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Black Engineering and Science Alumni Club Alumni Spotlight
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Martin Ross ’94, MBA (Cal State Monterey Bay)
Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering Emphasis
he / him / his
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Martin Ross ’94, MBA has been environmentally focused since his time at Cal. As a student leader, he helped create the Environmental Engineering emphasis within UC Berkeley’s Chemical Engineering major. He at times calls himself a "social engineer" and has put in his “10,000 hours” crafting solutions for positive community transformation. Soon after graduation, he was employed as an engineer with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Drinking Water Program.
That was only the beginning of his life of service. Since then, Martin has moved into various public service leadership roles in inner-city, semi-rural, and metropolitan cities in the Western United States. He has been Captain and Major with The Salvation Army for 20 years; Executive Director of Ready to Work where he worked with the formerly incarcerated and homeless for employment; and now as the Deputy Director of External Affairs, Partnerships and Workforce Development at the Health Education Council, serving the Sacramento Region and beyond. There, he and his team addresses health issues and works to close gaps related to the Social Determinants of Health in underserved communities.
Martin also currently serves as Chairman of Sacramento County Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee, Commissioner with the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, and Advisory Board Director and Member of the Carmichael Park and Recreation District—all Sacramento County Appointed positions. Last but not least, he is a 2024–25 class member of the American Leadership Forum, and is running for the San Juan Unified School District School Board in the Sacramento region where he lives with his wife of 33 years.
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What advice would you give your undergraduate self?
As an engineering student, things were really busy. However, I would tell myself to see more Cal Athletic events and theater productions around campus. Students should take advantage of what metropolitan communities, like Berkeley, have to offer, because they may move far away after graduation and not have the same opportunities in their new locations. I would tell myself to prioritize exercise and other activities that help take care of my mind, body, and spirit. That kind of personal maintenance is helpful towards the journey of graduation and beyond in a healthy and interactive way.
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What life lessons did you learn at Cal that still impact your daily life?
Bright ideas still need to come with good public speaking and presentation skills. You can have the brightest ideas, but if they can’t be conveyed effectively and efficiently, it will be difficult for others to adopt your innovation. Secondly, stay in contact with friends and professional contacts, and have formal and informal mentors your entire life. They are extremely helpful in one’s life journey. I still keep these thoughts and practices in mind as I strive to perfect my craft.
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What are some current projects you are working on?
Besides running for my local school board, I am doing a lot of partnership building to form what I call “trifectas.” These groups are between disparate groups of industry, anchor institutions, and citizens that need to be working together in order to provide opportunity for disconnected populations. The goal is to bring much needed workforce development and community transformation for the hard to reach, need to be reached, and never reached populations where they live, work, play, and pray. Our economy desperately needs this type of work, not only on the employee side, but on the employer side, in order for our nation’s neighborhoods and economy to thrive.
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How do you tap into your Cal Alumni network?
I connect mostly through social media and through our Berkeley Engineering Science Alumni Club (BESAC) monthly meetings. I am also in touch with some of my chemical engineering alumni—friends that graduated alongside me. I also look forward to our in person meetings when they come a few times a year.
BESAC is very important because it continues to create a strong connection of community that allows me, and many others—then, now, and in the future—to have th encouragement to keep moving forward whether that means graduating or making strong contributions back to society throughout our lives.
One of the biggest contributions that I make to BESAC is by using my nonprofit experience. I strive to develop effective ways to connect with our alumni and supporters that are interested in the cause, so that we can raise sufficient funds to move forward with our endowment and provide scholarships. That financial support can be a huge encouragement for students to reach graduation. I also hope that our scholars are inspired to give back to society in their professional careers so that the next generation can continue to trailblaze new pathways.
That the good work of recruitment, encouragement, and financial support is continually needed. If we want to see diverse populations from the world’s entire spectrum, we need to continue to do the work. Our club focuses on lifting up students of African descent who are beginning their careers in the engineering and science fields. The hope is that the support of our chapter will impact those students’ lives in their careers and encourage them into civic involvement. The work never stops, and it takes people with big hearts, big dreams, compassion, and concern for others to make it happen.
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What else should we know about you?
I am a practical, compassionate, and innovative person who is always trying to serve. My goal in life is to leave this world empty—so to speak—because I will have freely given away all the gifts that I have been given. If I can help someone along the way, my life will not be in vain. I am proud to say that I am a UC Berkeley graduate, and proud to be working with this wonderful group of BESAC alumni and advisors. They are truly outstanding and extraordinary people and I’m glad to be in the same circles as them.
CAA is a 501(c)(3) and does not endorse any candidate for public office.
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What is New with the Alumni Chapters Department?
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Alumni Chapter Leader Training: Email Marketing Platform, EMMA
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Laura Dolorfino, Associate Director, Alumni Chapters, will be hosting a training on our email marketing platform, EMMA on Monday, June 3 at 3:00 p.m. PT.
EMMA is an email marketing tool that is provided for free to all chartered CAA alumni chapters. The alumni chapters team also uses EMMA to send out the monthly alumni chapter leader newsletters.
If your chapter is interested in using this tool, please register for the training!
If you are unable to attend, but would still like training on how to sign up for and use EMMA, please register and you will receive an email of the recording after the training has been held.
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Summer Welcome Parties Are Here!
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Thank you to all of our dedicated Alumni Chapters for planning Summer Welcome Parties (SWPs) over the next few months! SWPs meet incoming first-year and transfer students where they are to welcome them to the Cal family, and introduce them to our vast alumni network. These gatherings are a great way for incoming students to meet with their local Alumni Chapters, learn about Cal traditions, and hear alumni stories. Be sure to share the full list of SWPs with your alumni network!
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Join Cal at the San Francisco Pride Parade!
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Join the UC Berkeley block in the San Francisco Pride Parade on Sunday, June 30. Show your pride and support by celebrating alongside fellow Cal alums, students, faculty, staff, and friends. Everyone across LGBTQA+ communities and allies are welcome. The first 400 registered participants to check-in at the parade route will receive a commemorative Cal Pride T-shirt. There is no cost to participate in the parade.
Hosted by the Cal Alumni Association and the UC Berkeley Gender Equity Resource Center.
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Alumni Scholars Program Call for Volunteers
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We are excited to welcome in the 2024 scholarship selection season with a series of both in-person and virtual volunteer events and we need you, our alumni, to help us select the next cohort of Alumni Scholars.
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Subscribe to the Cal Connection
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Want to get more alumni news? Subscribe to CAA's monthly newsletter, the Cal Connection to stay connected to your alumni association and UC Berkeley.
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What Else Is Going on at Cal?
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UC Advocacy Network (UCAN)
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On May 10, 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom released his
May Revision to the 2024-25 budget.
This budget proposal includes the following reductions to the University’s 2024-25 budget: a 2.9% cut for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which includes a net decrease of $12 million in ongoing funding and a $125 million one-time base budget reduction.
With the deadline to pass a balanced budget quickly approaching, this is a key moment for advocates to make their voices heard. Your voice has the power to make a difference for all UC students.
Share via your networks using hashtags #UCadvocate and #CAleg.
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Cal Alumni Association
1 Alumni House, Berkeley, CA 94720-7520
Phone: 888.CAL.ALUM | Fax: 510.642.6252
Copyright © 2024 Cal Alumni Association
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