Golden Gate University Elects Eight New Members to Board of Trustees

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden Gate University announced today the election of eight new members to its Board of Trustees.

Dr. Randy Burd, Tuija Catalano, Dr. Shawn Chen, Nicholas B. Dirks, Michael Johnson, Max Raskin, Ralph A. Wolff, and Diane C. Yu bring wide-ranging expertise in academic leadership, international higher education, entrepreneurship, law, land use, real estate, university governance, and accreditation.

“We are fortunate to welcome eight exceptional leaders to our Board of Trustees,” said Brent White, President of Golden Gate University. “Their combined experience across academic innovation, global education, compliance, investment, governance, and quality assurance will be instrumental as GGU expands its online and global programs and develops new academic offerings aligned with emerging fields.”

Dr. Randy Burd serves as Vice President of Innovation, ASU Health at Arizona State University and holds the title of Professor in the College of Health Solutions and the John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering. His academic training is in molecular and cellular biophysics. He earned his Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Institute. His research has focused on tumor radiation response, nutrigenomics, and translational biomedical innovation, with an emphasis on advancing scientific discoveries with clinical applications. Prior to joining Arizona State University, Dr. Burd served as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Long Island University, where he oversaw the institution’s academic and research mission. Before that, he held senior leadership roles at the University of Arizona, leading global research alliances, strategic partnerships, and international research development initiatives.

Tuija Catalano is a Partner at Reuben, Junius & Rose, LLP, a San Francisco law firm specializing in land use, planning, and real estate law. Since 2003, she has represented real estate developers, property owners, and lenders in permitting and entitlement matters before the Planning Commission, Board of Supervisors, Historic Preservation Commission, and other boards and commissions. Before joining Reuben, Junius & Rose, Ms. Catalano practiced at Roschier, Attorneys Ltd., one of Finland’s leading law firms, and served as in-house counsel for Technopolis Plc., a publicly listed Finnish real estate company. Ms. Catalano served as Mayor of the City of Clayton (2018–2019) and City Council Member (2016–2020). She currently serves on the Board of the Housing Action Coalition and is a member of the Urban Land Institute and Commercial Real Estate for Women. Ms. Catalano is a Golden Gate University School of Law alumna.

Dr. Shawn Chen is Founder and Chairman of the Board of Sias University (Henan, China), a privately-run institution he established in 1998 that combines Western liberal-arts teaching in an English/Chinese bilingual environment. The university has grown to serve tens of thousands of students. Dr. Chen currently serves as President of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) and President of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP). He also co-founded Plug and Play China, establishing incubation centers across Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, and other major cities. His business ventures have included hospitality and manufacturing.

Nicholas B. Dirks is President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences, a position he has held since June 2020. He is a historian and anthropologist who has held senior leadership roles in higher education. Dr. Dirks served as the 10th Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley (2013–2017), where he was also a professor in the departments of History and Anthropology. Before that, he served as Executive Vice President for the Arts and Sciences and Dean of the Faculty at Columbia University. Dr. Dirks is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Senior Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He received a MacArthur Foundation residential fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton and the Lionel Trilling Award for his book Castes of Mind.

Michael Johnson is an entrepreneur, lawyer, angel investor, and board member. He founded Clear Law Institute, a compliance training company providing online workplace harassment prevention and ethics training to millions of employees at organizations including Petco, SiriusXM, Citi, Disney, and the NBA. Clear Law Institute was acquired by Traliant (a PSG portfolio company) in June 2023, where he continues as Founder and Executive Advisor. Previously, Mr. Johnson co-founded Brightline Compliance, growing it to 600+ clients, 1.5 million users, and 35 employees before its sale. He provided investigative training to major organizations including Boeing, Coca-Cola, Lockheed Martin, and the World Bank, and was retained by the United Nations to consult on investigative procedures in New York and Sierra Leone. Mr. Johnson began his career as a Senior Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he investigated and litigated employee misconduct cases and served as lead attorney on one of DOJ’s first class action sexual harassment cases. He currently serves on the Board of Visitors for Duke University’s Trinity College and as Vice-Chair of Philanthropy for the Tulane Family Leadership Council.

Max Raskin is co-founder and managing director of Uris Acquisitions, a real estate investment firm focused on revitalizing San Francisco. He is also a fellow and adjunct professor at New York University School of Law. Before founding Uris, Mr. Raskin served as general counsel and director of private investments at QVIDTVM Inc., a New York-based investment firm. He previously worked at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Morgan Stanley and began his career as a journalist covering finance and technology for Bloomberg News and Businessweek. Mr. Raskin writes regularly for the Wall Street Journal and hosts a monthly interview series featuring prominent guests, including San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. He clerked for Judge Loretta Preska of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Ralph A. Wolff is President of the World University Consortium and an elected Fellow and board member of the World Academy of Art and Science. He served for 17 years as president of the WASC Senior College and University Commission (1996–2013), where he led WASC to become the “innovative accreditor” with over $4 million in outside grant support, overseeing quality assurance for 170+ universities serving over one million students. He currently serves on the board of the National Accrediting Commission, a startup accreditor for short-term Pell and workforce programs, and consults with institutions on governance, quality assurance, and innovation. Previously, Mr. Wolff founded and led The Quality Assurance Commons for Higher and Postsecondary Education, raising over $4 million from foundations and state grants. He also served on the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), was a founding member of the University Quality Assurance Institutional Board (UQAIB) in Dubai, and held leadership positions at Antioch College and the University of Dayton Law School.

Diane C. Yu served as Deputy President and Chief of Staff at New York University, where she helped oversee operations across the university’s global network. She previously served as General Counsel for the State Bar of California and as a Superior Court Commissioner in Oakland, California. Ms. Yu was the first Asian American to chair an American Bar Association section or division. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Oberlin College.

Burd, Chen, Johnson, Raskin, and Wolff were elected on February 2, 2026. Catalano, Dirks, and Yu were elected previously and are each in their first term as GGU trustees. These new trustees join GGU’s continuing Board members, who welcome them and look forward to working together to advance the university’s mission.

Melinda A. Dunn serves as Chair of the GGU Board of Trustees. She is the retired Global Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of Sequoia Capital, where she served from 1992 to 2016. Ms. Dunn is a GGU alumna, having earned her MBA from Golden Gate University in 1981.

Barbara Mendelson serves as Immediate Past Chair of the GGU Board of Trustees. A retired Certified Public Accountant with experience at regional accounting firms, Ms. Mendelson earned her B.S. from Golden Gate University in 1984.

Dr. Robert H. Patterson is a tax controller at Microsoft Corporation with prior experience at Merrill Lynch, Deloitte, and other major firms. He holds seven degrees including an M.S. in Taxation from Golden Gate University and an Ed.D. from the University of New England.

Nancy Tully chairs the Advancement Committee and Governance and Nominating Committee on the GGU Board. A retired attorney, she earned her J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law in 1992 and her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

About Golden Gate University

Golden Gate University (GGU) is a private, nonprofit university anchored in San Francisco and reimagining higher education for working adults and professional learners worldwide. Through flexible learning models and a commitment to access, quality, and real-world impact, GGU is an AI-focused, global, multilingual university designed for the future of work.