Alumni

Jenny Dearborn (English '92)

Recognized as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Tech for five consecutive years, Jenny is a thought leader in HR, HCM, the Future of Work, and data analytics. Currently the Chief People Strategy Officer at BTS, Jenny supports internal People Operations and works with clients globally on a range of talent development and leadership projects.

Her first book, Data Driven, published by Wiley, debuted at #1 on Amazon’s New Business Releases and was selected as one of the...

John Cho (English '96)

John Yohan Cho was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to Los Angeles, California as a child. His father was a Christian minister. Cho was educated at Herbert Hoover High School at Glendale, before moving on to the University of California at Berkeley, where he studied English literature. Upon graduation, he moved back to Los Angeles, working for a while as a teacher at Pacific Hills School where he taught 7th grade English. He also began acting with the famed Asian American theatre company East West Players.

A screen acting career began with small roles in projects such as...

Samin Nosrat (English '01)

As an undergraduate studying English at UC Berkeley, Samin took a detour into the kitchen at Chez Panisse restaurant that has happily determined the course of her life and career. Since 2000, she has pursued her twin passions of food and words with equal vigor, aiming to create work that inspires, creates community, and raises cultural, social and environmental awareness.

She learned to cook at Chez Panisse, in Italy alongside Benedetta Vitali and Dario Cecchini, and at (the no longer extant) Eccolo in Berkeley. She studied poetry with Bob Hass, Shakespeare with Stephen Booth, and...

Carl Franklin (Theater Arts '71)

Actor, screenwriter, producer, and director who has won numerous awards for his directing talents, and has been nominated for an Emmy in Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (House of Cards)After graduating from UC Berkeley in 1971 with a degree in dramatic arts, Franklin tried his hand at acting for a few years, landing small roles on television. He decided to further his education at the American Film Institute where he received his M.F.A. in directing in 1986. On changing his career from acting to directing, Franklin said, “The problem with being a black actor in Hollywood,...

Amy Merrill (English and Music '05)

Amy Merrill is an artist and activist working at the intersection of creative communications, technology and social change.

Her design studio Eyes Open leads digital communications for purpose-driven individuals and organizations, and in 2015, she co-founded Plan C to transform access to abortion pills by mail in the US. Under her co-leadership Plan C has grown to an annual audience of 2M+ website visitors, nationwide partnerships in research,...

David J. Peterson (English and Linguistics '03)

David Peterson is a language creator and author. David is best known for having created the Dothraki and High Valyrian languages for HBO’s Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Since then, he has gone on to create languages for many television series and films, including Syfy’s Defiance, Netflix’s The Witcher, Legendary’s Dune, and the CW’s The 100. He is the author of Penguin’s The Art of Language Invention, an intensive introduction to language creation, and the creator of Duolingo’s High Valyrian course. He received a bachelor’s degree in linguistics and English from UC Berkeley (...

Andrea Wishom Young (English '91)

Andrea Wishom is President of Skywalker Holdings where her responsibilities include the fiduciary, philanthropic, and creative aspects of a diversified family office. With a distinguished career as an award-winning veteran media executive spanning over two decades, she has emerged as a leader at the intersection of media and technology. She has been instrumental in launching and developing some of the most successful programming in television history for The Oprah Winfrey Show and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. As Executive Vice President Ms. Wishom played a key role in leading OWN to become...

Arden Hoffman (Rhetoric '93).

Arden is the Chief People Officer at General Motors, a position she has held since 2023. Arden is Senior Vice President at General Motors, overseeing Human Resources, Facilities, Security, and Charitable Giving. Her organizations play a critical role in fostering a culture of innovation, ensuring the company attracts, retains, and develops top talent in a rapidly evolving industry. She brings to the Board a strong background in human resources and talent development in the global automotive, technology, and financial services sectors. Prior to General Motors, Arden served as Chief People...

Brian Duck (Dance and Performance Studies '02)

Brian Duck grew up in Los Angeles where he attended Hamilton Academy of Music, playing viola in the orchestra and working on the stage crew for their musical productions. During this time he went to Saturday High School at Art Center in Pasadena, where he studied life drawing, painting, and photography; in the summers, he went to UCLA for painting and sculpture.

Brian received a degree in Dance and Performance Studies at UC Berkeley, with a focus on dance history. When on summer break, he did a variety of dance programs, including Boston Ballet and the Ailey School of Dance in New...

Charles Huang (Asian Studies and Economics '93)

Charles Huang is co-founder of RedOctane and co-creator of Guitar Hero, which was the best-selling video game in the world in 2007 and 2008. In 2006, Charles and his brother, Kai, were listed among the top 50 producers in new media by the Producers Guild of America New Media Council. He currently resides in Silicon Valley with his wife, Lillian, and two daughters, both of whom are Cal students. He founded the Huang Scholars Program at UC Berkeley, which supported undergraduates pursuing Chinese language study and internships at Chinese-speaking companies. He is a visiting lecturer in the...