Reappointment of Rhea Turteltaub as Vice Chancellor for External Affairs
Dear Colleagues:
Following the customary five-year administrative review process, Chancellor Block and I have asked Rhea Turteltaub to continue to serve UCLA as vice chancellor for external affairs. I am delighted to share that Rhea has accepted the reappointment.
The review committee lauded Rhea’s empathetic, engaged, and ethical leadership. She is a national role model in academic philanthropy, a master communicator, and an inspirational motivator. Rhea’s tireless dedication to UCLA and her unremitting energy led us to and through the unprecedented Centennial Campaign for UCLA — which raised $5.49 billion, nearly $1.3 billion beyond the original goal — and the wide-ranging and inclusive year-long Centennial Celebration.
Under Rhea’s leadership, the campus landscape has been transformed with new philanthropically supported facilities in nearly every discipline and the creation of, or reinvestment in, more than 30 centers and institutes. Her efforts to advance donor stewardship included a Constituent Experience Initiative training program for staff, the creation of an online donor portal, and greatly expanded reporting to thousands of donors about the impact of their endowed gifts. External Affairs also launched a suite of initiatives to deepen alumni engagement with nearly 100 active alumni networks around the world, including an award-winning Virtual Alumni Day, expansive career development support, lifelong learning opportunities, and robust diversity programs. Relationships with elected officials and community leaders have been reinvigorated with legislative briefing webinars, weekly newsletters for government and community partners, and revitalized alumni advocacy efforts. Additionally, over the last year and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Rhea’s team quickly mobilized philanthropic support for students, patient care, and health care workers.
Looking ahead, Rhea and External Affairs will catalyze philanthropic and civic engagement priorities for UCLA’s second century, which will support the campus vision and be responsive to lessons learned from both the pandemic and racial and social justice movements. They also will work to expand support for students and faculty; build upon a multi-year commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging, including in staff practices and policies; and utilize new tools and technologies to inspire even more alumni to engage with one other — and in service to the campus.
Chancellor Block and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with Rhea to advance UCLA’s mission. Please join us in congratulating Rhea on her many accomplishments in this role to date and expressing our appreciation to her.
Sincerely,
Emily A. Carter
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost