University of California president Michael Drake, ’71, will step down at the end of the 2024–25 academic year after leading 10 campuses, six academic health systems, and three nationally affiliated labs since 2020.
Leadership (and data) is Alma Cooper’s jam too. The master’s student and Knight-Hennessy Scholar is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, a data scientist, and, as of August, Miss USA. The Michigan native hopes her research on diet and food insecurity, along with her new public profile, will do some good.
José Padilla, ’74, and Fred Swaniker, MBA ’04, know a lot about good. They are the recipients of Stanford’s 2024 President’s Award for the Advancement of the Common Good. For nearly 40 years, as executive director of California Rural Legal Assistance, Padilla championed the rights of farmworkers and others experiencing rural poverty. And Swaniker has long supported innovation and responsible corporate practices in Africa and served as a global leader in social entrepreneurship.
