Distinguished Alumni 2009

Alan Beard ('94, MPP '00)

Prior to his current positions, Mr. Beard held several positions of progressive responsibility for Jupiter Research, a market research firm which specialized in analyzing, understanding, and forecasting online consumer behavior. As Jupiter's director of strategic accounts, his major client list included The Walt Disney Company, Universal, and Toyota. During his subsequent appointment as executive director of the JxNetwork, he headed Jupiter's enterprise in creating an online community-building effort focused on emerging communication technologies.Brian "Alan" Beard is the founder and principal of Wave Strategies, a firm specializing in new media marketing and copywriting. Mr. Beard serves as a strategic marketing advisor for numerous partner marketing agencies, including Sketchfolio, Rovion, and House Party. He has shaped marketing campaigns for clients both large and small, including Microsoft, Janus Capital, Alcatel-Lucent, Kawasaki, and the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Most recently, Mr. Beard launched Twitegy, the world's first Twitter-focused marketing agency, with the goal of becoming the world's best short-form communication firm.

An accomplished musician and musical director, Mr. Beard currently directs Pepperdine University's signature acapella singing group Won by One, with which he has been associated for 12 years. He owns and manages the record label True Lift through which he has produced 18 CDs, selling more than 25,000 copies nationwide.

Mr. Beard earned his bachelor's degree in music in 1994 from Seaver College of Pepperdine University. He received his MPP from the School of Public Policy in 1999. While at the school, he interned for former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, working to promote the flat tax. Mr. Beard serves as visiting professor of business at his undergraduate alma mater teaching marketing strategy. He has consulted on the college's own recruitment and marketing efforts.

Alan Beard resides with his wife Sharon, also a two-time Pepperdine alumnus, in Thousand Oaks, California.

Neva Chauppette (PsyD '92)

As a consultant, Dr. Chauppette offers psychiatric consultation regarding individual psychotherapy clients of other providers/agencies (multi-diagnosed: psychiatric illness/ HIV+/HCV+ /addiction), as well as program needs assessments, curriculum development and design, technical assistance, crisis intervention, and staff/client trainings. Dr. Chauppette provides technical assistance to the California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, the California State Office of AIDS and the Los Angeles County Office of AIDS Programs and Policies. The services provided are state-wide trainings, staff consultations, and program design/implementation. She is also on the Speaker's Bureau of several pharmaceutical companies: Abbott, Roche, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Boehringer Ingelheim. Dr. Neva Chauppette is a licensed Psychologist in part-time private practice in Los Angeles. She is the full-time Project Director of a mobile medical clinic that provides free and comprehensive HIV, Hepatitis ABC, and STD services to at-risk individuals. She is the former Clinical Director of an outpatient mental health clinic for women of color with multiple morbidities (HIV, HCV, psychiatric illness and substance misuse). Dr. Chauppette is a consultant to numerous HIV and chemical dependency treatment facilities throughout several states.

Dr. Chauppette has worked in the field of substance abuse and HIV since 1988. She earned her doctorate in psychology from Pepperdine University in 1992. She is licensed as a Psychologist in California.

John Figueroa (MBA '97)

Mr. Figueroa began his career with McKesson in August 1997 as vice president of sales for California for McKesson Health Systems. He then held positions of increasing responsibility, including senior vice president, customer operations for the southwest region where he headed up the region's sales and operations management for its five pharmaceutical distribution centers. Prior to assuming his current role, he was responsible for relationships with retail chains and mail service customers, representing more than $43 billion in revenue. Earlier in his career, Mr. Figueroa was director of sales and national accounts at Baxter Healthcare.John G. Figueroa is president of McKesson U.S. Pharmaceutical. McKesson Corporation is the nation's largest and oldest health care services company, providing pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and health care information technology for over 175 years. Mr. Figueroa oversees the U.S. Pharmaceutical unit's operations and distribution of pharmaceuticals and other health care-related products to customers in four primary segments: national and regional pharmacy chains, hospital providers, independent retail pharmacies, and mail pharmacies. He is currently responsible for McKesson's packaging distribution centers in Tennessee and North Carolina, in addition to corporate national accounts and government sales, representing more than $86 billion in annual revenue.

Mr. Figueroa serves on the boards of the McKesson Shared Services Council, the Healthcare Distribution Management Association Government Public Policy Council, the GS1 U.S. Board of Governors, and the board of directors of Boys Hope Girls Hope. Mr. Figueroa also served as a captain in the U.S. Army.

Mr. Figueroa earned two bachelor's degrees in English literature and political science from UCLA. He received his MBA in 1997 from the Graziadio School of Business and Management of Pepperdine University, where he sits on the Graziadio School's Board of Visitors Executive Committee.

John Figueroa has been married for over 20 years to his wife Rebecca, and they reside in Danville, California.

Fiona Ma (MBA '00)

As a former elected member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Assemblywoman Ma hit the ground running in Sacramento. The Speaker appointed Assemblywoman Ma as the Majority Whip, where she is responsible for ensuring the passage of crucial legislation to improve public education, expand health care access and protect our environment. At the start of her second term, Assemblywoman Ma was appointed to key committees including Higher Education, Revenue and Taxation, Housing, Agriculture, Labor, and Public Safety.In November, 2006 Fiona Ma was elected to represent the people of California's 12th Assembly District. The district includes San Francisco, Daly City, Colma and Broadmoor.

Assemblywoman Ma serves as the Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Domestic Violence where she has worked on legislation to protect victims of domestic violence. She has authored groundbreaking legislation to protect young children from dangerous chemicals, help California's working families pay the bills, prevent the spread of Hepatitis B, increase access to quality health care, and provide equal rights for all Californians. As a joint author of Proposition 1-A, which was approved by voters in November, 2008, and the convener of the High Speed Rail Caucus, Assembly woman Ma is also the legislature's leading advocate to bring high speed trains to California.

During her first year in office, landmark legislation was chartered into law By Governor Schwarzenegger. Assembly Bill 1108 was a first in the nation law that banned the use of toxic chemicals, known as phthalates, in baby products. Her bill was later used as a model in Federal legislation that went into effect in February, 2009.

Assemblywoman Ma is also focused on improving California's bottom line. She has authored legislation to keep jobs in California and grow the state's economy and as an Executive Board Member of the National Conference of State Legislators, she works to keep California competitive with other states.

In 1995, Assemblywoman Ma was a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business under President Bill Clinton. Her tireless advocacy for women and minority business owners has led to responsible public contracting in San Francisco.

Assemblywoman Ma received her B.S. from the Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), her M.S. in Taxation from Golden Gate University (SF), and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in California.

Sam Schmidt ('86, MBA '97)

In 2000 during a practice round he sustained a spinal cord injury which rendered him quadriplegic. Mr. Schmidt continues his recovery, which he credits to his faith in God and the support of his family. He established his foundation to assist those less fortunate than himself. It funds research for spinal cord injuries, provides scholarships for students with paralysis, and advocates for the disabled.Samuel "Sam" D. Schmidt is founder of the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation and a former Indy Racing League driver. Mr. Schmidt embarked on a professional racing career in 1992. He eventually attained the 1993 Sports Car Club of America National Championship, progressing to a 1997 first Indy start, and a 1999 Pole Position victory in the Vegas.com 500.

Fourteen months after his disabling accident Mr. Schmidt founded Sam Schmidt Motorsports, a professional auto racing team which, in 2004, captured the Menard's Infiniti Pro Series Championship. To date the team has 27 victories and three championships. Mr. Schmidt is also president of Performance Enterprises. Prior to racing full-time, he served at Paracelsus Healthcare, attaining the rank of hospital administrator at age 24.

Among his many honors, Mr. Schmidt has received the Visionary Leadership Award from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and the Humanitarian Award from the Las Vegas Walk of Stars Foundation. Mr. Schmidt sits on the boards of the Desert Canyon Rehabilitation Center and Speedway Children's Charities.

Mr. Schmidt received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Seaver College in 1986, and his MBA in international finance from the Pepperdine University graduate business school in 1987. He is a member of the Seaver College Board of Visitors. He is Pepperdine Associate and has been a Pepperdine Management Partner.

Sam Schmidt resides with his wife Sheila, a 1987 Seaver College alumna, in Henderson, Nevada.

Jennifer Trubenbach (MA '04)

As executive director, Ms. Trubenbach manages public speaking engagements, fundraising efforts, surgical supply inventories, travel arrangements, volunteer staff resources, and legal and regulatory compliance. She has worked at Operation of Hope since 1996.Jennifer Trubenbach is the president and executive director of Operation of Hope, a nonprofit medical foundation that specializes in reconstructive surgeries, correcting cleft lips and palates, and other facial deformities. Over its 20 years in existence, Operation of Hope has performed more than 2,000 free facial reconstructions for people in need throughout Ecuador and Africa.

Prior to Ms. Trubenbach's current appointment, she served as a field consultant and corporate training executive at ASI in Atlanta, Georgia. Previous to that she held the position of director of marketing, sales, and special events for MGM Grand Air. She also worked in various professional capacities for Bell and Howell, Jet America, and the Carter Hawley Hale Corporation.

Ms. Trubenbach was featured in the September 2008 issue of People, in one of that magazine's largest-ever humanitarian stories, spotlighting her personal support of then 15-year-old Beloved Jefeti, a Zimbabwean boy whose face was disfigured by a land mine. People honored Ms. Trubenbach as a "Hero Among Us" for CNN's 2008 Heroes All-Star Tribute. She has also been honored by the Ecuadorean Embassy and the Ministry of Health of Zimbabwe for her humanitarian work. She was named one of Orange County's "Hottest Business People" by Metro Magazine and received the Well Done Award from Kingdom Assignment.

Ms. Trubenbach earned her bachelor's degree in communication arts and English from Azusa Pacific University, which also honored her as their 2009 Distinguished Alumnus. In 2004 she received her master of arts in educational technology from the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology.

Jennifer Trubenbach resides with her husband, Ted, in Lake Forest, California.