University of California Board of Regents Chair Richard Leib and UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D., issued the following statement on July 10, 2023, regarding Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointment of two new Regents to the University’s governing board:

“We are delighted to welcome Nancy Lee and Gregory Sarris as new members of the UC Board of Regents. They have both made important contributions to expanding access, opportunity and excellence among underrepresented students. Ms. Lee has worked to provide greater access to higher education for Asian American and Pacific Islander American students through her involvement with APIA Scholars. Mr. Sarris has partnered with UC leaders to support Native American students by serving as the inaugural chair of the UC President’s Native American Advisory Council (PNAAC) and supporting the creation of the UC Native American Opportunity Plan. We look forward to working with Regents Lee and Sarris to advocate on behalf of the University of California and to fulfill the University’s mission of teaching, research and public service.”

About the appointees

Regent Nancy Lee

Nancy Lee
Nancy Lee, of Los Angeles, has been chief of staff to the CEO and executive vice president of international business operations for the Walt Disney Company since 2022, where she held several roles from 2011 to 2022, including director of corporate strategy and senior vice president and chief of staff to the CEO. Lee was president of Aquarius Ventures in 2022. She was an associate at Goldman Sachs & Co. from 2008 to 2011, at Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge from 2004 to 2006, at Rackemann Sawyer & Brewster from 2002 to 2004, and at Hale and Dorr LLP from 1999 to 2002. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago, a Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Regent Gregory Sarris

Gregory Sarris
Gregory Sarris, of Sonoma, has been chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria since 1996 and has served as president of the tribe’s Economic Development Board since 2012. Sarris served as the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria Endowed Chair in Creative Writing and Native American Studies with Sonoma State University from 2005 to 2021. He served as a professor of creative writing and literature at Loyola Marymount University from 2001 to 2005 and as a professor at UCLA from 1989 to 2001. Sarris earned a Doctor of Education degree in modern thought and literature and a Master of Arts degree in creative writing from Stanford University.

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