ASUCLA appoints new executive director

Patricia Eastman to lead the association out of its large debtBy
Michael Angell

Summer Bruin Contributor

She will be in charge of Bearwear, textbooks and food. She will
determine where students can study on campus, where they can meet
and at what hours. She will leave a non-profit hospital with $500
million in revenues to lead a students association $20 million in
the red.

Her name is Patricia Eastman, and after an intensive six-month
search, she has been named the new executive director for the
Associated Students UCLA.

After receiving a list of candidates from an executive search
service, a selection committee of students, alumni and
administrators chose Eastman for her abilities to negotiate with
various groups and her talents in business forecasting.

"Pat met our criteria to a tee," said Jim Friedman, a graduate
student representative to the ASUCLA Board of Directors and a
member of the selection committee."We feel we caught a rising star
on her ascendancy, a runner hitting her stride."

For the past nine years, Eastman has been in charge of Business
Development at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Richard
Jacobs, senior vice president for Systems Development, said that
Eastman is a very talented business executive.

"Pat’s got an enormous talent, maturity, tact and discipline,"
Jacobs said. "The gain for (ASUCLA) is a loss for us."

Eastman was one of four potential candidates suggested to the
selection committee by executive search firm McCormack and
Associates. She was not looking for a job at the time, but the firm
sold her on the job as executive director.

"I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a career change,"
Eastman said." I’m looking forward to the challenge. ASUCLA is in a
difficult position right now but the only direction for the
organization is up."

When her supervisors first heard about her decision to leave
Cedars Sinai, Eastman said that they were disappointed but
supportive of her decision to leave. "They tried to keep me there,"
Eastman said.

Friedman believes that the new director’s experience in the
downsizing medical industry lends itself to heading an organization
that is undergoing many changes itself.

"Pat comes from a medical background which is an industry that
has been downsizing," Friedman said. "As a result she’s familiar
with organizations that are experiencing financial crises. She’s
excelled at her job in Cedars. She has an excellent track record on
building support within her organization," he added.

Graduate student representative Tim Beasley agreed that Eastman
will be a competent executive director.

"I think she’s going to do a great job," Beasley said. "I got a
positive impression when I met her."

Chancellor Charles Young was also pleased with the board’s
selection of Eastman. Friedman said that Young was ready to accept
the board’s recommendation.

"(The) Chancellor was exceptionally supportive," Friedman said.
"We discussed her qualifications for about 15 minutes and (Young’s)
response was positive."

The chancellor has the final approval over the board’s choice
for the new executive director. In fact, the university is taking
greater interest in the business and policy decisions of
ASUCLA.

The university is loaning ASUCLA around $20 million to fund much
needed capital improvements, as well as the Ackerman Union
expansion and remodel.

The loan will also serve to pay off some of the organization’s
debt. Under the loan agreement, Young imposed several conditions on
the organization, including the removal of elected officials from
the board and that they run a profitable business.

The worry of some student board members last year had been that
ASUCLA might try to turn a profit at the expense of students. But
Beasley said that this year’s student and administrative
representatives should be more united.

"Last year’s board had the occasional difference of opinion"
between student and administrative representatives, Beasley said.
"This year, we’re assuming that there won’t be any major divisions.
As long as we can generate a profit, then we can start emphasizing
cultural programming and student services."

Eastman will have to mediate between groups that want the
association to act more business-like and those that want to see it
stay with its historical mission of serving students through low
prices and student services.

Eastman believes that her experience in the hospital business
has provided her with the background necessary to mediate between
different people with different agendas.

"There is an inherent conflict in any organization between
people," Eastman said. "The need is to find a similar agenda that
they can agree on, finding a common ground. Therein lies the art of
negotiation."

Friedman agreed that Eastman brings experience in dealing with
oftentimes conflicting groups.

"Pat’s strength was that she could find one goal for people to
agree on," Friedman said, citing her previous negotiating
experience. "There (are) also a lot of personalities to deal with
at ASUCLA and we need someone who can get those personalities
together."

Beasley also believes that Eastman has the diplomatic and
business skills necessary to do a good job.

"She’s a good leader; she’s competent in business, builds
bridges and treats everyone with respect."

As for outgoing director Charles Mack, Eastman believes that he
has made her job easier by the decisions and programs he has put in
place since he took over in Spring 1995.

"A lot of good work has been done," Eastman said. "Charles has
provided much of the groundwork upon which I can help rebuild
ASUCLA."

Mack’s main thrust at helping the association escape its debt
has been on infrastructure rebuilding. He has reinvested in
Ackerman, especially upgrading old facilities.

ASUCLA’s biggest gamble will be on a new student store. Ackerman
A and B levels will receive a remodel in hopes of drawing more
customers.

Eastman hopes to rebuild the association through retail sales as
well. She is particularly interested in tapping into the Japanese
and European markets for Bearwear sales.

"I’ll be looking for new product lines and negotiating better
licensing agreements," Eastman said.

But Eastman not only wants to turn around the association’s
finances. She also wants to maintain ASUCLA’s role as the provider
of social and study space on campus.

"I like the environment, people just sitting around." Eastman
said. "Part of my job will be to provide that environment for
students."

In order to understand what her new job will entail, Eastman has
been spending time on campus recently "getting to know what student
priorities are."

According to Eastman, service to the community has always been
an important goal. After she graduated from Arizona State
University, Eastman went on to Loma Linda University School of
Public Health and received an master’s in Hospital
Administration.

Eastman said that she enjoys working for companies that serve
people. "My talent lies in business; business that made a
contribution to the community. Hospital administration was a good
fit," she said.

Her first major project at Cedars Sinai was the development of
ambulatory care services. She hired architects and designers as
well as managed the construction of a new building. Once the new
unit was completed, Eastman was placed in charge of it.

Most recently, she worked on a Beverly Hills surgery center in
conjunction with St. John’s Hospital and Daniel Freeman
Hospital.

The surgery center was experiencing difficulties before Eastman
helped rescue the project. According to Jacobs, Eastman helped the
center by developing a competitive analysis, care strategies, and
hiring personnel.

Such diverse abilities are necessary for the executive director,
according to Mack. At a recent ASUCLA retreat, Mack gave his own
succinct description of the executive director’s position.

"It’s a stressful job and I wish Pat all the luck," Mack
said.

Patricia Eastman