This post was updated May 19 at 11:26 p.m.

MERCED – The UC Board of Regents appointed UCLA alumnus Janet Reilly as its next chair at a meeting Thursday.

The board passed the appointment unanimously 12-0, approving a recommendation from its special committee on nominations. Reilly received her undergraduate degree from UCLA before receiving a master’s in journalism from the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism.

Reilly is a co-founder and board president of a free volunteer-based health clinic called Clinic by the Bay and served as an executive producer and on-air presenter for NBC Bay Area. Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Reilly to the Board of Regents in 2019, and she will begin her tenure as chair at the next regents meeting in July.

At the meeting, Maria Anguiano was also appointed as the vice chair. She was previously vice chancellor of planning and budget at UC Riverside. She also received a bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna College and a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University.

At the meeting, the board also passed resolutions congratulating departing regents, including Student Regent Merhawi Tesfai. Chair Richard Leib thanked Tesfai for his service.

“He has really made a significant difference, and he’s an incredible human being. He really set the bar high,” Leib said. “He has been consistent in his advocacy for all student groups, from undocumented students to transfer students to graduate professional students to student-athletes to student parents.”

Tesfai, a graduate student at UCLA, said he supported the election of the new chair and vice chair. Reilly added that she appreciated the board’s support in her appointment.

“I am absolutely honored,” she said. “It’s a privilege just to serve on this board and to be able to lead it is fantastic, and I look forward to working with each and every one of you.”