Three GPS alumni, David An ’07, Elena Foukes Lucas ’12 and Tamar Koosed ’09, have been selected for UC San Diego’s 40 Under 40 award
By Rachel Hommel | GPS News
At UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS), our alumni have already begun to reshape the world as global thought leaders with a passion for problem-solving and designing better solutions for 21st century challenges.
This year, campus recognizes 40 outstanding alumni, all 40 years and younger, who have brought honor and distinction to the university. The 2018 honorees represent the more than 185,000 alumni at UC San Diego.
“UC San Diego is an extraordinary university built on a foundation of challenging convention, pushing boundaries and expectations, and producing breakthrough work for the greater good,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “I’m enormously proud to recognize alumni who embody our spirit of nontradition by making meaningful, remarkable contributions to our campus and well beyond.”
Read below as we celebrate three of our exemplary alumni.
David An, MPIA ’07 – Charismatic | Effective | Humble
As a senior research Fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute, An pioneered the first annual Taiwan interagency political-military visit to the U.S.
During his tenure, An was decorated by Taiwan’s defense minister for coordinating U.S. humanitarian assistance after a hurricane and assisting Taiwan in providing relief supplies to Haiti after its earthquake.
Additional awards include a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, U.S. diplomat covering political military affairs in East Asia for 6 years and a U.S. adviser to the United Nations.
Tamar Benzaken Koosed, MPIA ’09 – Impactful | Resourceful | Dedicated
Founder and president of MANAUS Consulting, a corporate responsibility and international development consulting firm, Koosed has hired nine UC San Diego alumni from GPS.
As co-founder of Save the Syrian Children, a nonprofit created to bring urgently needed medical supplies to areas even large aid organizations have been unable to penetrate, she has helped ship more than $30,000,000 in medical aid.
A recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Alumni award from GPS, she has also been appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community in Brazil, a network of young leaders.
Elena Foukes Lucas, MPIA ’12 – Futuristic | Strategic | Activator
CEO & co-founder of Utility API and Treviso Partners, Lucas is a serial entrepreneur in clean tech and energy who founded two companies in three years: Utility API, which automates the process of collecting electricity data for solar, energy storage and energy management companies; and Treviso Partners, which provides business development, marketing, strategic planning and resourcing services for a variety of companies in the clean tech, sustainability and social impact sectors.
Named as a 2017 Grist 50: 50 innovators with forward-thinking solutions to some of humanity’s biggest challenges, and a 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30: The brightest young entrepreneurs, innovators and game changers.
The 40 Alumni Under 40 awards will be presented during UC San Diego’s Alumni Weekend, May 31 to June 3 to celebrate with their Triton community. Learn more about 40 Under 40 Awards here.