Local attorney Roxanne Wilson has been elected to chair the Scripps College Board of Trustees, replacing Jean Bixby Smith, chairman of Bixby Land Company, who served in the position for eight years.
A 1976 graduate of the college, Wilson has a long history of strong leadership and active participation in the governance of Scripps. She has served as president of the Scripps College Alumnae Association and chair of the Ellen Browning Scripps Association Committee. Her work with the Board began in 1992 and has spanned nearly all Board committees in a variety of capacities: from vice chair of the Audit and Development Committees, to co-chair of the Nominations and Governance Committee, to active member of the Educational Policy, Admission/Student Affairs, Buildings and Grounds, Investment, Budget, and Executive Committees.
Currently a partner and attorney with the international law firm of Reed Smith Crosby Heafy, LLP, Wilson is a member of the products liability group, specializing in prescription pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumer products, unfair competition and class actions, as well as handling employment matters. Previously she was a partner at Arter & Hadden, and an attorney with Dickson, Carlson & Campillo, and Haight, Dickson, Brown & Bonesteel. Her professional affiliations include a seven-year stint as director of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel and memberships with Defense Research Institute, Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, and International Association of Defense Counsel; she is also a frequent lecturer, panel member, and moderator for a variety of professional organizations.
Wilson earned an M.A. in public policy from Claremont Graduate School and a J.D. from Loyola University of Los Angeles.
In July 2004, Scripps College successfully completed its five-year, $85 million capital campaign. As incoming chair, Wilson will lead the Board in a comprehensive revision of the college’s strategic plan, including forecast needs for program, faculty, curricular, and physical plant enhancements and additions.