Alfred Raisters (MBA ’73)
Cheryl and Jeff Stibel
Brian M. Thomason
Latvia native Alfred Raisters first arrived in the United States as a refugee from communism after World War II. His love for his Latvian nationality and culture never waned, and he later became the honorary consul of his home country for nearly 20 years. A lifelong lover of sports, Alfred also served as a delegate of the Latvian Olympic Committee for the 1994 and 1996 games. He was an avid lifelong learner, augmenting a lengthy and distinguished engineering career with a Pepperdine MBA and volunteering with programs encouraging children’s interest in science. Alfred passed away in 2012 at age 91, and Pepperdine is honored to be part of his proud legacy.
Malibu residents Cheryl and Jeff Stibel are new Pepperdine friends, generously supporting the Dun & Bradstreet Business Research Program and the Private Capital Markets Project at the Graziadio School. As vice chair of D&B, Jeff enabled the company to provide internships and research opportunities for Pepperdine graduate business students and faculty. A noted entrepreneur, brain scientist, and author, Jeff serves on various corporate and academic boards and in 2015 received an honorary Doctor of Business degree from the Graziadio School. Cheryl, with a graduate degree in psychology from the University of Rhode Island, now focuses on their two children, volunteering at their school and as a Girl Scout leader.
Brian Thomason may not be a Pepperdine graduate himself, but his devotion to the University is unquestioned. He recently established the Financial Literacy Endowed Fund as well as the Phillip B. Thomason Hispanic Endowed Fund, named for his father, a beloved professor of Hispanic studies at Seaver. Now serving as university controller and associate vice president, Brian is also an adjunct accounting and finance professor at Seaver College and has taught at the Graziadio School. Outside Pepperdine, he has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including Global Samaritan Resources, which distributes medical relief supplies and equipment to underserved populations worldwide. We thank Brian for his generosity, loyalty, and leadership.
GEORGE PEPPERDINE SOCIETY
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