Former Stanford University alumni official Raphe Beck has arrived on campus as the 21st executive director of the University of Oregon Alumni Association.
Beck, formerly the executive director of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Alumni Association, officially began his new role in the Ford Alumni Center on Aug. 5.
Beck had served Stanford University in various capacities since 2001 and had been with the business school alumni association since 2010. Prior to his arrival in Palo Alto he was a screenwriter, whose credits include the outline that eventually became the “Kung Fu Panda” series of films.
“As I started to have some success in that arena, I was particularly grateful to a number of people who helped mentor me and open doors,” he said. “I wanted to hold those doors open for the next generation, and I started organizing events for students and recent alumni from my undergraduate alma mater, Stanford. Over time I found I enjoyed my volunteer work more than my paid work, and I decided to turn my hobby into a full-time job.”
Through reunions, events, tailgates and career networking, the UOAA and its 38 chapters and groups keep more than 225,000 UO alumni connected to their alma mater. Dues-paying members support alumni programming, but just as importantly they support UOAA and chapter scholarship funds that aid the next generation of passionate Duck graduates.
Beck envisions that financial support being just one way the UOAA can help alumni support current UO students.
“I’d love to see connecting with students to be as typical an alumni experience as watching an Oregon football game,” he said. “With over 20,000 undergrads on campus, there’s a lot of room to engage more alumni in student advising.”
Beck is a native of Evanston, Illinois, and a 1992 graduate of Stanford University. He and his wife, Eden, have one daughter, Tillie, age 12.