The Supporting Cast

In the fall of 2026, Harvard-Westlake will open River Park (www.hwriverpark.com), a new campus dedicated to athletics, wellness, community partnership, and environmental sustainability. What you may not know, however, is that River Park was designed by a graduate, Steve Chung ’89, the Global Practice Area Leader for Sports at Gensler. In this episode, Steve describes growing up in Van Nuys as a Bay Area transplant and finding community through following LA sports, a passion he leveraged into a long and meaningful career designing large-scale sports venues. These include BMO Stadium in LA, Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, and the new LA Rams Village at Warner Center. Lastly, Steve discusses River Park, for which he feels unique pride as a graduate of Harvard School, which Steve calls the most formative educational experience of his life. Steve references Harvard School teachers Lee Carlson ’50 and Carl Wilson as profound influences on his life and career in architecture.

Bear Ride ’71 is the only sister of astronaut and American hero, Sally Ride ’68, who in 1983 became the first American woman in space. In this episode, Bear tells Sally’s story—but also her own, which includes “breaking ground” in her own right as a female and openly gay Presbyterian minister. The Ride sisters were born and raised in Los Angeles and attended Westlake School, where Bear and Sally each encountered life-changing teachers—leading Bear to pursue the ministry and Sally a PhD in astrophysics. It was at Stanford where Sally came across a NASA ad soliciting interest in a new kind of astronaut. She applied, and the rest is history. Bear also speaks to the release of a new documentary, Sally, produced by National Geographic and premiering on Disney+ and Hulu on June 17. The film not only charts Sally Ride’s public journey into space, but also her private 27-year partnership with a woman—Tam O’Shaughnessy. It wasn’t until Sally’s death in 2012 that her obituary revealed Tam as her partner—and thus the truth she'd kept private for so long. Bear references Westlake teachers David Coombs and Elizabeth Mommaerts as profound influences on her and Sally's lives and careers.

Adrián González had a 15-year career as a Major League Baseball player, punctuated by two five-year stints with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers—including numerous Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, and All-Star selections—as well as seasons in which Adrián led the entire MLB in hits and RBI. In this episode, Adrián tells his story. From the challenges of learning English growing up between Mexico and San Diego, emerging as a baseball star at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, and then being drafted #1 overall in 2000 by the Florida Marlins. Adrián also discusses many of the innovations occurring in baseball, including the pitch clock, infield shift, advanced analytics, and AI umpiring—in addition to the pride Adrián has felt as a Mexican American athlete representing southern California. Adrián references Zoila Madrazo of Burton C. Tiffany Elementary School, Dave Gonzalez of Eastlake High School, Manny Crespo of the Florida Marlins, and Bruce Bochy of the San Diego Padres as profound teachers and coaches along his personal and athletic journey.

For the last ten years (up until this past February), Deborah Rutter ’74 was President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the national cultural center of the United States. In this episode, Deborah tells her story. From growing up in Encino and attending Westlake and then Stanford, to her long career in the arts—beginning with the LA Phil and LA Chamber Orchestra, before leading both the Seattle and Chicago Symphonies for 11 years each. Deborah and I also discuss the peculiarity of the past few months, beginning with her announcing in January this would be her last year leading the center as part of a carefully orchestrated succession plan. Two weeks later, everything changed. President Trump took over the center’s board, naming himself as chair, and relieving Deborah of her duties. While Deborah does not directly address the President’s reasoning, she instead focuses on the center’s purpose and its magic. Deborah references Harry Jarvis of Mulholland Junior High School; David Coombs, James Hosney, Nat Reynolds '51, and Ham Smith of Westlake School; and Ernest Fleischmann of the Los Angeles Philharmonic as profound influences on her life and career in the arts.

In June of 2025, Dr. Jon Carroll will depart Harvard-Westlake after thirteen years—the first three leading HW Aquatics and the last ten as a middle school dean. Jon is not departing to join another school community, however—but to build one. In the fall of 2026, Jon will open Jabali Academy, a K-8 independent school centered in Inglewood with the mission of inspiring excellence in students and preparing them for places like Harvard-Westlake. Jabali, which means “rock” in Swahili, is emblematic of the foundation that education provided in Jon’s own life—growing up in West Philadelphia as the child of educators, attending both private and public schools, before college at the University of Pennsylvania and then a PhD from UCLA. Lastly and most affectionately, Dr. Carroll speaks about the excellence and influence of his wife, noted TV writer and showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll. In addition to Nkechi, Jon references Paul Lindenmaier and Roy Farrar of Germantown Friends School, Tyrone Howard of UCLA, and Howard Stevenson of UPenn as profound influences on his life and career.

Liz Neubauer Freinberg ’98 is Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for the LA 2028 Olympics. In this episode, Liz discusses LA28's proposed athletic venues, transportation challenges, and "Olympic Village" site—as well as the notion of LA28 as a “comeback story,” highlighting the city’s aspirations to rebuild after January’s devastating wildfires. Liz also tells her own story, as the eldest of five Neubauer sisters who all attended Harvard-Westlake—after which she attended Columbia and Michigan Law, worked for two influential judges, took legal roles at Munger, Tolles & Olson and TMZ, before finding herself helping to lead the 2028 Olympic games. Liz references Joy Taniguchi of Warner Avenue Elementary School, Karl Kleinz and Francine Applebaum Werner '68 of Harvard-Westlake, and two judges (Hon. Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. and Hon. Margaret M. Morrow), as profound influences and mentors.

Ben Sherwood '81 is the publisher, CEO, and co-owner of the digital news platform The Daily Beast, a position Ben assumed in 2024 after a long and illustrious career as a media executive. For example, Ben has served as Executive Producer of Good Morning America, President of ABC News, and most recently led the entire Disney ABC Television Group globally. If that isn’t enough, Ben is also an accomplished novelist, entrepreneur, and Rhodes Scholar. In this episode, Ben speaks about the principles behind covering the news with integrity and diligence during a time of rapid political change. Ben references journalist Tom Johnson, broadcasters Bill Moyers and Dan Rather, media executive Bob Iger, and various Harvard School teachers as profound influences on his life and career.

Nicole Brown '98 is the president of TriStar Pictures, the famed Sony Pictures division responsible for producing many of the most influential films in movie history. In this episode, Nicole tells her story—from growing up in Culver City and attending public and private schools, before discovering Harvard-Westlake through the Independent School Alliance. It was at HW where Nicole met the late great performing arts teacher Ted Walch, who encouraged Nicole (a budding actor) to consider working “on” student productions—rather than "in" them. The message stuck, leading Nicole to study history and film at Columbia University, pursue a life-changing internship with Marc Platt and executive role at Good Universe, and then finally—seize the opportunity to lead TriStar in 2020. Nicole references Ted Walch of Harvard-Westlake, as well as film producer Marc Platt and Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman, as profound influences and mentors.

In the season 6 opener, The Supporting Cast welcomes back its very first guest, Rick Commons, the Charles B. Thornton President of Harvard-Westlake. In this episode, Rick speaks to the many challenges and opportunities impacting today's HW students, from college admission and the promise of River Park (Harvard-Westlake’s forthcoming third campus)—to fostering enduring HW values around civil discourse, diversity, and belonging. Rick also speaks poignantly and publicly for the first time about losing his home in the Palisades fire on January 7. A Pacific Palisades resident for more than a decade, Rick speaks about what drew his family to that community, what he’s kept, and what he’s lost. The Supporting Cast is grateful for Rick's time and participation in this series for a second time.

In 2017, a 31-year-old Nick Melvoin '04 was elected as one of seven members of the largest self-governing school district in the world, the LAUSD Board of Education. In this episode, Nick tells his story, from growing up in LA and attending Harvard-Westlake and Harvard College, before teaching in a Watts public school as part of Teach For America. The inequities that Nick observed there led him to partner with the ACLU in 2014 to sue the LAUSD on behalf of his students—a lawsuit he and the ACLU won—prompting Nick to attend law school and then public service in the Obama White House and then the school board. Now a decade later and viewing these issues as a policymaker, Nick speaks about the LAUSD’s challenges—600,000 students, with 85% of LA kids living in poverty—and the delicate tensions around teacher compensation, teachers’ unions, and school autonomy. Nick also discusses his recent resolution banning cell phones in all of LAUSD. Since the recording of this podcast, Nick’s resolution passed. Nick references various educators at Harvard-Westlake, as well as Catherine Belcher of LMU and Mark Rosenbaum of the ACLU, as profound life influences.

Ynon Kreiz is Chairman and CEO of Mattel, a global toy and family entertainment company and owner of among the most iconic brand portfolios in the world. In this episode, Ynon tells his story—from growing up and attending college in Israel, before relocating to Los Angeles to study entertainment at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. But after 25 years of running several large entertainment companies, Ynon’s life changed in 2018 when he was hired as Mattel’s CEO. Within a few short weeks, Ynon was laser focused on creating a live action Barbie movie—but one that didn’t merely pay homage to the iconic brand; he wanted to break convention and impact culture. As Ynon describes, the Barbie movie that Greta Gerwig created was not at odds with Ynon’s vision for Mattel—but in complete alignment; a strategy to stand out in a crowded marketplace, say something bold and truthful about our culture, and even to be self-critical. In Ynon’s words, Barbie is but one example of Mattel’s evolution from a toy company manufacturing items to an IP company managing franchises and experiences. Ynon references entertainment mogul Haim Saban as a profound influence on his life and career.

On January 12, 2023, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Robert Hur ’91 to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into President Biden's alleged mishandling of classified documents during his time as vice president—thrusting Rob into the national political spotlight. In this episode, Rob tells his story. The child of Korean immigrants, Rob’s family settled in Southern California in the 1980s, where Rob attended Harvard School. Rob later discovered a passion for the law, and in 2018 he was named the US Attorney for the district of Maryland, where he led major investigations relating to violent crime, public corruption, and white supremacist-inspired domestic terrorism. All of this prepared Rob for this moment, testifying before a divided congress on March 12, and concluding an inquiry that Rob believes was fair and just. Rob references Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and FBI Director Christopher Wray, as well as Harvard School educators John Amato, Bob Archer, Tom Donahue, Mimi Flood, and Phil Holmes, as profound life influences.

Tiffany Alexander Aldridge ’87 is Director of Annual Giving at Harvard-Westlake, overseeing a program that leads all American day schools in overall dollars (raising more than $10M in 2022-2023). However, what draws Tiffany to the role is not the program’s size, but its impact—which Tiffany and her family know personally. Tiffany grew up in South LA as the only child of a single mom, gaining access to Westlake School for Girls in 10th grade due to both her exceptional talent and the availability of need-based financial aid. It was this same combination of talent and resources that enabled her son, Chase Aldridge '15, to also attend Harvard-Westlake. While Tiffany’s professional career has spanned various meaningful political and non-profit fundraising roles, in 2022 she seized the opportunity to return to HW and direct the very same program that profoundly impacted her family. It is a story that brings Tiffany quite literally to tears, imbued with gratitude for the role she plays now in creating more opportunities for students like her. Tiffany references Westlake educators Hope Boyd, Craig Deutsche, and Elizabeth Gregory as profound influences.

Kara Nortman ’93 is co-founder of Los Angeles’s professional women’s soccer team Angel City. In this episode, Kara recounts her evolution from leading LA’s largest venture capital firm, Upfront Ventures, to co-founding Angel City alongside partners Natalie Portman and Julie Uhrman in 2020. Since then, Angel City has not only garnered significant fan followings and profitability (quadrupling its revenue projections in year one), but also developed a profit model to enable community and philanthropic impact. Using Angel City as a model, Kara has since broadened her focus--leading a $150M raise to form Monarch Collective, whose mission is to invest in women’s teams, sports, and rights across the world. Finally, Kara describes her own Harvard-Westlake story and personal connections to the team—noting that three of Angel City’s stars, including team captain Ali Riley '06, Gisele Thompson '24, and Alyssa Thompson '23 are all HW alumnae. Kara references Jeanne Huybrechts and Barb Welch of Harvard-Westlake, as well as Alan Blinder and Lori Dauphiny of Princeton University, as profound educational influences.

On April 25, the NFL Network's Rich Eisen will host his 21st NFL Draft, anchoring what will amount to a 20-hour broadcast held over multiple days—framing compelling narratives and moderating impassioned debates about the NFL’s next generation of stars. In this episode, Rich tells his story--from growing up in Staten Island as the child of two educators, to the University of Michigan and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern, to being hired by ESPN in the mid-90s to host Sports Center at age 26. Rich references Lou Prato of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern, the Cornell Summer College writing intensive, as well as his own parents, as profound educational influences.

Actor, producer, and director Elizabeth Banks grew up in Pittsfield, MA, as the eldest of four siblings—falling into acting (quite literally) after suffering a softball injury, and then leaning into theater due to the encouragement of high school teachers. Then came the University of Pennsylvania, where she met her husband and now producing partner, followed by the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. This launched Elizabeth’s career in entertainment, acting in various memorable comedies and dramas throughout the 2000s and 2010s, before stepping behind the camera to produce and direct films ranging from the Pitch Perfect series to last year’s Cocaine Bear. Elizabeth references educators Ralph Hammond and Janet Rajotte of Pittsfield High School, actress Annette Bening, and filmmakers Judd Apatow and Steven Spielberg as profound life influences.

In the season 5 opener, The Supporting Cast welcomes its first return guest, Dr. Mark Krieger, Surgeon-in-Chief at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). In March 2022, Dr. Krieger joined to discuss Kids and Covid-19 (Ep. 37). Two years later, he joins to address a different kind of global health crisis relating to adolescent mental health. In this episode, Dr. Krieger discusses various factors that have impacted modern adolescence--ranging from the pandemic, social media use, neuroscientific phenomena, destigmatization around asking for help, the role of parents and parenting, as well as how schools can be part of the solution by creating communities of connectivity and belonging. While Dr. Krieger referenced various educators previously, in this episode Mark discusses the profound influence of his wife, film producer Kristie Macosko Krieger.

In the season 4 finale, The Supporting Cast welcomes the 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles (2013-2022) and current United States Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti '88. In this episode, Ambassador Garcetti joins from Delhi, India, to tell his story—from growing up in Encino, to finding a passion for the performing arts at Harvard School, before studying international affairs at Columbia and as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. Mayor Garcetti also describes what drew him to public service; the child of Mexican and Jewish parents, Eric describes himself as a “bridge builder” with a passion and facility for bringing distinct groups of citizens together, finding common ground and working toward a better future, while acknowledging the inevitable disappointments and daily criticisms that accompany elected life. Ambassador Garcetti then explains his lifelong fascination with India, the world’s most populous country—a story that began in childhood, with parents who encouraged Eric to see the world, foster a curiosity about the lives of others, and then identify ways to serve. Mayor Garcetti references various educators at Harvard School, Columbia, and Oxford as profound influences on his life and career in public life.

For the last 26 years, Senior Advancement Officer Jim Pattison has spent nearly every weekday waking up at 3:30 a.m. at his home in Goleta nad driving nearly 200 miles roundtrip to his office at the Harvard-Westlake Middle School. In this episode, Jim tells us why. It began with growing up with parents who encouraged Jim to “figure things out” through hard work and perseverance, and continued with degrees from Georgetown and Notre Dame that Jim had to finance himself. Finally, it's been driven by a belief in the nobility of facilitating philanthropy in schools like Harvard-Westlake. On the eve of his retirement after a quarter century of service, Jim also tells stories that shed light on who he is personally: the heartwarming story of how Jim met his wife, Kappy; as well as the story of Arlene Director Schnitzer '47—an alumna who faced crippling antisemitism on the Westlake campus in the 1940s, but who ultimately made a major legacy gift to that same campus seven decades later, thanks to Jim’s empathy and care. In addition to his parents, Jim references Tom Hurt of Management Recruiters (Chicago), Nyle Kardatzke of Brookfield Academy, and Tom Hudnut and Michael Segal '75 of Harvard-Westlake as profound life mentors.

In 2023, the Writers Guild of America awarded its highest honor for television writing achievement, the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award, to veteran TV writer, creator, and showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser. For more than three decades, Yvette has been telling stories via television—most recently showrunning Hulu’s “Unprisoned,” starring Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo. But back in 1993, Yvette made history as the first Black woman to create her own primetime network television show—Living Single. In this episode, Yvette tells her own story—from growing up in various parts of Los Angeles before attending Santa Monica High School and then Stanford. In addition to speaking about the influence of great educators at both schools, Yvette describes her approach to leading writers’ rooms, collaborating with show creators, and why she and other writers are currently on strike. Yvette references Paul Kerry of Santa Monica High School and Ronald Rebholz of Stanford University as profound educational influences.