Illustrious Alumni Award Recipients to Be Honored Nov. 5

Article Content

They have made a difference in real estate, philanthropy, the arts and business — and on Nov. 5, five Illustrious Alumni Awards recipients will return to the University of California San Diego to receive one of the university’s highest alumni honors.

The Illustrious Alumni Awards for 2026-27 celebrate extraordinary leadership, innovation and impact by UC San Diego alumni whose work is making a difference in communities across the nation and around the world. This year's honorees include Marc Brutten ’79, Patricia Brutten ’83, Debby Goosenberg Buchholz ’84, Marina L. Marrelli ’82 and David N. Price, MIA ’17.

This year’s ceremony will also special mark a milestone for UC San Diego: the Illustrious Alumni Awards will be the first event held in the new Joan and Irwin Jacobs Celebration Center, part of Triton Center, which will celebrate its ribbon-cutting that same weekend.

“As we celebrate the opening of Triton Center and the new Triton Alumni and Welcome Center, it is especially meaningful to welcome these five remarkable alumni back to campus,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Their accomplishments reflect the innovation, creativity and commitment to impact that define UC San Diego, and this new gathering place will further strengthen the bonds that connect our alumni, enriching the Triton community for generations to come.”

The five Illustrious Alumni Award recipients to be honored in November, with their majors and colleges noted, are:

Marc Brutten ’79

Social Sciences | Muir College
Founder and Chair, Westcore Properties

Marc Brutten is a visionary real estate entrepreneur whose career spans more than 47 years and more than $15 billion in commercial and residential real estate transactions. Through companies including Brixton Capital, Westcore Europe, United Apartment Group, Utah Casualty Insurance, Airport Development Partners and Westcore Properties, he has built institutional-scale investment and operating platforms across the U.S. and Europe. His commitment to the campus includes helping establish the UC San Diego Student Foundation and a new real estate investment class, creating professional opportunities for future generations of Tritons.

Patricia Brutten ’83

Social Sciences | Warren College
Co-owner, Lucky Jack Farms

Patricia Brutten’s career reflects a blend of philanthropy, entrepreneurship and community leadership. She founded and operates Lucky Jack Farms, a premier equestrian training facility in Rancho Santa Fe. Her dedication to creating meaningful impact includes developing important civic spaces like Del Mar Plaza. For more than two decades, Brutten has championed foster youth and underserved communities through charitable initiatives, as well as education, mental health and environmental preservation. A longtime supporter of UC San Diego, she has contributed her time and leadership to the Alumni Awards Gala and served on the advisory committee for the University Art Gallery.

Debby Goosenberg Buchholz ’84

Social Sciences | Muir College
Managing Director, La Jolla Playhouse

Debby Goosenberg Buchholz is the managing director of La Jolla Playhouse and a nationally recognized arts leader. She serves as president of the League of Resident Theatres, reflecting her influence in shaping the national theater landscape. Her leadership has helped position the Playhouse as an internationally acclaimed incubator for new work with a strong track record of developing world premieres and Broadway transfers. She previously served as counsel to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and was a faculty member at the Smithsonian’s Program on Legal Problems of Museum Administration. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Goosenberg Buchholtz is a recipient of a San Diego Women Who Mean Business Award.

Marina L. Marrelli ’82

Arts and Humanities | Muir College
Partner, Co-Founder and CEO, GlobeFlex Capital LP

For more than 30 years, Marina Marrelli has led GlobeFlex Capital as co-founder, managing partner and CEO, building a globally focused investment management firm serving pension plans, endowments and foundations. One of the early female-owned firms in the asset management industry, GlobeFlex remains women-led across nearly all areas of the organization. Marrelli has supported a number of important philanthropic initiatives, including founding roles with WomensTrust and the Leading Ladies Network, which provide women and girls in Ghana with mentorship and economic opportunities. Her work reflects a sustained commitment to expanding access to capital, leadership development and opportunity for underserved communities globally.

David N. Price, MIA ’17

International Affairs | School of Global Policy and Strategy
CEO, PriceSmart

David Price is chief executive officer of PriceSmart, the largest membership warehouse club operator across Latin America and the Caribbean, serving more than four million cardholders across 12 countries and one U.S. territory, with expansion underway in Chile. A third-generation retail leader, Price brings a people-first approach to building organizations that create real value in the communities they serve. At PriceSmart, that mission is to provide access to high quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices while strengthening economic opportunity and community well-being. With approximately 13,000 employees across the region, PriceSmart continues to drive growth and scale across new and existing markets while deepening its commitment to the values of integrity, excellence and community that have defined the company since its founding.

To learn more or attend the Illustrious Alumni Awards, visit alumni.ucsd.edu/events/alumni-awards/index.html.

UC San Diego will also honor additional outstanding alumni in the spring of 2027, with Illustrious Alumni Awards held in New York and Los Angeles on April 29 and May 13, respectively. Honorees will include:

New York

Danny Burstein, MFA ’90
Theatre | Arts and Humanities
Tony Award-winning Actor

Abbie C. Celniker ’80
Biological Sciences | Marshall College
Partner, Third Rock Ventures

Steven E. Fineman ’85
Arts and Humanities | Muir College
Managing Partner, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein

Geoffrey von Maltzahn, MS ’05
Bioengineering | Jacobs School of Engineering
Co-Founder and CEO, Lila Sciences; General Partner, Flagship Pioneering

Los Angeles

Sev Ohanian ’08
Arts and Humanities | Sixth College
Film Producer and Screenwriter; Co-Founder, Proximity Media

James J. Ong, MD ’89
School of Medicine
Founder, Heart Rhythm Specialists of Southern California

Linda S. Tseng-Ong ’87
Jacobs School of Engineering | Warren College
Pediatric Neurologist

Frederick J. Ramsdell ’83
Biological Sciences | Marshall College
Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor, Sonoma Biotherapeutics

Jana Winograde ’86
Social Sciences | Warren College
Co-Founder and CEO, aTwist

Read more news about: Alumni