WesternU hires new Director of Alumni Relations

Russel Heskin has been named Director of Alumni Relations at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif.

Heskin has a wealth of alumni experience, most recently serving four years as Associate Director of Alumni Relations for Pomona College, where he worked as part of the alumni relations team to organize more than 100 alumni events annually. He also launched a bimonthly alumni e-newsletter, online alumni community and online alumni event registration, resulting in a record year in reunion attendance, overall alumni event attendance and annual fund giving.

Heskin graduated from UCLA in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. While a student at UCLA, he devoted most of his extracurricular time to the Student Alumni Association, a student volunteer organization that plans most of UCLA’s major campus traditions, as well as other social and career-oriented programs. After graduation, he worked for the UCLA Alumni Association for eight years managing a variety of student, young alumni and career programs.

As WesternU Director of Alumni Relations, Heskin will be tasked with promoting alumni services and programs on and off campus. He will work closely with the president and deans to increase alumni communication, participation and connectivity, starting with the student experience at WesternU.

Heskin’s first day will be Oct. 6. He lives in Claremont, Calif. with his wife of 10 years and their two daughters.

Western University of Health Sciences has more than 2,200 current students and more than 6,800 alumni. 

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About Western University of Health Sciences

Western University of Health Sciences (www.westernu.edu), located in Pomona, Calif., is an independent nonprofit health professions university, conferring degrees in health sciences, nursing, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies and veterinary medicine. In 2009, the university will admit students to new degree programs in dentistry, optometry, podiatry and biomedical sciences.