Keck School of Medicine Adds Two New Members to Prestigious Board of Overseers
Stephen M. Keck, Ghada Irani Join Medical School Advisory Group
President Steven B. Sample has appointed Stephen M. Keck and Ghada Irani to the Board of Overseers of the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
The Board of Overseers of the Keck School of Medicine of USC serves as an advisory group to the Keck School leadership. The board’s top priority is helping the school leadership develop and implement a plan to become one of the top 10 medical schools in the nation.
"I’m honored that these two distinguished individuals have agreed to join the Keck School Board of Overseers," said Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A. "They are joining at a very exciting time for our medical school. The Keck School’s recent improvement in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual Best Graduate School rankings and the Keck School winning the maximum eight-year full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education can be attributed to the guidance from our Board of Overseers as well as the hard work of our faculty. We look forward to working closely with Mr. Keck and Mrs. Irani in the coming years."
Stephen M. Keck, C.F.A., is the son of USC Life Trustee William M. Keck II and Katherine "Kitty" Keck. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1997 and an MBA from USC in 2005. Keck is Senior Vice President, Emerging Markets (Analyst/Trader) with Trust Company of the West (TCW). Previously, he was with the Coalinga Corporation, a private investment company specializing in oil and gas production.
Ghada Irani is the wife of USC Trustee Ray R. Irani, who is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Occidental Petroleum Corporation. Mrs. Irani dedicates her time, talents, and resources to a broad spectrum of charitable efforts, with a focus on humanitarian issues. She established a regional chapter of UNICEF in Los Angeles, serving as board co-chair. She also chairs the highly successful fundraising UNICEF Snowflake Gala dinner as well as the dinner honoring Goodwill Ambassadors.
Mrs. Irani provides ongoing leadership and support for a California-based effort to address the educational needs of orphaned and underprivileged children in Lebanon as the Honorary President of the Lebanese Ladies Cultural Society. Mrs. Irani is on the Board of Directors at the Music Center, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), and is in her third year on the prestigious Blue Ribbon Committee. Her other charitable commitments include serving on the Board of Directors of an Endowment for the Status of Women and Human Rights in the Middle East at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and the Arab American National Museum Advisory Board.
The Board of Overseers of the Keck School of Medicine of USC serves as an advisory group to the Keck School leadership. The board’s top priority is helping the school leadership develop and implement a plan to become one of the top 10 medical schools in the nation. The board focuses on whether the school is well organized in its plan and whether resources are being appropriately allocated, so that the school can accomplish its goals. The board has assisted in the development of a business plan to support the School’s strategic plan.