Distinguished Alumni Bios

Alex Haro is the co-founder and CEO of Hubble. Before founding Hubble, he co-founded Life360, which he successfully took from an early-stage idea all the way through to its IPO. Life360 now boasts over 95 million monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide and generates over $500 million in annual revenue. In 2015, Forbes recognized him in the '30 Under 30' list for Consumer Technology. Additionally, he holds more than 12 patents in the fields of location and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT). Alex studied computer science at Pomona College and Harvey Mudd College.

Frederick Gardner was born and raised in Southern California. His career in film began in 1989 when he was approached by the Publicity Dept of Warner Bros to help design the launch of Tim Burton's Batman. He attended film school at UCLA and Art Center before finding his calling in animation at CalArts. His artistic influences range from Hieronymous Bosch to Eyvind Earle and Maurice Noble. After a year in attendance, he was recruited by the producers of The Simpsons to animate on the first few seasons and the main title.

A preference for design led to his success at Warner Bros Animation on such shows as Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, Space Jam, The Iron Giant and classic shorts with Bugs & Daffy. His work also includes The Tick, Duck Dodgers, Johnny Quest, Toonsylvania, Hercules, Samurai Jack and Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot.

While serving as an Infantryman/Bomb Squad Tech/Parachute Rigger in the US Army & CA ARNG (2000 - 2008), Frederick received two Emmys for his unique designs on television series, The Powerpuff Girls and Juniper Lee at Cartoon Network.

Frederick seeks to create unique, hand made, and impactful images that provoke thought, raise questions and inspire. You can see his most recent work in Free Birds, Tomorrowland and The Book of Life. Recently, he worked as a visual development artist on the recent animated features, SCOOB, Space Jam 2 for the Warner Animation Group, Rumble (aka Monster on the Hill) for Paramount/Reel FX, Ugly Dolls for STX and the limited series, Maya and the Three for Netflix.

Martin Dugard is a 12-time New York Times #1 bestselling author. His new book, which came out two weeks ago and chronicles his years in partial at ND, is THE LONG RUN. You can find it now on Amazon. Martin Dugard is also a member of the Royal Geographical Society in Great Britain, on the board directors of the USA Track and Field Foundation, a high school running coach with seven California state championships, and after 50 years still the Notre Dame HS school record holder in the mile and two-mile distances. He lives on a hill in Orange County. 

Graduated May 1982 with a Master of Divinity with Mission Specialization from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Classmate of Robert Prevost OSA - Pope Leo XIV. Served at St. Mary of the Purification Parish in Houston, TX, Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Jeanerette, LA, Parroquia San Jose Obrero, Rancagua, Chile, Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Pilar, Puerto Dominguez, Chile, Seminario del Verbo Divino, Santiago, Chile, Parroquia del Espíritu Santo, Santiago, Chile, St. Jude Hospital, Fullerton, CA, St. Anthony Parish, San Jacinto, St. Joan of Arc Parish, Blythe, St. Anthony Parish, San Bernardino. Past Chaplain to Knights of Columbus Council 12213 at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Chaplain to Knights of Columbus Msgr. Flanagan Assembly 0059. Knights of Columbus Chaplain Southern California District of the 4th degree. Participant in the World Youth Days Rome 2000, Toronto 2002, Cologne 2005, Sydney 2008, Madrid 2011, Rio de Janeiro 2013, Cracow 2016, Panama 2019, Lisbon 2023. Current Rector of Divine Word Seminary/Retreat Center Riverside, CA. Chaplain of Notre Dame High School, Riverside, CA. Supply priest for San Segundo de Guasti Parish, Ontario, CA.

Msgr. Gerard M. Lopez was born in 1959 in Riverside, California; he was the youngest of six children born to Tony and Sarah Lopez. He attended Our Lady of Guadalupe Academy, St. John the Evangelist, and St. Francis de Sales Catholic Elementary schools in Riverside. He attended Notre Dame High School from 1973 to 1977 and graduated in 1977 giving the Salutatorian Address at the commencement ceremony. He would later attend the University of Redlands and Stanford University, attaining the Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics and Business Administration and the Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

He was employed at the Bank of America, the City of Riverside City Manager’s Office, and the County of Riverside Office of Personnel. He would enter the seminary program for the Diocese of San Bernardino in 1986 and was in the inaugural class of Blessed Junipero Serra House of Formation in Riverside. He later attended St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California and also obtained the Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy.

Msgr. Lopez served in various parishes in Indio, Rialto, Barstow, and Rancho Cucamonga over his 35 years of priestly service. He was ordained by Bishop Phillip F. Straling on June 28, 1991. In 2002, St. John Paul II named him Chaplain to His Holiness with the title of Monsignor. Over the course of his ministry with the Office of the Bishop of the Diocese of San Bernardino, Msgr. Lopez has served as Vicar General, Moderator of the Curia, Director of Priest Personnel, and Chancellor.

Msgr. Lopez’s family have been very dedicated to the spirit of the Notre Dame community. His two older brothers, Tony, Jr. and David, attended Notre Dame High School in the early 1960s. His nieces and nephews also attended Notre Dame High School in the 1990s. The Lopez Family thanks the Notre Dame community for all of their support and commitment to excellence.

Professional Experience:

Founder and President
MPH Consulting, LLC
Park City, Utah
January 2018 to present – Consultant in public policy, transportation, aviation and aerospace.
Clients include established companies and start-ups focused on improving transportation and mobility through the application of technology.

Member, Board of Directors
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia
April 2018 to present – Independent member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Safety and Security Committee of a major US based global airline. Delta Air Lines (NYSE - DAL) serves more than 180 million customers each year. In 2018, Delta was named to Fortune’s top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the seventh time in eight years. Additionally, Delta has ranked Number 1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented seven consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 304 destinations in 52 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia Delta employs more than 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft.

Member, Board of Directors
Verra Mobility, Inc.
Mesa, Arizona
May 2021 to present – Independent Director and Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of a leading global company in smart transportation. Verra Mobility (NASDAQ: VRRM) serves customers by working behind the scenes to provide technology solutions to make mobility safer and easier. The company enables smarter roadways by providing integrated technology to manage tolls, violations and vehicle registrations for our commercial customers – rental car companies, fleet management companies and large fleet operators. The company also works with government customers (municipalities and school districts) by installing leading photo enforcement technology to positively impact driver behavior and enhance road safety. These include red light, speed, school bus stop arm, and bus lane cameras.

Member, Board of Directors
Joby Aviation
Santa Cruz, California
March 2023 to present – Lead Independent Director of Joby Aviation (NYSE: JOBY) a company building quiet, all-electric aircraft to connect people like never before. With up to 150 miles of range and the ability to take off and land vertically, the Joby aircraft will change mobility while reducing the acoustic and climate footprint of flight. The company’s long-term vision is to build a global passenger service that helps the world connect with the people and places that matter most in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Member, Board of Trustees
The MITRE Corporation
McLean, Virginia
October 2023 to present – Trustee of MITRE, a not-for-profit operator of federally funded research and development centers providing technical expertise to government agency sponsors. MITRE acts in the public interest by delivering cost-effective solutions to many of the world’s biggest challenges.

Administrator
Federal Aviation Administration
Washington, DC
January 2013 to January 2018
Acting Administrator
Federal Aviation Administration
Washington, DC
December 2011 to January 2013
Deputy Administrator
Federal Aviation Administration
Washington, DC
July 2010 to December 2011
Chief executive of the agency responsible the safety and efficiency of the largest aerospace system in the world. Huerta oversaw a $16.3 billion budget, over 47,000 employees and is focused on ensuring the agency and its employees were the best prepared and trained professionals to meet the growing demands and requirements of the aviation industry.

During his tenure, Huerta worked to redefine the FAA's regulatory relationship with the industry to achieve greater levels of safety through increased collaboration and widespread sharing of data. He also led the agency's efforts to modernize the nation's air traffic control system through the NextGen program while preparing the way for the safe integration of commercial space operations and small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

During Huerta's term, the FAA completed key building blocks of NextGen, including the installation of modern information systems to serve as the backbone for future technological improvements. The FAA also completed the installation of a comprehensive network of ground-based radio stations that enable the use of Global Positioning Satellites (GPS), augmenting radar, to manage air traffic more safely and efficiently. In addition, the agency made significant progress in harnessing GPS technology to modernize thousands of air traffic routes in congested airspace. The FAA expects NextGen to deliver an estimated $134 billion in direct airline, industry and passenger benefits by 2030. NextGen is already reducing the environmental footprint of aviation through significant reductions in fuel consumption as aircraft use these more efficient routes.

Huerta also led the agency's efforts to integrate small UAS into the busiest and most complex airspace in the world. In late 2015, the FAA developed and put into a place a registration system that enables the agency to keep track of this growing segment of aviation while ensuring that new operators are provided with important safety information. The agency collaborated with a growing number of commercial operators and hobbyists to develop and issue a set of sensible regulations that will ensure safety and create an environment that fosters innovation, exhibited most recently in Part 107, the rule enabling commercial operations of small unmanned aircraft.

Under Huerta's leadership, the FAA built on the unparalleled safety record of the U.S. aviation industry by harnessing the power of safety data gathered with each commercial flight. In 2015, the agency adopted a new Compliance Philosophy that relies on risk-based decision making to identify and correct problems in the National Airspace System before they result in an accident or incident. This system relies on an open and transparent exchange of information between the FAA and the industry that is seen as the next evolution in improving safety.

Huerta is also well known for eliminating a decades-old ban on the use of Personal Electronic Devices aboard airplanes, making it possible for passengers to use many devices from gate to gate.

President
MPH Consulting, LLC
Washington, DC
April 2009 to June 2010 – Consultant on transportation policy, technology and financing. Clients included international technology companies and not-for-profit organizations.

Executive Vice President and Group President, Transportation Solutions
Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.
Washington, DC
April 2008 to March 2009
Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Transportation Solutions Affiliated Computer Systems, Inc.
Washington, DC
June 2005 to April 2008
Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Transportation Systems and Services
Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.
Washington, DC
March 2002 to June 2005
Chief executive of ACS’ transportation technology services line of business. ACS (now known as Conduent) is a provider of diversified business process outsourcing and information technology services and solutions to government and commercial clients worldwide. The company provides a wide variety of revenue collection, regulatory compliance and technology services to the transportation industry throughout the world. Products and services include:
• System integration and customer service center operations for electronic toll collection systems
including E-ZPass in the northeastern United States and FasTrak in California
• Fare collection and parking revenue control and management systems to public transit authorities,
airports, and cities
• The nationwide PrePass electronic commercial vehicle pre-clearance program
• A full suite of photo enforcement solutions designed to promote road and highway safety
• System integration and design of PierPASS, a congestion fee collection program used at the Ports
of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California.

Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
Lockheed Martin IMS, Transportation Systems and Services
Washington, DC
April 2001 to March 2002 – Responsible for expanding IMS' leadership position in intelligent transportation marketplaces such as electronic toll collection, commercial vehicle operations, and electronic payment systems.

Consultant, Director, and Managing Director
Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002
Washington, DC and Salt Lake City, Utah
July 1998 to April 2002 – Served in various positions as an independent consultant and an employee of the organization. Responsible for (a) designing and running, in cooperation with the Utah Department of Transportation, the highly successful Travel Demand Management (TDM) program used during the XIX Olympic Winter Games held in Utah during February 2002, and (b) securing funding for a $250 million program of temporary and permanent transportation projects to support the transportation requirements of the Games.

Principal
Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Washington, DC
September 1998 to April 2001 – Principal of an employee-owned, nationally known, transportation consulting firm. Responsibilities included new business development for freight and intermodal transportation. Services provided included freight transportation planning, transportation planning for special events, project financing, and strategic planning.

Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary
United States Department of Transportation
Washington, DC
January 1997 to June 1998 – Responsibilities included serving as chief strategist and policy advisor to the Secretary of Transportation and day-to-day manager of the Office of the Secretary. Involved oversight of high-profile projects, major initiatives, and federal government financial assistance.

Associate Deputy Secretary of Transportation and Director, Office of Intermodalism
United States Department of Transportation
Washington, DC
May 1993 to January 1997 – Responsibilities included coordinating federal policy on intermodal transportation and initiating policies to promote efficient intermodal transportation in the United States.
Selected accomplishments:
• $400 million federal loan as part of financing package for $1.9 billion Alameda Corridor port access
project in Southern California. The federal loan was an innovative, direct loan which completed the
financing package and enabled this project to move forward.
• Airport access projects in San Francisco and New York which involved blending airport, transit and
highway revenues in new ways to provide mass transit links to these airports.

Executive Director
Port of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
January 1989 to April 1993 – Chief executive of the port, a self-supporting public agency that develops and administers maritime facilities, commercial development, and fishing facilities on San Francisco's waterfront. Completed a port strategic plan, which led to substantially increased container shipping volume. Initiated planning and construction for modernizing and expanding the port’s shipping terminals and fish handling facilities. Completed an award-winning public access pier in downtown San Francisco.

Commissioner
New York City Department of Ports, International Trade and Commerce
New York, New York
March 1986 to January 1989 – Chief executive of the city department responsible for developing and administering marine, air, rail and truck facilities throughout the city; promoting international trade and investment; operating and regulating the city’s public markets.

Management Consultant
Coopers & Lybrand
Washington, DC
July 1980 to March 1986 – Consultant serving a variety of public and private sector clients in economic studies, feasibility analysis and international trade services.

Education:
MPA 1980, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
BA 1978, University of California, Riverside
High School Diploma 1974, Notre Dame High School, Riverside, CA

Selected Honors and Affiliations:
2018 Recipient, Clifford W. Henderson Trophy, presented by the National Aeronautics Association, Washington, DC to “a living individual, group of individuals, or an organization whose vision, leadership or skill made a significant and lasting contribution to the promotion and advancement of aviation and aerospace in the United States.”
2016 Elected as Fellow, Royal Aeronautical Society
2013 Good Scout Award, Greater New York Council, Boy Scouts of America
2009 – 2010 Chairman, Intelligent Transportation Society of America
2008 Co-Vice Chair, Transportation Cluster, Obama Transition Team

John VanDaele was born in Los Angeles, California in 1929, an only child who lost his dad very early, when John was just 13 years old.

After losing his father, John worked very hard to help support his mother, even giving up a football scholarship to USC so that he could help financially support the family. 

John was a great athlete in high school.  He ran track and was captain of a championship football team his senior year.  After high school, John played semi-pro football for the Los Angeles Shamrocks.

John met and married the love of his life, Joanne Cannon, and this last year they celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary.  John lost Joanne last October.

Together, John and Joanne had: 4 children,  17 grandchildren, and 27 great-grandchildren, with 2 more on the way.

Together John and Joanne instilled in their extended family their core values of faith, the importance of family, and of hard work.   

Originally a successful painting contractor, John changed course at the age of 35 and became a very successful real estate developer.

John and Joanne were devout Catholics and long time supporters of the diocese. John served on the bishop’s Finance Council for twelve years and the Building Committee for five years.  In 2003 he was awarded the bishop’s Amar Es Entregarse Award for “Demonstrating a level of dedication and service to community and the church, a living example of Bishop Barnes’ Episcopal motto: Love is the total giving of oneself.”

John and Joanne were passionate about catholic school and the value of catholic education.  They sent all of their children through catholic school, and when they moved to Riverside in 1977 they enrollled their daughter Joanie first at the St. Catherine’s School and then at Notre Dame.

John and Joanne have been long time supporters of the St. Thomas School, the St. Catherine’s School, and Notre Dame High School, with their prayer, their time and financially, including participating in the campaign to improve the Notre Dame practice field that today bears their name: “Van Daele Field”.