New Members of the Board

Christopher T. Cross ’62

Cross is an expert in the field of education. He is currently chairman of the education policy consulting firm Cross & Joftus, where he contributes his considerable strategic planning, policy analysis, and development skills. Cross also serves as a distinguished senior fellow with the Education Commission of the States and is a consultant to the Broad Foundation and the C.S. Mott Foundation. Previously, he was a senior fellow with the Center for Education Policy.

Cross has written extensively on education and other public policy areas and has been published in numerous professional journals and newspapers. He has written two books, Political Education: National Policy Comes of Age and Political Education: Setting the Course for State and Federal Education Policy.

Cross holds a B.A. from Whittier College and an M.A. in government from California State University, Los Angeles. During his time at Whittier, Cross was a member of the William Penn Society, Quaker Campus, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Pi Sigma Alpha (political science). Cross previously served as a Whittier trustee (2000-2011) and Poet Council member. He’s a long-time member of the John Greenleaf Whittier Society and has been a faithful supporter of other major Whittier campaigns.

Meghan Morrissey P’16

Morrissey is the proud Poet parent of Devin Morrissey ’16 and served on the Poet Council from 2015 to 2017. She received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and worked in student affairs at three universities before pursuing an MBA at New York University. She subsequently worked in international consumer marketing at AT&T for seven years.

After the birth of her two children, she became a full-time homemaker. Morrissey served in various capacities on the PTA and was an active board member of her local National Charity League chapter, volunteering countless hours alongside her daughter.

The Morrissey family has made gifts supporting a number of areas on campus including the music department and the office of disability services.

Miguel A. Santana ’91

Santana was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Fair Association in January of 2017.

Santana previously served as the city administrative officer (CAO) for the City of Los Angeles, reporting directly to the mayor and city council. Under his leadership as the CAO, Santana’s office had direct oversight over the City’s $8.1 billion budget, labor negotiations, debt management and major policy issues as directed by the mayor and/or city council, including the proprietary departments of Water and Power, Airport, and Harbor.

Santana has more than 25 years of experience managing numerous fiscal, legislative, political, and community issues. Prior to his position as CAO, Santana served as one of five deputy chief executive officers for Los Angeles County. Santana serves on the boards of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, United Way of Los Angeles, Discovery Cube Los Angeles, and the Weingart Foundation.

Santana received a B.A. in sociology and Latin American studies from Whittier College and a Master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University. As a student, Santana participated in the Hispanic Student Association, Whittier Scholars, and Pi Sigma Alpha (political science club). As an alumnus, he has serve on the Poet Council, participated in the Ortiz 100 campaign, which honors the life and legacy of Martin Ortiz ’48, and gavethe keynote address at the 2016 Latino Graduates Celebration.