Title and Employer: Chief of Staff to Mayor Lock Dawson of City of Riverside

UCSC Degree: BA History and Politics 2015

Bio: Mikaila Kruse is Chief of Staff to Mayor Lock Dawson of Riverside. Having worked for elected officials at the federal, state, and local level, she has a range of experience in government relations that includes serving on political campaigns, delivering constituent services, and developing legislation in Sacramento. Previously, she worked on voter registration efforts and as a substitute teacher. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2015 with a BA in History and Politics and received a Master of Public Policy degree from UC Riverside in 2020.

Learn more about Mikaila’s workplace: Riverside native Patricia Lock Dawson, elected in 2020, is the 18th mayor of the largest city in Inland Southern California—and the 12th largest city in California. Her agenda – Livable Riverside – is focused on reimagining Riverside’s namesake river, building a dynamic city center, and elevating industry and innovation. 

Title and Employer: Food & Drink Correspondent at Lookout Santa Cruz

UCSC Degree: BA History 2011

Bio: Lily Belli is the food and drink correspondent at Lookout Santa Cruz. Founded in late 2020, the Lookout team won the Pulitzer Prize in for Breaking News for its reporting on the winter storms that pummeled the county during the winter of 2023.

Lily moved to Santa Cruz in 2007 to attend UC Santa Cruz, and fell in love with its rich food culture, vibrant agriculture and creative minds. Lily has reported on Santa Cruz County’s food scene for the past 13 years, and joined the Lookout team in 2021. Through her coverage, she seeks to widen the scope of food and drink reporting beyond “what’s good to eat,” to include trends, business news, agriculture, wine and craft beer, and challenges facing the industry, putting people and local voices at the center. 

Learn more about Lily’s workplace: Lookout Santa Cruz is an all-digital community newspaper serving Santa Cruz County.

Title and Employer: Associate Director, Board Operations at Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health

UCSC Degree: BA History 2014

Bio: Peter Nell is a strategy and operations professional with deep expertise in nonprofit governance, board development, and philanthropy. Peter has spent his career at the intersection of strategy and operations — advising executives, leading advocacy campaigns, managing governance boards, and designing high-impact experiences. He thrives on creating structure out of ambiguity, connecting people and purpose, and helping mission-driven organizations turn big ideas into real outcomes.

Learn more about Peter’s workplace: The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health raises funds for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford (an integral part of Stanford Medicine Children’s Health) and for child and maternal health programs at the Stanford School of Medicine. They also shape and support programs that make health care more accessible for children with complex health needs through grantmaking and advocacy.

Title and Employer: Associate Attorney at Prentice | Long, PC

UCSC Degree: BA Philosophy 2019

Bio: Rebekah Mojica is an associate attorney at Prentice | Long, PC, where she brings her expertise to a diverse range of practice areas, with a focus on Land Use & Planning, Ethics, Ordinances, Probation, Contracts, Elections, and Civil Litigation. Prior to joining Prentice | Long, PC, Rebekah gained experience in family law and personal injury before transitioning to municipal and business law to pursue broader community impact and complex legal challenges. 

Learn more about Rebekah’s workplace: Prentice | Long, PC is a private law firm that specializes in municipal law and serves as both advice and litigation counsel for clients across California.

Title and Employer: Former Attorney-Counselor at UC Berkeley School of Law

UCSC Degree: BA French Literature 1982

Bio: Sarah Cunniff attended Stevenson College at UC Santa Cruz, where she majored in French Literature.  After law school, she worked in large and small law firms and in-house at Levi Strauss. Most recently she spent a dozen years at the Career Development Office at Berkeley Law school, where she supported students in their job searches, with a special affinity for students with humanities backgrounds.

Learn more about UC Berkeley Law: Berkeley Law is one of 14 schools and colleges at the University of California, Berkeley. It is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the nation and has produced leaders in law, government, and society.