The San Francisco Bay Area Regional Awards acknowledge outstanding and exceptional service to Washington University, service to the Bay Area community, and professional achievement. The awards are presented by the San Francisco Regional Cabinet, a volunteer leadership group that works together to expand Washington University’s outreach in the Bay Area.
2024 Bay Area Young Alumni Award
Jared Joiner, AB ’05
Jared Joiner, AB ’05, is the leader of the educational practice portfolio at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), a philanthropic organization that seeks to build a better world through investment in science, education, and communities. Joiner bridges CZI’s grant-making and product teams to build educational technologies grounded in the science of learning and human development and co-designed in partnership with youth, educators, researchers, and practitioners.
Prior to CZI, Joiner worked as director of strategy and communications in the San Francisco Unified School District and Boston Public Schools; a product manager at Sokikom, an educational technology company focused on K-6 math; and a classroom teacher in Washington, D.C. He earned his bachelor’s degree in cognitive neuroscience and philosophy at Washington University and his master’s degree through the Mind, Brain, and Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Joiner has served as co-chair of the Black Alumni Council San Francisco Chapter since 2019, and he has been a member of the San Francisco Regional Cabinet since 2021. He has been integral to the development of strategies that increase engagement of diverse alumni through events and community-building in the Bay Area. Beyond his work with WashU, Joiner has served as a member of the board of directors for the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector since 2021. He has held previous positions on the boards of SPARK* SF Public Schools, Alternatives in Action High School, and other nonprofits in the education realm.
2024 Bay Area Regional Alumni Award
Eric Upin, AB ’83
Eric Upin, AB ’83, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Washington University and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School. He began his career on Wall Street as an investment banker. After 15 years, he shifted to endowment management, first overseeing Stanford University’s endowment. In 2017, he returned to WashU to fill the role of interim chief investment officer for the university’s endowment. Today, he is co-founder and managing partner of Point Olema Capital Partners, a multifamily investment office based in San Francisco.
As board chair of the Washington University Investment Management Company, Upin continues to advise WashU’s investment portfolio strategy. He also has served on Washington University’s Board of Trustees and the San Francisco Regional Cabinet, strengthening connections to WashU among alumni, parents, and friends in the Bay Area, where he lives. His son, Thomas, is a sophomore in the McKelvey School of Engineering, and Upin and his wife, Natalie Stern, joined the Parents Council in 2021. They are longstanding supporters of the university and endowed an undergraduate scholarship in honor of Upin’s parents, the Jane and Joel Upin Scholarship.
Most recently, Upin accepted a role as co-chair of Make Way: Our Student Initiative. This fundraising effort aims to increase financial resources for undergraduate scholarships, graduate scholarships and fellowships, and a best-in-class student experience. Upin has traveled across the country to spread the word and build support for this effort among diverse members of the university community.