Biography

On July 1, 2024, Paco Retana ʼ87, M.S.W. ʼ90, began his two-year term as the president of the UCLA Alumni Association. The son of immigrants, his father from Costa Rica and his mother from Mexico, he grew up in Pico Rivera, California, with a profound respect for education. He followed his dream of working with marginalized young people to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in social welfare from the School of Social Welfare, now the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. He is currently chief program officer for Wellnest Emotional Health and Wellness, empowering children and young adults on the road to success. Retana recounts his journey from struggling academically as a student to now representing more than half a million UCLA alumni.