David Dreier Elected to Caltech Board of Trustees

David Dreier, chairman of the Annenberg-Dreier Commission at Sunnylands, has been elected to the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

The commission is an initiative focused on the role of technology in enhancing prosperity, good governance, and cross-cultural links throughout the Greater Pacific region. He is also an entrepreneur, a filmmaker, an advocate for innovative research and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, and a distinguished fellow of the Brookings Institution, a public-policy think tank.

Dreier's career in public service includes 32 years in the House of Representatives, representing a district northeast of Los Angeles. He was first elected to Congress in 1980 and served until January of this year, when he decided to continue his work in advancing science, research, and technology as a private citizen. Throughout his congressional tenure, he championed the work of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He served as California's first chairman of the House Rules Committee. He was also the committee's longest-serving chair, holding the gavel from 1999 until 2007, and then again from 2011 until 2013. In addition, he was chosen in May 2001 by his colleagues to chair California's Republican Congressional Delegation.

A long-serving member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Dreier also sat for many years on the board of directors of the International Republican Institute, and is the founding chairman of the House Democracy Partnership, a congressional commission that works with foreign legislatures to promote the development of democratic institutions.

Among Dreier's distinctions, he was the inaugural recipient of the City of Hope's President's Award, which recognized his commitment to the advancement of science and care for patients with cancer. He was awarded the Outstanding Service Award by Justice for Homicide Victims, the Clean Air Award by the Sierra Club, and the Hero of the Taxpayer Award by the Americans for Tax Reform. Most recently, the Republic of San Marino conferred on Dreier the Order of Saint Agatha, that nation's highest civic honor, in the grade of Knight Commander.

Dreier graduated with honors from Claremont McKenna College in 1975 and received a master's degree in American government from Claremont Graduate University in 1976.

The Board of Trustees is the governing body of Caltech. The Board is led by David L. Lee, chair, and vice chair Ronald K. Linde, and it currently comprises 42 trustees, 16 senior trustees, 23 life members, and one honorary life member.