Regent Emeritus Russell S. Gould

Russell Gould is President of the Gould Group which he established in 2009.  The Gould Group provides strategic financial and business consultation to corporations, state and local governments, and nonprofit organizations. Services may include navigating through complex state budget, tax policy, capital finance, contract negotiations, capital investment, or public private partnership issues. 

Prior to establishing the Gould Group, Mr. Gould served as Senior Vice President for Wachovia/Wells Fargo, providing leadership in the bank’s investment management services from 2004 through 2009. He earlier served as Senior Managing Director at Wachovia Portfolio Services – formerly Metropolitan West Securities – one of the five investment companies he developed as a partner of Metropolitan West Financial, which he joined in 1996. While a partner at MetWest, he also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of the J. Paul Getty Trust, responsible for investments of the Trust's $5.5 billion in assets and the Trust’s financial management.

Before joining Metropolitan West, Mr. Gould served from 1993 to 1996 as the Director of Finance of the State of California for Governor Pete Wilson.  In this position, he was the Governor’s chief financial advisor and was responsible for developing and managing the state’s $62 billion-dollar budget.  He was also responsible for economic development and tax policy for the Governor. 

From 1991 to 1993, he served as the Governor’s Cabinet Secretary of the Health and Welfare Agency, responsible for administration of 13 state departments with a budget of over $32 billion dollars and over 42,000 employees. 

Prior to being appointed Health and Welfare Secretary, Mr. Gould served as Assistant State Treasurer with oversight of the state’s $20 billion investment portfolio and issuance of state debt. 

Mr. Gould is currently on the Board of Directors of the Irvine Company and is a Charter Member of the Fiat Lux Alliance Board for the University of California.   He previously served as Chair of the Board of the College Futures Foundation, a 12-year term as Member and Chair of the UC Board of Regents, Member and Chair of the Board of Directors for the California Chamber of Commerce, and as a Member of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors and the Constitution Revision Commission.

Mr. Gould received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley.