Donor Profiles - Jim Kaplan

Jim Kaplan’s decision to attend UC San Diego was made at the suggestion of his high school principal, who thought he’d be a good match for the university. “I trusted him, enrolled, and it was wonderful,” says Jim. Fast forward two decades and the one-time computer science major is now a chief engineer at Lockheed Martin and an enthusiastic supporter of his alma mater.

“When I learned about Chancellor’s Associates I thought it would be good to participate,” he says. “At the time, I was living in Palmdale and being a Chancellor’s Associate helped me keep that connection with UCSD.” Now that he lives in San Diego, Jim attends more events and served as a Faculty Excellence Awards judge this year.

He also recently increased his participation by pledging a matching gift to encourage Chancellor’s Associates Young Alumni to give. “Lockheed Martin matches my gifts to UCSD; it’s a great incentive,” he says. “This match is about encouraging the next generation of alumni to get involved.”