New Trustees Add Voice, Experience to Board
Westmont welcomes six new members to the board of trustees, who begin their three-year terms in the fall. Two of them, Denise Jackson and Roxanne Hughes Packham, have served as ex officio members of the board, and one, Tremper Longman III, taught at the college for nearly 20 years.
“We’re delighted that Denise, Roxanne and Tremper will serve as full members of the board,” says Gayle D. Beebe, president of Westmont. “They all know the college well, and they’ve been active and valued members of our community. I welcome their insights as an alumna, a former professor, and the parent of two alums. We appreciate the contributions they’ve already made and will continue to make.”
A native of Los Angeles who spent her formative years in Pasadena, Denise graduated from Westmont in 1978 with a degree in political science and later earned a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in organizational development at American University. She has spent her career almost exclusively in human resources and higher education and has worked for Neiman Marcus, Disney and Le Cordon Bleu Colleges of North America. She also spent three years as a resident director at Westmont. Currently, she serves as senior director of human resources for Pacific Clinics, a large non-profit behavioral healthcare provider. An instructor for UCLA Extension, Denise has taught talent acquisition there for 21 years and works with human resources internships. She belongs to Victory Bible Church in Pasadena, where she leads a small group and teaches in the women’s ministry. Previously, Denise chaired Westmont’s Alumni Council and spent eight years as the alumni representative to the board of trustees. She lives in Pasadena and enjoys antiquing, entertaining, reading and spending quality time with her family and a special circle of beloved friends.
Tremper graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University, earned a Master of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary, and completed a doctorate in ancient Near Eastern studies at Yale University. He served as the Robert H. Gundry professor in biblical studies at Westmont, teaching Old Testament classes from 1998 until he retired in 2017. He continues to serve the college as a distinguished scholar of biblical studies. He speaks and teaches frequently and has written or co-authored more than 35 books, including interdisciplinary works, books with psychologist Dan Allender, works on history and historiography, and textbooks. He has also contributed numerous articles to scholarly journals. Tremper served as one of the main translators of the New Living Translation. “I put a big emphasis on Christological readings of the Old Testament, and that helps people see the relevance of the Old Testament to their Christian lives today,” he says. Tremper watches movies to relax and plays squash for exercise. He and his wife, Alice, have three grown sons, and the couple lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
An accomplished interior designer, Roxanne operates her own business, Sunset and Magnolia: Gracious Spaces. Her designs have appeared in Life: Beautiful, Cottages and Bungalows, California Homes, Dream Homes of Coastal California, Cowboys and Indians, Canadian Homes & Gardens, Gaither’s Homecoming Magazine, Family Circle, Silver Magazine, Westlake and Malibu Magazine. She and her daughter, Hannah, co-wrote “Inspired Design” and co-founded Inspired31, a ministry of mentorship between mothers and daughters. She comes from an artistic family: Her grandfather Allan Adler and her great-grandfather Porter George Blanchard were celebrated silversmiths. Roxanne studied at the Sorbonne and Cité Universitaire in Paris and graduated from USC, Paris Fashion Institute, and FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. She is a licensed intercultural etiquette and protocol trainer and serves on several boards focusing on foster children support, educational institutions and the American Society of Interior Designers, Los Angeles. She lives in Camarillo, Calif., with her husband, Scott, and near their two children, Justin and Hannah, who both graduated from Westmont. Roxanne previously served as president of the Westmont Parents Council and represented parents on the college’s board of trustees.