Alan L. Hoffman took office as senior vice president for external relations for the UC system on Aug. 11, 2008. In this position, he is responsible for establishing strategy and overseeing coordination with campuses in all communications, advocacy and governmental relations efforts for the UC system, with the goal of fostering closer connections between the University and the people it serves.
"The work of UC affects the lives of people around the globe and in every community in California. Its success is dependent upon public understanding of its mission, open dialogue with policy-makers and constituents, and responsiveness to the needs of the public," Hoffman said.
Hoffman, 42, served twice, from 1998 to 2003 and from 2006 to 2008, as chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden, the Delaware Democrat and current chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As chief of staff, Hoffman directed the senator's legislative agenda, communications strategy, political operations and office management.
From 2004 to 2006, Hoffman was vice president for external affairs for RAND Corp., the nonprofit global policy think tank based in Santa Monica. There he was responsible for the organization's communications, government relations, fundraising, marketing, community relations, website development and corporate publications, serving also as an adviser to senior leadership.
From 2003 to 2004, Hoffman served as vice president in the Washington offices of Timmons & Co., a consulting and lobbying firm. In the mid-1990s, prior to joining Sen. Biden's staff, he served in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as special assistant to the assistant secretary for legislative affairs; in the U.S. Department of Justice as special counsel to the assistant attorney general for legislative affairs; and then as an assistant United States attorney in Philadelphia prosecuting federal crimes for the Justice Department.
His previous experience includes service in the White House as a staff member on the President's Task Force on National Health Care Reform and as a special assistant to Hillary Rodham Clinton during the 1992 presidential campaign and transition.
A Philadelphia native, Hoffman holds J.D. and master of public administration degrees from the University of Southern California and a B.A. degree from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa.