Meet our 2020-2021 Executive Committee!
CHAIR
Below is a description of each of our five branches and their members:
MEMBERSHIP BRANCH
Name: Alyssa Hurtado
Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2023
Hometown: Salinas, CA
Position: Vice Chair of Membership
Majors: Environmental Econ and Policy; Urban Studies
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: My first cannon crew! A chilly night game spent up on the cannon platform is the ideal bonding experience!
Fun Fact: I used to raise pigs and goats!
What I’m most looking forward to this year: I’m stoked to express my Cal spirit around campus and see things come to life again as we return to in person classes!
Name: Wesley Christian Lu
Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2023
Hometown: Diamond Bar, CA
Position: Director of Member Events
Majors: Psychology; Social Welfare Minor: Education
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: Getting to hold the Pride flag in my rainbow getup for the LGBTQ Pride Football Game against Washington State!
Fun Fact: I have a custom speaker with a picture of Oski & me on it
What you’re most looking forward to this year: Hosting fun events for members to unwind, get to know each other, and experience what it’s like to be part of our spirited community
Name: Greg Dachtler
Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2023
Hometown: Tiburon, CA
Position: Director of Athletics
Major:Mechanical Engineering Minor: Aerospace Engineering
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: Cable Car Rally during Big Game Week 2019!
Fun Fact: I’m a dual citizen with the United States and Ireland
What I’m most looking forward to this year: Returning to campus and getting to meet & wave with all our new members in person!
Name: Massimiliano (Max) Lucas
Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2023
Hometown: Sunnyvale, CA
Position: Director of Athletics
Majors: Industrial Engineering and Operations Research; Data Science
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: Cannon Crew at the 2019 ASU night game: shot the cannon in the dark, bonded with some real homies, and got back to my dorm at 3am!
Fun Fact: I surf, bodysurf, boogie board, windsurf, wind foil, and wing foil, and yet open water kinda scares me….
What I’m most looking forward to this year: Having some semblance of normalcy in an in-person year!! Stoked to meet everyone in person and (hopefully) be back in the stadium!
SPIRIT BRANCH
Name: Mari Wong
Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2023
Hometown: San Mateo, CA
Position: Vice Chair of Rallies
Majors: Political Science; Conservation & Resource Studies Minor: Dance and Performance Studies
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: My first cannon crew at the USC game. I met a bunch of my future best friends that night while huddling together in blankets to stay warm.
Fun Fact: My dad is a Cal Alum so Berkeley was my dream school growing up, you can catch me still wearing my childhood Cal t-shirts on game days!
What you’re most looking forward to this year: I am looking forward to the Big Game Bonfire Rally! Bonfire is my favorite event of the year because you can literally feel Cal spirit in the air. The new structure is incredible and I can’t wait to show everyone what we have planned for the upcoming year!
Name: Sara Smith
Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2023
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Position: Director of Stunts
Major: Bioengineering
Favorite Rally Comm memory: Singing while giving out lanterns after Big Give.
Fun Fact: I did a magic trick for Jennifer Doudna
What I’m most looking forward to this year: Doing spirit things in person!
Name: Raina Japay
Year: 2nd Year, Class of 2024
Hometown: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico
Position: Director of Stunts
Major: Genetics and Plant Biology
Favorite Rally Comm memory: Watching the masked dancer!
Random fact: I danced ballet for 15 years
What you’re most looking forward to this year: Going to a football game and creating my first card stunt.
Name: Joseph Gonzalez
Year: 4th Year, Class of 2022
Hometown: Indio, CA
Position: Director of Special Events
Major: Theater and Performance Studies
Favorite Rally Comm memory: It is so hard to name just one! One is being on the field for Football games during the 2019 football season and taking pictures of everyone. It was cool to be up close to the field and being able to look out to see a packed student section. It was fun to just document everyone’s smilies while capturing these memories. Another is getting to rush the field when we got the Axe back! It was truly an unforgettable experience.
Random fact: All of my immediate family’s initials end in A.G. and are left handed!
What you’re most looking forward to this year: I am looking forward to hopefully a hybrid semester with in-person elements! I miss game days, rallies, in-person meetings and more. I am excited to be in-charge of Noon Rallies and Night Rallies because these were so awesome highlights of my Rally Comm experience. I also can not wait to meet our new members and share my love for Cal Spirit with them!
MARKETING BRANCH
Name: Kori Amidei
Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2023
Hometown: Indio, CA
Position: Vice Chair of Marketing
Major: History
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: My favorite Rally Comm memory would have to be the week of 2019 Big Game because there was so much going on, there was a fun event to go to everyday, and, of course, it ended in the Big Game.
Fun Fact: My middle name is a city that neither me or my parents have ever visited.
What you’re looking forward to most this year: I’m most looking forward to having in person Committee meetings. There’s an energy to them that just can’t be replicated online.
Name: Allyssa Chan
Year: 2nd Year, Class of 2024
Hometown: Camarillo, CA
Position: Director of Mixed Media
Majors: Political Science; Political Economy
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: Learning all the Rally Committee songs before the New Member Welcome. I enjoyed learning about the histories of the songs as well as the gestures associated with each song.
Fun Fact: A fun fact about me is that I am a golfer (both real and mini) and I love to go play new courses with my family. I am even a golf coach
What you’re most looking forward to this year: I am most looking forward to going to football games and in person rallies. And of course, getting to meet my rally committee family in person!
Name: Joseph Toman
Year: 4th year, Class of 2022
Hometown: Walnut Creek, CA
Position: Director of Mixed Media
Majors: Molecular Environmental Biology with a Biodiversity focus; Conservation and Resource Management
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: Riding around San Francisco with Cal Spirit at Cable Car Rally, listening to Cal Band playing the whole way and marching up to Union Square to perform.
Fun Fact: I nap everywhere
What I’m most looking forward to this year: Seeing all of our amazing committee members off screen and bringing Cal Spirit to the campus once again in person
TREASURER’S BRANCH
Name: Aidan Newboles
Year: 4th Year, Class of 2022
Hometown: Dana Point, CA
Position: Treasurer
Major: Chemical Engineering
Favorite Rally Comm memory: This past year I really loved participating in Rally Comm is blind! It was so much fun putting on a new persona and trying to piece together who the other contestants were!
Fun Fact: I’ve never had coffee or soda in my life. I really thought I would turn to at least coffee at some point during my past 3 years here but apparently not!
What you’re most looking forward to this year: I’m looking forward to hopefully transitioning to some level of in-person/hybrid year and doing whatever I can to maintain the University’s spirit and pride along the way!
Name: Julia Miller
Year: 3rd year, Class of 2023
Hometown: Michigan City, IN
Position: UC Cannoneer
Major: Chemical Engineering Minor: Theater and Performance Studies
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: The majesty of Rally Comm is Blind and its ability to make me crack up every week at meeting.
Fun Fact: I love to crochet! My favorite things to make are hats, blankets, and stuffed animals.
What you’re most looking forward to this year: I’m really looking forward to bringing bonfire back. Since we couldn’t have one last year, we’ll make sure that this year’s is better than ever!
Name: Mark Maffeo
Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2023
Hometown: Clovis, CA
Position: UC Cannoneer
Major: Applied Mathematics Minor: Political Economy
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: Getting the Axe back after nine long years!
Fun Fact: I currently own a growing collection of 100+ mini college football helmets.
What you’re most looking forward to this year: I’m really looking forward to firing the California Victory Cannon at football games and being more involved with the Bonfire Rally.
Name: Enrique Rene Ortiz
Year: 2nd Year, Class of 2024
Hometown: San Ysidro, CA
Position: Director of Security
Majors: Mathematics; Data Science
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: My favorite Rally Committee memory definitely has to be the New Member Welcome. Rally Comm really went above and beyond to give us new members a memorable experience that made us feel welcome despite it being online this past year.
Fun Fact: I am a BIG Star Wars fan, and yes, I liked the sequel trilogy.
What you’re most looking forward to this year: I’m looking forward to moving up to Berkeley and meeting my Rally Comm members in person!
COMMUNICATION’S BRANCH
Name: Paulina Nguyen
Year: 3rd Year, Class of 2023
Hometown: Vista, CA
Position: Vice Chair of Communications
Majors: Political Science and Music
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: Oregon Trip 2019! This was one of my favorite Rally Comm trips where I got to meet so many amazing older members and bond with some of my best friends, including the amazing Bridget Bernet. Even though we lost the game, I will never forget the memories I made on this trip!
Fun Fact: I love to sing and I’ve been songwriting since middle school. Currently, I sing Soprano 2 for the California Golden Overtones, Cal’s all-women acapella group.
What you’re most looking forward to this year: I am looking forward to transitioning back to all the fun in-person events that Rally Comm does, including Bonfire, road trips, and special events! I can’t wait to see everyone at meeting in person again.
Name: Bella Lopez
Year: 2nd Year, Class of 2024
Hometown: Santa Clarita, CA
Position: Director of Traditions
Majors:History; Media Studies
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: I love being chaotic at meetings, going on walks with members from the committee, and going to post banquet!
Name: Ryan Ackles
Year: 4th Year, Class of 2022
Hometown: Carlsbad, CA
Position: Director of External Relations
Major: Media Studies; Minor: Political Economy
Favorite Rally Comm Memory: 2019 Big Game
Fun Fact: I am a triplet! My brother goes to UCLA and my sister goes to USC.
What you’re most looking forward to this year: Continuing timeless UC Rally Committee traditions and spending time with my friends in the Committee!