CGU Trustee Don Baker Honored for Service to the Arts
In addition to his long service to Claremont Graduate University as chair of the School of Arts & Humanities and member of the Board of Trustees, Donald P. Baker has devoted his energies and support to the rich artistic diversity of Los Angeles.
Baker was honored during the Latino Theater Company’s 10th Annual Gala, celebrating 10 years at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. Other honorees included state Sen. Kevin de Leon, president pro tempore of the California State Senate; John Naveira, executive vice president of Sony Pictures Entertainment; Diane Rodriguez, associate artistic director of Center Theater Group; and Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic food company in the country.
“I am honored and pleased to receive this award from an organization that has done such an excellent job of producing provocative, award-winning theater while managing a multicultural venue that allows for the expression, through theater, of the diverse communities which make up Los Angeles,” Baker said.
Baker has served on CGU’s Board of Trustees since 2002—including a four-year stint as its chair. He also serves on the board’s Executive Committee and is the chair of its Committee on Facilities and infrastructure. Baker is the current chair of the School of Arts and Humanities Board of Advisors.
In addition to his CGU roles, Baker has served on the board for the Los Angeles Theatre Center, a multicultural venue for contemporary theater productions and educational programs in theater arts and dance, since 2009 and as chair of the California Art Club, an organization dedicated to the promotion of contemporary, traditional painting and sculpture.
“Supporting the arts in Los Angeles is important because both the production and viewing of art lifts the human spirit and frees the mind to explore unknown territory and contemplate a beauty not experienced in the routine of every day life,” Baker said. “Supporting the arts is not only personally satisfying but also enables talented people to create and express themselves, and allows others to experience and enjoy that expression.”
Baker is currently the managing director of Dpaul Properties, LLC, a Los Angeles-based real estate firm. He is also a retired partner of the international law firm of Latham & Watkins where he practiced for 34 years in the areas of real estate development, land-use entitlements, and foreign investment transactions. His clients included the J. Paul Getty Trust, the University of California, the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, and the Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena.