Antioch University Santa Barbara has announced the election of Steven E. Zipperstein to its board of trustees.
As chief legal officer of BlackBerry Ltd., Zipperstein is responsible for the company’s worldwide legal, government relations and public policy affairs.
Prior to joining BlackBerry, Zipperstein served as general counsel for Verizon Wireless.
He has taught at Loyola Law School and published several law review articles. In addition, he has testified before Congress numerous times on telecommunications policy issues.
Zipperstein has long been a proponent of higher education as a lever for social change.
“I am honored to be chosen for the board of AUSB because I admire the university’s commitment to academic excellence and its mandate to provide access to higher education for all qualified students,” he said. “As one surveys Santa Barbara’s schools, institutions and businesses, it readily becomes apparent that Antioch graduates are the problem-solvers of our community.”
A graduate of UC Los Angeles and the UC Davis Law School, Zipperstein worked for more than nine years as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s office in Los Angeles.
He also served as a special counselor to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno during the 1995 congressional hearings regarding events at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas.
“With his vast business acumen, great intelligence and even greater heart, Steve Zipperstein will be an enormous asset to our board and the entire university,” said AUSB Board of Trustees Chair Vicki Riskin. “We are thrilled to welcome him aboard.”
Zipperstein and his wife, Diane, live in Santa Barbara and have three grown daughters.
— Brian Dearth represents Antioch University Santa Barbara.