MEet the Directors!

Saachi Kudtarkar

Internal Director

Hello! I am one of the Internal Directors at RISE, primarily responsible for our internal events such as Showcase and Pitch Day. I also took initiative in supporting and fostering connection between PMs and RISE members. This summer, I graduated with a degree in Mathematics and worked as a Venture Capital Fellow at Halogen Ventures and a Product Management Intern with Boulevard, a startup at the intersection of beauty and technology. In my free time, I like doing yoga, hanging out with family and friends (virtually), and am currently trying to learn how to conduct tarot card readings.

Miles Wu

Internal Director

Hello! I am one of the Internal Directors at RISE, responsible for leading Director meetings, developing our website, managing our project teams, and communicating with mentors. As a Computer Science major, most of my expertise is in web/mobile app development, through which I have gained a passion for the collaborative problem solving experience. More recently, my interests have deviated from development and branched out into Product Management and Consulting. In my free time, I like to work on my cooking skills, spend socially distant time with friends, and dance!

Erica Vellanoweth

External Director

I am an External Director for RISE, specializing in sponsorships, branding, and diversity & inclusion efforts. I am especially passionate about fulfilling equity in tech and learning more about honoring intersectionality in general. Apart from my coursework, I enjoy being a part of UCLA’s Marching Band and Society of Women Engineers, planning our annual Evening with Industry event. In my free time, I like to make Spotify Playlists to match my mood, play Animal Crossing, and go on long walks to clear my mind.

Daniel Adea

External Director

Hello! I'm the External Director for RISE responsible for leading recruiting efforts, coordinating guest events, and conducting marketing. Whilst studying computer science at UCLA, I have worked as a software engineer for HRL Labs and The Garrick Institute of Risk Sciences. Currently, I am transitioning to the field of Product Management and have worked at Microsoft as a PM Intern for the Xbox Business Engineering team. I am passionate about helping others and want to continue supporting fellow students through programs like RISE. In my free time, I like playing sports, listening to podcasts, and watching sit-coms on Netflix

Emily Wang

Design Director

Hello! I am the Design Director for RISE, acting as the point person for any major design questions within the community and hosting design speaker events. I am also responsible for coordinating designs for RISE’s marketing. I was introduced to UX/UI design after being selected as a 3D model designer for one of the projects at UCLA CreativeLabs. After taking a UX/UI bootcamp, I worked as an UX/UI designer for UCLA DevX and designed many websites on the side. I am now a design at Digital Domain working on the virtual human project. In my free time, I love to dance and during quarantine, I have been playing a lot of League, drinking boba, and doing both at the same time.