Don Goldman

Don Goldman retired from the Firm (Health, LA) in 2008. During his 21 years with McDermott, he held a number of leadership positions, including Head of the LA Office, a member of the Management Committee, a member of the Compensation Committee, and, ultimately, Chair of the Compensation Committee. He enjoys golf, travel and exploring the many cultural and civic offerings in LA with his wife, Valerie, as well as cheering on the Dodgers and UCLA Bruins.

Don and Valerie have founded, and are very active in, Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum (CCMM), a nonprofit organization that brings a cross-cultural museum experience directly to LA schools. CCMM’s mission is to broaden world-views by exposing students to global arts and artifacts, thereby fostering respect for cultural diversity. And because of LA’s diversity, the museum gives the students an opportunity to see themselves mirrored in an academic setting. The mobile museum is docent-led and includes hundreds of cultural items from approximately 80 countries. The 34 schools that currently participate in CCMM are primarily Title I-funded; that is, a majority of the students attending the school live at or below the poverty line.

Approximately 25,000 students visit the mobile museum each year. The pop-up exhibition is impressive and remains on-site at each school for a few days, enabling all students and teachers the opportunity to visit. The students and teachers look forward to the visits and CCMM’s belief is that this exposure will help to prepare students to function in an ever-more interconnected world.

Don and Valerie hope to increase the number of schools where CCMM visits each year and there are many schools on CCMM’s waitlist. CCMM raises funds through contributions from foundations and private donations. Anyone interested can learn more about CCMM at www.connectingcultures.us or by reaching out to Don directly at donald.a.goldman@gmail.com.