USC Trustee Ronald D. Sugar and his wife, alumna Valerie Sugar MS ’72
USC Trustee Ronald D. Sugar and his wife, alumna Valerie Sugar MS ’72, have re-invested in excellence at the USC School of Advanced Computing. The couple, who were two of the school’s earliest supporters and lead investors, have established the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Trustee Chair in Advanced Computing with a $5 million gift.
Their investment creates the second endowed trustee chair for the School of Advanced Computing, which is being powered by unprecedented investment in people and talent. An endowed chair at this level is the highest recognition a university can offer its faculty and attracts the world’s top computing researchers and educators to USC. The Sugars’ gift will go even further thanks to a 50% match from the Lord Foundation of California.
“We are profoundly grateful to the Sugars for their leadership, generosity and vision. Computing continues to reshape our world in profound ways, and this gift will help USC build on its leadership in this strategically vital area,” said USC Interim President Beong-Soo Kim.
“Advanced computing is already impacting every industry and every part of our lives, from health care to education to transportation to defense,” Ron said. “USC is well positioned to lead that transformation. We’re happy to invest in bringing more world-class tech leaders into our Trojan Family.”
Launched in 2024 and built on more than 50 years of Trojan computing excellence, the School of Advanced Computing is a nexus for research and education across the university. Supporters like the Sugars are key to the school’s strategic goal of appointing 60 world-class faculty members by 2030.
“The School of Advanced Computing is the engine that powers computing at USC, and in turn it is powered by generous alumni and friends like Ron and Valerie,” said Yannis C. Yortsos, dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. “Their deep technical expertise and knowledge across industries makes them perfect partners in our work to harness the immense power of computing to solve our grand challenges.”
The Sugars previously established the Ronald and Valerie Sugar Distinguished Speaker Series in Advanced Computing at USC. The inaugural talk, given by Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi in 2024, was the first gathering held in the School of Advanced Computing’s Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall.
Ron, a titan of the aerospace and defense industry, is chairman emeritus of the Northrop Grumman Corporation, chairman of the board of Uber, a board director of Apple and Ursa Major Technologies, and a former board director of Chevron and Amgen. Valerie, who received her master’s in library science from USC, worked in information systems at both RAND and the Aerospace Corporation. Together, the Sugars have invested generously in innovation and discovery through their support of faculty and students, including by founding the Valerie and Ronald Sugar Dean’s Chair of the USC Libraries.
“We believe in the importance of education, and we believe in the importance of innovation,” Ron said. “We want to support great thought leaders in the School of Advanced Computing and enhance the learning experience of USC students in the field.”
“Our school is defined by its all-encompassing nature — bringing together students, faculty, programs, departments and disciplines to shape the future through computing powered by advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning,” said Gaurav Sukhatme, director of the School of Advanced Computing. “The Sugars share our curiosity, vision and belief in the impact that technology can make for the better.”
“This is the right school, in the right university, at the right time,” Ron said. “USC has the focus, vision and leaders to make a huge global impact.”
You can power innovative teaching and impactful research at the USC School of Advanced Computing. Learn more about how your leadership gift can make a difference — and receive a 50% match from the Lord Foundation of California — by contacting Kaci Silverman, senior associate dean for advancement, at kaci.silverman@usc.edu.
Published on December 2nd, 2025
Last updated on December 2nd, 2025