New Members Bolster Board

By Nicole St.Pierre

Susan Dedmon Casden, an Asian studies philanthropist, and Alicia W. Smotherman, a doctor, researcher and entrepreneur, have been elected to the USC College Board of Councilors. Their professional expertise will help support the College’s focus on Pacific Rim studies and life sciences research—two of the university’s top priorities.

Casden, whose husband, Alan, serves on the USC Board of Trustees, has been instrumental in supporting students who study Asian culture. While living in Hong Kong for 16 years, her appreciation for Southeast Asian arts and culture deepened. As a founding member of the Friends Committee of the Asian Culture, she helped 150 young Asian artisans secure grants to study in the United States. The busy mother of five later established the Chinese International School in Hong Kong, an institution known for sending its graduates to the best American and British schools.

Today a resident of Beverly Hills, Calif., Casden works extensively with medical service organizations that provide corrective surgery for individuals with cleft lips and palates in more than 20 developing counties.

Smotherman, whose daughter Leslie graduated from USC in 2002, resides in Arlington, Texas, with her husband, Thad Alan. Together they own several health-care businesses—including the Neighborhood Doctor, which has more than 90 employees—as well as several medical clinics and labs, a physical therapy clinic and the Arlington Medical Institute, which graduates more than 150 students a year from its eight-month program.

In academic circles, Smotherman is best known for her work in the study and treatment of 13th-generation hemochromatosis patients. Her current research involves fourth-generation DNA testing and pedigree studies.