Alumni spotlight: Rochelle Gores Fredston

Rochelle Gores Fredston (B.S. ‘05, Textile and Apparel Studies), is a modern day multi-hyphenate, forging an inspiring and exciting path as a businesswoman, philanthropist and entrepreneur. She brings her background in fashion to most everything she touches and applies a business acumen to her daily philanthropic and business endeavors.

Gores Fredston began her career in New York where she was a field merchandiser overseeing visuals for 14 east coast stores. She continued her fashion career by opening ARCADE, a multi-line concept store featuring high-end designers that was located on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles from 2008 to 2012. Her reputation as a fashion influencer continues to grow with features in influential local and national media, including Harper’s Bazaar, Women’s Wear Daily, Vogue.com, C Magazine, New York Post, New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

As a philanthropist, Gores Fredston is the founder and president of Learning Lab Ventures (formerly PSLA), a non-profit focused on disrupting generational poverty through providing intensive after school education and enrichment programming for children ages 5 to 19 who are living well below the Federal Poverty Line. Learning Lab Ventures aims to enable high-achieving, underrepresented students to graduate from top colleges equipped with the degree, skills and experience they need to excel in the workforce and beyond. Read more about Learning Lab Venture's in this Forbes Magazine spotlight. 

Gores Fredston’s most notable fundraising effort is her annual winter gala, which over the past eight years has honored fashion heavyweights NET-A-PORTER, Carolina Herrera, Monique Lhuillier and Stella McCartney. Gores Fredston’s philanthropic efforts have raised over $17 million since 2008, helping to support over 300,000 disadvantaged youth and their families in Los Angeles.

In 2018, Gores Fredston was the inaugural recipient of the WMU College of Education and Human Development Outstanding Alumni Award.This award is one of the University's highest alumni awards and is given to alumni who bring distinction to their alma mater through professional achievements and who have enjoyed a high level of success in their careers.