Pasadena attorneys Stephen Acker and Richard McDonald have been elected to the board of trustees of the Pasadena Museum of History.
As the governing body of Pasadena Museum of History, the volunteer board of trustees acts collectively to guide the museum and further its mission to collect, preserve and share the rich history of Pasadena and the West San Gabriel Valley. Its individual members are among PMH’s most accomplished and active supporters.
Acker is a member of Acker & Whipple, a defense law firm in Los Angeles. Before joining his current firm, he was diplomatic secretary and Consular officer of the U.S. Department of State at the American Embassy in Buenos Aires (1986-1988) and in private practice in Pasadena (1975-1985). Acker is a past treasurer of the Pasadena Bar Association. He currently serves as chair of the Law Practice Management Committee of Defense Research Institute, is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has tried 62 cases to verdict in California courts. Acker re-joins the PMH board, having served from 2008-2013. Within the community, he has also been a member of the Pasadena City Council (1979-1983) and has served terms on the Pasadena Housing Advisory & Appeals Board; the Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena Airport Authority; Pasadena Design Commission; and the Pasadena Transportation Advisory Commission. A Pasadena native, Acker attended Pasadena city schools before earning degrees at UC Santa Barbara and the UC Hastings College of Law.
McDonald specializes in complex business litigation, land-use, real estate, environmental and administrative law. He has represented property owners, developers and neighborhood associations throughout Southern California. Local projects include the restoration of the Constance Hotel and the YWCA Julia Morgan Building, among others. As an experienced trial attorney, McDonald has successfully appeared as lead trial and appellate counsel on behalf of companies throughout the United States. He joined the Pasadena firm Carlson & Nicholas in 2014.
In the Pasadena community, McDonald has a longstanding record of participation and leadership. His numerous activities include serving on the board of the Pasadena Center Operating Co. (2013-present); South Lake Avenue Business District; city of Pasadena’s Planning Commission, Transportation Advisory Commission and Redistricting Task Force: WPRA Board; and the Flintridge Foundation Planning Committee, among many others. He is a graduate of Loyola Law School, earned a master’s degree in public administration from USC, and received a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. He also studied at Worcester College, Oxford University, England.
For more information, visit the museum’s website at pasadenahistory.org.
