Maria and Dave Kaval express their dedication to campus as Cal Parents Board chairs
The legendary rivalry between UC Berkeley and Stanford University has reverberated through the Bay Area for more than a century. But for Stanford alumni Maria and Dave Kaval, the competition between the universities became a bit friendlier once their eldest daughter, Stella ’25, was accepted at Berkeley — a turn of events that ultimately led to the couple’s new roles as chairs of the Cal Parents Board.
“It felt great,” recalls Maria of Stella’s admission to Cal, enthusiastically citing the university’s internationally renowned academics in particular. “She was thrilled to study computer science at Berkeley, and we were thrilled for her.”
For the Kavals, who live on the Peninsula not far from their alma mater, Stella’s arrival at Berkeley gave them the chance to learn all about the university across the bay. Maria and Dave lead busy lives — she is an engineering lead at Meta (formerly Facebook), and he serves as president of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics — but familiarizing themselves with Stella’s academic home quickly became a priority for them.
That’s where joining the Cal Parents Board came in handy. “Even though Stella was no longer living under our roof, the board allowed us to stay connected to the school and our daughter's experience,” Dave says. “Through our involvement in the board, we learned about many of the amazing educational and social aspects of the school — and we found ways to support new programs to enhance the experience of our daughter and other students.”
As board members, Maria and Dave have enjoyed getting to connect with fellow parents — and students — at a wide range of gatherings. In particular, they enjoyed hosting an event at an Oakland A’s game for the Pre-Engineering Program (PREP), a three-week summer offering geared to incoming Berkeley Engineering students. Soon after, the Kavals visited campus to hear the students’ innovative final program presentations. “Being part of the Cal Parents Board has given us so many ‘pinch me’ moments that demonstrate how special Berkeley is as an educational community,” Maria says.
In addition to donating their time to the Cal Parents Board, the Kavals also have provided generous financial support to the campus, most notably to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the College of Engineering. Through their giving, Maria and Dave hope to help ensure that educational opportunities are available to all deserving students, regardless of financial resources, and in particular help support students who have been historically underrepresented in engineering fields.
“Education has always been at the center of our personal giving,” says Dave. “We both know the impact that education has had on our families and our personal development. We have been so impressed with how Berkeley is able to educate students at scale, and we want to support that mission with our philanthropy.”
And now, at the start of their two-year term as board chairs, they are in a unique position to grow the board’s impact and help inspire other parents along the way. “We need more motivated parents to get involved,” Maria says, “and participate both financially and with their time.”
For the Kavals, participating as a family in Cal cheers at the annual Big Game football matchup against Stanford is another story — if a fun one.
“We are a house divided!” Dave jokes. “But with one daughter at Cal and the other at Stanford, we are enjoying the huge rivalry.”
To learn more about the Cal Parents Board, contact Mary Kelley, director of parent and family philanthropy, at marykelley@berkeley.edu.