| California Lutheran University’s School of Management continues to provide a stimulating environment for our learners and the community around us, even in these unusual times. Today, we are once again happy to share a selection of exciting news, updates, and upcoming events with our communities in Southern California and beyond.
We encourage you to stay current on what’s going on at the School of Management by following our Showcase page on LinkedIn. |
|
 |
8th Annual Executive Talent Management Forum
The theme for this year’s event was “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Talent Management.” Nearly 100 executives, human resource practitioners, and talent management specialists from the region attended the event. The organizer, Vlad Vaiman, gave the introduction, followed by an inspiring keynote by Louis Williams, VP for Talent Acquisition at City of Hope. Later, a panel of experts, consisting of our own Professor Emeritus Paul Witman, Genevieve Findlay (CHRO, HRL Laboratories), Jeff Stepler (VP Talent Selection and Engagement, The Cheesecake Factory), and Louis Williams, discussed the general outlook on artificial intelligence and its applications. The audience was actively involved in the discussion. Watch the event here. |
|
 |
CERF Releases the 2023 U.S. Latino GDP Report and Hosts Event with Mexican Presidential Candidate
The 2023 U.S. Latino GDP Report by the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting (CERF) was released in September. The report was produced by CERF’s Executive Director, Dr. Matthew Fienup, and Director of Economics, Dr. Dan Hamilton, along with Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, and Dr. Paul Hsu, M.P.H. from UCLA’s Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture (CESLAC). The report has gained recognition across various channels, having been featured on ABC7, the front page of Ventura County Star, the Pacific Coast Business Times, and quoted at an Axios and Telemundo event in Los Angeles. Additionally, it was presented by the authors at UCLA, and on September 24, Matthew also presented at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Florida.
In an event hosted by Matthew Fienup on September 28, the leading Mexican Presidential Candidate and current Senator, Xóchitl Galvez, discussed the U.S. Latino GDP and the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico. The event shared previously unreleased information revealing that the combined economic output of Latinos living in the U.S. and Mexico is $4.4 trillion in 2021, making it the 4th largest GDP in the world. After the event, Xóchitl tweeted a quote from the report on her account. Further, on September 24, Matthew also presented at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Florida. |
|
 |
SOM Hosts C-level Executive Corporate Leaders Roundtable
On May 25, we had the pleasure of hosting the Corporate Leaders Roundtables event at Hub101 in Westlake Village. The event series brings together C-level executives from across the region. The event was attended by close to 100 senior leaders who listened to a panel consisting of 10-time Olympic Medalist Gary Hall, Jr., Vallarta Markets’ new CFO Joel Silva, Mission Produce CIO Joe Wallace, and Dantari CEO Dr. Richard Markus. The panelists were masterfully interviewed by CNBC’s Jane Wells. |
|
 |
Welcoming Our Three New Faculty Members
Annie Denq is a new Lecturer in Accounting. She has over ten years of management experience at Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the city of Los Angeles. She holds a Ph.D. in leadership studies specializing in nonprofit and philanthropic management from the University of San Diego. Her research focuses on social management and healthcare management, with an emphasis on data collection and analysis.
Geoffrey Plourde is our new Lecturer in Accounting and Program Director of the Accounting major. He has impressive qualifications, including multiple degrees in accounting, taxation, law, management, and business administration. Plourde is also a CPA and IRS Enrolled Agent and has written two books focused on accounting.
Setayesh Sattari is now an Associate Professor of Marketing at the School of Management. She has a BS in computer software engineering from Azad University of Tehran, Iran, and an MS in marketing and e-commerce and a PhD in industrial marketing. Her research focuses on the role of business in sustainable development. |
|
 |
Advisory Council Awards
On September 13th, the recipients of the School of Management Advisory Council Awards were celebrated. Carmina Bech-Segarra was awarded for teaching, John Garcia was awarded for research, and Mark Orlando was awarded for Service. The Chuck Maxey Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Paul Witman, and the inaugural staff award was given to Tiki Van Heest. The ceremony was followed by a reception that was attended by Provost Neilson, advisory council members Haider Alawami, Bob Bushnell, Primo Custodio, Tommie Joe, Andrew Kiefer, Jerry Knotts, and Sue Liu, as well as Dean’s Executive Council member Marc Rosenmayr. |
|
 |
Taste, Trends, and Technology in the Global Music Industry
We hosted an exciting webinar as part of our ForwardTogether series on September 20. Our guest speaker, Joe Hadley, a Cal Lutheran alumnus and the Global Head of Music Partnerships and Audience at Spotify. The discussion revolved around “Taste, Trends, and Technology in the Global Music Industry” and was moderated by Dean, Gerhard Apfelthaler. Joe shared his incredible career journey, which started from an unpaid internship at Warner Bros. and took him to Creative Artists Agency, where he worked with Beyonce and other artists, and finally to Spotify. The audience had the opportunity to ask questions during the conversation. You can find a recording of the webinar here. |
|
 |
Women in Business Club Meet with Prominent Decision-Makers in Sacramento
MBA Adjunct Professor Kelly Kimball, who is also a member of the Steve Dorfman Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Advisory Council, provided an incredible opportunity for the students in the Women in Business club. They had a chance to meet with prominent decision-makers in Sacramento. On August 27, they had dinner with State Senate Leader Pro Tem Toni Atkins and her spouse Jennifer LaSar. The following day, they had a series of meetings with the Assembly, Senate, State Treasurer Fiona Ma, and other key individuals. Later that day, they attended a reception with the California Women in Leadership caucus, which includes almost all the female Assembly members and senators in California. To keep up with the club, you can follow their Instagram account. |
|
 |
Students Attend the European Innovation Academy in Porto, Portugal
Over the summer, we sent a group of selected students from the School of Management to the Entrepreneurship boot camp offered by the European Innovation Academy (EIA) in Porto, Portugal. The students Kidus Adnew(Business/Finance), Ethan Craig (Business/I&E), Cheyenne Obrien(Business/I&E), Wako Wako (Computer Science w/ Business Minor), and Jeanine Zayyad (Business/Finance) spent three weeks deepening their knowledge of entrepreneurship and working together to create their startup. The program offers resources, connections, and mentoring to help students build successful startups in 10 or 15 days. The program is recognized globally and has formed partnerships with prestigious institutions such as Standford University, U.C. Berkeley, and Google — many thanks to Professor Carmina Bech Segarra for going with the students. |
|
 |
Summer Alumni Reunions
During this summer, we organized some alumni reunions. The Executive MBA (EMBA) in Austria 2023 celebrated its 2023 Alumni Reunion in June. The event was attended by approximately 100 alumni from the program, who gathered at a winery in the picturesque region of South Styria, also known as the “Austrian Tuscany.” The event was attended by Dean Gerhard Apfelthaler, adjunct professor Teri Thompson, EMBA in Austria partner Klaus Kersten, the Director of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (State of Styria), Karl-Heinz Dernoscheg, current students, as well as alumni of the program.
In August, the Master of Science in Quantitative Economics (MSQE) held its annual Alumni Reunion. The event was attended by around 40 guests, including alumni, faculty members, and current students in the program. Program Director Dan Hamilton and CERF (Center for Economic Research and Forecasting) Executive Director Matthew Fienup welcomed the attendees. |
|
 |
Welcoming New Dean Executive & Advisory Council Members
Dean’s Executive Council:
Brian Donahue is the VP of Finance at Dole Sunshine Company. Prior to joining Dole, he served as the CFO at Ember and held various Finance functions at Mattel, Inc. Brian is a founding member of F-Suite and holds a B.A. in Accounting and Finance from Washington State University.
Marc Rosenmayr is the CFO of Red Bull North America, with over 25 years of financial management experience across different industries in the US, Europe, and Asia Pacific. He was previously with Johnson Controls in the COO office, working on strategic finance projects. Marc is a board member of the American Beverage Association and holds an MS in Business Administration from Karl-Franzens-Universitaet in Graz, Austria. He is tri-lingual, married with three children, and an avid skier and mountain biker, having lived and worked in five countries.
SOM Advisory Council:
Andrea Brimmer ’23 (Villasenor), a recent alumna of Cal Lutheran, founded the highly active Women in Business Club during her junior year, was part of the cheerleading squad, a member of Delta Sigma Pi, and represented the university at the European Innovation Academy in Porto, Portugal in 2022. She also founded Hortitech, an AgTech startup, and negotiated a licensing deal with NASA during her senior year at CLU.
Corey Mazza is a Senior VP at UBS. He was also an Executive Director at JP Morgan and worked in Investment Management at Goldman Sachs. Before his finance career, Corey served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2008-2014, including deployment in Afghanistan. He holds a degree from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Texas, as well as an MS in Financial Planning from California Lutheran University.
Sireen Moriarty is a finance professional at Amgen, excelling in aiding the Development department’s forecasting, planning, and closing processes. They gained valuable insights through an internship at a biotech company during their college years at California Lutheran University. Sireen has saved the company $1 million in unforecast recoveries, played a pivotal role in implementing new options for BARDA contracts, and is committed to ensuring a seamless transition to new finance software.
Nick Sondgeroth ’15, a former undergraduate in Business Administration, graduated in 2015. He was active during his time in the program and has since worked for UBS and Wells Fargo Wealth Advisors. Nick is now the Managing Director for Investments and Senior Financial Advisor at Wells Fargo. |
|
School of Management Snapshot 2023
|
|
- Vlad Vaiman (Associate Dean, Graduate Studies) published “Talent Retention Strategies for Highly Skilled Migrants” (with Zikic, J., and Usanova, K.) in HR Magazine, the official organ of the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM).
- Paul Witman (Professor Emeritus) published “Church Administration and Finance Manual. Resources for Leading the Local Church (together with O. F. Crumroy, S. Kukawka, F. M. Witman).
- John Garcia‘s (Finance) article (together with Dunham, L, Grandstaff J, and Wei, S. “Do employees waive financial red flags through the Glassdoor” was accepted for publication in the Journal of Forensic Accounting Research.
|
|
| At the School of Management, we have many events lined up for the events leading up to graduation in May. Join us for a mixture of online, hybrid, or in-person events. We continue to provide great topics, speakers, and educational offerings to our greater School of Management community! |
|
- December 6 (5:00-7:00pm, Lundring Events Center) Sports Management SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Competition.
- December 13 (5:00 – 7:30 pm, Hub101) TechDiplomacy Talks: AI in the US, Europe, and Austria
- January 26-28 (Hub101): Global Game Jam. More information coming soon.
- December 13 (5:30 pm, The Stonehaus, Westlake Village): ACG 101 Holiday Party & Toy Drive
|
|
|
|
