| 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. |
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Business School on Rails
On December 8, we held our inaugural Business School on Rails field experience. About 40 graduate and undergraduate students attended, along with the Dean, faculty members John Garcia, Geoffrey Plourde, and Setayesh Sattari, and staff members Rosie Baker, Alejandra Castillo, and Pia Valtierra.We boarded a Metrolink train in Moorpark with Darren Kettle, the CEO of Metrolink. While on the train to Downtown Los Angeles, students learned about Metrolink and public transportation in Los Angeles and had a Q&A.
In Downtown LA, we visited the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where students toured the Walt Disney Concert Hall and met with its CFO, Glen Briffa. Then, they went to Bank of America for a meeting with Raul Anaya, the National President of Small Business Banking. Finally, after a short trip on Angels Flight and lunch at the Grand Central Market, the students went to Deloitte, where they toured the office and engaged in a conversation with senior partners Trent Brown and Shazia Moola. |
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Dorfman Incubator Grant Recipients
The School of Management’s Steve Dorfman Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is pleased to announce its 2023 recipients of the Dorfman Incubator Grants. This year, we awarded a total of $155,00 to five early-stage companies:
- HortiTech, a company founded by Cal Lutheran alumni Andrea Brimmer(Business Administration), Zaria Opara (Exercise Science), and Emma Sweeney (Business Administration, currently pursuing an MBA) that developed a water filter designed to remove ammonia from water, then be re-used as fertilizer.
- Wayside Energy, a company founded by alumnus James Werbe (Interdisciplinary Studies), makes a utility-scale battery storage chassis.
- Environmental Market Service, a company focusing on establishing groundwater exchanges to address water shortages, was founded by School of Management faculty member Matthew Fienup.
- PlotSign, founded by alumnus Zach Dunn (Marketing Communications), is currently piloting a system that makes it easier for commercial property renters and buyers to connect with brokers.
- InvoCure, a 2nd-time grant recipient founded by MBA alumnus Brian Malchow, who has developed a platform for ordering medical supplies.
Congratulations to all of them, and thanks to Steve Dorfman, and Mike Panesis who managed the selection committee and grant administration. |
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CERF Gives 2024 Annual Ventura County Economic Forecast
The CERF set a new record with over 300 guests attending our Center for Economic Research and Forecasting (CERF) for its 2024 Ventura County Economic Forecast at the Scherr Forum / Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. The event began with a welcome from Marni Brook, a Women’s Economic Ventures and CERF Board Member, and Gerhard Apfelthaler. David Bahnsen, a highly respected wealth fund manager, author, podcaster, and commentator on stations such as MSNBC, CNN, and Fox Business, delivered a very inspiring keynote. Our own Matthew Fienup, Executive Director of CERF, gave an outstanding presentation on the economic outlook for the U.S. and Ventura County, focusing on a few key messages: Economic growth will be slow, and a significant increase in housing supply will be essential for Ventura County. Thanks also go to Dan Hamilton for his excellent work on the forecasting models, and to Ashley Freas, Rosie Baker, and Hana Petr for doing a masterful job with the logistics and promotion of the event. |
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Students Awarded Steve Dorfman Scholarships
On October 24, the School of Management and University Advancement hosted a reception for the recipients of the Dorfman Scholarships. Scholarship recipients Elsa Klubberud, Elaine Vo, Jacqueline Brandon, and Eryn Hart were joined by the newest recipients Dia Tuz Bojorquez and Hope Gonzalez. The students met with donor Steve Dorfman and partner Carol Kiesnick, and spoke about their own backgrounds, experiences, and aspirations. Gerhard Apfelthaler, Mike Panesisand the University Advancement team consisting of VP Regina Biddings-Muroand Donna Baharouzi thanked Mr. Dorfman for his generosity that has made the scholarship program possible. |
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Hub101 Startup Weekend Success
From October 20-22, we held this year’s Techstars Startup Weekend at Hub101. On a Friday night, more than 60 participants got together to learn about the format of startup weekends, engage in several activities, and ultimately pitch and select ideas for the 54-hour event, leading up to final pitches to a panel of judges on Sunday night. Alejandra Castillo and international MBA student Mahsa Ghaderpour, with their team, won the “Best Overall” award with their “Senior Student Pair” concept, a platform designed to address challenges international students have in finding accommodation and, at the same, provide a solution to combat loneliness among senior citizens. |
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CESI Held Conference on Undocumented Workers
The Center for Economics of Social Issues hosted its 2nd annual Conference on Undocumented Workers on February 22nd. Over 150 community members gathered at the Lundring Events Center to listen to Jamshid Damooei’s latest research on the economic impact of undocumented workers in California. A panel of experts, including Álvaro de Regil Castilla (Executive Director, The Jus Semper Global Alliance), Dr. Thai V. Le (Research Scientist, USC Dornsife Equity Research Institute), Lindsay Toczylowski (Co-founder and Executive Director, Immigrant Defenders Law Center), and Apolonio “Polo” Morales (Deputy Director of Programs and Campaigns at the California Immigrant Policy Center), was moderated by Sabith Khan. An engaging discussion session with the participants followed the panel. You can find a copy of the research report here. |
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Fireside Chat with the CFO of RedBull North America
On November 8, we held our School of Management Fall Fireside Chat event. After a brief introduction and interview with Dean Gerhard Apfelthaler, guest Marc Rosenmayr, Chief Financial Officer of Red Bull North America had a lively exchange with the students. The Fireside Chat is a unique and exclusive opportunity for members of the School and Management club or association members to learn from top executives at major players in their respective industries. With more than 70 students in attendance, the Fall 2023 event was one of the largest ever held. |
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Producing Film and Television in a Time of Disruption in the Entertainment Business
On November 15, we hosted another event in our Forward Together webinar series. During the event, Dean Gerhard Apfelthaler had a conversation with Chris Lytton, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Jim Henson Company, a renowned TV and movie production company. They discussed the topic of “Producing Film and Television in a Time of Disruption in the Entertainment Business,” covering aspects such as the streaming business, screenwriter and actor strikes, artificial intelligence, geopolitics, and more. A recording of the webinar is available on our YouTube channel. |
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TechDiplomacyTalk: Artificial Intelligence in the US, Europe, and in Austria
On December 13, the School of Management hosted the event “TechDiplomacyTalk: Artificial Intelligence in the US, Europe, and in Austria” at Hub101. The event was attended by several dozen guests who engaged in a lively discussion with the panelists: Dr. Michael Postl (Consul General, Republic of Austria), AJ Abdallat (Founder and CEO, Beyond Limits), Jonathan Pearce (Attorney, SoCal IP), and John Garcia (Assistant Professor of Finance and Data Analytics). |
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State Treasurer Fiona Ma Speaks at Women in Business Club Event
On February 20, we collaborated with our Women in Business Club to host California State Treasurer Fiona Ma at Hub101. This invitation-only event provided select members of the club, faculty, and advisory council with the opportunity to learn about Ms. Ma’s career path and engage in a lively discussion about her significant responsibilities in state government. The picture shows (FLTR) Ran Lu-Andrews (Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies), Jeanine Zayyad, Andrea Brimmer, Fiona Ma, Jaida Burgon, Brissa Castaneda and Allison Pine. |
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School of Management PRME Magazine 2021-2023
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- Virginia Gean’s paper (together with Farrell Gean) “Raising Awareness of AI: What it is, What is is Not, Impact on Accounting Profession” was accepted for publication in the proceedings of The Finance, Economics, Management, IT, Marketing, MIS, Global Business, and Healthcare Management Research Conference.
- Sabith Khan (Program Director, MPPA) published “Faith and Philanthropy” in Kearns, K. & Wang, W. J. (2023), Encyclopedia of Nonprofit Management, Leadership, and Governance, Edgar Elgar.
- Mark Orlando’s (Program Director, Undergraduate Sports Management) article “Observation in Sport Management” was accepted for publication by the 2nd Edition of the Encyclopedia of Sport Management in the Elgar Encyclopedias in Business and Management series
- Sabith Khan (Program Director, MPPA) published the book chapter Soft Power Amidst a Crisis: Return Migration and India’s Soft Power in the Persian Gulf in Jungwon Yeo (2024, Eds), Return Migration and Crises in Non-Western Countries, Springer.
- Vlad Vaiman’s paper (with S. Kim and K. Sanders) “Strategic Human Resource Management in the Era of Environmental Disruptions” published in Human Resource Management (2022, Vol. 61, No. 3) – the number one international peer-review academic journal in the area of HRM and the only HRM related publication on the Financial Times list of top 50 best academic journals in the world (FT50) – has received enough downloads to rank within the top 10% of papers published.
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| 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! |
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