 Dear Friends of the School of Management,Hard to believe, but another academic year has come to a close. Just a few weeks ago, School of Management undergraduate and graduate students walked the stage at Cal Lutheran’s annual Commencement on our beautiful Thousand Oaks campus.
They worked tirelessly to reach this milestone, and for many, the experience was bittersweet. During their time at Cal Lutheran, the School of Management has become a home — a place where they found their tribe, discovered their calling, built skills that will stay with them for life. Now, they look ahead with excitement: to entry-level opportunities in the corporate or nonprofit worlds, to promotions at their current organizations, or to further study in graduate programs. Whatever comes next, we are proud of them and remain committed to supporting each one of them every step of the way.
This quarter’s Upward newsletter also gives me a chance to express my gratitude to all of you who provided their support over the last year. You made education for our students better and with your help, we raised more than $90,000 in just 24 hours during our annual Cal Lutheran Cares Day to support student-centered initiatives and activities, some of which are featured in this edition of Upward. Your generosity will help us to continue providing the best education that our students deserve. Speaking of which, although the summer months will bring a slightly slower pace on the events side, many of us will stay busy behind the scenes – learning from the last academic year and preparing for the next.
I look forward to seeing many of you again in the fall!
With very best regards,
Gerhard Apfelthaler, PhD
Dean, School of Management |
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| 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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AI in the Workplace: Insights and Inspiration from the 9th Annual Executive Talent Management Forum
On October 10, we held our 9th Annual Executive Talent Management Forum at the Lundring Events Center. This year’s theme was “AI in the Workplace: Navigating Challenges and Embracing Opportunities.” After inspiring keynote speeches by Vlad Vaiman (Professor, School of Management) and Aaron Anderson(President, Brandes Associates, Inc.), the audience engaged in a lively discussion with our panel of experts, which included Aaron Anderson, Chris Meissner(President, Meissner Corporation (USA)), Shafia Hayek (VP of HR & Admin Technology, PennyMac Loan Services), and Drew Powers (City Manager, The City of Thousand Oaks), moderated by Susie Lundeen-Schmuck (Chief People Officer, Allogene Therapeutics). While no magic bullet was discovered regarding the topic of AI, attendees left the forum feeling inspired and optimistic about the future of AI. |
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Fireside Insights: Chris Lytton of The Jim Henson Company Shares Secrets to Success
On November 5, we hosted our Fall Semester Fireside Chat, an invitation-only event series for student members of the School of Management Clubs and Organizations. Our industry guest this time was Chris Lytton, President and COO of the Jim Henson Company. The Jim Henson Company was originally founded by the legendary Jim Henson, who provided many of us with childhood entertainment from the iconic Muppets to the Fraggles. Most recently, the company created television shows such as Duff’s Happy Fun Bake Time for discovery+, Earth to Ned for Disney+, Fraggle Rock: Rock On! for Apple TV+, and the Emmy Award-winning Netflix Original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, along with Guillermo Del Toro’s Oscar-winning movie Pinocchio. Chris highlighted various stages of his career, discussed today’s career opportunities in entertainment, and readily answered our students’ questions. His top skill recommendation for young graduates aspiring to succeed in entertainment: GRIT! |
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Reimagining Fashion: Sustainable Style Takes Center Stage at Hub101
From November 19-21, Hub101 and the Dorfman Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship hosted “Sustainable Fashion Week.” The event included talks by Bennet Ray (Environmental Impact Specialist at Patagonia) and Joey Pham(Founder and CEO of Eorte), a styling workshop led by Charline Zeroual (Sustainable Wardrobe Stylist and Confidence Coach), a mending workshop with Monica Moran (whom she describes as a “creative beast”), and the culminating event, a sustainable fashion show at Hub101 featuring an inspiring talk by Chipper Bro Bell (entrepreneur, B-corp advocate, and 25-year veteran of Patagonia). Overall, Sustainable Fashion Week was an energizing and resounding success, almost entirely organized and managed by students, including Dorfman Scholar Elaine Vo. |
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Triple Triumph: CERF’s Matthew Fienup and Dan Hamilton Win Zillow Crystal Ball Award for Third Consecutive Year!
Matthew Fienup (Executive Director, Center for Economic Research and Forecasting – CERF) and Dan Hamilton (Director of Economics at CERF and Program Director of the MS in Quantitative Economics) have won the Zillow Crystal Ball Award for the most accurate forecasts of home price expectations, marking their third consecutive win! They have excelled among approximately 100 forecasting firms nationwide. The School of Management takes immense pride in our Center. Learn more about CERF. |
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Celebrating the Future: A Reception Honoring Dorfman Scholars and Their Inspiring Journeys
On October 23, the School of Management held a reception for the Dorfman Scholars. Benefactor Steve Dorfman and partner Carole Kieschnik met with Dorfman scholarship recipients Aiden Gillenwater (2024), Hope Gonzalez (2023), Dia Tuz Bojorquez (2023), Jaqueline Brandon (2022), Elsa Klubberud (2021), Elaine Vo (2021), and President John Nunes, VP for Advancement Regina Biddings-Muro, Gerhard Apfelthaler, and Mike Panesis. Inspiring stories were shared, impressive updates were provided, and sincere thanks were expressed! |
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Introducing the Latest Cohort of the Executive MBA in Austria Program
We recently launched the latest cohort of our Executive MBA (EMBA) program in Austria. Forty students from some of the largest Austrian companies and international subsidiaries in Austria, such as Accenture, AVL, Coca-Cola, Hilti, Infineon, KTM, Miba, Roche, Silhouette, Strabag, Swarovski, Umdasch, and Wuestenrot, have joined this program, which now boasts over 500 graduates. The photo features long-time Adjunct Professor Richard McAndrew alongside the 17 students in the Graz cohort. |
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Mastering Skills: A Successful Inaugural SOM Masterclasses During Homecoming Weekend
We listened, we heard, and we did! On Saturday, October 19, during Homecoming Weekend, we held our inaugural “SOM Masterclasses”. We often hear from our alumni that they would like to see more professional development opportunities offered by the School of Management. In three different sessions, we offered topics such as “Optimizing Corporate Financial Performance with AI” (Kyle McIntosh), “What’s New in Marketing” (Tracy Nickl), and “Organizational Trust and Talent Retention” (Vlad Vaiman). Each session had an audience of around 20 alumni – from very recent ones to those who have graduated longer ago. We even had one of our international alumni from Turkey in attendance! |
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Welcome Bill Burkley: A Proven Leader Joins the School of Management Advisory Council
We are excited to welcome William (Bill) Burkley to the School of Management Advisory Council. With extensive leadership experience in life sciences, medical devices, and software technology, Bill has a proven history of driving revenue growth and transforming sales teams. He has held prominent positions at Agilent Technologies, including Director of Global Inside Sales and Sales Enablement, and has helped revitalize businesses through innovative strategies and value-based selling. Bill’s achievements in sales development, digital growth, and market readiness, along with his impressive educational background, make him a valuable addition to the Advisory Council. Welcome aboard, Bill! |
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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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Inspiring change, one student at a time.
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