Since our charter class graduated more than 25 years ago, alumni
from the UC Davis Graduate School of Management have been making
their presence known around the world.
Our graduates are CEOs, vice presidents, chief financial
officers, chief operating officers and entrepreneurs. Around the
globe, they have taken prominent roles as international business
leaders in a wide range of industries and organizations.
Graduate School of Management alumni are actively involved in
their communities, and they make time for mentoring, advising and
assisting current students and networking with fellow graduates.
Opening Doors to China
by Marianne Skoczek
Opening more doors to the world’s fastest-growing major economy, Dean Steven Currall toured China last June to meet with presidents and deans of the most highly regarded business schools, laying the groundwork for collaborations, joint ventures and exchange programs—and opportunities to expand UC Davis’ influence and network.
Help for Disabled Vets
Community Consulting Group Provides Road Map for The Pathway Home
by Professor Paul Griffin
Nestled among the world-renowned vineyards of the Napa Valley is The Pathway Home, an innovative therapeutic community for U.S. soldiers returning from the frontlines of Afghanistan and Iraq who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Man on a Mission
Alumnus L. Bryan Keeps Global Business Humming from 22,236 Miles Up
When Leonard Bryan drives past rows of houses with satellite dishes, he feels a touch of pride. He’s directly involved in beaming TV channels and high-speed broadband into homes.
Bryan ’03 is mission director for Palo Alto–based Space Systems/Loral (SS/L), the world’s leading provider of commercial satellites and spacecraft systems with cell phone companies, wireless Internet providers and TV networks as major clients.
Heather Brown Aims to Heal Health Care
The questions started for Heather Brown while she pursued her master’s degree in physical therapy at Washington University in St. Louis. She found herself asking how she could make a greater impact in the field.
“I was asking broader questions of how do we best treat a whole population of people with stroke as opposed to how do I treat this one patient who’s had a stroke?” says Brown, who will graduate in June from the Daytime MBA program. She’s considering opportunities in consulting firms, health systems and medical device companies.
Rob Loranger Goes the Distance
Software Consultant Helps Clients Accelerate Productivity and Innovation
It takes focus, commitment and endurance to train for and finish a marathon—the same qualities that help Rob Loranger excel at work and in the classroom.
Loranger started running in college as a way help stay in shape. He ran his first competitive race, a 10k, about nine years ago, and has steadily stepped up his training. At the Big Sur International Marathon in 2009, he finished four seconds under his goal of four hours. Over time running has evolved from a successful fitness strategy to teach Loranger some larger life lessons.
Nicole Pedro Puts Down Roots in Agribusiness Finance
On any given day, Nicole Pedro might tour a vineyard, cherry orchard or rice farm, analyze a loan for a walnut orchard or research the forest products industry. Since joining Prudential Agricultural Investments, Pedro has harvested first-hand knowledge of the unique and complex financial needs of West Coast growers.
Honored for Standout Accomplishments, Contributions
Cathinka Wahlstrom ’91 has forged an extraordinarily rich career in the financial capital of the world since earning her UC Davis MBA 20 years ago. Today she holds two senior positions at Accenture, the global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company.
As managing partner for the New York metro region and global client partner for one of Accenture’s largest clients, she has built deep client relationships among capital markets, stock exchanges and banking clients throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
Jill Abrams & Cathinka Wahlstrom
Jill Abrams ’03 earned her MBA, but in many respects she never really left the Graduate School of Management. For the past eight years, as a marketing program manager at Agilent Technologies, she has volunteered as the company’s campus manager for the GSM, cultivating a strong relationship between her alma mater and the high-tech, global scientific measurement firm.
Outstanding MBA Scholarship
Friends of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management have established several scholarships for MBA students who excel both inside and outside the classroom and show great potential in their future endeavors. We congratulate this year’s recipients:
Alumni Association Awards Fellowships
The Graduate School of Management’s Alumni Association (GSMAA) annually awards fellowships to one student from each of the School’s three MBA programs in recognition of their passionate and energetic leadership, community building and service to the School. Candidates are nominated by students, faculty and staff, and the awardees receive a cash gift that is applied toward the cost of their education. Established in 2004, the awards are funded by donations to the GSM Annual Fund.
Student Standouts Honored for Leadership, Scholarship & Service
The Graduate School of Management recognized its best and brightest at the Student Awards Ceremony and Afternoon Tea on January 30. Top academic performers, outstanding community leaders, and students honored for their leadership and career promise joined with the generous donors who invest in the School and its future business leaders.
Business with Buffett Students Meet Oracle of Omaha
About a month and a half before about 40,000 investors and shareholders descended on Omaha for the annual meeting of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., 20 UC Davis MBA students enjoyed a much more intimate meeting and luncheon with the Oracle of Omaha in his hometown on March 11.
Wise Companies Save for a Rainy Day
Marketing Science, 2011
Marketing managers and their companies are better served by spending less on building brand loyalty up front and maintaining a reserve for advertising during a post-crisis period. Further, ad spending after a crisis is more effective in building brand interest than before a crisis.
Consulting Center Benefits Brocade
Bay Area MBA Team Delivers Risk Assessment Toolkit
Looking for fresh ideas and perspectives on enterprise risk management, specifically around analyzing high-impact, low-probability risks, a global leader in computer networking equipment turned to the MBA Consulting Center for innovative recommendations.
Journey into the Future: Czech Republic & Hungary
What can be learned from countries that have travelled the rocky road from Soviet-style communism toward a market economy—in two short decades?
Seeking answers, last summer four Bay Area Working Professional MBA students visited the Czech Republic and Hungary with Wil Agatstein, executive director for the Center for Entrepreneurship. The School’s International Study Practicum includes 10 weeks of intensive classroom preparation and culminates in a trip.
A Passion for Mentoring Entrepreneurs
Ignite founder, professor and veteran venture capitalist Jack Gill shares many bonds with physician and former astronaut Bernard Harris. Both believe in the power of innovation and have invested wisely in new ideas. They have enjoyed diverse and successful careers in life science—and been honored with the prestigious Horatio Alger Association Award for Distinguished Americans.
Ignite Lights a Fire for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
The road from good idea to successful business can be golden—and fraught with potholes. For 16 entrepreneurial UC Davis MBAs who attended Ignite 2011 in early March, that route is now better lit, with opportunities and pitfalls more clearly marked.
An inspiring three-day immersion program for MBA and science/engineering students, Ignite is the brainchild of veteran venture capitalist Jack Gill, who founded a similar program, The Velocity Conference, at Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business in 2000.
ECO Catalytics’ High-Tech Ink Drives Fuel Cells Forward
UC Davis Team Takes Third in Walmart Better Living Business Plan Challenge
A team of UC Davis MBA students and campus researchers developing technology to lower the cost and improve the performance of fuel cells brought home third place, $5,000 in seed funding and valuable tips from executives who judged the 2011 Walmart Better Living Business Plan Challenge, which honors student entrepreneurship in environmental sustainability.
After winning the West Coast regional at UC Davis, the four-member ECO Catalytics team advanced to the finals held at Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., on April 21–22.
Innovation Hub: Matching UC Davis Research with Regional Economic Development
UC Davis is reviewing more than 40 ideas and concepts for an Innovation Hub that would better connect campus research with entrepreneurs, accelerate the transfer of discoveries into commercial products, and develop the local and regional economy—all strategic priorities for the Graduate School of Management and opportunities for MBA students.
Peer-to-Pier: How Innovative Companies and People Stay on Top
“Complacency is suicide.”
That’s the bottom line for Mario Alioto, senior vice president of revenue for San Francisco’s 2010 World Champion–winning Giants. Alioto leads the marketing at AT&T Park, the force behind a record-breaking sales strategy that has kept the Giants one of the top sponsorship-revenue-generating teams in Major League Baseball.