The UC Davis Graduate School of Management has launched a School-wide diversity plan led by newly appointed Chief Diversity Officer Linda Oubre.

“We look forward to working with our partnering business schools on this program. It will bring talented students with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to California, and hopefully spark their interest in business management and encourage them to pursue an MBA.”

The addition of a chief diversity officer comes as the Graduate School of Management is partnering with the five other University of California business and management schools on the Summer Institute for Emerging Managers and Leaders (SIEML), unveiled at the Robinson Memorial in Pasadena today.

The summer institute, to take place annually at one of the six UC business schools, will provide selected first-year and second-year students from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) with an expenses-paid summer fellowship program designed to expose them to valuable educational and career-building opportunities. Wells Fargo and California Wellpoint are sponsors of the Summer Institute.

“Diversity is a core value of UC Davis and the Graduate School of Management,” said Steven Currall, dean of the UC Davis management school. “We look forward to working with our partnering business schools on this program. It will bring talented students with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to California, and hopefully spark their interest in business management and encourage them to pursue an MBA.”

New Chief Diversity Officer Linda Oubre

Linda Oubre has added the role of chief diversity officer, having joined the Graduate School of Management in February as executive director for corporate relations and business development. She previously served as Executive-in-Residence at the School. A graduate of UCLA and the Harvard Business School, Oubre brings more than 25 years of corporate and start-up experience with the Los Angeles Times, Walt Disney Co., BriteSmile and other ventures.

“As our chief diversity officer, Linda will advise me on all diversity matters,” Currall said. “She will work across our constituencies to develop and implement initiatives that reflect our commitment to achieving a diverse and outstanding student body, faculty and staff.”

“As the demographics of California change and the business world become more global, it is imperative that management schools continue to train leaders who can manage the complex and diverse communities that we serve,” Oubre said.

“We are committed to achieving diversity at all levels in all of our constituencies,” she added. “It is imperative to our mission to ‘prepare innovative leaders for global impact.’”

Aligned with the UC Davis Principles of Community, the Graduate School of Management has implemented several initiatives designed to strengthen and ensure the quality of research, teaching and public service related to diversity, equity and inclusion; extend pathways for access and success; and foster an engaging and healthy campus climate.

Specific diversity initiatives include:

• The establishment of a new Faculty Committee on Diversity. This committee will initially be focused on adopting the School’s first Statement on Diversity and on finding ways to ensure issues of diversity are a part of the School’s curriculum. The Faculty Committee will be chaired by Professor Kim Elsbach. Other members include Professors Brad Barber and Shannon Anderson, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs James Stevens, and Chief Diversity Officer and Executive Director, Corporate Relations Linda Oubre.
• Increasing the diversity pipeline for all academic programs through the implementation of recruitment and student retention programs designed to increase the pool of diverse applicants.
• Recruiting and selecting a diverse faculty and staff.
• Building awareness of the importance of equity, inclusion and diversity across the School’s community.
• Strengthening relationships with partners and external programs, including the National Black MBA Association, the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, the National Association of Asian MBAs and the Forté Foundation.

Learn more about diversity at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management: http://gsm.ucdavis.edu/diversity

For more information about SIEML, visit http://sieml.universityofcalifornia.edu

About the UC Davis Graduate School of Management

Dedicated to preparing innovative leaders for global impact, the UC Davis Graduate School of Management is distinguished by world-renowned faculty members, entrepreneurial students, a powerful alumni network and locations in Northern California’s economic and innovation hubs. The School is consistently ranked among the premier business schools in the United States and internationally. The School provides management education to 110 full-time MBA students at the UC Davis campus and more than 450 Working Professional MBA students in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. A Masters in Professional Accountancy program launches this fall.

Contacts

UC Davis Graduate School of Management
Tim Akin, 530-752-7362
tmakin@ucdavis.edu