MBA Alumna Venita Sivamani Honored with Rising Star Award
Entrepreneur acknowledged for her leadership in holistic medicine and innovation
By Sarah Colwell
The founder of an innovative, medical education company who is dedicated to entrepreneurship and impacting positive change is the recipient of the 2021-22 Rising Star Award from the Graduate School of Management’s Alumni Association.
Venita Sivamani BS 07, MBA 15, a two-time UC Davis alumna and the CEO and founder of LearnSkin, accepted the award at the 18th annual Peer-to-Pier event in San Francisco.
The Rising Star Award honors a recipient who has contributed to their profession or to the Graduate School of Management and larger UC Davis community during the early or mid-portion of their careers.
“Thank you University of California, Davis - Graduate School of Management selection committee and Dean Rao Unnava for starting 2022 off on such a sweet note!” Sivamani said.
“I am truly honored to have been selected as this year’s Rising Star alumna, which would not have been possible without the amazing support of my GSM faculty, classmates, mentors and team along the way. Go Ags!”
Sivamani’s company, LearnSkin, is an online medical education company that is supported by the world’s largest integrative dermatology team for online medical education. Founded in 2019, the company promotes the latest in scientific research and treatment options in dermatology for both Western and Eastern medicine to meet the growing demand for responsible, high-quality, evidence-based education that bridges conventional and complementary medical approaches.
“I aspire to develop and lead organizations that impact change. By expanding access to resources and educational opportunities, I hope to enable others to transform their lives and communities around them,” Sivamani posted on her LinkedIn page.
“I strive to mobilize new approaches that leverage technology, cross-collaboration, and social innovation to shift old paradigms and improve the way we live.”
Sivamani’s connection with UC Davis began in 2003 when she pursued her undergraduate degree in human development and worked as a student assistant. She worked for Teach for America for a couple of years before returning to UC Davis to work as associate director of business and management at UC Davis Extension, where she also took courses on leadership and management.
In 2013, Sivamani enrolled in UC Davis’ Full-Time MBA program with a concentration in organizational leadership and entrepreneurship. She served a number of leadership roles including president of the Women in Leadership Club and co-chair of a committee on the Chancellor’s Graduate and Professional Student Advisory Board that is focused on improving diversity and retention of underrepresented students among UC Davis graduate students..
Sivamani also studied abroad at the London Business School and was awarded the Stephen G. and Shelley A. Newberry Distinguished Fellowship for her leadership potential and long-term CEO or COO potential.
After earning her MBA in 2015, Sivamani served as founding co-chair of Million Women Mentors California where she helped oversee the statewide implementation of that national program dedicated to increasing the number of girls and women in STEM careers.
She co-founded Dermveda, a wellness technology company, before starting LearnSkin in 2019. She is a member of Vision Global Empowerment’s board of directors and a volunteer of Rotary Club of Point West.