Gary Lindblad
Assistant Dean and Director, Full-Time MBA Program

Originally from Northern California, Gary joined the Merage School in 2005 returning to California from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto where he was the Assistant Dean and Executive Director of MBA Programs. Prior to his move to Canada, Gary served as Assistant Dean and Director, MBA Programs at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota from 1998-2002, and from 1992-1998, he was the Associate Director of the Executive and Fully Employed MBA Programs at the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA.

Gary earned a BA in English and Education from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, and Masters and Doctor of Education degrees in Higher Education from UCLA. Gary’s doctoral dissertation researched innovations in the use of computing technology in business school education.  His current interests include following innovations in business education, the digitally-enabled music industry, and the influence social media has on all forms of education and the creative class.  You can follow Gary on Twitter @garylindblad.

Sarah Gill
Director of Recruitment and Admissions

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Sarah moved to Orange County, CA in 2004 to work as a Planning and Research Analyst for W. B. Doner Advertising working on accounts such as Mazda, PacSun, Black and Decker and UnitedHealthCare. Sarah left Doner in 2006 to join the Paul Merage School of Business to pursue her passion for higher education.

Sarah completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Southern California where she received her bachelor of arts in Communications. She is also a graduate of the Fully Employed MBA program The Paul Merage School of Business . You can follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahRGill.

Vanessa Marcin
Associate Director of Recruitment & Admissions

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Vanessa started her career in national politics working as a Press Assistant for Congressman Jerry Lewis, and as an Assistant Communications Director for the Senate Energy Committee. Prior to joining the Merage School, Vanessa worked as an Account Executive for social mobilization and marketing agency Different Drummer, where she developed publicity campaigns for a variety of documentary films.

Vanessa earned her Bachelor's in Political Science and Mass Communications at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a 2011 graduate of the Paul Merage School of Business Full-Time MBA program where she specialized in Human Resources and Organizational Behavior.

Elisa Lee
Assistant Director, Recruitment and Admissions

Born and raised in Southern California, Elisa started her career in the corporate world at Takeda San Diego working in the Human Resources department. Before joining the Paul Merage School of Business, Elisa worked at Metagenics, Inc. specializing in Recruitment and Talent Acquisition.

Elisa earned her Bachelor's in Communications at the University of California, San Diego.  Also, Elisa just recently graduated from the Fully Employed MBA program at The Paul Merage School of Business.  Follow Elisa on Twitter:  @Eeelisa_lee

Juliet Valdez
Coordinator, Recruitment & Admissions

Raised in Southern California, Juliet began her career in public affairs as an account coordinator for Schubert Flint Public Affairs. She provided assistance with media relations and a range of projects for accounts such as Ford, OCTA and Partnership for Prescription Assistance. Prior to joining UC Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business in 2011, Juliet worked at the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego, where she specialized in MBA Recruitment and Admissions, and Graduate Student Services.

Juliet completed her undergraduate education at California State University, Fullerton where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations.