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 1st Friday
Central
OC Luncheon |
| Date: Friday, October 2, 2009 |
Location: Karl Strauss Brewery
901A South Coast Drive
(Metro Point), Costa Mesa
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+ Click here to register |
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 North OC
Alumni Luncheon |
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 4th Friday South OC Luncheon |
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| Merageville Reunion: September 12, 2009 |
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UC Irvine’s Merage School alumni from classes ending in 4s and 9s (1969 to 2009) returned to campus and reunited with former classmates and the Merage School family at a festive party called Merageville. Dean Andy Policano welcomed the guests and was joined several Merage School professors including Imran Currim, Thomas Eppel, Robin Keller, Richard McKenzie, Lyman Porter, Judy Rosener, and Margarethe Wiersema. 
Lisa Locklear (MBA ’84) did a wonderful job as Merageville volunteer chair and expressed how she values her degree: "Much of the value you get from an MBA education is the network of peers and contacts you develop during your program. The Merage School is like an extended family that you grow with and come to rely upon throughout your career and your personal life for that matter." Lisa is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for North America at Ingram Micro. Lisa and her husband, Mark Locklear (also MBA ’84), met on the first day of the MBA program back in 1982 and have been together ever since. Lisa and Mark have two sons, Kevin and Matthew.
David Ochi (MBA ’04) served as "Memory Lane" chair, encouraging the guests to recount some of their favorite memories from their business school days. David is co-founder and partner in a company called Idea Labs LLC, an international management consulting company, which focuses on assisting early stage companies with strategic management guidance.
Mike Harrington (PhD 1973) inspired the guests by sharing some of his fondest memories from UCI during the years 1967 – 1972. Mike is Principal, Information Technology Economist for The Economic and Decision Analysis Center at The MITRE Corporation in McLean, Virginia. Visit the Reunion 2009 website to read more of Mike’s reflections from those early days.
This year’s reunion boasted an attendance gain of more that 50% over last year. More than 150 alumni and guests enjoyed the tropical atmosphere donning leis and their finest island resort ware. The patio outside the Merage School of Business was transformed by tiki huts, pineapples, and a coastal sunset backdrop while enjoying live Calypso music. The dazzling Jill Jacobs Forbath (MBA 1984) and Torin Finney were recognized for being the "best dressed" couple on-hand, demonstrating that even MBAs know how to have fun and get into the spirit of Merageville!
Alumni Director Maureen McAndrews recognized alumni that traveled the greatest distances to attend the reunion, including Mike Harrington (PhD 1973) from Virginia, Bob Moschorak (FEMBA 1994) from Chicago, and Catherine Zhou (FEMBA 2004) from China.
On Sunday, September 13, a number of Merage Alumni continued the celebration by attending the "Baseball Family Day" at Anaheim Stadium. The group enjoyed a pre-game “tailgate” barbecue (courtesy of everyone’s “favorite caterer” Johnny Mosham and his staff at Lettuce Cater to You), followed by the Angels’ victory over the Chicago White Sox 3 to 2.
The next Merage School multi-class reunion celebration is already being discussed for 2010. The next reunion will include the classes ending in 0 and 5 from 1970 to 2010.
If you are interested in joining the planning, please contact Maureen McAndrews at (949) 824 6465 or meragealum@merage.uci.edu.
> Click here to find out more about Reunion 2009 |
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| New Leader for North Orange County Alumni Network Luncheon! |
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Rob Henderson (EMBA 2007) will assume leadership of these bi-monthly luncheons. Steve Acterman (EMBA 1999) has been leading these luncheons for the past year, but now must devote more time to his new position as Director of IT and Infrastructure at Alliance Healthcare Services in Newport Beach.
Rob Henderson is CEO of Advanced Pacific Tank headquartered in Placentia. Advanced Pacific Tank is a small manufacturing firm that designs and manufactures a full line of rectangular, cylindrical, and specialty tanks used for diesel, oil, hydraulic fluids, antifreeze, and other light viscosity materials. Rob is an active member of the Merage School Alumni Network and Dean’s Leadership Circle. In his spare time, Rob enjoys SCUBA diving, yoga, cycling, photography, and spending time with his 10-year old son Luc.
Please join Rob for the next North OC Alumni Network Luncheon on Wednesday, October 14th.
> Click here to learn more and register |
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| UCI Real Estate Alumni Golf Tournament |
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
12 pm Shotgun Start
Tijeras Creek Golf Club, Rancho Santa Margarita
> Read more |
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| Attention San Francisco Bay Area Alumni! |
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The Merage School Alumni Network invites you to
join Professor Mort Pincus and fellow alumni
for this informal mixer (appetizers and beverages included)
Wednesday, November 4
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Cigar Bar and Grill
850 Montgomery Street, San Francisco
If you have questions or are interested in helping, please contact alumni representative Rob Keller (MBA 2002) at robkeller@gmail.com.
> Click here to learn more |
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| Speed Networking with Alums from
Top 50 B-Schools |
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The top business schools have joined together to offer their alumni an engaging evening to explore and build new relationships with other top business school alumni. Whether you are looking to build new business alliances, develop new pipelines, explore career opportunities, or for any business or career related agenda, this event offers a fantastic opportunity to meet graduates from the elite business school programs in the country!
Merage School Alumni Invited to Join Forces and Network with Other Alumni from the Top 50 Business Schools Across the Country this Fall! |
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| Register Now for the Seattle and Washington D.C. events: |
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| 1. |
Thursday, October 15th, 2009 |
| Seattle, Washington |
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Location:
Princeton Club of New York
15 West 43rd Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)
New York, NY 10036
212-596-1200
> Click here to Register |
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| 2. |
Thursday, October 22, 2009 |
| Washington D.C. |
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Location:
The City Club of Washington at Columbia Square
Columbia Square Location
555 13th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-347-0818
> Click here to Register |
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| Powerful New Career Management Tools NOW Available! |
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The Merage School MBA Career Center announces the release of new web software – the MBA Career Catalyst System (CCS) that promises alumni even greater advantages for both your job search and MBA recruitment needs.
You can:
- Search through job listings with a much more robust set of criteria
- Set up job search agents so new job postings meeting your criteria are emailed to you daily, weekly, monthly – whatever you designate
- Keep track of jobs you apply to online
- Post your resume for national – and international – recruiters to view
- Access MBA job postings around the world through MBA Focus’ Global Network
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This new system features sophisticated programming that is accessible only after you log in to the Alumni Network website. Then, if you had created an account in the “old” resume posting system within the past four years, you’ll use that same account login to enter the new CCS system. Your resume will already be moved over. You can change that login and password once you have entered if you wish.
For those without a resume posted, simply create a new account today; feel free to use the same login and password that you use for the Alumni Network website, or you can create a special one just for the CCS.
Please Note: Due to the sophisticated nature of the CCS database, it is NOT linked to your profile on the Alumni Network website. If you update your profile and contact information on one system, you must also do the same on the other site (yes, we have plans to fix this – thank you for your patience!).
For those who wish to recruit an MBA for your company, simply visit the MBA Career Center Recruitment CCS and follow the directions. It’s easy to post a job, review candidate resumes and track applicants.
If you have any questions, please email meragealum@merage.uci.edu. We always welcome your comments and suggestions to improve the system and interface. |
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| Alumni Spotlight |
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 The Merage School is dedicated to the principle that every graduate from our program has the potential to make a significant contribution both to their profession and to society.
We are pleased to spotlight Merage alum Livi Kerszenbaum, FEMBA 2006, in this month’s edition of your Alumni eNewsletter.
| Name: |
Livi Kerszenbaum |
| Undergrad: |
UC San Diego, BA Psychology, 1999 |
- What are some of your fondest memories as a Fully Employed MBA student?
The most insightful experience that I had at the Paul Merage School of Business was leading a team submission to the UCI Business Plan Competition. As an MBA student, the competition provided a wonderful forum which demanded that I integrate concepts and applications from across the multiple course functions (finance, marketing, strategy, etc). It provided a safe environment to hone my management/leadership skills working with business, engineering, and policy students, to delve into a new industry and sharpen the analysis skills taught by our faculty, and provided and real-life opportunity in front of the Venture Capitalists and Subject Experts to test my public speaking and presentation skills. My competition experience showed me how all of the pieces we learn in business school tie into each other.
- How did you choose your career path?
It has always been important for me to find a career where I was not only supporting myself but where I was also contributing positively to my community or the nation. I believe that commerce is a great and powerful article but that as guests here in the world we have a responsibility to protect our natural resources and co-exist with the natural environment. Therefore, I endeavor to choose a path that allows me to marry my professional experiences with my business skills and strategies to find a career that allows me to contribute back.
- How has earning your Fully Employed MBA at the Merage School helped you in your business?
My MBA education broadened my thought processes to be able to better understand how the functions in an organization interact successfully. In addition, I have been able to focus on more finite details that must be attended to by all levels of corporate management on a daily basis using various lenses (financial, marketing, strategy). I feel more competent speaking with other executives on a higher strategy level and then utilizing that knowledge to implement appropriate policy, procedures, and incentives that help support the company’s mission.
- an you describe your company Liebman & Associates, and your role as Chief of Staff?
Liebman & Associates
For more than a decade, Liebman & Associates (L&A) has been exclusively focused on clean energy and environmental technology advocacy. Our clients range from Fortune 10 companies to small entrepreneurial businesses. With L&A's clean technology, government, and Department of Energy expertise, our clients have undertaken some of the nation's largest and most provocative clean energy and environmental infrastructure projects across the utility, industrial, residential/commercial building, telecommunications and transportation sectors. L&A has supported a broad development portfolio of green technologies across the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate change, alternative fuels and vehicles, electricity reliability and power systems.
L&A addresses energy and environmental challenges and provides elegant solutions. Energy efficiency must be a central component to every energy strategy as it addresses energy security by reducing fuel and power consumption and enhances economic performance by reducing operating costs. Energy efficiency has saved consumers and businesses billions of dollars in the past three decades, and new technologies and best practices are being introduced that will enable more productive use of the energy consumed by buildings and industry.
Most recently, the American Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA) drove the Obama Administration's top energy priorities and L&A played an integral part in shaping business to business relationships and project proposals centered around objectives which meet or exceed our Nation’s efforts to become energy secure, environmentally sound, and scientifically progressive.
Chief of Staff
As Chief of Staff, I have multiple functions in the organization. In addition to being at the right hand of the President of L&A, I work to coordinate the organization’s advocacy, technical, and management functions. I participate in L&A’s business development efforts. As part of the ongoing client and project management, I have responsibility for State and Federal Government project development and advocacy, economic analysis, and strategic planning relating to climate change and clean energy mandates.
- What particular skills do you think are critical for succeeding in the business world?
- Flexibility and the ability to reprioritize what you are working on in an instant.
- The ability to swiftly learn and integrate that new knowledge into your work.
- Be aware of the environment and sense the intention of those you are working with. Understanding people will always benefit the strategy you take.
- Network. Every job I have had was found via personal introductions.
- What are some of your hobbies and extracurricular activities that you enjoy?
Running, rowing, reading, eating great food, and enjoying the metropolitan environment and culture that DC offers. There is a life pulse here unlike any I have experienced. It is truly where the Nation’s decisions are being made and that energy is palpable around the clock. I enjoy expanding my knowledge base by attending lectures and events around town ranging from policy discussions about emerging and persistent infectious diseases to live music concerts at the various Embassies to festivals on the Mall.
- Is philanthropy important to you? If so, why?
Yes it is very important to me. Philanthropy is a major source of income for fine arts and performing arts, religious and humanitarian causes as well as educational institutions. As funding is cut to our schools and art programs the Nation’s population loses an entire layer of understanding, creativity, imagination, and depth. I always had the opportunities to integrate art and sport into my life and have an affinity for them, therefore, I support artists and programs that value imaginative skills and awareness that can be nurtured and applied.
- How do you stay involved with the Merage School and your local community?
Unfortunately, there is not a DC direct avenue to stay connected to the Merage School, however, I am excited by the prospect of a DC UCI Merage Alumni group and would be delighted to participate in one. I do stay connected to the UC entity through local UCDC events.
Response to Livi and All Merage Alumni Located Across the USA and Abroad: The Merage Alumni Network encourages all alumni to initiate Merage Alumni gatherings in their regions. We welcome you to contact Director of Development Maureen McAndrews and she can assist you in connecting with alumni in your city.
Merage Alumni Relations Office: meragealum@merage.uci.edu or (949) 824-7167. |
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| Alumni Class Notes |
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 Brian Rowe MBA, ‘99 and his wife Deborah welcomed new daughter Anika Elizabeth into the world on August 21. “She is contemplative & beautiful in every way!” says Dad. Brian spent the last three weeks getting fully wound around her pinky while spending time with their 2 1/2 year old, Zeke, to make sure he knows he is still loved despite the new intruder - who alas, he has conceded, is here to stay.
Dad also formed a private equity company, HedgeRowe Asset Management LLC, and is in search of $30 million capital to acquire his past employer's portfolio of distressed real estate assets. Barring a big win on Lotto (or helpful, well-connected alumni), he is also prudently looking for other fund/portfolio management work to put his new CFA designation to good use.
2006
Edwin Ro FEMBA, ‘06, Asian Professional Exchange: I have recently joined, as a member, APEX (Asian Professional Exchange), which is a a non-profit, non-partisan community-based organization with over 10,000 registered members in the Los Angeles and Orange County area. We will be hosting a career fair on October 10, 2009 in Downtown Los Angeles.
More details here: http://2009cs.apex.org/
1996
In Memoriam
Jim Brown EMBA, ‘96, Passed away while hiking in Denali National Park on September 9, 2009.
1997
Jeff Herrera, MBA, ‘97, VP, Integrated Marketing: Heading up all marketing and advertising for Western Union based out of Denver, CO.
> Read about more classmates |
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