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| Welcome HCEMBA Graduates! |
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Learn about the lifetime benefits available to you - Login NOW to the alumni website and set-up your lifetime email forwarding!
> Computing Timeline & To Do List
> Alumni Network Brochure
> Read 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! join forces for speed networking across the USA this fall! |
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| Register Now for the following dates/locations: |
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| 1. |
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 |
| San Francisco, California |
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Location:
The City Club of San Francisco
155 Sansome, 10th floor,
San Francisco, CA 94104
Phone: 415.362.2480
> Click here to Register |
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| 2. |
Thursday, September 24th, 2009 |
| Dallas, Texas |
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Location:
Tower Club
1601 Elm Street, 48th Floor
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 220-0403
> Click here to Register |
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| 3. |
Thursday, September 24th, 2009 |
| Seattle, Washington |
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Location:
Columbia Tower Club
Columbia Center
701 5th Avenue, Suite 7600
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 622-2010
> Click here to Register |
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| 4. |
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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| 5. |
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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| Angels Game Tailgate Party - Bring Family and Friends |
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Calling All Baseball Fans!
Join your fellow Alumni and their families for the pregame tailgate luncheon at 11 am - followed by the Angels vs. Chicago White Sox game at 12:35 pm
> Register Now
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| UCI CAMPUS Annual Phone Campaign through October |
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 We want to make you aware of a campus level support campaign that the UCI Office of Annual Giving conducts each year, August through October. You may have already received a phone call from a UC Irvine student; calls are placed to all UC Irvine alumni seeking support for campus-wide initiatives under the leadership of UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake. All proceeds from this campaign will be directed to the University in general and will not be designated to the Merage School.
As you know, your alumni support is also key to the ongoing growth and reputation of UC Irvine and the Merage School. We truly appreciate your continued support of the Merage Annual Fund, and we couldn’t have achieved such a successful year without generous contributions from our alumni. These gifts continue to come at a crucial moment in these difficult economic times, and we sincerely thank you for helping to ensure that we stay on the cutting edge among our peer institutions.
Please note that these are two separate initiatives for the University. If you have any questions regarding this please feel free to contact the Merage School associate director of development, Elizabeth Dahl, at dahle@uci.edu or 949.824.3066. |
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| New Career Management Tools Coming Online Soon |
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 The MBA Career Center is putting the final touches on new web software to debut within the next 60 days that promises alumni greater advantages:
- Set up a job search agent so new job postings that meet your criteria are emailed to you as they are posted.
- Post your resume and look for jobs within the same system.
- Access MBA job postings around the world through MBA Focus’ Global Network where you’ll find additional senior level opportunities.
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This new system features sophisticated programming that is accessible only after you log in to the Alumni Network website. Then, for those who have already posted a resume in the “old” system, you’ll use that that same login and password to enter the new “MBA Career Catalyst System” (CCS). Your resume will already be moved over. You can change that login and password once you have entered. For those without a resume posted, you’ll be able to create your own login and password. You can create the same ones as your Alumni Network, or you can create a special one just for the CCS.
For those who have participated in the Recruiter database (those seeking to hire an MBA), you will be asked to create a password, but rest assured your recent job posts will be ported over to the new system. The current website will continue to allow recruiters to post jobs and search the resume database.
Says Tom Kozicki, Executive Director of the MBA Career Center, “We are very excited about this new system and its best practice use among top MBA schools. Alumni will find greater ease of use and experience greater efficiencies in their job searches, whether they are looking for new opportunities or offering them.” Watch for announcements when the new system comes online. |
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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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| Chicago Alumni Gathering |
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Representing the Midwestern branch of the Merage School Alumni Network - Cheryl Travaglianti (FEMBA 2008) and Sam Sachdev (FEMBA 2006) were joined by fellow alumni at the Rivers Restaurant on Wednesday, August 12th. The group enjoyed recounting favorite memories from their business school days – and look forward to future gatherings in the Chicago area. Chicago area Merage alumni are encouraged to contact Cheryl or Sam if interested in participating in the next get-together!
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| Alumni Spotlight |
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 Jon Masciana (FEMBA 2006) credits his experiences at the Merage School for allowing him to follow his professional passion of being in a strategic leadership role in the digital marketing area in his new position at UC Riverside.
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 alumnus Jon Masciana (FEMBA 2006) in this month’s edition of your Alumni eNewsletter.
| Name: |
Jon Masciana |
| Biographical Information: |
Southern California native - born in Torrance, attended high school at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. Father owns a wine business, Mother attended Stanford and is now an accountant. Grandfather attended but did not finish Stanford’s Graduate School of Business for family reasons. |
| Undergrad: |
University of California, San Diego, 1997 Cum Laude. Major in Cognitive Science, Minors in Theatre, Mathematics, and Management Science. |
| Married: |
Since 2000 to Alexis Masciana, M.D. |
| Kids: |
One child, Sophia Masciana |
- What are some of your fondest memories as a FEMBA student?
I enjoyed the faculty at Merage the most. Professor Peter Navarro was inspirational. Tom Buchmueller, Richard McKenzie, Leonard Lane, and Imran Currim are outstanding instructors and I felt the quality of the faculty and curriculum at Merage is one of the fondest memories I have of the school. I still integrate the concepts I learned from strategy, marketing, and economics, into my professional career every day.
I also enjoyed the intense teamwork environment at Merage. My team (Group 10) did very well in the program and we enjoyed competing with the other groups in our section on group projects & assignments (FEMBA Class of 2006, Section C.) We didn’t bond as a group immediately, however. It took a few months for us to figure out how to be effective as a team and how our individual strengths could be best utilized. Eventually, we built up trust with each other and the quality of our work improved tremendously. Once we started receiving very high grades for our work, it helped to lift our confidence in the program as a cohesive unit and cemented our commitment to doing well in the program.
The teamwork learning experience from the FEMBA program has helped each member of our team progress in our professional career, and we also became better managers because of our experience.
- How did you choose your career path?
In college, I was fascinated with website development as it was a burgeoning field. The interest in technology, plus my passion for music, led me to work in the music business for several years in the “new media” department at Warner Bros. Records. I enjoyed working on websites for popular artists, but I felt that I needed more education in order to progress further. I joined the FEMBA program at UC Irvine and transitioned into the education industry. I worked for a consulting company, led by an adjunct faculty member, where I was able to teach Operations and Supply Chain Management to a Warner Bros. office in Canada. This experience bridged the gap between my cognitive science/web development experience in the music industry and the MBA. I joined the FEMBA program as their Associate Director of Admissions, shortly after graduation.
- How has earning your MBA at the Merage School helped you in your business?
Earning my MBA at the Merage School has helped me tremendously. I feel that it has opened many doors for me, personally and professionally, and it has also provided me with unique career opportunities. It has also provided me with the confidence to lead teams and the abilities to motivate, and manage people with different work styles.
The MBA from Merge was critical in transitioning my career path into education.
- Can you describe your company UC Riverside and your role as Director, Digital Communications?
I began my new position as Director, Digital Communications, at UC Riverside on August 17th where I will lead the digital media and marketing efforts for the University. UC Riverside is one of the 10 UC Campuses and is well-known for its diverse student population and renowned faculty. The position will allow me to be in a strategic leadership role in the digital marketing area, a professional passion ever since my days at Warner Bros. My team will provide website development and oversight to social media efforts for the UC Riverside main site, as well as most of the colleges and graduate schools at the university.
- What particular skills do you think are critical for succeeding in the business world?
I think there are several critical skills that managers and executives need to have in order to succeed.
First, managers must understand the business cycle, and use forecasting techniques to help their company mitigate systemic shocks. Managers must also understand where their company/organization falls within their industry and take action to safeguard their competitive advantages. It was alarming to me, and many others, that so many companies were blindsided by the 2008 financial crisis and recession. Macroeconomics is an important subject area to follow for all professionals, managers, and executives in any industry.
Speaking personally, I feel that being an effective manager requires adeptness at “soft skills.” Being able to effectively motivate your team and clearly articulate your thoughts into action items is an essential component for success. You also must be able to gain and command the respect of your subordinates, as well as your peer counterparts within your organization.
Finally, I think a critical component for success is the ability to ‘do real work.’ Many senior managers get into the upper ranks and “lose touch” with the front line staff members because they don’t do the frontline work that they used to. While their time is likely best spent managing teams and navigating their company through higher-level challenges, they should take the time to understand the work that is currently being done at the lower levels of their organization. If they are able to ‘roll up their sleeves’ and do some of this work themselves, I believe it pays triple fold. First, they gain the respect of their subordinates, second they keep their skills active, and third, they can help their organization by using their analytic/MBA skills to rooting out inefficiencies.
- What are some of your hobbies and extracurricular activities that you enjoy?
I have always enjoyed collecting music. I used to DJ and still own several thousand vinyl LPs and CDs. Many of my classmates and current students at Merage have helped me keep this hobby alive as we try to arrange ‘80s music’ karaoke events for the FEMBA program. I also still have 80s parties for my classmates at our house. My wife and I enjoy spending time with our little girl Sophia, eating at our favorite restaurants, and exercising regularly.
- How do you stay involved with the Merage School and your local community?
I have stayed very involved with Merage as the Director of Admissions for FEMBA, and plan to continue attending all of the major Merage events as an alumnus. Merage has opened many doors for me and my experience has allowed me to transition my career path into education, which I have found personally and professionally rewarding. I plan to stay very active with the community and give back to recent Merage MBA alumni grads in whatever way I can.
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| Alumni Class Notes |
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 Jennifer Wolf, ’04, and Rashad Moumneh, ’04, tied the knot in Culver City, California on July 10, 2009. The happy couple currently reside in Costa Mesa.
1984
Jill Jacobs Forbath, ’84, announces that her daughter, Tracy Diana Forbath, will graduate from UCLA with a major in Philosophy in June of 2010. She will be taking the LSAT and plans on attending law school, maybe even at UC Irvine!
1975
Mickey Novak, ’75, is now retired and living in Costa Rica with his wife, Jody, and 5 year old son Caleb. He sold his business in 1999 and is enjoying life.
1978
Daniel Appleton, ’78, Captain US Navy (Ret). Formerly Associate Director of UC Public Policy Research Organization (a predecessor to Merage) under Director Ken Kraemer. Today, Daniel is continuing independent research to help people in US Navy ships perform expertly under extreme conditions.
1981
Christopher Blank, ’81, continues to practice law in the areas of business litigation and business bankruptcy. He just returned from the Family Nature Summit which was held at Lake George, New York, and is looking forward to the next gathering at the Granlibakken Resort in Lake Tahoe. He is a founding member, and has served as President of Family Summits, Inc., since 2006. Learn more at www.familysummits.org.
Christopher Lawson, ’81, recently released his new book, "Snappy Interviews: 100 Questions to Ask Oracle DBAs." Chris is currently a performance consultant at Wells Fargo Bank, San Francisco.
> Read about more classmates |
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