August 1, 2021

Western Regional EMBAC Conference

09:00 AM - 12:00 PM

UCI Paul Merage School of Business
4293 Pereira Drive Irvine, CA 92697

$$350

Register Now

The 2021 Western Regional EMBAC Conference will take place from Sunday, August 1 to Tuesday, August 3, 2021. The conference will be hosted by the University of California, Irvine beginning with a Sunday evening networking reception.

Please register for the event and the hotel separately. You will see the link to hotel registration when you click on the "Hotel" tab above.

The conference fee per participant is $350, which covers the venue, meals and transportation between hotel and conference venue.

 

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Program

Sunday, August 1, 2021

5:00 p.m.  Reception & Heavy Hors d'oeuvres- Merage School Porter Room

6:00 p.m.  Welcome

  • Jon KaplanAssistant Dean, MBA & Specialty Masters Programs, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine

6:15 p.m.  Keynote Conversation: Leadership in a Digitally Driven World

  • Gerardo Okhuysen, Senior Associate Dean, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine
  • Brad VierigAssociate Dean, University of Utah

 

Monday, August 2, 2021

8:00 a.m. Transportation from Hyatt Regency, Newport Beach to the Merage School

8:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m.  Continental Breakfast - Merage School Courtyard *Full Breakfast Available at the Hotel (Non-hosted)

9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.  Equity, Diversity and Inclusion:

What changes are schools making to increase the diversity of their EMBA cohort and addressing EDI in the student experience? (Inclusive course materials, create an inclusive program community, etc.)

10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.  Morning Refreshment Break

10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  The Next Generation of EMBA Marketing, Recruiting and Admissions

This session takes a look at the post-pandemic implications for how EMBA programs market and position themselves. We will also discuss what best practices “stay,” in the wake of COVID-19. As more universities and EMBA programs go “test optional” and the implications for diversity, the future of standardized testing in holistic admission is not certain. A lively discussion period is planned!

  • Randell Hernandez - Director of Admissions, Executive MBA, University of Washington, Michael G. Foster School of Business
  • Barbara Craft - Director of Admissions, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

12:00 p.m.-12:20 p.m.  Welcome by Dean Williamson

12:20 p.m.-1:00 p.m.  Lunch - Merage School Courtyard

1:30 p.m.  Transportation to UCI Applied Innovation at The Cove (5270 California Ave #100, Irvine, CA, 92617)

Afternoon at The Cove

2:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.  Introduction of The Cove

  • Matt Hanson - Director, New Ventures at UCI Beall Applied Innovation

2:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m.  Break

2:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m.  Charting a Course Forward: Creative Solutions for International Residentials

A renewed look towards EMBA study trips, including trends and a collaborative approach to designing and running safe and effective programs.

  • Nikkole Liesse, MBA - Executive Director, Lee Business School Office of Online & Executive Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  • Alexander Tapp - University Partner, Austral Education Group

3:45 p.m.  Refreshment Break

4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.  Western Region Member Program update

Open Forum modeled after our regional meetings at the annual conference. It is always so interesting to hear from each other the admissions updates, best practices and new programming as it relates to what is happening in our schools.

5:15 p.m.  Leave for Dinner - Pacific Edge Hotel, Laguna Beach

6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Wine Reception and Bungalow Networking hosted by BusinessCAS. Lobster Bake dinner at Pacific Edge Hotel.

 

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

8:00 a.m. Transportation from Hyatt Regency, Newport Beach to the Merage School

8:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast - Merage School Courtyard *Full Breakfast Available at the Hotel (Non-hosted)

9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Working Professional Education: The EMBA Lens

There is no perfect future view of working professional education. However, by looking through a lens which incorporates historic trends, the current state, and insights from the market, we can chart an informed path forward.

10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Morning Refreshment Break

10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. The Changing Face of EMBA Services: Executive Career Support

  • Sue Ann GonisExecutive Coach, Team Coach & Career Consultant, University of Michigan
  • Klara Farkas – Executive Coach, EMBA Career Services, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine
  • Cynthia Rude – Executive Director, Merage School Career Services, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine
  • Panel Moderator, Stephen Taylor – BusinessCAS, Research Director

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.  Open Forum with UC Leaders on All Things EMBA

Join us for an open forum where we will take a deeper dive into the topics dominating conversations during the conference. Tap into the experience of these three seasoned (yet still young) professionals, who combined have been working in the Graduate Management Education space for over 60 years.

  • Jon KaplanAssistant Dean, MBA & Specialty Masters Programs, The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine
  • Marjorie DeGracaExecutive Director, Admissions & Marketing, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley
  • Gonzalo Freixes – Associate Dean, UCLA Anderson School of Business

12:30 p.m.  Conference ends – Box lunches (by reservation only)

Hotel

Hyatt Regency Newport Beach
1107 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, California, 92660
See Maps & Directions

Click here to register for the hotel.

You will need to register for the hotel separately from registering for the event.

The hotel will honor reservations made by July 6, 2021 to get the group rate of $187 + tax + parking. Reservation requests for rooms within the Guest Room Block received after July 6, 2021will be based on availability at Hotel’s prevailing rates.

If you have any reservation related questions, please call (800) 233-1234 and reference Paul Merage hosting Western Regional Conference.

Hyatt Regency Newport Beach

Directions

Directions to Hyatt Regency Newport Beach:

  • For directions from John Wayne Airport, click here.
  • For directions from Los Angeles, click here.
  • For directions from San Diego, click here.

Directions to the Merage School

  • For directions from Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, click here.
  • For directions from Los Angeles, click here.
  • For directions from San Diego, click here.

 

Contact Us

Have questions?
Contact us at tadokora@uci.edu