Marion Anderson
Women@Anderson
Sofia Mandel (’24)
President, Women’s Business Connection
When I enrolled at Anderson, I joined the leadership of the Women’s Business Connection because of my strong belief in its mission to cultivate a network of influential and inclusive business leaders. This year, we’ve stepped up our awareness of what it means to be inclusive, partnering with the school’s other identity and professional groups to appeal to a wider audience by highlighting our members’ far-reaching cultural and professional perspectives and encouraging greater awareness of the issues affecting women worldwide.
President, Anderson Student Association
John Wooden Global Leadership Fellow
“A good leader empowers and creates more leaders. A good leader sets you up for success.”
FEMBA Council President
John Wooden Global Leadership Fellow
“I strive to become a servant and solutions-oriented leader.”
We Share Success
Meet the Entrepreneurs
What Would Any Parent Do?
UCLA Anderson alumna Jane Zhang’s (’20) otoscope makes telemedicine more accessible
Most Disruptive MBA Startups of 2023 Include This AI “Copilot”
Natalie Dranchuk’s (’23) Odyssey connects patients to social services
Hello Bello Co-Founder Connects the Dots to Her UCLA Anderson Network
¡Digame! How a First-Gen Afro-Latina Entrepreneur Launched Luna Magic
Shaira Frías’ (CERT ’23) makeup line is sold at Target, CVS and Walmart
Venture Accelerator at Anderson Expands Network of Industry Experts
Femtech Founder Secures $1.3 Million to Scale
The Sharks Must Love It
You Can Have Fun and Be Sober
Success Stories
UCLA Anderson Alumna Elected President of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission
Fascinated by Finance
Behind the Scenes of UCLA Anderson’s Velocity Women’s Leadership Summit
An Olympian Legacy That Keeps the People in Its Heart
UCLA Anderson Assistant Professor among NIHCM Research Grantees
Game On
UCLA Anderson’s Net Impact Achieves Gold Status
Los Angeles Mayor Taps the Talents of a UCLA Anderson Alumna
A U.S. Army Dentist Disproves Stereotypes
Former CPA Owes Her Career Pivot to Consortium
Seize the Data!
UCLA Anderson’s MFE Prepared Cryptocurrency Expert for a Capital Career
UCLA Anderson’s Connections to Tech Drew This International Talent
An Accessibility Expert Cultivates Allies for a More Inclusive Campus
Award-Winning Management Consultant Took a Chance on Kearney
Univsion’s Mission to Inform and Empower Communities
Friday, March 15, 2024
Velocity is a celebration of the power and impact of women. In 2024, current and future leaders of all backgrounds explore ideas for a more equitable future in business and society under the theme Empower. True to tradition, the summit will inspire our passionate and forward-thinking community to continue its learning, growth, leadership and empowerment through all stages of life and career.
Research Spotlight: Gender Bias
Conducting research is often solitary. Even the welcome opportunities for collaboration can be limited to fellow academics whose work falls within similar lines of interest. One of the great pleasures of serving as UCLA Anderson’s dean is that it’s afforded me the opportunity to widen my circle and develop important relationships with a multitude of strong and creative students. Among the standouts are women leading some of Anderson’s most ambitious initiatives.
The women in our alumni network include the CEOs of tech giants and innovative health care companies who continually redefine what accounts for possibility. The women on our Board of Advisors and my colleagues within Anderson’s faculty and administration are crucial to the school’s mission of education, research and service. Most important, the women in our student body reinvigorate and reenergize our scholastic and professional experience. I’m proud to serve as their colleague and ally.
— Tony Bernardo,
Dean and John E. Anderson Chair in Management
How the World Works
One of the Most Important Findings in Cancer Research
Featuring: Jennifer Kao, Assistant Professor of Strategy
Jennifer Kao shows that a high percentage of cancer studies don’t publicly share trial results, despite the federal disclosure requirements
You May Be Experiencing Time Poverty, A Root Cause of Unhappiness
Featuring: Cassie Mogilner Holmes, Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making at the UCLA Anderson School of Management
Cassie Holmes’ research and book reveal the methods to control your happiness
Here’s Why Conspiracy Theories Work So Darn Well
Featuring: Jennifer Whitson, Associate Professor of Management and Organizations
Jennifer Whitson discovered that believers feel they are losing control, so bad information can feel elegant and validating
What If We Could Measure How Good A Corporation Is for Society?
Featuring: Magali Delmas, Professor of Management; Faculty Director, Center for Impact
Magali Delmas’ new transparency study shows change is possible when companies truthfully report ESG metrics
In a Nation of Increasing Extreme Behavior, a Case for Moderation
Featuring: Aimee Drolet Rossi, Professor of Marketing; Marion Anderson Chair in Management
Aimee Drolet Rossi's discoveries indicate great potential for change
Marketers Connect Better With Consumers Using Headphones
Featuring: Alicea Lieberman, Assistant Professor of Marketing
Alicea Lieberman found that people feel the material more than content through speakers
The Way the FDA Approves Vaccines Should Be Different Now
Featuring: Fernanda Bravo, Assistant Professor of Decisions, Operations and Technology Management
As Fernanda Bravo tells Warren Olney, it should be risk versus reward.
Are You a Woman Applying for a Job? Choose Words Carefully
Featuring: Joyce C. He, Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations
Using masculine words for male-dominated positions will backfire, according to Joyce He
Women Consider Jobs Differently, and Employers Know It
Featuring: Melanie Wasserman, Assistant Professor of Economics
Warren Olney navigates hours, work/life balance and pay with Melanie Wasserman.
Be Open to an International Career
Singapore-based Savita Iyer (’05) has worked in finance at the Walt Disney company for 15 years. But she’s had so many opportunities in different roles worldwide that she doesn’t feel like she’ll ever get stuck doing the same thing for long. Now head of finance for Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution businesses across Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Iyer was commencement speaker for her FEMBA class at Anderson, and worked as a consultant in Sweden following graduation. She recommends that MBAs who want an international career be rigid in their goals but open to the path they take, and make it known early to employers that they’re seeking assignments overseas.
The Path to CFO
A Creative’s Career Pivot
A Problem-Solver Finds Unexpected Purpose in a Corporate Setting
Mastering the Craft
Being Open to New Opportunities
Don’t Be Afraid to Trust Your Gut
A Fitness Entrepreneur Strengthens Her Resolve
Curriculum Innovation
UCLA Optimists
Fellowship Spotlight
Nicole Gebriel (’23) Receives the Second Jenessa Shapiro Fellowship
The award commemorates a UCLA Anderson professor’s groundbreaking research on prejudice and stereotype threats
To honor and advance the legacy of Professor Jenessa Shapiro (1980–2018), the UCLA Anderson community established the Jenessa Shapiro Fellowship Fund, now totaling more than $200,000, through the generosity of students, faculty, staff and friends. The second Jenessa Shapiro Fellowship was presented in fall 2021 to Nicole Gebriel (’23). Like Professor Shapiro, Gebriel is a champion of inclusivity. She serves in leadership roles in the Black Business Students Association and AnderTech, and as a Riordan MBA Fellow. She is headed toward a consulting career with a focus on driving societal impact.
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