In less than a week, the UCLA Anderson Alumni Network will be gathering to welcome the class of 2015 - the newest crop of Anderson alumni - to various cities all over the world. This annual Anderson tradition consists of events featuring industry experts, private tours, tailgates and even a vintage rail trip.

View the full list of Worldwide Welcome Week 2015 events. Regional highlights include:

Southern California - Orange County - October 6
The CA Lifestyle: Business Inspired by the Golden State

CPK, Oakley and Pacific Sunwear executives will share their experiences leading companies that have embraced the culture, creativity and philosophy of the Golden State.

Northern California - San Francisco - October 15
Stormy Weather: Navigating the Financial Markets

A panel including Erik Davidson ’88, Chief Investment Officer of Wells Fargo Private Bank and Professors of Finance Andrea Eisfeldt and Tony Bernardo will discuss the state of the markets and what individual investor opportunities exist.

Pacific Northwest - Seattle - October 13
The Future of Retail

Alumni from Amazon, Nordstrom and Starbucks will discuss where they see opportunities for growth related to specific categories, technology adoption and regional markets.

Midwest - Chicago - October 7
MillerCoors: Refreshing America

Pete Marino '02, Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer, will share how MillerCoors is moving the beer business forward and the opportunities that lie ahead.

East Coast - New York - October 8
Behind the Scenes: Kings County Distillery

Co-owner David Nichols '97 will take us through his entrepreneurial story, a tour of the distillery, the history of whiskey production and a tasting at New York's first operating whiskey distillery post prohibition.

International - Switzerland - October 13
Volkswagen and the Cost of Compliance

Mary LeBlanc '82, Global Head of Country IT at Novartis Pharma AG, will share her perspective on Volkswagen's recent challenges and discuss if leading in ethics and compliance can become a true competitive advantage.

We invite you to meet a few of the remarkable change agents from the class of 2015.

UCLA Anderson welcomed Dr. John Williams, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, as the keynote of the UCLA Anderson Forecast's third quarterly conference on September 28. Experiencing the seventh year of expansion, the U.S. saw consumer spending increase more than 3 percent, auto sales grow to 17 million, household debt dip and real incomes steadily grow. Despite his positive outlook for the economy, Williams did caution "with continued growth, it might be time to raise interest rates in order to prevent large imbalances from occurring." Read more...

» Read the Forecast Blog Series

Thad Levine '99, assistant GM of the Texas Rangers, addressed the Class of 2017 at the MBA student orientation on September 8 with an insightful presentation on "Building a Champion." Levine discussed how pivotal experiences at Coca Cola, UCLA Anderson and the Los Angeles Dodgers eventually led him to his current role at the Texas Rangers in 2006. He candidly shared insights and strategies that are integral to building a successful baseball team but also imparted wisdom on how the newly minted students can optimize their business school experience including advice on:

• “Play the Field” Be open-minded about your dreams. Open your horizons.
  
  
• “Opportunity Cost” Eat every slice of the MBA pie. Make your own slices.
  
  
• “The Anderson Inquisition” Ask now and later:
  1) what motivates you to lead
  2) what are your signature strengths and weaknesses
  3) what’s your why

» Watch Thad Levine’s MBA Orientation 2015 Keynote

UCLA Anderson, in partnership with Coach John Wooden's family, presents the John Wooden Global Leadership Award annually to a leader for exemplary leadership and service to the community. This year, the honor goes to Ursula Burns, Chairman and CEO of Xerox. Burns joined Xerox as an intern in 1980 and ascended to the role of CEO in 2009 where she spearheaded the $6.4 billion acquisition of Affiliated Computer Services. She was appointed by President Obama in 2009 to lead the White House national program on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). She has also provided leadership counsel to an array of organizations including M.I.T and the U.S. Olympic Committee. Learn more about 2015 JWGLA Recipient Ursula Burns.

Proceeds from every year's awards reception dinner funds $25,000 UCLA Anderson student fellowships. Meet this year's 2015 John Wooden Global Leadership Student Fellows:

Tiffany Cantrell (FEMBA ’16)
Director of Program Development, Dignity Health St. Mary Medical Center
“Some people maximize profit. I’d like to maximize good, to give people a better quality of life. And be in the black."

Christian Dunbar (EMBA ’16)
U.S. Navy Captain & Deputy Commander in the Naval Special Warfare Center
“When you get to be my age and you’ve been in the SEAL teams for twenty-something years...it’s about resourcefulness, it’s about working hard, it’s about a commitment to each other."

Virginia Tancioco (M.D./MBA ’16)
Co-founder Project Pregnancy
“Simple access to a quick examination and medicine just wasn’t there...I was inspired to do something more health-related because I realized that by improving the health of the community, we could make an even larger impact."

Dr. Rob Douk (GEMBA '16)
Founder of Behavioral Health Works & Hope Out Loud
"In my organization I have a lot of people with a lot of heart, a lot of character and chemistry. If their competence is lacking, I can change that."

Friday, November 20
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Korn Convocation Hall, UCLA Anderson

Presented by the Easton Technology Management Center and Center for MEMES, this one day interactive conference will bring together a cross section of industry experts and academic thought leaders who are shaping and defining the Big Data conversation. The conference will feature a conversation with CEO of AOL Networks Bob Lord and discuss how big data is unlocking customer insights, maximizing business impact, integrating into business decision making, and impacting storytelling. Plus, hear from panelists from a wide range of industries including companies like AIG, Disney, IBM, SAP, Toyota, etc. Learn more.