As U.S. Air Force Colonel prepared to transition from 26 years of active duty to civilian life, he was advised that the transition would be a bit of a culture shock—he wouldn’t have a staff supporting him and would have to work with peers in a different way. During his last two years in the Air Force, he was assigned to the Edwards Air Force Base in Antelope Valley so he explored Southern California MBA programs.

Hoffman quickly landed on the Executive MBA program at UCLA Anderson to gain access to contemporaries from different industries. That experience—along with the skills he acquired from his military career—prepared him for the new culture he encountered at his dream company SpaceX, where he is now the senior director of govearnment sales. His current focus is on the national security space market and his responsibilities include strategy, business development and sales. "I lay out the longer term vision of where SpaceX is headed, like our new launch vehicle that we’re going to start flying next year…or our Mars vehicle, our Mars rocket and spaceship that Elon (Musk) unveiled at the end of September." Read more.

Chairman and CEO of Sempra Energy Debra Reed joined Dean Judy Olian for the first Dean’s Distinguished Speaker Series presentation of the academic year on November 16. One of Fortune magazine’s "Most Powerful Women" every year since 2011, Reed did not hesitate to address sensitive topics like crisis management of last year’s Porter Ranch leak and the impact of the current political climate on the ability to pursue business in the renewable energy space. Reed believes that innovation is inevitable and that "Renewables are hands-down the best solution in many places, like California, where wind and solar might be cost competitive with natural gas as well as appealing to rate payers and shareholders.” On the topic of leadership, she advised "The tone at the top should be focused on ethical behaviors. Executive leadership should drive change, make change a good thing for employees and customers." Read More.

USC may have won the rivalry football game but UCLA took the top prize at the 2016 National Association of Industrial and Office Properties SoCal Real Estate Challenge. Now in its 19th year, the NAIOP Challenge celebrates our crosstown rivalry and demonstrates the strength of the two schools’ respective real estate programs. In addition to receiving the coveted Silver Shovel, the winning team also boasts the honor of contributing a $5,000 award to Challenge for Charity (C4C) benefiting the Special Olympics.

This year's participants were asked to develop the highest and best use for redevelopment of a 5.07-acre parcel of land owned by the City of Inglewood. This land includes the new NFL stadium for the Los Angeles Rams, a casino, office development space, residential units, a 300-room hotel and park space. The winning UCLA team was comprised of UCLA Anderson second year MBA students Joseph M. Pfeiffer, Scotty Weber, Nora K. Collins and Daniel Q. Gates along with UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture student Alyssa Koehn '17. Their project proposal named Tribute aimed "to create a distinctive place for Inglewood," which will "deliver 41,000 square feet of light manufacturing in the form of "maker space"—an emerging movement of customer-facing production space—as well as 22,000 square feet of local restaurants and service retail and a 150-key lifestyle hotel." Read more.

Is the stock market too optimistic or too pessimistic about the coming Trump Presidency? Which sectors of the economy will benefit and which sectors will be hurt? How far will President Trump go in making good on promises on trade protection and immigration restriction?

Find out about these topics and more at our upcoming Economic Forecast next Tuesday, December 6 at the new UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center. Join leading faculty from the UCLA Anderson Forecast and professors from UCLA School of Law and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health for this forward looking conference. Register and use code AGSMALUM1216 to get a discounted alumni fee of $95.

Winter is coming! Combat the cold with a soft, new hoodie or a mug for your warm beverages. Show your Anderson pride at work with a UCLA Anderson license plate frame or notepad holder. Plus, as a small token of our appreciation, take advantage of a 20% discount from now until December 11. Visit the UCLA Store and apply code ANDF16 on the cart page.

The holiday season is filled with joy but can also be hectic and stressful. This December, consider taking a moment for yourself to join your UCLA Anderson family for some fun, inspiration, networking, and the opportunity to make an impact!

Alumni Career Services
12/1 | Webinar: Holiday Networking—How to Make a Lasting Impression

Domestic
12/1 | Los Angeles | Impact@Anderson: Meet the Funder—Eisner Foundation
12/1 | New York City | Holiday Party with Professor Cockrum
12/4 | Sherman Oaks | Sew for Good Holiday Networking
12/7 | San Diego | MBA Alumni Holiday Happy Hour
12/7 | Granada Hills | SFV Holiday Happy Hour
12/8 | San Francisco | Holiday Party
12/14 | San Francisco | AW Bay Area Holiday Season Volunteer Opportunity
12/20 | Marina Del Rey | Marina Del Rey Holiday Happy Hour

International
12/12 | Hong Kong | Hong Kong Welcomes Dean Judy D. Olian
12/14 | New Delhi | Alumni Dinner with Dean Judy D. Olian
12/15 | Mumbai | Alumni Dinner with Dean Judy D. Olian
12/19 | Tokyo | Tokyo Welcomes Dean Judy D. Olian

» View more upcoming events