Black@Anderson
The importance of community and camaraderie cannot be overstated. We are better together.
When we assumed leadership of BBSA, we agreed to heighten the club’s involvement in admission-related programming, establish a strong, tightly knit Black community, and lean in to supportive cross-club and cross-campus collaborations. As we prepare for Black History Month, we’re excited to highlight the extraordinary value and contributions our community has made and will continue to make at Anderson and beyond. Reminded of the greatness and fun that come from fully embracing diversity, we hold strong to our 2024 theme of Better Together.
— Nkemdilim Chukwuma (’24) and Jeffrey Sullivan (’24), Co-Presidents, Black Business Students Association
One of the hallmarks of scholarship is accepting and embracing the notion that the more knowledge and experience one acquires, the more there is to learn and understand. As dean, I’m especially grateful for Anderson’s Black community — students, alumni, faculty, staff and donors — for their guidance, for contributing to our ongoing conversations regarding equity, diversity and inclusion, and for their leadership as we channel conversation into actions. Of equal importance is how, amid tumultuous national and global events, the community has inspired and welcomed allies in the essential work of achieving social justice. Progress comes only when we all work together as partners.
Tony Bernardo
Dean and John E. Anderson Chair in Management
CEO Advisor, EdTech Consultant, Math YouTuber
Stephen Johnson (B.S. ’05, ’21) is a double Bruin and a 2020 John Wooden Global Leadership Fellow. A former genetics researcher, he is an angel investor and advisor to startup CEOs. He founded Bright Minds Tutoring and is now growing his SAT math channel on YouTube. Stephen wears a number of other hats, including as a father of four and president of Anderson Black Alumni.
In his book, Small Beginnings Require Bigger Dreams, Stephen wrote, “In life, you don’t get to choose where you start, but you do get to choose how you’ll finish.” His plan leading the ABA is “to connect us in spaces where we can be heard,” he says. That means new campus alliances with partners Stephen believes want to include diverse voices.
“I want to be an example to people in my community who experience the same challenges I dealt with.”
Anderson Black Alumni President Is Also a Math YouTuber
Double Bruin Family Man, Edupreneur, Investor
2020 John Wooden Global Leadership Fellow
Stephen Johnson (B.S. ’05, ’21) challenges categorical limitations
Anderson Black Alumni Association
“I want to be an example to people in my community who experience the same challenges I dealt with.”
Stephen Johnson (B.S. ’05, ’21
Community Stories
UCLA Anderson EMBA Is a Fourth-Generation Problem Solver
Cal Poly Professor Michael Whitt (’06) holds multiple medical device patents
Black History Is More Than a Month
Sports Business “Days on the Job”
UCLA Anderson’s Net Impact Achieves Gold Status
UCLA Anderson Opened His Eyes to Storytelling in Film and TV
You Can Have Fun and Be Sober
Leadership Next: Gensler’s Global Co-Chairs on Return to Office
Former CPA Owes Her Career Pivot to Consortium
Solving America’s Race Problem One Byte at a Time
How She Raised $1.3 Million to Fund Her Femtech Activewear Startup
Fintech COO Chose UCLA Anderson for Its Collaborative Culture
Award-Winning Management Consultant Took a Chance on Kearney
Always at the Forefront of Storytelling and Technology
Electronic Arts VP Found Success in a Nascent Field
UCLA Anderson’s Real Estate Concentration Drew this U.S. Marine
The Impressionist
Entrepreneur Spotlight
Mitchella Gilbert (’21)
Co-Founder and CEO, OYA Femtech Apparel
Alumna, Venture Accelerator at UCLA Anderson
Mitchella Gilbert is an inclusive product designer, fitness enthusiast and champion of underserved consumers and entrepreneurs. They came to UCLA Anderson to launch a fashion startup and graduated a 2020 John Wooden Leadership Fellow and headline-grabber. Inspired by a goddess, OYA is the first athleisure brand to prioritize feminine health in a non-stigmatizing way. In 2023, Gilbert raised $1.3 million to scale OYA following an oversubscribed pre-seed round. They are a member of the inaugural cohort in the Navigate equity funding program of REI’s Path Ahead Ventures.
Femtech Founder Secures $1.3 Million to Scale
Most Disruptive MBA Startups: OYA Femtech Apparel
Tech Accelerator Elevates Black and Latinx Founders
Meet Mitchella Gilbert (’21), John Wooden Leadership Fellow and CEO and founder of OYA Femtech Apparel. As a robotics coach to high schoolers and later as a human capital consultant at Deloitte, she worked hard — and worked out even harder.
An Anderson MBA Prepares Him for the New Niche of Urban Air Mobility
Strategy, Community, Team-Building, Innovation
UCLA Doctor Earned an Anderson EMBA for Her Patients
We Have to Think Macro, but We Have to Act Micro
SoFi Stadium as Case Study for Los Angeles
From Aspiring Pro Athlete to Influential Leader in Sports Marketing
Our Community Embraces Diversity
UCLA Anderson believes strongly that business schools and the wider business world must become more diverse. To that end, we have created the Pathway Guidance Program, a pipeline development program aimed at supporting future business leaders from diverse backgrounds. We believe that Anderson is well-positioned to lead in this effort and that there is boundless value created when we bring people together across identities, experiences, worldviews and values. The goal of this pilot program: To make progress toward a truly inclusive and equitable business landscape by building a more diverse pool of business school applicants, providing greater opportunity and genuinely sharing success.
Spotlight: UC President Michael V. Drake
Anderson Associations
campus and initiatives.
Other Resources
BBRC cultivates and inspires the Black and African diaspora community on campus.
The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management in reduces significant underrepresentation in business education and leadership.
Learn How We Champion and Celebrate Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
"The team conducted a rigorous analysis and offered invaluable insight to our nonprofit, helping us identify practical next steps for operationalizing a key strategy initiative. It was a pleasure working with the consultants and we look forward to putting their recommendation into action!"
— Oxana Ermolova, Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships
Connie Knight (’98)
Head of Multicultural Content Partnerships, YouTube
— Sarah Pierpont, Director
Segun Aluko ('19)
Business Affairs Executive, William Morris Endeavor
Gene Alston (MBA/J.D. ’97)
VP of Marketing Partnerships, Facebook
— Mary Cutone, CEO
Tazia Middleton ('18)
Certified Financial Planner
— Tazia Middleton ('18)