Key EDI Activities

At Anderson, our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is community-wide. With our Office of EDI serving as a catalyst and guide, each of us at Anderson owns this goal—and we will share in its success—together.

After the tragic events of last year, we have pursued a wide range of EDI initiatives with a renewed sense of purpose and urgency. Significant systemic change is underway. EDI is a key focus of the comprehensive new Strategic Plan now being developed for the school. More immediate changes have been prioritized as well, with students, faculty, staff and alumni taking new and creative steps to equitably and inclusively serve our diverse communities.

Mission

UCLA Anderson recognizes that a thriving diverse  community provides the optimal climate for business education. Affirming values shared across the UCLA campus, we build this climate by offering equitable experiences to students, staff, and faculty of all backgrounds. We succeed when all Anderson community members are equally able to fulfill their potential as participants in the school.

EDI and the Strategic Planning Initiative

 

One of UCLA Anderson’s six strategic priorities is to become more diverse and inclusive across Anderson’s faculty, staff, students and ideas. Currently, our community-wide Strategic Planning Committee is developing a 3–5 year plan that will advance this goal through specific and prioritized activities. This effort is designed to ensure that EDI is structurally supported throughout the school. With senior leadership energizing the all-Anderson effort, we see our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion as fundamental to achieving Anderson’s mission.

 

Definition

The words equity, diversity and inclusion often mean different things to different people, depending on context and audience. At Anderson, when we refer to equity, diversity and inclusion, we are not simply referring to principles, but describing specific commitments to how we interact with each other in our community:

EQUITY

Community members receive appropriate support to ensure equal access to all privileges, assured of procedural fairness across protected identity groups. We account for historical inequities.

DIVERSITY

Community members expose one another to the fullest possible variety of human identities, experiences, values, and worldviews. We openly engage our differences.

INCLUSION

Community members engage one another as full participants in school activities, communicating mutual respect, consideration, and appreciation.

A Community of Leaders

Heather Caruso
Heather M. Caruso, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Eleanor Garibay
Eleanor Garibay
Senior Operations Manager
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Noah Goldstein
Equity Advisor for Faculty
Zoe Aerin ('21)
MSBA EDI Representative
Antatolie Chernyakhovsky ('21)
MFE EDI Representative
Ryann Lauckner ('21)
EMBA ’21 EDI Representative
Deon Goggins ('22)
EMBA ‘22 EDI Representative
Avital Harari ('22)
EMBA ‘22 EDI Representative
Jesse Meza ('22)
Anderson Student Association VP of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Male faculty silhouette
Varun Sharma ('22)
EMBA ‘22 EDI Representative
Female faculty silhouette
Carolanne Link ('23)
FEMBA ’23 EDI Representative
Female faculty silhouette
Sarah Anderson (’22)
FEMBA ’22 EDI Representative
Female faculty silhouette
Tayler Bergstrom
Ph.D. Representative
Male faculty silhouette
Jon Bogard
Ph.D. Representative

Student Advisory Council

Kushal Chatterjee • Alex Wolfson • Luiz Sander • Jose Clair • Sofia Jimenez • Analisa Schaaf • Malachi Nelson • Bowen Wang • Andrea Maciel • Jordan Ferguson • Gus Avarello • Gio Lincon • Andrew Hemingway • Faud Ligali • Emily Mann • Akshita Saxena • Layla Kara • Jake Schapiro • Scarlett Kirk • Darren Douglas • Nanci Li • Ayesha Huq • Zachary Starko • Kevin Kuhn • Ana Mekhrishvili • Veikko Petrozzi • Julia Sweitzer • Erica Weisman • Sohini Hathiramani • Alexandre Caron • Chai Lam • Dheeraj Jalluri • Isabella Mongalo • Mariana Hernandez De Vicenzo • Akshay Prakash • Haibo (Harry) Kong • Yannan Collins • Samuel Song • Albert Joo • Fernando Errazuriz • Gabriella Pesce Eliezer •  Josh Smiley • Cliodhna Loughlin • Gabriella Pesce Eliezer • Ibrahim Ibrahim • Deepu Nadimpalli • Miranda Bidwell • Calvin Cam • Margaux Nielsen • Emily Yang • Zachary Marcoux • Joe Benoit • Justin Cheng • Chayanin Hankansujart • Sorrasek Phiboonthammasak • Hind Geel • Stephen Mendoza • Michael Kirchner • Keini Wilson • Trisha Sinha • Stephen Mendoza • Yitsac Sandoval • Avital Harari • Allie Roda

Administrative Representatives

Jessica Luchenta • Jeanette Reyes • Matt Gorlick • Viji Thulsiraj • Shannon Bell • Sydney Wharton • Frinee Berrios • Carol Wang • Riana Olson • Craig Jessen

Identity Clubs

The Alliance for Latinx Management at Anderson (ALMA)
Asian Management Student Association (AMSA)
Black Business Students Association (BBSA)
Christian Student Fellowship (CSF)
European Business Association (EBA)
Greater China Business Association (GCBA)
International Business Association (IBA)
Jewish Business Students Association (JBSA)
Joint Ventures (JV)
Korean Business Student Association (KBSA)
Latin American Business Association (LABA)
Out@Anderson (O@A)
South Asian Business Association (SABA)
Southeast Asian Business Association (SEABA)

Alumni Clubs

Anderson Black Alumni
Anderson Latino Management Association
Anderson Women
Out After Anderson

Key Initiatives

2021 Events

 
What’s Going
On Series

A dialogue series that provides a platform for open, honest and meaningful conversation on social justice. During its inaugural year, the roughly monthly series is exploring the nature and impact of the Black experience in our global society.

Embracing
Diversity Week

UCLA Anderson’s Embracing Diversity Week (EDW) celebrates the strength of our diverse community and power of our connections to reshape our future.

Velocity Women’s
Leadership Summit

Velocity 2021 is a celebration of the power and impact of women, bringing together current and future leaders of all backgrounds to explore ideas for a more equitable future in business and society.

Other Initiatives

Equity

 

Pathway Guidance Program

In its pilot year in 2021, the Pathway Guidance Program launched to support greater awareness of and preparation for graduate management education among members of underrepresented identity groups.

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UCLA Anderson Trailhead for Admission Guidance

The trailhead is a destination where a large new pool of people in underrepresented groups can be referred to UCLA Anderson for guidance on admission criteria. It expands recruitment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions by inviting hundreds of new contacts to steer underrepresented students to UCLA Anderson for early access to admission guidance.

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Support for the Riordan Programs

UCLA Anderson’s Riordan Programs help underrepresented group members in high school, college and early phases of their professional lives learn about and prepare for success in graduate management education and related careers. Short- and long-term programs include mentorship, application advising and exposure to a basic management curriculum.

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Information, Advice and Financial Aid through Partner Organizations

Partnering with organizations dedicated to supporting greater diversity in management and leadership helps expand the pipeline for members of underrepresented groups seeking graduate education:

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Outreach through Upkey Virtual Internship Program

UCLA Anderson faculty, alumni and MBA students teach and mentor students in the Upkey Virtual Internship Program, a “student incubator” focused on preparing young adults — a large majority of whom are underrepresented — to secure internships, jobs and graduate education, all promoting a discrimination-free business landscape.

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Prospective Student Recruiting Events

New recruiting events are dedicated to addressing the specific interests and needs of prospective students from underrepresented identity groups.

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Girls Who Invest

UCLA Anderson’s Fink Center for Finance launched its first launched its first year of hosting a summer program with Girls Who Invest, an organization aiming to see women manage 30% of the world’s investable capital by 2030. In 2020, 60 college sophomores participated.

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Center for MEMES Howard University Initiative

UCLA Anderson’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports (MEMES) seeks to expand its Summer Institutes partnership with HBCU Howard University to increase diversity in the sports, media and entertainment career pipeline.

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Admissions Ambassador Corps

UCLA Anderson’s student-led Admissions Ambassador Corps manages class visits, campus tours, admission interviews and events for prospective students. AAC has incorporated the Nobel Prize-winning science of choice architecture to ensure greater equity and inclusion in admissions processes.

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Hiring Processes Update

A thorough review of and update to hiring processes is designed to structurally acknowledge the value of a diverse faculty and to recruit more diverse prospects.

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UCLA FEMBA Bruin Bridge

Alumni of all UCLA undergraduate and graduate degree programs are invited to apply to the UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Fully Employed MBA through the UCLA FEMBA Bruin Bridge. Alumni who meet specific criteria are offered an exclusive opportunity to opt out of the GMAT/GRE/Executive Assessment exam requirement.

If an alum qualifies under the criteria listed below, UCLA Anderson FEMBA will not require a exam score to apply.

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Diversity

 

New Speaker Databases and Event Planning Resources

Engaging faculty, centers and students with new speaker databases and event planning resources will broaden the diversity of speakers. Recent examples of new inclusive events addressing management, operations, technology and social impact include:

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Diversify Networks of Advisors, Mentors, Coaches, and Vendors

Building relationships to strengthen the diversity of advisors, mentors, coaches, vendors within UCLA Anderson programs, including field study (e.g., AMR, SMR, GAP, BCO), Leadership@Anderson, and executive education.

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EDI Field Study Opportunities

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UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator Mentors

The Venture Accelerator at UCLA Anderson supports diversity through their participating founders, and partnering with venture capital funds and accelerators focused on diverse founders. The Accelerator works to elevate the Anderson footprint in the LA ecosystem supporting diversity through their numerous outreach efforts. An example of this from Accelerator leadership was their participation in a panel during the LA Business Journal Women's Week and their authorship of an advertorial for the LA Business Journal. Interestingly, the Accelerator team also created five podcasts focused on Anderson entrepreneurship featuring a diverse set of guest interviewees that are live on the website

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Inclusion

 

Student EDI Advisory Council

An active Student EDI Advisory Council is growing, with representation across Anderson identity clubs, professional clubs, interest clubs and degree programs.

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Cross-Campus Collaboration

Collaboration with UCLA’s central Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion enables creation of a clearinghouse of useful skill development workshops, climate assessment resources and effective reporting systems.

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Working Parents Group

A new working parents group specifically benefits UCLA Anderson faculty and staff.

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Inclusion Workshops

Ongoing development and provision of inclusion workshops for ECHO, intergroup dialogue, inclusive pedagogy and more benefits all UCLA Anderson students, staff and faculty.

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Open enrollment and company-specific programs provide continuing education for executives

  • Stand-alone open enrollment Inclusive Leadership Program teaches leaders the mindset and skill set required to promote inclusion and lead diverse organizations, and Women’s Leadership Institute, open to all who are interested in developing women leaders.
  • Specialized leadership development programming in partnership with organizations with a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion.
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Education Resources for Organizations Serving Low-Income Communities

UCLA Anderson’s Price and Ziman centers provide education resources to community-based organizations that serve low-income populations:

  • The Price Center provides Head Start and community health care providers with mentorship and leadership training so they can better serve low-income communities
  • The UCLA Ziman Center’s Howard and Irene Levine Affordable Housing Development Program provides MBA-level instruction to train professionals engaged in developing affordable housing for society’s most vulnerable populations
  • The UCLA Ziman Center’s Housing, Equity and Community Speaker Series, a collaboration with Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, explores housing policy through the lens social equality
  • The UCLA Ziman Center Housing as Health Care Initiative’s Housing, Neighborhood and Health Seminar Series, a partnership with schools and departments across campus, including the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and the Center for Health Advancement at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, focuses on housing and the built environment as a social determinant of health, particularly in low-income communities
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