Natacha Rafalski (’95)
Présidente, Dineyland Paris
“Leadership is something that you grow into. The teams you build around you are critical.”
Andrea Almeida Mack (’94)
Managing Director, Institutional Marketing and Consultant Relations, The TCW Group
“You have to be a listener and be able to think quickly on your feet. ”
Shaila Chopra (’09)
Vice President of International Television Distribution for Europe, Middle East and Africa, MGM
“When I feel like I’m not getting flexibility naturally in my role, that’s when I start thinking about my next step.”
Maddy Wodjak (’19)
Player Growth Strategist, Riot Games
“My passion is introducing new people to products that I love.”
Mitchella Gilbert (’21)
CEO and Co-Founder, OYA FEMTECH Apparel
“I was inspired to create leggings that were just as strong as the women wearing them. Welcome to the femtech revolution.”
Sumita Jonak (’21)
Founder, Nur Labs
“When you combine interdisciplinary fields you get phenomenal outputs. Nur Labs is looking at an old problem with a fresh pair of eyes.”
Nicole Gear (’20)
Co-Founder, Lanikai Labs
“The UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator helped me survive the stress of completing an MBA while launching a startup.”
Lori Santikian
Faculty Director, UCLA Anderson Fink Center for Finance and Investments
“Investment teams with diverse backgrounds are better poised to generate superior returns. Competitive advantage relies on the ability to see and do what others cannot.”
Katie McGrath
Co-CEO, Bad Robot Production
“Over 50% of our leadership is women, and we’re at 45% people of color. The ‘best’ comes from every part of the country that has often not been at the table.”
Lizzeth Rosales (’20)
FUSE Executive Fellow, FUSE Corps
“I am interested in creating opportunities that empower underserved communities, tackle entrenched social problems and create a more equitable world for all.”
Jennifer Abbondanza (’06)
Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, NBCUniversal Media LLC
“Diversity is a corporate strategy, which means that we have a responsibility to track how we’re doing and constantly make adjustments to do better.”
Satiya Witzer (’13)
Director of Human Capital M&A, Private Equity Services, Alvarez & Marsal
“There’s a real need for underrepresented students to see a role model who looks like them. I talk about my personal experience: I’ve been able to accomplish what people call the American dream by taking advantage of opportunities in front of me and working really hard.”
Angela F. Williams
President and CEO, Easterseals
“There are other women CEOs in the health care space. What power it would be for us to come together! We’re developing a call to action around the social determinants of health that impact Black Americans.”
Marissa Vasquez (’18)
Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine; and Primary Care Head Team Physician, Los Angeles Dodgers
“I am the primary care head team physician for the Los Angeles Dodgers and a sports medicine consultant. Little did I know that I would start my new job during the pandemic.”
Susan Love (’98), M.D.
Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research
“There’s no other organ in our body that goes through so many changes than the breast does, and yet we know very little about it. It shows you why you need to have women doing some of the research.”
Christine Simmons (B.S. ’98)
COO, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
“Just as we look to diversify our workforce, we also want to ensure that the businesses that we’re affording contracts with out in corporate America are going to the business owners that are women-owned, minority-owned, LGBTQ-owned, veterans and people with disabilities.”
Andrea Hoplein (’10)
Vice President of Global Brand Management and Marketing, Electronic Arts
“Every brand that I’ve ever had the pleasure and privilege of working for has been tied into storytelling between humans trigger a passion point for an individual. Understanding the root and the center of that passion is the fundamental motivation of what makes me tick.”
Erica Millwater (’19)
Data Scientist, BCG GAMMA
“A lot of the effort goes into figuring out how we can communicate what we’ve done. Because if people who aren’t data scientists don’t understand how a model works, they’re going to be skeptical about using it and won’t understand the value of what we’re providing.”
What's Going On
HERstory: A Primer on the Black Female Path to Success
A panel of black women from UCLA Anderson's MBA programs describe their wins, losses and lessons
Is Peer Pressure More Persuasive than Cost Savings?
UCLA Forecast economist Leila Bengali runs the data on solar adoption
Women Worth Watching
Anderson MBAs Advise Small Enterprises Pro Bono in Pandemic
Impact@Anderson’s Bhavna Sivanand (’14) introduces the Crisis Response Corps
Women Worth Watching
Never Let Anyone Make You Choose
Warner Bros. VP Amy Castillo (’09) is a woman worth watching
Marketplace
What Kind of Recession Did COVID-19 Trigger?
Marketplace asked Andrea Eisfeldt about the “health shock” of 2020
Thrive Global
Promise in the Real Estate Industry
Veteran investor Vicky Schiff (’96) sees great advantages for women
Bloomberg
Mellody Hobson Is Named Chair of Starbucks
Wooden honoree among corporate America’s highest-profile Black directors
This Behavioral Scientist Studied Chinese Factories and Found Surprising Keys to Productivity
What motivates employees extends into the U.S. as well, according to Sherry Wu.
Featuring: Sherry Wu, Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations
What Baseball Teaches Us about Our Own Performance
Hengchen Dai gleaned data from baseball to show that instances of “fresh starts” boost performance — and can be applied to our lives as well.
Featuring: Hengchen Dai, Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations and Behavioral Decision Making
Would You Rather Have an Award or Some Cash?
The answer might surprise you, as Jana Gallus tells Warren Olney.
Featuring: Jana Gallus, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Behavioral Decision Making
The Way the FDA Approves Vaccines Should Be Different Now
As Fernanda Bravo tells Warren Olney, it should be risk versus reward.
Featuring: Fernanda Bravo, Assistant Professor of Decisions, Operations and Technology Management
Women Consider Jobs Differently, and Employers Know It
Warren Olney navigates hours, work/life balance and pay with Melanie Wasserman.
Featuring: Melanie Wasserman, Assistant Professor of Economics
Many Fine Wine Labels Are Hiding That They’re Organic
Magali Delmas found the quality is higher but eco-labeling would leave a sour note.
Featuring: Magali Delmas, Professor of Management; Faculty Director, Impact@Anderson
A Seat at the Table and a Voice in the Room
Student Body President Made Connecting Classmates a Priority
UCLA Anderson’s Master of Finance Edge
Fellowship Helps Caroline Ward Take Her Investment Career to Next Level
An accounting and literature background prove advantageous in industry
UCLA Anderson Community Ensures Jordan Barillas (’21) and Her Family Feel at Home
Fellowships allow MBA students to pursue career goals while helping to support loved ones
5 Questions With
Ana Peña (’13)
Director, Conference Support Team, Teach For All
I’m an engineering grad and MBA with a passion for changing the world through social entrepreneurship and innovation.
Why did you decide to get an MBA?
I was a career switcher and I felt that my background in engineering was limiting. It was the perfect opportunity to explore a new space and expand my background knowledge and understanding of business.
What is the most important skill that we should be teaching MBA students today?
Empathy.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever gotten?
Don’t settle for a job that doesn’t bring you joy.
What’s one change that you’d like to see in the business or nonprofit spaces today?
I’d love to see a shift toward longer-term benefits to people, planet and profit over short-term financial gains.
Have any key lessons you’ve learned in a professional context derived from your specific background and heritage?
My biggest lesson has been that I need to take time to reflect and process. The most difficult part of being Latina in the workplace is identifying when your background — versus other aspect of your work — is what is creating tensions or opportunities. To do that well takes time and space to think through challenges.
Lieutenant Junior Grade, U.S. Navy
Bo Cross (’16)
Operations Lead, MedArrive
Former Lieutenant Junior Grade, U.S. Navy, with operations expertise in a range of fields.
What’s your one-sentence definition of success?
Success is being happy with the delta between where you started and where you are now.
Why did you decide to get an MBA?
After the Navy, I wanted to build a good foundation of business knowledge to tie in with my leadership experience I gained in the military. I wanted to be as confident in my business skills as I was with my people skills and my Anderson experience helped me achieve that goal. In fact, I can honestly say that, without my MBA, I wouldn’t be able to do my job. Every day I use tools that I learned in class, and it has allowed me to personally contribute to the growth of Lyft, which is really gratifying!
What is the most important class/topic/skill that we should be teaching our students today?
Every day, people are asked to make decisions in scenarios where there’s lots of data and facts that may actually be irrelevant. A skill that students today can certainly utilize is the ability to sift through this noise. Don’t be too quick to make a judgement, simply based on what you initially see or hear. Make sure you understand the scenario, the people you are interacting with, the entire picture before making a judgment at first glance.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever gotten?
If you get knocked down, get back up. In the military, you are judged by the outcome, so it’s important to finish what you start, even if you encounter obstacles along the way. At Officer Candidate School I learned that, no matter how difficult things got, it was only temporary. I now know that with persistence you can push through any barrier to achieve the outcome you desire.
Tell us how your experience as a veteran helped you in your journey at UCLA Anderson.
My experience as a veteran encouraged me to be fearless when it came to challenging myself by putting myself in uncomfortable situations. During orientation week, I found other veterans and built a connection based on our common experiences. In addition to that welcome camaraderie, my military experience gave me an overall confidence to share my point of view in class, to speak in front of groups, and to stay calm during the routine homework and final exam "fire drills".
Co-President, Black Business Students Association
Tazia Middleton ('18)
Certified Financial Planner
Co-President, Black Business Students Association
I enjoy understanding clients’ financial needs and developing custom solutions for them. I’m looking to leverage my analytical and problem solving skills in a consulting or internal strategy role.
What’s your one-sentence definition of success?
Success is when doing what you love enables you to live the life you want.
Why did you decide to get an MBA?
After college, I was fortunate to work in asset management, and I learned a lot about the world of finance. That experience sparked my interest in the larger world of business. I decided to pursue an MBA as a way to broaden my knowledge base in an environment that would also allow me to grow as a leader.
What are you learning at Anderson that you think will be most helpful to you in your career?
One of my goals was to strengthen my leadership skills and learn more about my leadership style. Through my leadership involvement in the student clubs and initiatives I’m passionate about, I am learning how to manage groups of my peers while maintaining personal relationships.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever gotten?
The best piece of career advice I’ve received was actually from my parents. They taught me that it’s important not to count yourself out. Show up and take a chance. You might actually surprise yourself!
What is one thing that we each can do today to begin to build an inclusive community here at Anderson?
UCLA Anderson has laid a good foundation for inclusion, with a very supportive environment for diversity in all forms. We can continue to develop the skills for all students to become allies for the underrepresented. Knowing how to effectively and proactively speak up for others, even those you don’t personally know, is a skill that I believe is necessary for the leaders of tomorrow.
Erica Marie Dionne (’09)
Vice President of Product Development and Strategy, Digital Distribution, NBCUniversal Inc.
As an entertainment and digital media executive, I am a strategist and goal-orientated team player with experience in digital distribution, new product development, marketing communications, content, value creation and client relationship management.
What words of advice would you give to an incoming UCLA Anderson student?
Try to be authentic, no matter what you are or what you do. Your career is long, and if you aren’t your authentic self you will never find the right fit. Opportunities that should be present for you will never show up if you aren’t authentic. Be who you are, and the rest will follow.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever gotten?
Rather than set your focus too far in advance, focus on the next step. Do your best where you currently are, and that will open up the next opportunity, the next step. Looking too far forward might cause you to miss the opportunities that are right in front of you.
What are you reading right now?
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk — this is a book that is applicable for conversations at every age! And The Power of Unreasonable People — it’s a great reminder that if you have a point of view on something, and if it’s rational to you, it has the opportunity to shift the world. Don’t let the naysayers hold you back from trying!
What is one thing that each of us can do today to begin to build an inclusive community here at Anderson?
Don’t make assumptions about each other. Instead, relate to each other in a human way, and build your network that way. Talk less about work, and more about each other. Don’t close your mind, don’t narrow your vision, don’t categorize each other. Ignore the assumptions and be open to new realities. You might learn more from your classmates than you thought you would!
What is the most important skill that we should be teaching our students today?
There are actually a few key competencies that students need today to be competitive in today’s business environment. First, the ability to use the skills you are learning at Anderson in real-world environments, rather than in theoretical scenarios, is crucial. Second, honing communication skills, both written and verbal, is key, as both are necessary to adequately support your recommendations. And third, understanding that the consumer will interact with businesses through a screen, rather than in person — this is the state of business today.
Wonderful Citrus
Diana Salsa (B.A. ’03, ’09)
Director of Marketing, Wonderful Citrus
I’m a CPG professional with cross-functional experience in finance, marketing, trade marketing and category/customer insights.
Why did you decide to get an MBA?
I am a first-generation American and the first in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree. I had the opportunity to work in the admissions office of UCLA Anderson as an undergraduate and receive fantastic counseling from folks like Linda Baldwin. A few years into a career at an accounting firm, I realized I wanted to change functions. The MBA was an easy choice.
What three things did you learn at Anderson that have been most helpful to you in your career?
How to work on a diverse team effectively, how to build meaningful relationships and how to build and deliver compelling and persuasive presentations. My study group included someone who had worked on Wall Street, and someone who made toys! Learning how to bridge these skill sets and resolve conflict has made me a better leader and professional.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever gotten?
If you are unsure of your career direction, build a transferable skill set at a respected company and consider geographic relocation. Once you have determined your career direction (and gained the confidence that you can conquer something as daunting as a new city), use that developed confidence to continually challenge yourself in your career.
What’s the one change you’d like to see happen in business today?
As a society, we absolutely need to extend the amount of paid parental leave for both men and women. So many valuable employees drop out of the workforce unnecessarily because they (and the companies they work for) don’t know how to make it all work. The stigma of taking permitted leave is sad. Companies that invest in progressive policies will undoubtedly earn improved employee loyalty, which will begin to be a differentiator in recruiting.
How do you celebrate your heritage?
It’s important to keep connected to your culture. I bring my whole self to work, and I’ve even been able to share my perspective with the teams marketing to Hispanic communities. It’s also important to me to keep a connection to my culture at home. I have two daughters who are bilingual, and I want them to be proud of their entire heritage as they grow up.
