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May 27, 2018
Alumni Spotlight | Paramount TV & Digital President Amy Powell '05 Leading through Sharing Success

Kicking off with Alumni Conference on May 4, Alumni Weekend 2018 welcomed back alumni from 27 states and 19 countries to celebrate the best of business school with Alumni Conference, Saturday Sessions and Reunion celebrations!

This year’s conference featured more research from UCLA Anderson faculty than previous years but continued to showcase business and leadership insights from successful Anderson alumni. CEO of drone analytics company Airware, Yvonne Wassenaar (B.A. ’90, ’96), spoke of the need to stay agile in order to drive transformation in an industry and within one’s career. Amy Powell ‘05, President of Paramount Television & Digital joined her former teacher Professor Sanjay Sood for a keynote conversation. Having garnered Emmy awards for Grease Live and led newly formed Paramount Television to profit in its first year, Amy attributed much of the success she has achieved to working for great mentors who empowered her to tackle challenging projects and run new divisions. With the opportunity to build a team from the ground up, she emphasized the need to open doors for those just starting out and to employ a diverse workforce. Read more.

» View photos from Alumni Weekend. Relive the fun!

Lifelong Learning | Exploring Transformation at Alumni Conference

Before she departs UCLA Anderson at the end of the academic year to become the President of Quinnipiac University, Dean Judy D. Olian addressed a crowd of alumni with her last State of the School at Alumni Conference. Preceding her remarks, a special tribute was played to thank Judy for her 12 years of service to the school. “We all try to leave a mark at Anderson,” she said, “something that lifts this extraordinary school higher and leaves it better than when we arrived. Each class aims to do that.” Among the accomplishments the school has achieved under her leadership are an increasingly global outlook and education, the growing strength of its academic centers and progress on diversity and inclusion—all with the goal of preparing future leaders for evolving careers and lives of significance.

» Watch Judy’s State of the School presentation

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Leading Transformation in the Digital Era
Yvonne Wassenaar (BA ’90, MBA ’96), CEO, Airware

Marketing Impact in the Digital Age
Dominique Hanssens, Distinguished Research Professor of Marketing

The Graying Organization: Navigating the Intergenerational Workplace
Bob McCann, Adjunct Professor of Management and Organizations

Transformation to an Info Economy: Robots in the Classroom?
Jerry Nickelsburg, Adjunct Full Professor and Director, UCLA Anderson Forecast

Understanding Psychological Barriers to Inclusion
Miguel UnzuetaAssociate Professor of Management and Organizations 

Faculty Insights | Read Features and Short Takes from Anderson Review

Check out a snapshot of cutting-edge research by UCLA Anderson’s expert faculty covered in this month’s UCLA Anderson Review.

Calculating a Value for the Government Support Banks Enjoy
Andrea Eisfeldt

Citizens Not Fooled by Fake Statistics
Ricardo Perez-Truglia

Do Fair Disclosure Rules Lead to More or Less Information?
Beatrice Michaeli

Lending to Startups: Not as Risky as You’d Think
William Mann

Streaming Choices: Do We Follow the Big Crowd or Our Friends?
Elisabeth Honka

The Limited Payoff in Auto Insurance Advertising
Elisabeth Honka
Marion Anderson Hall: Bringing Anderson Into The Next

Despite being on a growth trajectory, UCLA Anderson was one of only three leading business schools without an expansion plan to keep pace with enhanced programs, top faculty and students. That changed with Marion Anderson’s transformative $100 million gift in May 2015—$40 million of which was earmarked for a new state-the-art building. This past October, UCLA Anderson broke ground for the Marion Anderson Hall with the goal of enabling Anderson students and faculty to learn, work and think “in the next.” Therefore, a new building to update and transform the Anderson educational experience is the highest fundraising priority of the $300 million Into the Next campaign. Donor Sam Tang ’87, founder of TriGuard Management, who chose the loft space for his naming gift said “I thought it would be a great place to think...it’s a space that would have appealed to me as a student.” Read more.

Student Profiles | Meet Poets & Quants' 2018 Best MBAs

Melody N. Akbari '18

Undergraduate School and Degree: UC Berkeley, B.A. English Literature (concentration: Shakespearean Literature)

Where did you work before enrolling in business school? TestMax, Inc. – Product Manager; ArborBridge, Co.—Product Marketing Manager

Where will you be working after graduation? Google, Sales Strategy and Operations Manager

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? It would be between being VP of Interview Prep Training (IPT) and working with an Anderson peer to build a VR-capable computer.

Fun fact about yourself: I sell watercolor paintings on Etsy in the shape of famous movie, TV, and story characters.

What made Melody such an invaluable addition to the class of 2018?”
"We chose her to be one of the TAs for our career series as well as a second year coach because she had been so successful in tech recruiting...She had gone above and beyond what most in similar roles had done. What I loved most though was that she genuinely displayed one of our tenets here at Anderson “Shared Success.” She measured her success by the success of the people she coached." – Regina Regazzi, Assistant Dean, Parker Career Management Center

» Meet Melody Abkari

 

Abby Williamson '18

Undergraduate School and Degree: Northwestern University, Theatre and Psychology double major

Where did you work before enrolling in business school?
Co-Founder, Storybook Princess Parties
Paralegal, In-House Counsel of Chubb Insurance Company

Where will you be working after graduation?
Mattel – Associate Marketing Manager

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I’m most proud of my role as Executive Vice President of the Anderson Student Association (“ASA”). The ASA Cabinet is comprised of 13 second year full-time students and our role is to enrich student life at Anderson. 

Fun fact about yourself: I’ve competed in two team karaoke competitions. My team was called “Taylor Swift’s Starbucks Lovers” and we won both times

What made Abby such an invaluable addition to the class of 2018? 
“Whether she is serving as an orientation leader or working with students and staff to improve the onboarding experience for incoming students, Abby identifies an opportunity, rallies others to see the importance of that opportunity, and then leads a team to act on it.  While many are good at identifying issues, Abby is also able to do the work to affect change.” – Rob Weiler, Associate Dean, Full Time MBA Program

» Meet Abby Williamson