2022 notable ALUMNI
BEST FOR THE WORLD LEADERS
On behalf of the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, I am honored to recognize this year’s outstanding cohort of notable alumni. Their journey as Best for World Leaders continues to shine through their professional and personal accomplishments, inspiring future generations to follow in their path. Throughout the years, I have been fortunate enough to teach some of the most passionately driven individuals who place integrity and purpose at the forefront of their goals. I am overjoyed to have the opportunity to share their stories of positive impact as they make transformational change in their industries and numerous lives.
Embodying the University’s values of purpose, service, and leadership in every aspect of their professional careers, it is my great pleasure to welcome these changemakers into the Pepperdine Graziadio community as notable alumni. I am proud to be amongst valuesbased business leaders who are cultivating a better world and I look forward to furthering the Graziadio mission through their influence.
Bernice Ledbetter, EdD Dean of Students Director of the Center for Women in Leadership Practitioner of Organization Theory and Management Pepperdine Graziadio Business School
Bill Allen
Marissa Andrada
Martha Molina Bernadett M.D.
Steve Bilt
Candi Castleberry
Sye Kyun Chung
Angela Copeland
Christos Cotsakos, PhD
David Danon
Stanley Deal
Jeffrey Dunn
Tom Emrey
Luis Faura, PhD
David Feinberg
John Figueroa
Jeff Filley
Kim Folsom
Lauren Gibbs
William Roger Hall
Daphne Harvey
Zack Hicks
Blake Irving
Erik Johnson
Andy Kubitz
Robert Kyncl
Tim Langley-Hawthorne
Fiona Ma
Kimber Maderazzo
Thomas Magnuson
Matt Marquis
Lisa McGill
Steven Milovich
Oscar Munoz
Quincy Newell
Stephen Olson
Dan Redfern
Donald Romano
Irv Rothman
Dan Sanders
Jeffrey Sprecher
Tiffany Stith
Tom Sumner
Joshua Taub
Lori Torres
Steve Totzke
Victor Tsao
Betty Uribe
Paul Wagstaff
Robin Washington
Christa Zofcin Workman
George L. Graziadio, Jr.Bill Allen
Fully Employed MBA ‘83
Marissa AndradaFully Employed MBA ‘92
My experience propelled my entertainment industry career forward and continues to equip me today as a civic entrepreneur with valuable tools to lead others to achieve personal and organizational success.
My experience at Graziadio helped me think more strategically about business. I learned to take a step back and see the bigger picture more effectively in my role.
President and Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC)After a successful career in Hollywood with CBS Television Network and MTM Television, one of the most prolific and respected television production companies of the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s, Bill Allen turned his attention to helping the San Fernando Valley recover from the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. As the first Chief Executive Officer of The Valley Economic Alliance, Bill raised more than five million dollars that was used to launch programs to attract investment and jobs, improve local education and workforce development, and develop viable solutions to regional transportation challenges. Bill has served as the CEO of the LAEDC for the last 16 years and has leveraged the power of economic development to advance opportunities and prosperity for hundreds of thousands of Angelenos who have jobs today because of the direct service programs delivered by the LAEDC.
At Graziadio, Bill was able to learn how to work in teams on complex case studies and value the contributions made by fellow classmates, whose different life experiences brought different perspectives to the work, influencing his leadership style to this day. The LAEDC is led by a gifted team of officers who collectively inspire the entire staff and advance the mission far more effectively than anyone could do on their own.
Bill enjoys traveling and photographing the beauty of this planet and the people who inhabit it. The photos serve as daily reminders of the extraordinary diversity that surrounds us and the opportunity we each have to help others reach their full human potential and share in the prosperity of our world.
ChiefDiversity,
Inclusion, and People Officer ChipotleAs Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and People Officer for Chipotle, Marissa Andrada’s responsibilities go beyond traditional human resource tasks. Working directly with Chipotle’s leadership, Marissa has created a foundation fostering a culture where employees are encouraged to thrive and pursue their passions. Prior to Chipotle, Marissa worked for Kate Spade & Company, Starbucks, and GameStop Corporation. During her time at GameStop, the company doubled in business from $5 billion to $10 billion. A large part of this growth came from Marissa’s role in establishing a support system that provides opportunities to employees to grow as leaders.
Marissa has supported and watched several of her apprentices become leaders such as Dan Spalding, Chief People Officer at Zillow and Laura
Langehaug, Vice President of Human Resources at Artemis Health. The Pepperdine Graziadio Business School further solidified Marissa’s strengths in developing and executing human resource strategies. During a study group comprised of team members from a variety of disciplines, there was one member who was not participating equally. The group unanimously elected Marissa to coach the individual to empower and encourage them to work collectively with the team, a talent that came naturally to Marissa. Her authentic and uniqueness is reflected in her love for fashion and styling. “There is a transformative nature of fashion that also translates to business. I own my personal sense of style and help encourage others to do the same; bring your authentic self to work with pride and passion.”
Steve Bilt Presidents and Key Executives MBA ‘01
Pepperdine Graziadio nurtured my curiosity and lifetime love of learning and helped me realize that as a leader you must remain calm and clear headed.
I became President of my company just weeks before my first class and it was the faculty and my classmates that were with me every step, shaping and supporting the critical first two years of that journey.
Dr. Martha Molina Bernadett is a family physician and member of the founding family of Molina Healthcare, which for a time was the largest Hispanic-owned business in the U.S. She currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair of The Molina Foundation.
Martha has traveled many paths as her career evolved from direct patient care as a family physician in a rural town with “three stop lights and no Starbucks” to leading research, innovation, and digital transformation at a Fortune 500 health plan. Throughout her career, she has focused on providing access to care to underserved or marginalized populations. Martha says she has enjoyed serving individuals and families directly as a family physician, indirectly by establishing policy and overseeing systems of care as a Medicaid health plan executive, and in the nonprofit sector addressing some of the root problems that lead to health disparities, namely access to education and healthcare.
Recently, she loaned her father’s medical bag and stethoscope to the Smithsonian, where it will be on display at the Molina Family Latino Gallery. Martha and her siblings funded the gallery which will be the home of the National Museum of the American Latino until the rest of the national museum is built.
Martha says that many people including her husband, Faustino (Tino) Bernadett, and parents, the late C. David and Mary Molina have been influential in her success. Her parents taught her to value hard work, education, humility, and selflessness. She says former Pepperdine Graziadio Dean Otis Baskin, and professors Wayne Strom, Dave Hitchin, and Kurt Motamedi were particularly instrumental in her growth as a leader. At Pepperdine Graziadio, Martha learned about family business transition from one generation to the next, how to focus on results and developing others, and the importance of taking a long-term strategic view that is guided by listening, observation, and data.
Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair The Molina Foundation Chief Executive Officer Smile Brands Inc.Steve Bilt is the Chief Executive Officer at Smile Brands Inc., which has been recognized as a Best Place to Work by Glassdoor for three straight years (#1 in multi-site healthcare) and by Comparably as a top-10 US Large Company in multiple categories including Culture, Diversity, and Best Places for Women. Steve co-founded Smile Brands and subsequently led the acquisitions of Monarch Dental Corporation [NASDAQ: MDDS], Castle Dental Centers Inc. [NASDAQ: CASL], and Midwest Dental. He has also overseen the development of over 200 de novo practices and over 50 addon acquisitions. Today, Smile Brands has 8,000 employees and affiliated providers in 700 locations across the United States.
Steve serves as chairman of the Smiles for Everyone Foundation, which has
established international outposts serving six countries in South America, Asia, and Africa as well as throughout the U.S. He is a member of the Kaufman Foundation/EY Entrepreneur Hall of Fame and was recognized by the Wharton School as the top CEO in the U.S. for Social Impact.
The Pepperdine Graziadio Presidents and Key Executives (PKE) MBA program challenged Steve to dig deep within himself before learning to become a successful leader. During the course work, he learned the importance of shared mental models and applied the ideology to his operations and business. Steve has been honored with the school’s highest recognition as the 50th Anniversary George Award Honoree for “Good for the World Leadership”.
Candi Castleberry Executive
MBA ‘06Pepperdine University sits high above the ocean spreading knowledge to the world. I am grateful for the knowledge I gained; I lean on my learnings often.
Sye Kyun Chung
Presidents and Key Executives MBA ‘90Vice President of Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
Amazon
As Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Amazon, Candi Castleberry is focused on building trust by advancing inclusivity in the industry and within diverse communities through partnerships with NGOs, academia, and corporations. A visionary, change-agent, she is the founder of the award-winning Dignity & Respect Campaign, helping organizations create environments of dignity and respect.
Candi’s business acumen enhances her approach of partnering with senior executives, business process owners, and community leaders to build sustainable practices for the workplace, marketplace, and community. A recognized leader, she has been awarded as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine.
While attending Pepperdine Graziadio, Candi and her cohort traveled to Asia where they were introduced to the work culture and impact of government on businesses such as healthcare, law firms, and manufacturing companies, as they conducted business locally and globally. Candi recounts this as a highlight of her EMBA experience.
Candi has delivered inspiring keynote and lectures around the world, one being in Washington, D.C. immediately following former Senator Barack Obama and immediately before Senator Hillary Clinton. By far, one of her most treasured life experiences was spending a weekend at the home of the late Dr. Maya Angelou learning about her and the stories of her life.
Sye Kyun Chung began his political career in 1995 as a special advisor to former President Dae Jung Kim, an icon of South Korea’s democratization. During the 15th Presidential Election, Sye Kyun contributed in establishing the first peaceful regime change in the history of South Korea as Chairman of the National Youth Association under President Dae Jung Kim. As the speaker of the first half of the 20th National Assembly, the impeachment of President Park was a significant issue. In the absence of the administration and overcoming the national crisis, Sye Kyun showed leadership as the head of the Assembly and helped the new administration settle in. Recognized for his accomplishments, he has received
the “ ‘Baekbong’ Gentleman Award,” which is given to exemplary politicians 14 times since it was founded in 1999.
Sye Kyun continues to proudly practice politics with dignity. He builds relationships upon trust, which he attributes to his successful political career. The language barrier and fulltime position made pursuing an advanced degree at Pepperdine Graziadio evermore challenging but pushed him to work twice as hard to make sure all the reading and assignments were done correctly. Luckily, Sye Kyun’s cohort and family provided a great support system throughout the program and empowered him to earn his degree.
Studying and trying harder than anyone else under the bright sunlight of the beautiful Malibu campus resembles the world ‘passion,’ which is an experience I can never forget.
Angela Copeland
Fully Employed MBA ‘05
Christos M. Cotsakos, PhD Presidents and Key Executives MBA ‘83The Pepperdine Graziadio experience rounded out my education and provided the foundation and the tools that I needed in order to be successful in my career.
At the zero moment of truth in my career, the faculty, administrators, and classmates ignited my passion for invention and entrepreneurialism, which changed the trajectory of my personal and professional life.
With over twenty years of success spanning across multiple industries, Angela’s strength is in building diverse, high performing teams. Leveraging extensive experience in demand generation, Angela helps businesses with recurring revenue subscription models to scale.
Angela leads the marketing organization at Recruiter.com. Her team is the sales enablement engine that drives lead generation, public relations, brand and product marketing for the company’s full product offering, including a SaaSbased artificial intelligence software technology.
Senior Vice President of Marketing Recruiter.com
Throughout her career, Angela held leadership positions at First Horizon National Bank, ServiceMaster Global Holdings, NEA Member Benefits, and FedEx. She also founded multiple businesses, including consulting practice Copeland Marketing Services,
an organization she led for seven years.
Angela says the Pepperdine Graziadio MBA program empowered her to make the career leap from computer and systems engineering to executive leadership. Angela selected the program because it offered an MBA with a focus on entrepreneurial management, underscored with a foundation of business ethics.
She enjoys giving back to her community and has served on several nonprofit boards, including the American Marketing Association and the American Diabetes Association. Angela is a keynote speaker and a syndicated newspaper columnist on leadership and career-related topics. She hosts the Copeland Coaching Podcast, gave a TEDx Talk titled, “How I broke the rules & found my perfect job”, and is the author of the book, Breaking The Rules & Getting The Job
Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Pennington Ventures, LLCAs founder, chairman, and CEO of Pennington Ventures, a technology, digital media and strategic management company, Christos Cotsakos disrupted and transformed the traditional brokerage industry with the listing of E*TRADE on NASDAQ. Through his extensive international experience in multinational corporations, start-ups, venture capital, board memberships, and advisory services, Christos has helped companies raise significant equity and debt financing in both the private and public markets.
Christos currently sits on multiple boards where he advises management on technology and digital media. He is also a senior advisor to various private equity firms and continues to be a founding member of multiple technology startups.
Christos describes the Pepperdine Graziadio Presidents and Key Executives
MBA program as a simulation-based competitive learning module where he was able to learn invaluable business tools to resolve complex commercial problems. The program connects causality with reality and its unintended consequences.
Christos holds a PhD in Economics from the University of London, where he received the prestigious Psion award for his dissertation on corporate governance. He also received an MBA (summa cum laude) from Pepperdine University and a BA (cum laude) in Communications from William Paterson University, one of the nine state colleges and universities in New Jersey. In 2001, William Paterson named its business school the Cotsakos College of Business in honor of Christos where he is also a visiting professor and distinguished entrepreneur in residence. He is a decorated combat veteran who served with the 101st Airborne Infantry.
Stanley Deal
Fully Employed MBA ‘93
My Graziadio experience unleashed my inner entrepreneurial passion and inspired me to gain the skills and knowledge that I utilize today.
Graziadio afforded me the chance to transform from an engineer to a business leader. I’m grateful for the education I received and the professors and classmates who impacted my life.
With more than three decades of experience in the U.S. theme park industry, Dave Danon started as a frontline team member at Universal Studios Hollywood and worked full-time at the park while attending Pepperdine Graziadio. Dave currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Universal Studios Japan, overseeing park operations including attractions, technical services and engineering, food & beverage, merchandising, janitorial, show quality, environmental health and safety, and security.
Executive Officer and Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer Universal Studios JapanDave believes that his Graziadio education along with his many years of experience in the industry prepared him well for his international expat assignment in Osaka, Japan. Dave is passionate about his team members and is constantly looking for new ways to engage, recognize, and motivate them in a cultural setting that is very unique and often quite challenging. He truly believes
that highly satisfied and engaged team members create the most memorable and enjoyable guest experiences which ultimately drives consumer loyalty and business performance.
Dave fondly remembers his first semester and meeting new professors who brought a real-world perspective to the planned instruction. “My accounting professor, for example, would enter the night class after a long day at work and dive into his everyday challenges, seamlessly intertwining lesson material into his stories. Not only did these classes allow me to better comprehend the practical value of my education, but it also bestowed upon me the impact of storytelling as a management tool to drive engagement and understanding.”
During his downtime, Dave enjoys working on projects around the house, mountain biking, cooking, and spending time with his family.
Executive Vice President The Boeing Company President and Chief Executive Officer Boeing Commercial AirplanesStan Deal is responsible for delivering a family of super-efficient airplanes to worldwide customers and leading the growth of the company’s commercial airplane programs. Before returning to Commercial Airplanes, he oversaw the formal standup of Boeing Global Services, a new aerospace services development and delivery model for commercial and government customers worldwide. He led the transition into the fully operational business that it is today with more than 300 Boeing locations worldwide.
Stan serves on the board of directors for the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, supporting its mission to commemorate the past and educate and inspire an appreciation for the importance of flight to humanity.
Stan says Graziadio was a time for personal growth, developing a deeper understanding of the world, and understanding the importance of making an impact that matters. He remembers that each day was an opportunity to learn from professors, collaborate with peers, and pursue new challenges. These interactions played a huge role in preparing him for his future leadership roles.
Stan enjoys sport fishing and cooking, which help him relax and focus on enjoying time with his family and friends.
Fully Employed MBA ‘84
Tom EmreyFully Employed MBA ‘98
With over 30 years of experience in food & agriculture, Jeff Dunn has held senior leadership positions with Bolthouse Farms, Campbell Soup Company, and The Coca-Cola Company, among other top food and beverage organizations and startups. Jeff is now CEO of Bolthouse Farms, an innovation leader in growing and distributing carrots. In addition, Bolthouse Farms produces and sells super-premium juices, smoothies, protein shakes, plant protein milk, café beverages, and premium refrigerated yogurt dressings under the Bolthouse Farms® brand name.
Graziadio gave me the chance to build my academic resume while continuing a demanding career. That was critical to me.
lead the way in creating a new plantbased food ecosystem.
During his first year at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, Jeff’s management professor taught the entire class how to manage the stress of working and attending an MBA program through practicing meditation. This lesson was life changing and something he still practices today. As Jeff’s career continued to develop and advance, he worked with CEOs from both public and private companies and was able to share lessons learned as well as play a small role in helping these individuals grow into incredible leaders.
With over two decades of experience as an executive leader for prominent businesses, Tom Emrey started with Munchkin Inc. in March 2017 as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the industry-leading infant and toddler consumer products company. With seven global offices, Munchkin Inc. serves customers worldwide. Previously, Tom served as CFO at DineEquity, Inc. and was Executive Vice President and COO of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal. Tom has led diverse
teams in a variety of industries throughout his career, including large IT projects as well as large integration projects. Graziadio was unique and Tom valued the focus on the students and people. His experience at Graziadio challenged him and taught him how to be part of a team, which has been very beneficial to his career. A lifelong sailor, Tom enjoys being on the water and testing his skills.
In 2012, Jeff led Bolthouse Farms through its private equity backed buyout and sale to Campbell Soup Company for $1.55 billion. Most recently, Jeff spearheaded the successful repurchase of Bolthouse Farms from Campbell Soup Company by Jeff’s investment group and his partners, Butterfly Equity Partners, with the overarching goal to
The food industry and culture has been Jeff’s leading passion, professionally and personally. As a self-classified amateur chef, Jeff enjoys the process of growing and preparing fresh delicious food for his family and friends.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bolthouse Farms Chief Operating Officer Munchkin, Inc.My Graziado experience was critical in developing me as a business leader by both the wonderful education and, more importantly, teaching me how to be a better leader.
The coursework and lessons that were part of the Graziadio MBA program renewed my commitment to be a lifelong learner.
David Feinberg Presidents and Key Executives MBA ‘02 President Gluten Free Foods, Mfg. LLCAs President of Gluten Free Foods, Mfg. LLC (GFF), a major manufacturer of gluten free pasta, Luis Faura oversees the operations, new business development, acquisitions, procurement, finances, personnel, product innovation, and marketing, along with managing policies and procedures. Under Luis’ leadership, GFF has expanded its market presence, diversified product lines, and created innovative items that have accelerated the company’s growth.
While at Graziadio, Luis built lifelong connections with his cohort and learned the essence of building a dynamic team. He attributes the Graziadio MBA
program for bringing out the leader in him and teaching him how to be an effective leader.
Luis was formerly a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco in the Los Angeles Branch. He also serves as Chairman of the board of trustees at the University of La Verne and is a board member for Armstrong/ Pikes Nurseries.
An avid cyclist, Luis has cycled the same routes as the Tour De France and Giro d’Italia.
President and Chief Executive Officer CernerHaving spent his entire career focused on patients, families, and communities, Dr. David Feinberg, president and CEO of Cerner, is the first physician to lead a major electronic health record (EHR) company.
Beginning as a child psychiatrist, David rose through the ranks to serve as UCLA Health’s president and CEO where he focused on patient satisfaction, increasing scores from the 28th to the 99th percentile. As President and CEO of Geisinger Health, David saw what happens when you love your community and care for its people – you can use data to drive real, lasting change. Under David’s leadership, Google Health was at the forefront of using AI and mobile platforms to improve healthcare. He leveraged technology, talent and search capabilities to tackle healthcare’s most important challenges.
Driven by passion, humility and integrity, David has an obligation to make technology work better for caregivers so they can take better care of patients. Over the last four decades, Cerner has digitized the medical record and evolved how healthcare is recorded and delivered. Now, David believes Cerner can fulfill the promise of healthcare technology by making EHRs more open, more connected. This allows caregivers to see relevant details of a patient’s journey and makes healthcare more affordable, accessible, dignified, and fair.
Attending Pepperdine Graziadio allowed David to surround himself with a cohort that taught him valuable lessons which continue decades later.
I learned to be present.
John Figueroa
Fully Employed MBA ‘97
Jeff Filley
Fully Employed MBA ‘95
Earning my MBA from the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School was the difference maker in my career.
The learning and experience gained through the Pepperdine MBA program helped change the trajectory of my career.
A frequent guest lecturer at the Wharton School of Business and Stanford Graduate School of Business, John Figueroa provides an exceptional student experience in the classroom using his vast career experience and Pepperdine Graziadio fundamentals for business excellence as the cornerstones of his teachings.
transformed behavior health pharmacy on a national level. Genoa was later sold to United Healthcare Group. John also served dual roles of Chairman and CEO of Apria Healthcare Group Inc., as well as that of Coram LLC, which was sold to CVS Caremark. He also served as CEO and Board Member of Omnicare, and prior to that, was President of McKesson Corporation’s U.S. Pharmaceutical Group. He spent the initial years of his career with Baxter Healthcare.
Jeff Filley is President of Behr Paint Company and is responsible for the overall direction and leadership of the company. He has been with Behr for 37 years, having joined Behr in 1985 as Corporate Controller. Jeff was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in 1991, Executive Vice President in 1997, and President in 2002.
paint company in Southern California. He says shortly after he joined, business started to really take off and he realized that he needed to enhance his skills to help grow and build the company. He credits his time at Pepperdine Graziadio with providing the business acumen and strategic leadership skills he needed to lead Behr into the future.
ChiefExecutive Officer and Chairman
John is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of CarepathRx, a company providing innovative pharmacy solutions to Hospital Health Systems centered on end-to-end service for all pharmacy needs including Specialty, Infusion, and continuous home solutions for all prescriptions. Previously, John was CEO and board member of Genoa Healthcare, the nation’s leading behavioral health pharmacy, telepsychiatry, and medication management company. During his tenure at Genoa, he successfully tripled the size of the business that
As an officer in the U.S. Army, John served as a Ranger and with Special Forces developing the basis of his leadership skills. At Graziadio, he was able to improve and fine-tune these skills as well as his financial discipline and unwavering concept of ethics and integrity for the business world. Today, he is still actively involved as a member of the Graziadio Board.
CarepathRX President Behr Paint CompanyUnder Jeff’s leadership, Behr’s sales have more than tripled and the company has introduced an array of industryleading product innovations such as BEHR® Dynasty® with advanced stain repellency and scuff resistance, and BEHR® Copper Force™, an EPAregistered virucidal and antibacterial paint.
When Jeff joined Behr Paint Company, it was a small, family-owned, regional
Jeff is a board member for the American Coatings Association (ACA) and an Executive Council Member for City of Hope, an independent biochemical research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from UCLA and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine Graziadio.
Fully Employed MBA ‘02
Lauren Gibbs Executive MBA ‘14
Pepperdine provided an important step on the path for me to launch my entrepreneurial journey.
Kim Folsom founded Founders First Capital Partners in San Diego in 2015 to provide a virtual small business growth accelerator and revenue-based venture fund focused on helping underserved, small businesses achieve exponential growth. Driven to help microbusinesses succeed, Kim also founded LIFT Development Enterprises, Inc., a not-for-profit community development organization, to help underserved and underrepresented small business owners overcome the challenges they face due to lack of access to capital. Both organizations represent a new, innovative breed of programs that address the gap in funding companies led by diverse founders.
It was such a warm and welcoming environment. The coursework was challenging, interesting, and having an eclectic mix of industries in my cohort made class discussions something to look forward to.
her unique entrepreneurial experience to launch six companies, successfully exited three, and launched her seventh firm with a revenue-based venture fund of $100 million in committed capital.
Capital Partners, Inc.Chief Executive Officer and Founder Founders First
Prior to launching LIFT and Founders First, Kim was a high-tech executive and serial entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience growing innovative technology companies. She has experience founding, leading, and building startups for which she has raised $30 million in institutional venture financing. Kim has leveraged
Prior to Pepperdine Graziadio, Kim spent eight years trying to find a way to launch her own venture-backed tech entrepreneurial journey as an underrepresented founder. While enrolled in the MBA program, her cohort helped her discover her unique path to entrepreneurship. The interaction with her classmates, rigorous class assignments, and discussion with professors aided her to develop the confidence and strategy to launch her first start-up tech company, SeminarSource.com.
Kim successfully carries out the mission of Founders First by leveraging her years of entrepreneurial experience to help hundreds of other underrepresented founders get funding for growing their companies.
As an Olympic athlete, Lauren Gibbs embodies perseverance and determination. She won a silver medal in the women’s bobsled competition in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang only four years after she started bobsledding. Lauren made the national team in her first year of bobsledding and has since received numerous awards and accolades. Lauren’s drive and ability to excel shines through in all that she does, including her time at Pepperdine Graziadio.
Lauren says that one of the highlights while earning her Executive MBA was getting to know her classmates. “We all came to the program with different life experiences and goals, but one that we all had in common was excitement for learning.”
Lauren was already an experienced manager when she started at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, but she was nervous about starting the program. She was relieved to find out that many of her classmates felt the same way; those worries quickly faded as she and the cohort bonded and developed long-lasting relationships with each other and the faculty.
In addition to the honor of representing her country in the Olympics at age 33, Lauren says another career highlight was giving a TEDx Talk where she shared her journey from working in corporate America to becoming an Olympic athlete. She inspired her audience with the message that “it is never too late to be who you are meant to be”.
Leadership is measured over decades, not months or years; take care of your health or you will not be able to accomplish the long-term goals.
As a skilled engineer and an operational professional with 20 years of manufacturing management experience, William (Bill) Roger Hall has a unique ability to focus on problems and devise resourceful solutions.
Throughout the years, Bill developed a narrow viewpoint when analyzing problems. The Pepperdine Graziadio Presidents and Key Executives MBA program guided Bill to raise his eyes, think outside of the box, and look at problems through a wider lens.
As an experienced executive, the EMBA program provided an excellent opportunity for me to refresh my skills and test my current operating practices against the latest business theories and frameworks.
facility in Ontario, California. Fifteen years later, he has assisted in building the largest bottled water company in North America that makes most of the private labeled water bottles for large U.S. retailers such as Costco, Walmart, Coke, Pepsi, and Kroger. Bill has enabled growth rates in excess of 25% year-over-year and leads 5,000+ employees across 50 global factories. Bill’s leadership creates a competitive, fast-paced environment for Niagara’s Manufacturing operations.
Executive Vice President of Manufacturing and Engineering
Niagara Bottling
After putting himself through college, Bill began his career in packaging as a plant engineer for Reid Plastics, Inc. In 2004, Bill joined Niagara Bottling as a Plant Manager for their single
Always a true manufacturing engineer, Bill convinced his wife to honeymoon in Tennessee so he could take a plant tour of the Jack Daniels distillery.
Senior Vice President – Global Sourcing and Procurement
NBC Universal
As Senior Vice President of Global Sourcing and Procurement at NBCUniversal, Daphne Harvey oversees strategy development, negotiations, and contracting, with annual team spending of over $12 billion. She has built global sourcing and procurement organizations for two entertainment industry giants and institutionalized best practices and procedures that have resulted in process efficiency, cost savings, and tighter financial controls across the business. A major takeaway from the Pepperdine Graziadio experience was an appreciation of elevated results through effective teamwork. Daphne has implemented a “cross-functional team-based sourcing strategy” which includes attacking projects with a team of business experts from relevant disciplines, and leading those teams through systematic processes to reveal value improvement opportunities.
The inclusive approach earned Daphne and her team the trust of their business partners, which was a key factor in generating over $100 million in annual cost savings. Daphne championed the Edge Accelerator Program at NBCUniversal, which teaches diverse suppliers to develop skills to compete with larger businesses for lucrative contracts. In addition, NBCUniversal maintains $4 billion in annual spending with diverse businesses.
Daphne is proud to be part of three generations of higher education in her family – all from Pepperdine. Her aunt Edna Wilson earned her PhD in Education, Daphne Harvey completed the EMBA program and her daughter recently graduated cum laude from the Pepperdine MBA program in May of 2019.
Zack Hicks
Bachelor of Science in Management ‘97
Blake Irving Fully Employed MBA ‘88
I appreciate how Pepperdine Graziadio has maintained a relationship with me over the years. I’m pleased to say I’m still in touch with professors like Dr. John Mooney and others today.
I credit the Graziadio School for radically altering the trajectory of my career. I wouldn’t have held senior leadership roles at Microsoft, Yahoo, or GoDaddy without the skills and confidence I gained.
Zack Hicks joined Kimberly-Clark in the newly created role of Chief Digital and Technology Officer after 26 years of leadership at Toyota Motors North America and Toyota Motor Sales, USA. In this new role Zack brings his experience in technology innovation, operations, and team leadership to help Kimberly-Clark leverage the full potential of technology to accelerate the company’s growth strategy.
Chief Digital and Technology Officer Kimberly-Clark
At Toyota Zack was a key technology leader who played a significant role in shaping the global automaker’s connected and mobility transformation initiatives. He held various titles and responsibilities within the organization, including Chief Executive Officer and President of Toyota Connected North America (Toyota Connected), Chairman of Toyota Connected Europe, and Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Toyota Motor North America (TMNA).
At Toyota Connected North America, Zack led global efforts to accelerate the consumer experience by utilizing
advanced technologies and predictive intelligence. At Toyota Connected Europe, he oversaw the London-based startup’s efforts to grow adoption of new mobility businesses in Europe with products and services tailored to the unique needs of the market. At TMNA, Zack re-envisioned the company’s communication through a global telematics ecosystem, deployed mobile devices and mobile reporting capabilities, and facilitated the implementation of cloud-based collaboration tools for Toyota employees.
In 2019, Zack was named an inductee to the CIO Hall of Fame, an honor CIO Magazine bestows to IT executives who have had a significant impact on the profession. He was also named one of Dallas Business Journal’s “Most Admired CEOs of 2018” and received the “2018 Leadership Excellence Award” from the Association for Information Systems. Zack was also awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Pepperdine in 2013.
From 2013 to 2018, Blake Irving served as CEO of GoDaddy, reshaping the domain-name company into a global cloud platform for small business. Under his leadership, GoDaddy doubled revenue and quadrupled market value to $10 billion. In 2015, Blake took the company public on the New York Stock Exchange. Blake led GoDaddy’s brand and culture throughout the years and shared his business journey with the Chief Technology Officer of the United States, Megan Smith, at the GraceHopper conference, where he was honored as the keynote presenter.
Prior to GoDaddy, Blake served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Yahoo!, increasing the 550 million active users to one billion.
Before Yahoo!, he spent 15 years in senior roles at Microsoft where he took MSN messenger from zero users to 300 million users and created a billion dollar franchise. Blake now serves on
the board of directors for DocuSign, ZipRecruiter, Flowhub, and Autodesk, as well as an advisor to McLaren Racing.
Blake recalls his first day in the Pepperdine Graziadio MBA program and participating in the round of introductions with his classmates. Students were instructed to share where they went to school, their major, employer, title, and responsibilities.
“I remember being blown away by the caliber and quality of individuals in the program and was actually surprised that made it in. I pushed hard on the accelerator and didn’t lift.”
Blake started playing the drums at the age of seven. He continues to enjoy playing and has been fortunate enough to play with a few Grammy awardwinning and world-class artists over his 30 year career in technology.
Erik Johnson
Fully Employed MBA ‘97
Andy KubitzPresidents and Key Executives MBA ‘11
I was impressed by my classmates who managed a career, family, and graduate learning at the same time and appreciated classes with Dr. Charles Morrissey, Dr. Marshall Nickles, and Dr. Michael Kinsman.
Erik Johnson is the chief financial officer of the Americas for Boardriders, Inc., a leading action sports lifestyle company that designs, produces and distributes apparel, footwear, and accessories around the world. The company’s brands include Quiksilver, Roxy, DC Shoes, Billabong, RVCA, Element, Xcel Wetsuits, Von Zipper, and Honolua Surf Company. Erik was a key team member that brought Boardriders, Inc. out of bankruptcy in 2016, led the company back to profitability within two years, and merged with the Billabong Group in 2018 to create a global action sports powerhouse.
Pepperdine Graziadio gives you the space to learn, a safe environment to make mistakes, and the mindfulness to enhance your home and work life.
profits at twice the rate of sales from 2010 through 2015. Erik states that his career allows him to work with people and brands that deeply inspire him.
While attending the Pepperdine Graziadio MBA program, Erik participated in Dr. Morrissey’s capstone strategy class where Erik and his teammates built a shoe company.
The capstone project was great fun and eventually launched him into the footwear and apparel industry he is in today.
Chief Financial Officer Mad Engine Global, LLC.Prior to Boardriders, Erik was the Vice President of Global Finance at Oakley, Inc., where he helped grow operating
Erik’s personal hobbies are intertwined with his career as he is a passionate surfer, skier, and outdoor enthusiast. He has also taught over 40 kids to surf for their first time.
Director, Programming and Launch Analytics NetflixWith twenty-plus years of television experience, Andy Kubitz oversees a newly created role, director of programming and launch analytics at global streaming company Netflix. Mr. Kubitz leads a team that develops tools and strategies to monitor and advise on content investment and programming and release date strategies based on internal and competitive insights.
Most recently, Mr. Kubitz was the executive vice president of programming strategy at ABC Entertainment. In that role, Mr. Kubitz oversaw daytime, primetime, and late-night program planning and scheduling, as well as managing ABC’s non-linear windowing strategies across various streaming platforms.
Prior to ABC, Andy held executive positions at CBS and successfully maximized sales revenues and viewership for the company. Part of his role was to develop a corporate television content management system to improve communication, organize show metadata and reduce errors, long before it was standard procedure. Andy was part of the programming
team that saw the reality TV revolution explode with the launch of Survivor. He takes pride in prioritizing programming focused on inclusivity with the airing of innovative shows like Scandal, Blackish, and Fresh Off the Boat. Andy is most proud of being a part of a platform that gave voice to minorities and women including Viola Davis, winner of Best Actress Emmy for Drama on How to Get Away with Murder.
Andy recalls looking at his cohort during graduation and realizing through Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, that they each accomplished a deeply personal goal that was not possible without each other and more importantly, Pepperdine. The program and curriculum structure, top-tier professors, and individual life experiences of each student contributed to a well-rounded educational experience that is with each of them for a lifetime.
During Andy’s spare time he enjoys reading and expanding his knowledge about World History, World War II, and the Greatest Generation.
Graziadio provides an incubator that provides students with the tools and guidance they need to experiment and innovate.
Tim Langley-Hawthorne Executive MBA ‘03
Chief Business Officer Google Inc. / YouTube
As chief business officer for videosharing website Youtube, where 300 hours of video is uploaded every minute, Robert Kyncl oversees numerous business functions including content, sales, marketing, platforms, access, and strategy. Prior to Youtube, Robert was Vice President of Content Acquisitions at Netflix, where he spearheaded the company’s content acquisition for streaming TV shows and movies over the Internet. Growing up in the Czech Republic under the constraints of the Iron Curtain, Robert developed important values that motivated him to make a positive contribution to the world.
Throughout his career, Robert has leveraged his Graziadio skills, lessons, and values to apply them to challenging
Learning with other classmates from different backgrounds, various sized companies, and diversity of roles definitely helped with developing my coaching and leadership skills.
projects. While at Graziadio, Robert recalls courses requiring team building and team brainstorming, which he learned were essential to a business and understanding new and differing perspectives. Robert has been listed in Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report as one of their “disruptors”, Vanity Fair’s New Establishment List, Billboard’s Power 100 List, and AdWeek’s 50 List of Vital Leaders in Tech, Media, and Marketing.
Fresh out of business school and scouting for a job, Robert landed himself a job at a Hollywood talent agency, where he was later introduced to Netflix. Robert is also the author of “Streampunks: Youtube and the Rebels Remaking Media”.
Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer The Hertz CorporationAs Chief Information Officer at Hertz, Tim is honored to lead the technology team that is enabling a 100+ year old company on a new path to becoming an essential component of the modern mobility ecosystem. Through technology, Tim’s team is building new digital experiences for customers, and enabling the deployment of the largest Electric Vehicle (EV) fleet in North America.
Under Tim’s leadership, the Hitachi Vantara IT team received for the first time ever, the “2020 Enabling Function of the Year” award, recognizing the significant business value delivered through close business/technology engagement. Tim also led the global customer service and technical support organization at Western Union, delivering a technology and operational transformation focused
on supporting customers and 500,000 retail agent locations in 200+ countries and territories.
Tim recalls one of his first assignments at Pepperdine Graziadio was to write “A Day in the Life” where he described how he expected to spend a “perfect” day, ten years after completing his EMBA. Much of what he described is how he spends his days now. Doing this taught him the value of thinking about what he wants to achieve, writing it down, and then checking in on the vision on a regular basis.
Tim lives in Colorado with his family. As a snowboarder for over 20 years, he enjoys spending time in the mountains where he can disconnect from the pressures of work and enjoy being in the moment.
My Pepperdine Graziadio MBA experience matched my personal life perspective: focus on today and plan for tomorrow in a highly competitive environment.
Kimber Maderazzo Presidents and Key Executives MBA ‘10 State Treasurer State of CaliforniaIn November 2018, Fiona Ma was elected as California’s 34th State Treasurer. With more votes than any other candidate for treasurer in the state’s history, Fiona is the first woman of color and first woman certified public accountant elected to the position. Before being elected Treasurer, she was an elected member of the California Board of Equalization from 2015 to January 2019 and worked to protect the rights of taxpayers.
Fiona was a member of the State Assembly from 2006 to 2012 and served as Speaker Pro Tempore from 2010 to 2012, building a reputation as a solution-oriented public servant and skillfully forming unlikely coalitions to overcome California’s most complex problems. As an Assembly Member, she authored 60 bills which were signed into law during the Great Recession by
I came for an education and left with a purpose, my experience was lifechanging and I continue to experience the changes due to the benefits of my education at Pepperdine.
two different party governors and three different Assembly House Speakers. Fiona’s successful legislation to ban toxic chemicals in baby products (phthalates) became a model for federal legislation and is now a national law. From 2002 to 2006, she served on the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors and championed a human rights campaign to end human trafficking.
The Pepperdine Graziadio MBA program stood out to Treasurer Ma because of its in-depth analysis of real-life companies instead of studying theoretical theories and case studies. During the program, Fiona and her cohort visited a whitecollar prison – the experience was eyeopening, “I learned that it is not worth it to cut corners or take unnecessary risks in business or in life in general.”
Kimber Maderazzo currently serves as the Executive Chairman for C200 (The Committee 200), a preeminent women’s leadership organization focused on creating, inspiring, educating, celebrating, and advancing current and future women entrepreneurs and corporate leaders.
With over 25 years of experience in the beauty and cosmetics industry, Kimber is the former Executive Vice President of Brand and General Manager for the world’s #1 acne brand, Proactiv. Prior to working at Proactiv, she was the Senior Vice President of Global Product Marketing at Guthy Renker, where she created a number of brands for the company’s portfolio and developed dozens of consumer products in beauty, skincare, entertainment, and wellness categories. Kimber is also an operating
executive for top private equity and venture funds and most recently, she led a privately held company into sale to a Fortune 100 company.
After a distinguished corporate career, Kimber wanted to break away from the corporate world to build something for herself. She started a new venture as a business owner and is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of MILLI ROSE Beauty.
After graduating from Pepperdine Graziadio, Kimber walked away achieving her goal. “I accomplished something that I set out to do and achieve. It sets me apart from most leaders and completes me as an executive.”
Thomas Magnuson Fully Employed MBA ‘98
Pepperdine transformed my fears to strengths. With new knowledge, I was reinspired with encouragement and hope. My focus expanded greatly, to paying attention to people and the world around me.
Matt Marquis Executive MBA ‘99
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Magnuson Hotels (London, UK, USA)
Tom works as the CEO of Magnuson Hotels, the first global hotel chain to provide affordable booking technology to independent hotels. His leadership led Magnuson Hotels to be named the fastest growing hotel company of the Inc 5000 fastest growing private companies. For three years straight (2019, 2020, 2021), Magnuson Hotels outperformed the USA hotel industry in the delivery of RevPAR (revenue per available room).
Before starting at Pepperdine Graziadio, Tom’s work experience was as a musician in some pretty gritty places and the thought of being judged by a committee of academics
My experience helped prepare for the heavy yoke of leadership at an award winning, top 30 hotel ownership and management company. It prepared to meet challenges creatively and in a collaborative way.
for admission was daunting. But he applied to Pepperdine in the late 1980s at a special moment when the school was pioneering a new concept. They wanted people who were working and valued people who had years of diverse experience. Tom will never forget his interview, where he was welcomed with encouragement and love to a family he had never met before.
Tom has played drums professionally from the age of 15 to 30 and has had the chance to study with some of the greatest jazz drummers and percussionists of the 20th century.
Chief Executive Officer Pacifica HotelsMatt Marquis began his business career on Wall Street with Dean Witter Realty Inc, where he was an Analyst and Asset Manager for their diversified real estate portfolio valued at more than $1 billion. Matt joined Pacifica Real Estate Group as an Asset Manager responsible for the commercial real estate portfolio. In 2000, Matt and his father Dale Marquis activated Invest West Financial Corp as the family’s primary business and acquired Pacifica Hotel Company. With Matt as the Chief Executive Officer, Pacifica Hotels now has over 40 assets and has developed two hospitality brands, The Wayfarer and The Kinney.
Earlier in 2019, Matt and his team successfully sold The Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel, one of their largest assets, to Blackstone for $100+ million.
While attending the Pepperdine Graziadio Executive MBA program, Matt recalls Professor of Strategy, Chuck Williams, holding a meeting for the board of directors to review Matt’s MBA case study. Professor Williams led Matt and his team through a partial board meeting in which the board discussed serious issues and challenges that would require board attention, top leadership management, and strategy decision changes. This lesson was extremely helpful and contributed value to Matt’s present position as CEO.
Matt currently resides in Orange County with his wife and their four children. Matt and his children have a love for music and in his spare time, he has become a local DJ (free of charge!) for a variety of events and parties in both the OC and Santa Barbara communities.
Steven Milovich Presidents and Key Executives MBA ‘99
I completed my MBA while working full-time as a C-Suite business leader, and that knowledge, experience, and problem-solving provided a better understanding of all aspects of the business and realistic solutions.
My Graziadio experience was a major awakening for me personally and professionally. It was a transformative experience, a catalyst, for unlocking my potential and improving my personal life and career.
of a publicly traded tech company at the age of 34. She worked feverishly with the founder and CEO for over six years to grow talent globally, improve culture and engagement, deliver results, and earn his trust along with that of the leadership team and board. The company was acquired two years later by an even larger public tech company for which Lisa immediately became Chief People Officer. In parallel, Lisa was studying evenings and weekends to earn her MBA from Pepperdine and attributes her entry to the C-Suite directly to attaining her MBA.
Steve Milovich is an accomplished business and senior human resources executive with a track record of successfully working with leadership teams to drive business results in diverse industries and global business environments. He has held executive positions with some of the world’s most successful and iconic companies, including The Walt Disney Company, PepsiCo, and Honeywell.
Lisa is currently an Investor and Advisor with SemperVirens VC and on the advisory board of several mid-stage companies. She was formerly Chief People Officer at CrowdStrike (pre & post IPO), Silver Peak, Fortinet, Brocade, and Foundry Networks, Inc. She adds value to companies by leveraging her expertise as a Compensation Committee member as well as experience with explosive growth, IPOs, M&A, equity restructuring, and HR tech scaling. For the first time, boards are spending more time on people issues and Lisa provides guidance relative to the hybrid workforce, metrics for new SEC disclosure requirements, new ways to engage employees, and the future of work, among other things.
A major milestone in her career was her promotion to Chief People Officer
Lisa accomplished all of this while also prioritizing being a wife and mother to her twins.
Investor and Advisor SemperVirens VC President Milovich Partners Former Senior Vice President The Walt Disney CompanyAfter a distinguished corporate career, Steve retired from Disney to begin his second career as a business school professor, human capital consultant, and executive coach. He is currently President of Milovich Partners, a strategic human capital consulting, advisory, and executive coaching company. He is also a Strategic Advisor for The Boston Consulting Group, an executive in residence and senior lecturer in the Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, and a member of the leadership team and faculty of The Hudson Institute of Coaching.
During his tenure at Walt Disney Company, Steve held several top executive human resource positions, initially serving as Senior Vice President of Corporate Human Resources, Organization, and Leadership development, and later assuming the position of Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources, Talent, and Workforce diversity for Disney | ABC Television. He led numerous initiatives that increased the engagement and efficiency of the organization and its workforce, as well as the attraction, development, and retention of key talent at all levels.
During Dr. Wayne Storm’s Organization Behavior course, Steve learned that the key to developing an effective organization was improving the leadership capability of each individual leader. The course taught him that a leader must first look inward and get better at managing and leading themselves before they can truly be effective at leading others.
Oscar Munoz
Fully Employed MBA ‘86
Quincy Newell
Fully Employed MBA ‘12
At Graziadio, I gained the knowledge necessary to make a good living. More importantly, I gained the wisdom necessary to make a meaningful life.
Pepperdine Graziadio is a school where its mission is to educate, inspire and instill an ethical foundation. I will forever honor the mission, live up to the ideal, and encourage others to do the same.
As the former Chief Executive Officer of United Airlines, Oscar Munoz led an incredible turnaround with the company’s stock rising more than 50 percent, top-tier operational reliability, and improving customer satisfaction.
Cola, then AT&T. Despite the diversity of those experiences, Oscar states the common denominator that binds them all is the importance of communication, authenticity, and value-driven decisionmaking.
Oscar took great pride in the renewal of trust and purpose among United employees, which he calls the New Spirit of United. Prior, Oscar was President and Chief Operations Officer at CSX Railways where he led a team that successfully increased the company’s market capitalization from $6 billion to more than $40 billion, by focusing on growth and creating value for customers, stakeholders, and the community.
Oscar has held various positions across the spectrum, from consumer products and branding to the telecom industry, first at PepsiCo and Coca
In 2018, Oscar returned to his alma mater to deliver the commencement address to Pepperdine Graziadio’s graduating MBA class. Drawing upon lessons he learned throughout his career, as well as his upbringing as the oldest of nine children in a modest Hispanic immigrant household, Oscar offered important wisdom for business and life, “for too much and for too long we’ve been told that you can’t be both profitable and principled. My experience teaches the opposite: embodying good values creates the greatest value for any organization. That’s the best lesson I learned at Pepperdine.”
Guided by four main principles –integrity, stewardship, courage, and compassion – Quincy Newell believes a successful business is created by seeking the collective good along with shareholder value. With a 30+ year career in entertainment and media, after receiving his law degree in 2017, Quincy decided to launch his own entertainment and media advisory firm. He has successfully built a clientele that includes Significant Productions, Dynamic Action Design, ShadowBandit Entertainment, and Reign a First World Media/AT&T company.
as producer of Kevin Hart’s independent box-office hits “Laugh at My Pain” and “Let Me Explain”, Shaquille O’Neal’s “Shaq All-Star Comedy Jam” franchise, WWE’s “Blood Brother”, and T.D. Jake’s “Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day”, among others. He was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his role as producer on “WTAL: 7th Day”.
Retired Chief Executive Officer United Airlines Founder and President TwentyOne14
Previously, Quincy was the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Codeblack Films, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate Entertainment Corp., and co-founded Codeblack Entertainment, a joint venture with Universal Music Group Distribution.
Quincy wrote and produced the 2009 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection, “Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy”, served
While at Graziadio, Quincy proudly contributed to the Institute for Entertainment, Media, Sports and Culture (IEMC) Diversity and Inclusion Symposium and recruited a few of his esteemed colleagues such as Mike Paseornek, President of Production at Lionsgate, and Carmi Zlotnik, President of Original Programming, Starz. In 2018, he was honored with the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School Distinguished Alumnus Award.
In celebration of his 52nd birthday, Quincy is training for his 11th triathlon this September.
I found Pepperdine to be very helpful to my career. The exposure to effective management skills, team approaches to problem solving, and personal networking were all important qualities found at Graziadio.
Dan Redfern Presidents and Key Executives MBA ‘97 Chairman and Founder The Olson CompanyWith more than 30 years of experience in real estate finance and development, Stephen Olson is recognized as a leader in providing affordable urban housing throughout California. Founder and Executive Chairman of the Olson Company, Stephen has led the company to receive the Eliant award for Best Builder in North America in 2015, 2016, 2017, and placed second in 2018. Olson communities are designed to draw people out of their cars and onto community sidewalks and public transportation, while meeting the energy, air quality, and connectivity goals of cities. A champion for affordable housing, Stephen has been recognized by numerous California State and City agencies over the years and he was named America’s Builder of the Year in 2000.
Wayne Strom gave me a remarkable and memorable lesson. He showed us new ways to be polished executives, use meditation drills, and gave us his infamous reminder that there is no need to react
Previously, Stephen served as President and Chief Executive Officer for Signet Scientific Company and served as Chairman for the Aquarium of the Pacific, as well as director of numerous private and public companies. He also founded Flowline, Inc. and ONX Winery on the California Central Coast.
During the program, Stephen received counsel from Dr. Duke Paige that remained valuable to him over the years. Dr. Paige taught him to emphasize the “what rather than the how”, focusing on a full team buy-in instead of rushing into the “implementation strategy”. Stephen has been recognized as a distinguished alumnus by the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School and has been awarded with an honorary doctorate from Pepperdine Graziadio.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Ruiz FoodsAs Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Ruiz Foods, Dan Redfern is responsible for all aspects of strategic planning, financial reporting, accounting, treasury, board of directors support, and P&L performance management. Prior to joining Ruiz Foods, Dan spent over 30 years in the food and beverage industry and served as CFO for several prominent operating divisions of Bonduelle Fresh Americas, Popchips Inc., Tyson Foods, and PepsiCo. While at Pepsi Bottling Group Canada, Dan helped lead a significant turnaround in profitability of the $1.4 billion division of PepsiCo.
While attending the Presidents and Key Executives (PKE) MBA program at Pepperdine Graziadio, Dan was
assigned to write a strategic thesis. His thesis on “Maintaining the Lead as a Dominant Market Leader” enabled him to pull together all of the valuable learnings from each of the elements of the program. Ten years after graduating the PKE program, Dan received a letter from himself. “I had such an eerie feeling when I realized my life had turned out almost exactly like the letter I wrote myself. I am convinced the skills learned at PKE had a dramatic and positive impact on my personal and professional career.”
In Dan’s spare time, he competes competitively in triathlons and is a threetime member of Team USA competing in Triathlon World Championships throughout the globe.
Fully Employed MBA ‘02
Irv Rothman Executive MBA ‘81Like anything else in life, you get out of it what you put into it.
With a career spanning over 37 years in the automotive industry, Don Romano is now President and Chief Executive Officer of Hyundai Auto Canada.
Over the past eight years under Don’s leadership, the company has achieved record sales and market share growth.
Today, Hyundai is the fastest growing automotive brand in Canada. He also launched the new luxury brand Genesis, the Ioniq all electric brand as well as the industry’s first zero-emission fuel cell vehicle in Canada, positioning Hyundai as a world leader in environmentally friendly transportation.
Diversity. Prior to joining Hyundai, Don was President of Mazda Canada as well as Chief Marketing Officer for Mazda operations in North America and held key executive roles for Toyota overseas and Nissan in North America.
President and Chief Executive Officer Hyundai Auto Canada CorpUnder Don’s leadership, Hyundai Canada has been recognized as one of Canada’s top 10 best places to work and one of Canada’s best work environments for women to succeed. Don was also recognized by Automotive News as a North American Champion of
The Pepperdine Graziadio Business School taught Don how to be an effective leader and understand how to react to an ever-changing business environment. “A successful business is built with an exceptional team and a strong corporate culture of respect, integrity, and innovation. Graziadio’s focus on these critical skills combined with a strong emphasis on business fundamentals gave me the foundation necessary to achieve my career goals.”
A California native from Laguna Beach, Don used to be a routine surfer, but now calls Ontario, Canada home.
Chief Executive Officer HPE Financial ServicesAs Chief Executive Officer of HPE Financial Services (HPEFS), Irv Rothman has grown the business to over $13 billion in assets, $3.4 billion in revenue, and has expanded the company’s global presence to over 50 countries. In a datadriven, digital-first world, HPE Financial Services creates the investment capacity enterprises need to accelerate their transformation. Combining over 20 years of asset management expertise and financial know-how, the company creates innovative, sustainable strategies across the entire technology estate. Prior to taking on the leadership responsibility for HPEFS, Irv was the founder of Compaq Financial Services, a greenfield startup that grew to $3.5 billion assets and $1.0 billion revenue in less than five years.
In the early development years of his career, Irv felt he lacked some essential skills and training to succeed long term. Irv selected Graziadio because of the focus on leadership skill acquisition, quantitative courses for business decision making, and an opportunity to experience a collaborative work environment with a diverse group of people. The learnings from his graduate school experience have been broadly applied in his many professional steps forward ever since.
Irv is the author of “Out-Executing the Competition” (Wiley, 2012). All personal royalties from book sales are being donated to Room to Read, an international charity dedicated to promoting children’s literacy across the world.
A difficult challenge, a proud accomplishment. Opened a few doors and provided me with skills to succeed. Would do it again in a heartbeat.
Lifelong learning is the key to remaining relevant and relevancy is the key to remaining gratified and fulfilled professionally.
My time as a young executive living in California in the early 1980s, and especially my years at Graziadio, sharpened my entrepreneurial vision and laid out a road map I’ve followed ever since.
Chief Store Operations Officer Sprouts Farmers Market
A proven business leader specializing in business transformations and retail store operations, Dan Sanders oversees all Sprouts Farmers Market stores from coast to coast. Recognized as one of America’s Fastest Growing Retailers by Business Insider and awarded America’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune, Sprouts operates more than 380 stores and employs 35,000 team members. Prior to joining Sprouts, Dan spent ten years with United Supermarkets of Texas and served in various roles, including Chief Executive Officer. During his tenure, United Supermarkets achieved recognition for Best Places to Work in Texas and was also recognized as Texas Family Business of the Year.
Along with serving as a corporate executive, Dan enjoyed entrepreneurial ventures and was an equity partner at Adplex, a marketing company specializing in advertising production and business consultative services for high-profile corporations. He also
co-founded AdContent, a company specializing in content management, online ad building, promotions management, and digital photography for retail and entertainment organizations. Dan was instrumental in preparing both companies for sale to Windward Capital, a New York-based private investment firm.
Pepperdine Graziadio’s Presidents and Key Executives MBA curriculum is delivered with the spirit of wisdom. Dr. Wayne Storm, a legendary professor of organizational behavior, stated: “You don’t have to react.” Those five words proved to be true and shaped Dan’s behavior long after graduation.
Dan is a former United States Air Force pilot, served as a member of the Air Force One Presidential Advance Team for President George H. W. Bush, and authored two books on leadership, both published by McGraw-Hill.
Founder, Chair, and Chief Executive Officer Intercontinental ExchangeJeff Sprecher is the Founder, Chair, and Chief Executive Officer of Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) and a pioneer of digital networks and the electronification of trading and marketplaces.
Starting from scratch in 2000, ICE, which went public on the NYSE in 2005, now has a market cap of over $75 billion. Jeff became chair of the NYSE following ICE’s acquisition, overseeing a complete overhaul of the Exchange, serving in that role for eight years through 2021. After delivering to ICE shareholders a consistent compound annual growth of 17% over the span of 2006 to 2021, Jeff has been hailed as one of Barron’s “World’s Best CEOs” for six consecutive years.
Jeff was born in the Midwest and got his engineering degree there, but his entrepreneurial spark was lit at
Graziadio. Graziadio’s case study method brought him face-to-face with new companies, industries, and issues. With Ronald Reagan in the White House and Jerry Brown as Governor of California, deregulation was the rallying cry, extending into the renewable energy markets. In a roundabout way, this sparked a life-changing opportunity for Jeff while at Graziadio.
As part of his organizational behavior class, Jeff dove inside a local firm to see what made it tick, finding executives building a business model around energy deregulation. One of them tapped Jeff as his first hire at a new startup called Western Power Group. Three years later, Jeff was running that company. He credits Graziadio’s organizational behavior class. Without it, he says, might never have been a CEO at all.
Fully
Employed MBA ‘09
My time at Pepperdine Graziadio was one of the most formative in my career and life. The value centered leadership skills I gained guide me daily, both personally and professionally.
Tom SumnerFully Employed MBA ‘03
President and Chief Operating Officer Lawry’s Restaurant, Inc.President and Chief Operating Officer of Lawry’s Restaurant, Tiffany Stith is the first woman and the first nonfamily member to lead the company. Innovative and determined for change, she led Lawry’s first major menu change and full brand revitalization with the Frank Family. She also helped build a tech startup company from the ground up during the rise of tech in the ‘90s and became a partner and board member in her 20’s. Tiffany was the first person in her family to graduate from high school, college, and earn a graduate degree. She serves as an example for future generations.
Driven to succeed and dedicated to her role at Lawry’s Restaurant, Inc.,
My objective was to deeply understand the material and apply it to my job. Within the first semester of the program, I used what I learned to immediately improve profitability, accountability and brand value.
Tiffany decided to earn her MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio. While enrolled in the program, she studied abroad at Oxford and in Buenos Aires where she was exposed to brilliant thought leaders on philanthropic integration of business and general economic theory. These experiences changed the way Tiffany thought about business and allowed her to have an international and geopolitical lens. Surrounded by a cultural and diverse cohort, she was able to build close ties with her colleagues.
Despite having a busy schedule, Tiffany and her husband are huge live music fans and manage to find time to see more than 100 concerts a year.
President Yamaha Corporation of America
As Yamaha Corporation of America’s first non-Japanese President in 59 years and first American Operating Officer of Yamaha Corporation Japan, Tom Sumner plays a central role in shaping the evolution of Yamaha. Tom led the first major restructuring of the company in 30 years, creating a company that is customer-centric and efficient by establishing a marketing discipline and streamlining operations to eliminate internal conflicts and redundancies.
After graduating from Pepperdine Graziadio, Tom was confronted with a problem that seemed to have no satisfying solution. Tom presented this challenge to his Pepperdine cohort and learned from their industry experiences and perspectives and was able to create
an innovative solution. The alumni and broader Pepperdine Graziadio network has provided him with additional perspectives and views that he has utilized time after time.
Yamaha is the world’s largest musical instrument company with half of its employees being musicians. The nontraditional annual all-company meeting encourages employees to showcase their talents. This past year, President Tom Sumner joined the house band, played the guitar, and sang ‘Sara Smile’ to his team. The creativity and boldness found in Yamaha employees feeds back into the heart of the company and casts a spotlight on the customers.
Joshua Taub
Fully Employed MBA ‘99
Lori Torres Presidents and Key Executives MBA ‘14
Graziadio was a great place, that both suited my life and aspiration to grow simultaneously. I am appreciative of the education and the support from the school in the years post my graduation.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard, Inc. is the world’s largest most successful interactive entertainment company.
Activision Blizzard’s best two years in history.
With 400 million monthly active users in 196 countries, iconic franchises include Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Starcraft®, Candy Crush Saga®, and many more. Joshua is the Chief Operations Officer of Activision Publishing and has a key role in leading the overall organization. Key functions include, division CFO and Strategic Management, the future pipeline and Emerging Franchises business, as well as, Data and Analytics. In his time at Activision, he held key leadership roles in developing Guitar Hero and Skylanders Franchises, and as Chief Financial Officer, presided over
Joining Pepperdine Graziadio early in his professional life, Joshua started his MBA while working full time, in the midst of a new marriage, the birth of his first child, and purchasing his first home. Campus flexibility throughout Southern California was crucial. Joshua’s most impressive memory at Pepperdine Graziadio was listening to guest speaker Gordon Binder, CEO of Amgen. The inspiring discussion focused on Amgen’s company vision, the care with which Amgen manages employees, and how they aggressively foster R&D as the lifeblood of the company. The positive experience has remained with Joshua and is still applied in his business today.
Chief Operating Officer Activision Founder and Former Chief Executive Officer
Parcel Pending
Lori Torres began her career in real estate and managed 44,000 apartments across the West. While working for a leading real estate development firm, Irvine Company, Lori’s staff were inundated managing packages from residents’ online shopping orders and unable to conduct day-to-day operations. Property managers were struggling to devote enough space, time, and money to managing the major boost in resident deliveries and packages, all while residents were becoming frustrated with having to pick up their packages during office hours or missing packages. Using this insight, Lori founded Parcel Pending, an innovative locker solution that ensures simple and secure delivery and retrieval of packages and online orders. Within five years, the company grew by over $30 million and sold for over $100
million. Parcel Pending now has 175 employees and won Orange County Top Workplaces in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
During the Pepperdine Graziadio PKE program, she was managing operations for a billion dollar a year company with 1,200 employees and couldn’t imagine earning a degree. The PKE program was a pivotal part in her transition from Corporate America to entrepreneurship. Her cohort and professors became advisors as she began to build Parcel Pending and supported her in the success of the company.
Lori enjoys exploring the world and is curious about everything, which drives her to continue learning and growing. She loves and adores her family, friends, and people she has met along her business and life journey.
I was challenged, pushed and met amazing people. I now have friends for life from my journey in the Presidents and Key Executives MBA program. I’m forever grateful for my experience!
Victor Tsao
Fully Employed MBA ‘86
You not only leave with a wonderful education taught by world-class professors but with an individual board of advisors who you can call on for personal and professional guidance over a lifetime.
Steve Totzke is President and Chief Commercial Officer of Mattel, a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest portfolios of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world with brands including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, and American Girl. Steve oversees the company’s global commercial operations and is responsible for driving Mattel’s growth in markets worldwide.
Graziadio helped me build beyond my IT technical skills by expanding my management knowledge and in turn, my business.
achieving these objectives on a daily basis, regardless of where he is in the world.
Still fresh in his mind, Steve recalls his first day at Pepperdine Graziadio. “I vividly recall the first day winding my way up the hill to the stunning Malibu campus and beginning the personal ‘check-in’ process with my cohort that begins every session. I immediately knew this was a special program that would stay with me for a lifetime.”
Victor has been a longtime advocate and donor in giving back to the community through charitable giving. He created the Tsao Family Foundation in 2004, which was organized to support educational, healthcare, scientific, cultural, and other charitable causes. The Tsao Family Foundation has made millions of dollars in grants to other charitable organizations in pursuit to make the world a better place.
Steve has played a pivotal role in Mattel’s transformation to an IP-driven, high-performing toy company the past few years, but most importantly, he takes pride each day in supporting Mattel’s purpose to empower the next generation to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.
Having traveled and worked in multiple countries and cultures, Steve’s main objective is to learn something new, positively contribute, and to have fun. Steve’s biggest accomplishment is
As Mattel’s Chief Commercial Officer, traveling is necessary and occurs often. With downtime in airports, airplanes, and hotels, Steve uses this time to continue personal learning and development. Self-classified as a podcast addict, Steve learns about every topic that interests him and pushes himself to learn about topics that might not have caught his attention at first.
President and Chief Commercial Officer Mattel, Inc. President Miven, Inc.Co-Founder Linksys
Victor Tsao co-founded Linksys in 1988 and made significant contributions to introduce home networking to the individual consumer. He grew Linksys from a garage entrepreneurship to a home networking leader that popularized the Wi-Fi router which led to the universal use of the WiFi connections we use every day. In 2003, Linksys was sold to Cisco in order to expand its global reach. Due to his accomplishments at Linksys, Victor was inducted into the Consumer Electronics Association’s Hall of Fame in 2014. Prior to Linksys, Victor worked in various software programming and system integration jobs. He retired from corporate life in 2007 and remains active in technology through investments and philanthropy.
Victor holds an MBA from Pepperdine University, an MS in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology, a BS in Computer Science from Tamkang University, and an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
My Graziadio experience provided me tools to make a significant impact in others, while creating unprecedented results, transforming every area of my life.
Paul Smucker Wagstaff Master of Science in International Business ‘95 Managing Director JPMorgan Chase & Co.Graziadio taught me critical thinking, problem solving, entrepreneurial skills through collaborative group projects, and provided constructive criticism on final projects (even when it took the wind out of my sails).
Since the age of 19, Betty Uribe has expanded and sold over five successful companies.She is currently Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase & Co. where she oversees the company’s California retail bank network which includes 10,000 employees across nearly 1,000 branches. JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the country with more than $3.2 trillion in assets under management.
Previously, she served as Executive Vice President at California Bank & Trust where she oversaw a $6 billion line of business. Under Betty’s leadership, California Bank & Trust was recognized as the #1 Bank in Orange County by the Orange County Register for five consecutive years.
Balancing her life and career, while writing an international best-selling book, “#Values, the Secret to Top Level Performance in Business and Life”, she keeps the Graziadio values of “Freely ye received, freely give” top of mind.
Betty has become a global leader, being asked to speak to heads of state, dignitaries, and global leaders.
While attending Graziadio, she was undergoing a challenging time. “I went to my strategy professor and asked for an extension on a critical assignment. At the time, I was a full-time student, had a full-time job, and was about to become a full-time single mother of two young girls. To my surprise the professor said, ‘let’s take the assignment aside, tell me what I can do to help you get through this.’ I immediately felt completely supported. I turned in the project on time and was committed to step up to the plate even more.”
Betty’s personal goal is to raise enough funds to provide a full college education to 100 underserved individuals in each continent by the time she is 80 years old. She has already funded over 60 scholarships, 53 of which are in Southern California.
Co-Founder and Managing Partner Embassy Park LLCAs President of Consumer Food for J.M. Smucker Company, Paul managed $2.3 billion in sales of heritage brands such as Smucker’s fruit spreads, uncrustables PB&J sandwiches, Jif Peanut Butter, Pillsbury, and many more household food brand names. Through research and innovation, Paul improved operational excellence, built a topnotch team, and created 30-50 new products per year, generating double-digit sales and margins.
In 2014, Paul pursued his own entrepreneurial dreams by partnering with a private equity firm to buy Eagle Brand canned milk, G.H. Creators ready to eat popcorn, and Popcorn Indiana. Within two years, Eagle Foods became the fastest growing ready to eat popcorn brand in the nation.
Paul established Embassy Park LLC, a merchant banking and advisory firm
focused on consumer-packaged goods (CPG) and completed three acquisitions in three years. Today, Paul continues to focus on advising board work and investments primarily in the CPG food space.
Midway through his Master of Science in International Business program at Graziadio, Paul and his wife moved to Germany. The head of the program took the initiative to meet with Paul, provided guidance on completing the program, and helped his wife pursue her art career. The head of the program and Paul’s cohort embraced his wife as one of their own and made it clear that Pepperdine Graziadio was the correct choice.
Paul enjoys playing golf and was an extra in a 1988 Michael Jackson music video.
Robin Washington
Executive
MBA ‘95In addition to equipping me with the academic skills to succeed in my career, my Graziadio experience solidified the confidence in myself to achieve and conquer whatever I set out to do with hard work.
Christa Zofcin Workman
BA ‘97, MBA ‘00, JD ‘01 Former Chief Financial Officer Gilead Sciences, Inc.As the former Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Gilead Science, Inc. Robin Washington oversaw the Global Finance, Information Technology, and Facilities and Corporate Operations organizations. In that leadership role, Robin was a member of the management team that profitably grew the biotech company and made a difference for Gilead’s patients through innovative science and curative medicines. Throughout the years, Robin built and led a talented team of business professionals and created effective programs to support talent development and enhance efficiency and effectiveness of Gilead. In addition, she has been a passionate sponsor of inclusion and diversity initiatives to enhance representation and support of females and minorities in senior corporate roles and boardrooms. In 2017, Robin was selected by the Financial Women of San Francisco as
Pepperdine Graziadio is the intersection of a world class education with a warm family dinner – exceptional and intimate.
its “Financial Woman of the Year” and received the Bay Area CFO of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.
Robin’s EMBA program highlight was the amazing relationships that were formed with her classmates and professors.
“We were one of the first classes at the Santa Clara location and I am still in contact with some of my classmates. It was clearly an opportunity to work collaboratively with individuals of different backgrounds and skill sets. Very relevant experience for the roles I have had in my career following completion of the program.”
Robin is currently a board member for Honeywell International, Salesforce. com, where she serves as audit chair, Alphabet Inc., and Pepperdine Graziadio. Robin enjoys traveling the world and embracing the cultures with her husband and two children.
Co-President and Chief Operating Officer River Road EntertainmentWith over twenty years of experience in the entertainment industry, Emmy®nominated producer, Christa (Zofcin) Workman is Co-President and Chief Operating Officer of River Road Entertainment, a leading independent film and television production company, where she oversees company-wide business operations and strategy. She most recently was Executive Producer on Dreamin’ Wild, premiering at the Venice International Film Festival, which stars Academy Award®-winner Casey Affleck, Emmy® and Grammy Award®winner Beau Bridges, Emmy®nominated Zooey Deschanel, Emmy®nominated Walton Goggins, Noah Jupe, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Chris Messina. Christa also was Executive Producer on two-time Emmy®-winning (and six-time Emmy®-nominated) film, American Utopia
Other notable River Road films include Academy Award® winners 12 Years a Slave and Brokeback Mountain, Academy Award®–nominated Food, Inc., and Palme d’Or winner The Tree of Life
Formerly, she was head of business affairs for United Artists. She began her career working in finance at MGM
Studios as well as serving as counsel to the late Michael King, Founder/Owner/ CEO of King World.
A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a member of the Television Academy, Christa also serves on the Pepperdine University Board, is a founding executive board member of the University’s Institute for Entertainment, Media, Sports, and Culture and is one of the founding partners of the Law School’s 50 For 50 Scholarship Campaign. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for Claris Health and serves as Co-Chair on the UCLA Entertainment Symposium Committee.
In 2021, she was honored with the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Christa put herself through school, and she credits her time at Pepperdine Graziadio with helping her develop the business and strategic analyses she implements today.
When not making movies, she enjoys biohacking, books, bubbly, and beaches. She especially likes to do all four at the same time.
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