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Alumni Conference

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Friday, May 5
UCLA Anderson School of Management
What are the key forces shaping organizations and people NOW?
The last few years have changed everything—for businesses, leaders, and employees. Alumni connected with Anderson’s community of business and academic leaders to discover the issues and opportunities shaping the current and future state of work.
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Conference Details
 
Culture, Education and the Gender Gap

Paola Giuliano, Chauncey J. Medberry Chair in Management; Professor of Economics

Do the values transmitted from parents to children — historically and today —influence the gender gap in mathematics? Looking beyond traditional explanations, UCLA Anderson Professor of Economics Paola Giuliano finds that differences in cultural values across societies are integral to explaining differences in educational choices.

Giuliano’s widely cited research tackles socially relevant questions, such as the historical roots of gender inequality and the cultural origins of family living arrangements, and reveals surprising implications regarding female labor participation. In this session, she describes how being exposed to people from other parts of the world influences the academic performance of U.S.-born students.

Making Big Decisions in a Changing World

Susan Wojcicki (’98), Special Advisor to Google and Alphabet, former CEO of YouTube
Moderator: Johanna Voolich Wright (’05), VP of Product, Google Workspace

UCLA Anderson alumna Susan Wojcicki (’98), special advisor to Google and Alphabet and the former CEO of YouTube, was awarded the school’s 2023 John E. Anderson Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of how her personal life, professional achievements and community service exemplify the objectives of her alma mater.

A business titan and culture builder, Wojcicki decided to pursue and MBA and take on leadership roles at Google and YouTube when the brands were in their nascency. In conversation with fellow UCLA Anderson alumna Johanna Voolich Wright (’05), VP of product for Google Workspace, Wojcicki described the pivotal decisions she’s made in her career and as a leader in tech, and looked ahead to what generative AI will mean for YouTube and its cherished creators.

Wojcicki has endowed a UCLA Anderson faculty chair dedicated to the study of data science.

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Reinventing Technology for a Global Society

Ramesh Srinivasan, Professor, UCLA Department of Information Studies; Director of UC Digital Cultures Lab

Can the digital world support democracy, economic security and business interests? Ramesh Srinivasan is a professor in the UCLA Department of Information Studies and director of UC Digital Cultures Lab. His research encompasses economic, cultural, political, environmental and even psychological issues associated with the digital revolution.

Srinivasan introduced UCLA Anderson alumni to the technology shifts — such as algorithms, AI, automation, machine bias, data sets and cryptocurrencies — having the greatest impact on businesses, the economy, labor, medical care and more. Advocating for a “planetary and global dialogue,” he is a leading voice pointing the way toward a digital world that supports democracy, economic security and business interests. “Let’s have active collaborative dialogue with people all around the world,” he says, “because there are creative and brilliant people all around our planet.”

Using Feedback to Boost Your Team

Shirin Nikaein (’19), Co-Founder & CEO, Upful.ai

Feedback is critical to building a high-performance team, but are you doing it right? UCLA Anderson alumna Shirin Nikaein (’19), co-founder and CEO of Upful.ai, shared the secrets to giving feedback that drives engagement, productivity and employee well-being — while avoiding the cognitive and identity-based biases that can harm your team.

Nikaein incubated Upful.ai, a software coaching tool that analyzes performance reviews in real time, in the Venture Accelerator at Anderson. She explained practical tips for making feedback a powerful tool to build a healthy and thriving workplace.

Your Future Self Needs You

Hal Hershfield, Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making, Marketing Area Chair

Can we connect with our “future selves” to balance living today but planning for tomorrow? If we could, would we make more humane decisions about our own health and well-being in the years to come?

Drawing from the more than 10 years of research covered in his book Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today, UCLA Anderson Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making Hal Hershfield explains the mental mistakes we make when distancing our present selves from who we’ll become in the future. Hershfield’s findings are full of practical advice for imagining our best future so that we can make it a reality.

2023 UCLA Anderson Alumni Awards

Susan Wojcicki (’98), special advisor to Google and Alphabet and the former CEO of YouTube, was awarded the school’s 2023 John E. Anderson Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of how her personal life, professional achievements and community service exemplify the objectives of her alma mater.

Jonathan Schreter (’00), executive vice president of insurance broker Bolton & Company, earned the Outstanding Alumni Service Award for his exemplary service to the school, enhancing the stature, success and well-being of the alumni network, as well as Anderson’s quality and reputation.

UCLA Anderson 2023 State of the School

Tony Bernardo, Dean and John E. Anderson Chair in Management

UCLA Anderson’s Dean Tony Bernardo, a professor of finance and the John E. Anderson Chair in Management, updated the worldwide network of Anderson alumni on the school’s strategic plan, whose fulcrum is the creation of transformative leadership.

Video access will require your Anderson alumni login credentials.

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10:00 a.m.
Check-in
11:00 - 11:10 a.m.
Welcome Remarks 
Jill Baldauf (’79, ’81), Associate Dean, Alumni Relations
Zubin Davar (’15), President, UCLA Anderson Alumni Network Board of Directors
11:10 - 11:40 a.m.
State of the School 
Tony Bernardo, Dean and John E. Anderson Chair in Management
11:40 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Reinventing Technology for a Global Society
Can the digital world support democracy, economic security, and business interests? Discover how new media technologies such as algorithms, AI, automation, and cryptocurrencies impact businesses, economics, cultures, politics, labor, and the environment.
Ramesh Srinivasan, Professor, UCLA Department of Information Studies; Director of UC Digital Cultures Lab
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Networking Lunch
1:45 - 2:45 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

Accelerating Anderson’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Get a peek into the thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem at UCLA Anderson, powered by the Venture Accelerator. Gain current insights on decentralized finance (DeFI). Hear from Accelerate 2023 cohorts to learn about their startups. Connect with founders as well as entrepreneurial and venture-minded alumni.
Alex Nascimento (’08), Managing Director, 7CC Blockchain Investments; Co-Founder, Blockchain at UCLA

Lateral Agility: The Superpower that Differentiates Today’s Impactful Leaders
When we think of the word "leadership", we typically envision leading vertically - managing a company, team, or effort with positional authority. However, senior leaders who excel at driving execution and change now spend as much time leading across, or laterally, as they do vertically.
Discover how lateral agility enables leaders to break down organizational silos, increase speed of decision making, and drive stronger performance.  In this session, explore the following questions:
  • What are the mindsets, skills and approaches that set successful leaders apart in leading across?
  • How can we develop this capability in ourselves and our teams?
  • What considerations should be made for the remote and hybrid workplace?
Molly Rosen ('93), Co-CEO & Founder, ProjectNext Leadership
Jeff Rosenthal ('88), Co-CEO & Founder, ProjectNext Leadership

The Role of Culture on Education and the Gender Gap 
Looking beyond traditional explanations, differences in cultural values across societies are integral to explaining differences in educational choices. Explore how values transmitted from parents to children — even today — can influence performance in schools and the gender gap in mathematics. Find out how being exposed to people from other parts of the world also influences the academic performance of U.S.-born students.
Paola Giuliano, Chauncey J. Medberry Chair in Management; Professor of Economics
2:45 - 3:15 p.m.
Refreshment Break 
3:15 - 3:50 p.m.
The Power of Feedback: Boost Team Engagement and Productivity
Feedback is critical to building a high-performance team, but are you doing it right? This eye-opening session will change the way you think about employee feedback. Discover the secrets to giving feedback that drives engagement, productivity, and employee well-being—while avoiding the cognitive and identity-based biases that can harm your team. Gain practical tips for making feedback a powerful tool for building a healthy and thriving workplace.
Shirin Nikaein (’19), Co-Founder & CEO, Upful.ai
3:50 - 4:20 p.m.
Make Tomorrow Better Today: Connect with Your Future Self
In our minds, our future selves often look like strangers. Many of us view the future as incredibly distant, making us more likely to opt for immediate gratification that disregards the health and well-being of ourselves in the years to come. How do we connect with our future selves to balance living for today and planning for tomorrow? Drawing from research covered in the forthcoming book Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today, Hal Hershfield will explore the mental mistakes we make and offer practical advice for imagining our best future so that we can make it a reality.
Hal Hershfield, Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making, Marketing Area Chair
4:20 - 4:35 p.m.
UCLA Anderson Alumni Awards Presentation
Outstanding Alumni Service Award
Jonathan Schreter (’00), Executive Vice President, Bolton & Company
John E. Anderson Distinguished Alumni Award
Susan Wojcicki (’98), Special Advisor to Google and Alphabet, former CEO of YouTube
Learn about the UCLA Anderson Alumni Awards.
4:35 - 5:00 p.m.
Making Big Decisions in a Changing World
Susan Wojcicki (’98), Special Advisor to Google and Alphabet, former CEO of YouTube
Moderator: Johanna Voolich Wright (’05),VP of Product, Google Workspace
5:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Networking Reception
Tony Bernardo photo
Antonio Bernardo
Dean and John E. Anderson Chair in Management
During his 25 years at UCLA Anderson, Dean Antonio “Tony” Bernardo estimates he’s taught more than 5,000 students. Bernardo says some of the best moments are when students walk into his office to dig deeper into a business issue — to learn beyond the classroom material. “Everyone on the faculty I know loves meeting with a hard-working, motivated student,” he says.
In 2019, Bernardo was appointed UCLA Anderson’s ninth dean, effective July 1.
Bernardo’s research spans various areas of corporate finance. His recent research on bailouts provided a set of policy recommendations to lawmakers looking to design bailouts for distressed firms. His current research looks at optimal capital structures, or how much debt and equity financing a firm should have. It suggests that capital structure decisions are determined, in part, by the debt choices other firms in the industry are making.
Another area Bernardo is exploring involves optimal compensation of doctors, and designing compensation systems for health providers. “I tend to work on topics that are very diverse,” Bernardo says. “I learn a lot that way.”
In addition to having an impressive list of published papers and working papers, as well as receiving numerous teaching awards, Bernardo serves as associate editor of the Critical Finance Review and Financial Management.
Paola Giuliano
Chauncey J. Medberry Chair in Management; Professor of Economics
Paola Giuliano is a Professor of Economics at the UCLA Anderson School of Management and holds the Chauncey J. Medberry Chair in Management. She is also research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (Cambridge), research affiliate at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (London) and research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn).
Giuliano's main areas of research are culture and economics and political economy. She holds a B.A. from Bocconi University (Milan) and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. She received the Young Economic Award from the European Economic Association in 2004. She teaches the Global Macroeconomics and Managerial Economics MBA courses at UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Her research has been covered by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Forbes, Foreign Affairs, Businessweek, Time, The Economist, The Guardian, Financial Times, the Boston Globe, CNBC, KPCC and PBS.
Hal Hershfield
Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making, Marketing Area Chair
Hal Hershfield is a professor of marketing, behavioral decision‑making, and psychology at Anderson, where he has won numerous awards for his teaching and research. Since his arrival at Anderson in 2014, Professor Hershfield has taught the core marketing course in the full-time MBA, FEMBA, and EMBA programs. His research on future selves has received widespread attention in outlets such as NPR, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Hershfield's research has been published in prestigious business, psychology, and general science academic journals, as well as in the Harvard Business Review, Scientific American, and Psychology Today. Professor Hershfield received his Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University, and taught at Kellogg and NYU before moving to UCLA.
black and white portrait of alex nascimento in dark suit and white shirt with no tie
Alex Nascimento (’08)
Founding Partner & Managing Director, 7CC Blockchain Investments

Alex Nascimento, MA, MBA is a serial entrepreneur, and founding partner of 7 CC Blockchain Investments, and 7 Visions LATAM Digital.

He is also a faculty and co-founder of “Blockchain at UCLA” where he lectures on Blockchain Cryptocurrency Applications in Business and Finance.

Additionally, Nascimento is the bestselling author of The STO Financial Revolution, a textbook uncovering regulated compliant fundraising via Blockchain.

Alex got his MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and has developed training, marketing blockchain strategies for companies in the United States, EU, Latin America, and Asia.

Alex can be found speaking at main Global Blockchain conferences and corporate events demystifying securities, issuances, business applications, and investments in blockchain technology for corporate leaders, students, and entrepreneurs.

Shirin Nikaein Headshot
Shirin Nikaein (’19)
Co-Founder & CEO of Upful.ai
Shirin Nikaein is the Co-Founder & CEO of Upful.ai, a software tool that leverages artificial intelligence and behavioral science to privately coach people to write employee performance feedback/reviews and job candidate notes that are meaningful, objective, and inclusive. Upful helps managers be better at giving feedback that actually helps employees grow, helps improve and de-bias talent acquisition, engagement, and retention, and cultivates a culture of feedback and equitable career growth. Shirin has 15 years of experience leading engineering, analytics, and product management in many tech companies, from startups to large enterprises. She’s the former Lead Engineer for the Beats by Dre headphones, and her previous Artificial Intelligence products have been used by clients including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, UPS, Tinder, and Blizzard Entertainment. She graduated with a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from USC and an MBA from UCLA Anderson. Shirin is a Santa Monica native
Molly Rosen ('93)
Co-CEO & Founder, ProjectNext Leadership
Molly Rosen is Co-Founder of Project Next Leadership. She has worked with leaders in tech, entertainment and biotech for over 20 years as an executive coach, facilitator and consultant developing innovative talent systems. Her work with firms like Pixar, Airbnb, Samsung, Google Ventures and Seattle Genetics included work with leaders transitioning to critical roles and helping them prepare to lead key changes in their organizations. She works with high-performing leaders who are committed to the growth of themselves and their team. Molly contributed to the significant growth of firms BlessingWhite and NinthHouse before starting her own consulting business. She was Regional Vice President of BlessingWhite, Inc. a leadership and career development consulting firm, and a Regional Manager for Ninth House Network, an innovative technology learning start-up, now part of Korn Ferry. She holds an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, and a BA from UC Berkeley. She is a certified coach and uses various leadership and career development instruments in her work. Her international work included postings in Central and Eastern Europe and a stint with the U.S. Information Agency in Russia. Side projects include working as Managing Editor of Knowing Pains: Women on Love, Sex and Work in Our 40s, an anthology featured on the TODAY Show; and the blog, The Working Chronicles: Personal Stories of America at Work. These projects deepened her insights into the challenges of people finding their voice, and honed her skills in helping them tell their story. She lives in Oakland, California, and serves as a Trustee of The Aloha Foundation whose mission is “to inspire people of all ages to learn, grow, explore, and be their best selves.”
portrait of jeff rosenthal
Jeff Rosenthal ('88)
Co-CEO & Founder, ProjectNext Leadership
Jeff Rosenthal is Co-Founder of Project Next Leadership. He has worked with leaders in industries such as tech, consumer products and life sciences for over 30 years in executive development, succession planning, senior team effectiveness and executive recruiting. He has worked with clients such as Nike, Salesforce, Intuit, Intel and Google to help organizations to increase the readiness of current leaders and successors for critical roles. He also has direct general management experience himself, increasing his perspective through his own tenure in leadership roles. Most recently, Jeff has been Managing Director of Deloitte Leadership, heading up the Executive Readiness line of services including executive development and succession planning. Prior to joining Deloitte, he was the CEO of the UC Berkeley Center for Executive Education at the Haas School of Business. There, he led a growing team that designed cutting edge executive programs in the areas of leadership and innovation. He led the Global Technology Practice of Korn Ferry’s Leadership & Talent Consulting business and ran the Western Region of consulting firm BlessingWhite Inc, for almost 10 years. Jeff also has executive recruiting experience, having built and led Russell Reynolds’ West Coast HR recruiting practice. Early in his career he served as Director of Account Management of Watson Wyatt, Senior Account Executive at The Forum Corporation and as a Marketing Representative at IBM. He holds an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, and a BA from Whitman College. He has also served on a number of non-profit boards, including Summer Search and the Lafayette Community Foundation. He lives in Lafayette, California.
photo of jonathan schreter
Jonathan Schreter ('00)
Executive Vice President, Bolton Company

For nearly 20 years, Jonathan Schreter has provided commercial property & casualty insurance and risk management solutions, primarily for charter and independent schools (K-12), as well as middle-market businesses in the hospitality, wholesale/manufacturing and technologies industries.

With a diverse career that began in marketing and advertising for the Coca-Cola Company, Jonathan combines creative thinking and analytics to offer a consultative approach to risk management. He works with progressive, forward thinking school and business leaders who appreciate his commitment to mitigating unexpected losses.

Jonathan earned his MBA from the Anderson School of Business at UCLA in 2000 and his Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation from the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research in 2010. He has been recognized as a Top Producer in the industry for multiple years. Jonathan is President of the Independent Brokers and Agents of California, Past President of the UCLA Anderson Alumni Network, and serves as Board Chair of Inner-City Arts, a non-profit program that unlocks the creative potential of inner-city children in downtown Los Angeles.

These accomplishments pale in comparison to his 17-year marriage to his wife, Jennifer, and their two children, Samantha and Blake.

photo of ramesh srinivasan speaking on stage at a conference
Ramesh Srinivasan
Professor, UCLA Department of Information Studies; Director of UC Digital Cultures Lab

Ramesh Srinivasan speaks about the intersection of technology, innovation, politics, business, and society.  He is a leading voice pointing the way toward a digital world that supports democracy, economic security and business interests. He blends his skills as a leading academic, author, engineer, social scientist, storyteller, policy adviser, and thought leader to shine a light on how technology and innovation, from all quarters and countries, will make a balanced world possible, for all.   His mission is to help repair the disconnect between designers and users, producers and consumers, and tech elites and the rest of us: toward a more democratic internet.

He has been a faculty member at UCLA since 2005 in the Information Studies and Design|Media Arts departments. He is the founder of the UC-wide Digital Cultures Lab which offers a unique, people-focused analysis of new technologies working across every continent and dozens of countries across the world. This lab examines the means by which new media technologies impact businesses, economics, cultures, politics, labor, and the environment through collaborations with global partners. He explores the future of algorithms, AI, automation, and cryptocurrencies with these themes in mind. He holds degrees from Stanford (B.Sc in Engineering), the MIT Media Laboratory (MSc), and Harvard (PhD)

Ramesh is the author of three books: “Whose Global Village? Rethinking How Technology Impacts Our World” (2019 – NYU Press) and “After the Internet” with Adam Fish.

His most recent book outlines how the future of the internet still hasn’t been written. In ‘Beyond the Valley’, Ramesh argues that Tech can be fairer and more democratic, while still serving business interests. If we look beyond the confines of a small slice of Northwest USA, we’ll find people from all over the world creating a new narrative by using ingenious ways to leverage limited resources to join the digital space and how they are reinventing technology to suit their situations.  In the research for this book, Ramesh explored technology’s impact across nearly 70 countries – economically, politically, socially.

BEYOND THE VALLEY was named a top ten 2019 book in Tech by Forbes.

Ramesh appears frequently on NPR, The Young Turks, MSNBC, BBC, CNN and other major media networks. His articles and interviews have been published by the Washington Post, Wired, The Economist, Quartz, Financial Times, CNN, Forbes, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, among others.

In February 2021, Ramesh was cited in an opinion piece by Thomas Friedman in the New York Times.  Mr. Friedman reiterated Ramesh’s suggestion that America urgently needs to enact a digital bill of rights that “sets the right balance between free speech and algorithms that make hate speech and blatantly false information from unreputable sources go viral.”

Johanna Voolich Wright (’05)

VP of Product for Google Workspace

Johanna Voolich Wright is the VP of Product for Google Workspace. Johanna joined Google in 2005 and has led Product Management teams for many of Google’s flagship products including YouTube, Android and Search. Johanna holds a BA in Mathematics from Barnard College and an MBA from UCLA. 

photo of susan wojcicki
Susan Wojcicki ('98)

Special Advisor to Google and Alphabet, former CEO of YouTube

Susan Wojcicki is a special advisor to Google and Alphabet. She previously served as the CEO of YouTube, the world’s most popular digital video platform used by over two billion people across the globe to access information, share video, and shape culture. Susan was an early champion of online video and was instrumental in Google's 2006 acquisition of YouTube.

Prior to joining YouTube in February 2014, Susan was Senior Vice President of Advertising & Commerce at Google, where she oversaw the design and engineering of AdWords, AdSense, DoubleClick, and Google Analytics. She joined Google in 1999 as the company's first marketing manager and led the initial development of several key consumer products including Google Images and Google Books. In 2002, Susan began working on Google’s advertising products and over the next 12 years she led teams that helped define the vision and direction of Google’s monetization platforms. 

Susan graduated with honors from Harvard University, holds a master's in economics from UC Santa Cruz, and an MBA from UCLA. In 2015, Susan was named to Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

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