Final………..

Profession/ Educational Background:

BS, Minnesota State University, Moorhead (Business Administration/Management)

MBA, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX

Retired, California State University, Fullerton, Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, Associate Dean for Administration

1. Tell us a little about yourself. (An overview of you professionally.)

As an undergraduate senior in 1981 I accepted the opportunity to participate in the Small Business Institute and worked to develop the convention and visitors bureau in our community, I stayed with this organization for 6 years advancing to Associate Director. Using the nonprofit, organizational skills developed through working to market and organize state, regional, and national events, I secured a management position with the University Hospital Consortium (UHC), now known as the University Healthcare Consortium, an international association of medical teaching institutions. It was with the UHC that I worked with the likes of Stanford and Georgetown to develop an internet network specifically for teaching institutions; we called it “Comnet.” The year was 1986. As a point of reference, we were still typing memos at Cal State Fullerton in 1997.

From the UHC I went back to school and earned my MBA. This was a family-centered decision. My husband and I had two children in 2 years (I do not recommend this) and I needed to work part-time so I completed my degree and went on to teach business courses at state universities and community colleges a few nights a week. I taught Business Communication and Personal Finance. These courses were available to me because of my extensive project experience and proven ability to communicate and budget time and other resources.

Once our children started high school I started teaching Business Communication full-time at Cal State—Fullerton, and I was asked to co-chair the department’s assessment of learning initiatives. It was through this work that I caught the eye of the business school dean. Assurance of learning (aka—assessment) was becoming a major element in the maintenance of accreditation process (Cal State—Fullerton has held AACSB International* accreditation since the 1960s) and college-level leadership was needed to develop a program that pulled together the efforts of faculty across six departments. We were also in the schematic phase of a 4 year, 190,000 square foot building project and a college representative was needed to see it through to a timely (and on-budget) completion. So even though I did not have a Ph.D. in my field, I had the experience needed to be named Associate Dean for Administration. I held this position for 5 years and celebrated with fellow faculty and administrators as we earned best-practice marks for our assessment program by AACSB during our maintenance of accreditation visit and opened Stephen G. Mihaylo Hall on time and within budget.

I retired from the California State University system in 2009 and now serve on various advisory boards including the Kaplan School of Management advisory board as well as work on select writing projects.

*AACSB is short for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

2. What professional skills/abilities helped you to get your job?

A combination of good grades and relevant work experience (I worked as a travel agent to partially fund my undergraduate degree) secured my internship with the Small Business Institute. My work and dedication to the Institute project helped me land my first professional position 2 weeks before my college graduation. My career advancement from that point on was a combination of taking advantage of opportunities afforded me and by realistically assessing the demands of my family to build a rewarding career. No matter where I worked or what job I held, it was my interpersonal communication skills and effective project management that helped me thrive in the workplace.

3. What professional skills do you use every day on the job?

Professional “soft” skills are paramount to my effectiveness; these skills include listening, interpersonal skills including coalition building, time management, and critical thinking. Reading and responding to e-mail constitutes at least half my day. Professional phone calls are almost a thing of the past and are usually scheduled in advance with the prep for the call handled via e-mail. Texting is starting to replace short e-mails. I do a lot of listening…it can be exhausting! When chairing a meeting I try to hold all my comments and questions until after everyone has had a chance to present whatever problems or questions they have. I’ve often found people can solve their own problems if given enough time to reasons things out and that if I interject my comments before the entire case is presented we may make decisions on incomplete information. Projects are usually complicated and multi-disciplinary so it requires a great deal of listening to see how the pieces will fit together and what I can contribute.

4. What type of communication skills do you use on a daily basis for your job? What advice would you give a new professional in your field for communicating effectively in a work environment with colleagues of diverse ethnicities, groups, and personalities?

What type of communication skills do I use daily? It may surprise you to learn the skills are basic: listening, talking, reading, writing. Everything I do centers around communication; I think this is the case with anyone in management. Technology is vital to communication and I e-mail and text constantly. Phone communication and face-to-face interaction constitutes about 10% of my day and I occasionally Skype®. I’m open to all sorts of social networking, but right now most of my communication is focused on small groups or one-on-one. I was fortunate in that the bulk of my career was in Orange County, California: a richly diverse area in terms of ethnicities, personalities, income brackets, and education. I found I was most effective when I did not rely on common understandings and was specific with my requests. Patience and respect are also critical to success. Amazing results are possible when people of different backgrounds and experiences pull together, but it can be a messy process and folks need to feel secure they will not be penalized for asking questions and putting forth new ideas.

5. Describe how you collaborate with others in your workplace internally and externally.

I cannot think of anything I have done professionally that has not depended on collaborating at one level or another. It is my experience that the greater the project the more I need to rely on the help and expertise of others to get things done. A healthy balance of humility and confidence is required to find the right people to work with and then trust in the partnership. The poet John Donne said it best, “No man is an island.”

I try to be upfront about my strengths (where I can contribute) and my weaknesses (where I need to ask for help); I strive to curb my tendency to over-control things. I guess my message for students is to know yourselves, and in the areas that you are weak…admit it or get the education you need to contribute. There were times when I was learning on the job and there will be times in your careers where that will be necessary. Get comfortable with life-long learning. Ask for help when necessary, but learn from the journey.

6. What are the three most important characteristics you must have to be successful in your profession?

Emotionally Intelligent: the foundation of business is partnerships; maturity, professionalism, balance, humility, confidence, and a moral compass are essential to long-term success.

Reliable: if someone cannot be trusted to come to work on time or to complete projects when needed, no other skill is relevant.

Teachable: most of everything we learn in college will be obsolete within 6 years of graduation; it is our ability to keep learning, embrace change, and seek opportunities that helps us build successful careers.

7. How do you maintain your professional presence and marketability in order to remain competitive in your field?

I maintain my professional relationships via my iPhone®. Texting, e-mail, internet, Skype…everything I use to stay connected is linked to this pocket device so I am always accessible. If I were actively seeking a greater market presence I would add a Twitter™ account and probably a blog. I could also see incorporating Facebook®. Social networking sites, such as LinkedIn™, are now staples for staying relevant and connected as well.

To maintain a local presence, I belong to a corporate scholarship committee and a professional woman’s networking group. I also cold call local writers to introduce myself and set-up coffee dates. It does not hurt to be a little bold and throw in some old-fashioned one-on-one chats or phone calls to build serious, long-lasting relationships.

8. Have you benefited professionally from social networking? Please explain.

I cannot say that I have, based on today’s definition of “social networking,” but my opportunities—or big career breaks—were the result of my being able to network. One quick example: I wanted to get into education and by chance my next door neighbor was an associate dean for our university’s college of criminal justice (not Cal State Fullerton) so I introduced myself and explained my goals. He helped me build a resume suited for an open part-time faculty position and gave me invaluable insight into how to handle myself during the interview. My neighbor coached me to say as little as possible because he knew the person I’d be interviewing with loved nothing more than to hear himself talk! So, during the interview I sat back and listened as my interviewer did all the talking. I got the job based on my ability to ask for help, follow direction, and listen!

9. What are your long-term career goals? What steps are you currently taking in order to achieve your goals?

I have worked for non-profits, corporations, and post-secondary education so I am now at the point in my career where I work for myself. I stay connected with people in business education and serve where and whenever possible. My goals are to continue in advisory capacities to help business education colleges prepare curriculum that best serves students’ need to meet the demands of the market place. I do this by serving on advisory boards, meeting with deans on a face-to-face basis, and connecting electronically when appropriate.

Specific to Kaplan, I stay connected to the online student by being an online student myself! I take continuing education courses with Stanford and Oxford and make detailed notes on what I see as opportunities to enrich the online student experience.

Finally, on a personal note, my husband I started a vineyard in California’s Central Valley to raise raisin grapes (Thompson Seedless). We are in our second year of this venture and plan to contract with a national raisin company in 2013.

10. Anything else you would like to share?

Thank you for the chance to contribute. It has been my experience that when I am open-minded and confident, good things happen. I must take the initiative, but the world pretty much meets me where I am. I feel the same is true for all of us. Nothing excites me as much as a group of students striving for a better future through their own contributions to society so please call on me if you feel I can be of further service.