On Nov. 21, UCLA Anderson will honor Robert A. Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, with the annual John Wooden Global Leadership Award, which is given for exemplary leadership and service to the community. Proceeds from the award dinner will help fund two $25,000 John Wooden Leadership Fellowships for deserving UCLA Anderson students based on their exceptional principles-based leadership, academic merit and financial need.
Jordanna Mora (FEMBA ’15), one of this year’s fellowship recipients, learned a lesson out of Coach Wooden’s playbook through her mom, a single mother who worked numerous jobs. “Before John Wooden there were a lot of hierarchical books on management. He really spoke to the importance of working as a team,” she says. “Nothing gets done by one person. Ever. Team is great for work, but even more so in life. Mom taught us when we were young that we were family, yes, but also a team.”
In 2008, Mora co-founded an Internet start-up, InheritedHealth, which she and her partner sold three years later. She began her career helping coordinate family-based services for Boston inner city youth, and later served for four years as a volunteer mentor to children in high-risk homes.
Mora is a licensed and board-certified genetic counselor with entrepreneurial drive and a commitment to service. While pursuing her degree, she works at Integrated Genetics providing complex prenatal and preconception consultation for high-risk patients. In addition, she consults with biotechnology companies on communication strategies to help them better connect with the patients they serve.
Earning an MBA won’t just mean a few letters after her name—it’ll be a knowledge base from which to serve others. “Everything I learned as an entrepreneur was a baptism by fire. I had to learn by trial and error,” she says. “I lacked that foundation of knowledge that I think would’ve helped us succeed sooner or better.”
The awards evening at The Beverly Hilton Hotel starts with a 6 p.m. cocktail reception, followed by dinner and the main program at 7 p.m. Business attire is appreciated.
Head to our Wooden Awards page for more on the event.
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