UCLA Anderson School of Management Blog

California Census Effort Counts on UCLA Anderson Alumna Adriana Martinez

By Paul Feinberg

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Adriana Martinez (’02) believes that every person counts.

And when it comes to the 2020 United States census, it’s her responsibility to make sure every Californian is counted.

In August, Governor Jerry Brown appointed Martinez deputy director of outreach for the state’s California Complete Count effort. The organization’s goal is the development of a strategy for a complete and accurate count of California’s population and the creation of a campaign to reach some of the state’s most difficult-to-reach communities, including residents of rural communities, people with disabilities, the elderly, the homeless and immigrants.

Previously, Martinez spent more than six years with AT&T, where she served as director of public affairs and, later, director of external affairs for California; she also ran an eponymous public affairs consulting group. “I’ve always been really interested in managing and leadership,” Martinez says. “Going back to why I earned an MBA, I really wanted to lead an organization. Sixteen years later, that’s what I was focused on: managing teams, managing budgets, being a convener among various sectors.”

Openness Sets UCLA Anderson Apart

By Lauren Wolfen (’19)

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When I walk into the welcoming, open courtyard at UCLA Anderson, I am inevitably greeted by section mates, group project team members and friends, who have all quickly become some of my most trusted sources of advice, suppliers of a great laugh or a good story, and reliable supporters and motivators who will always go out of their way to help one another.

This is my #WhyAnderson ― the Class of 2019.

Growing up in Los Angeles and working here prior to enrolling in business school, I did not anticipate the tight bonds that quickly form among Anderson peers; but these personal bonds will stay with me more than anything else.

It started during orientation week in early August of 2017, when we arrived as a bunch of people from all over the world, thrown into Korn Convocation Hall together attired in business casual on our very first day of graduate school. No one quite expected that we would be thrown back into the classroom so quickly and assembled into sections and learning teams that would become our families at school.

Daniel Tsai’s Support for UCLA Anderson Is All About Family

By Paul Feinberg

For Daniel Tsai, it's all about family. And love.

Tsai and his brother Richard, together, lead the immensely successful financial services business their father founded and that has become the second largest in Taiwan. His professional achievements are many, but Daniel Tsai makes clear that his family — its strength, unity and closeness — is his most significant accomplishment.

“When I had my family,” he says, “I felt that the most important thing was to make my children feel loved.”

Indeed, the Tsai clan, even with grown children, remains remarkably tight-knit. It includes daughter Iris (’17), a UCLA Anderson alumna and the founder of Esteemed Tea Collective, an Oolong tea importer to the U.S., who splits her time between Taiwan and Los Angeles. Whenever possible, Daniel, his wife Irene, Iris and her siblings still make every effort to be together at meal time.

“We will wait for each other to arrive before we start dinner or lunch (and) I'm always the one who's being called and asked, ‘Where are you, Dad? Are you ready for the meal?” Tsai joked. “I will try to rush home. I ask them to hold on a bit so I can be there to be with them to start the meal together.”

Lending a Hand to Teenage Entrepreneurs

Left to right: Aadhar Jain (’19), Founders Bootcamp founder Richard Dahan, Emily Kosko (FEMBA ’19,) Connor Doyle (’19), Andrew Grone (’18)

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By Elise Anderson

Ever meet teenage disruptors? They are aspiring entrepreneurs under the age of 19 with plans to change the world.

Twenty of these budding business leaders came to UCLA Anderson School of Management this summer to participate in Founders Bootcamp, a partnership with the business school that offers the world’s first startup accelerator and venture capital funds for teenage entrepreneurs. The program was started in 2017.

Of 1,100 applicants representing 26 countries, five teams were selected to take part in the 12-week intensive summer program, which provides teens with access to starting budgets, essential resources and experienced Anderson student mentors who work to empower teams to bring their ideas to fruition. Already, one team, the Trill Project, has received a substantial investment commitment for its anti-bullying idea and has been showcased on TechCrunch. Two other teams are being considered for inclusion on ABC’s Shark Tank reality series.

Among other ideas from this 2018’s bootcamp participants: ending thirst worldwide with a machine that creates potable water from humid air; using smart, stylish jewelry to help deter assault and make safety fashionable; and reforming corrupt agricultural trade systems with an accessible, online marketplace called Agronet.