We are proud to once again recognize the exceptional students and faculty selected by the graduating cohorts for awards. These members of the Rady community are thought leaders and changemakers, and they uplifted those around them throughout the challenging cirumstances of the pandemic.
The Robert S. Sullivan award, named in honor of the Rady School’s first Dean, recognizes students for a high level of leadership and contributions to the Rady School and larger UC San Diego community. The Dean’s award is given to students who epitomize our school values. Here are the award recipients, as recognized by each graduating cohort.
Full-Time MBA
Robert S. Sullivan Award
Kayla Winter
Excellence in Teaching
Hyoduk Shin, Jimmy Anklesaria Presidential Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Associate Professor of Innovation Information Technology and Operations
Most Valuable Professor
Vish Krishnan, Jacobs Family Chair in Management and Engineering Leadership, Technology and Operations
FlexEvening MBA
Robert S. Sullivan Award
Angela Garais
Dean’s Award
Veronica Zax
Excellence in Teaching
Michael Finney, former Visiting Associate Professor
Michael Finney, former Visiting Associte Professor
Master of Professional Accountancy
Robert S. Sullivan Award
Yingyuan Tong
Dean’s Award
Siqing Lyu
Excellence in Teaching
Robert Schmidt
MostValuable Professor
James Deiotte, Executive Director, Master of Professional Accountancy
Master of Business Analytics
Robert S. Sullivan Award
Miloni Shah
Dean’s Award
Ganesh Baleri
Excellence in Teaching
Terrence August, Jerome Katzin Faculty Fellowship, Associate Professor of Innovation, Technology and Operations
Most Valuable Professor
Vincent Nijs, Associate Professor of Marketing, Associate Dean of Academic Programs, and Co-Director of the Master of Science in Business Analytics Program
Since its founding in 2012, the StartR non-profit accelerator program has provided resources, mentoring and access to funding opportunities to more than 230 teams. The program is offered in six tracks—Rady, Inclusion, Impact, Veteran, Teen and Blue, each providing unique opportunities to learn from experts and receive guidance for building a sustainable business. In total, companies that have participated in StartR have gone on to raise more than 158 million dollars.
Traditionally, twice a year, StartR teams have the opportunity to pitch their startups in front of the San Diego business community at a live event called StartR Demo Day. While the event will not occur in-person due to social distancing guidelines, the show will go on February 16th in a virtual format. Get familiar with the StartR teams below, and RSVP to attend Demo Day here.
MPact International
A scalable platform designed to measure and understand diversity of perspectives, openness to change, and psychological safety in organizations. Because when employees feel valued and safe, customer value grows too.
Rooted Reusables helps companies meet zero waste goals by providing reusable food ware products and services. We are rooted in our mission is to eliminate the dependence on single-use plastics and other single-use alternatives.
Microdosed, cannabis-infused seltzers with 2mg THC and 6mg CBD for a light, uplifting, social buzz; whether for celebrating, socializing, or hanging out, Lift Seltzer is here to provide a refreshingly new type of experience.
TrueVote is a social platform for empowering Americans to be politically informed and engaged, in order to increase trustworthiness, accountability, and ultimately effectiveness throughout our political ecosystem.
Zack Doherty
Kryos
We are developing the most powerful portable cooling garments for personal and industrial use.
José Ricardo Suárez
Learn more about the Rady School’s California Institute for Innovation and Development and StartR Accelerator Program here.
Meet the Teams of StartR Demo Day February 2022 was last modified: February 9th, 2022 by Camille Cannon
We are proud to once again recognize the exceptional students and faculty selected by the graduating cohorts for recognition. These members of the Rady community are thought leaders and changemakers, and they uplifted those around them during the challenging circumstances of the past year.
The Robert S. Sullivan award, named in honor of the Rady School’s first Dean, recognizes students for a high level of leadership and contributions to the Rady School and larger UC San Diego community. The Dean’s award is given to students who epitomize our school values ofinnovation, impact, collaboration, integrity and risk-taking.
This year, a third student award, the Daniel J. Reed Memorial Prize for Innovation, was created in honor of FlexEvening student Daniel Reed, who passed away during the course of this academic year. Daniel embraced a full life, and he was passionate about technology and innovation. This award recognizes a student or group of students who have demonstrated a commitment to entrepreneurship, technology and innovation.
The student and faculty honorees listed below will be recognized during commencement ceremonies on Sunday, June 13th, 2021 at 10 a.m. Join us for a livestream of commencement here.
Teigan MacDonald was working on her application to the Rady School’s full-time MBA program while sitting in a hotel hallway in Fall 2018. She had traveled to Marietta, GA, to compete with her rugby club, the San Diego Surfers, in the Women’s Premier League National Championship. Teigan scored the first try of the match (like football’s touchdown) and the Surfers defeated the Glendale Merlins 34-28. That championship marked the second of three in Teigan’s rugby career, and the beginning of her new career.
Born and raised in Modesto, CA, Teigan earned a B.S. in biology and minor in economics from UC San Diego. When she began her undergraduate studies, she thought she might like to work in a bioengineering lab. “I took my first lab class and I absolutely hated it,” she says. “I hated not having windows and not being able to talk to people. It’s a very individualized experience.” Having spent most of her life playing–and thriving–in team sports, Teigan realized that the lab environment wasn’t for her.
Inspired by family members who’d studied economics, Teigan began taking coursework that blended her interests, such as economics of the environment and economics of healthcare. “I loved that you could take a class [on these subjects] and apply business concepts to them,” says Teigan. She’d found her niche. Before she graduated, Teigan’s dad, a stock broker, recommended that she take a personal finance class, one of the Rady School’s undergraduate offerings.
“I remember walking into Wells Fargo Hall and thinking, ‘Why have I not been here the whole time?’” Teigan says. “‘Whatever I need to do, I want to [study] here.” she says. “I was able to meet Joe Pecore, a great instructor. I went to his office hours and he really helped me figure out what I wanted to do and why I should go get an MBA.”
Teigan began the full-time MBA program in Fall 2019. “What I’ve enjoyed the most so far about is the holistic experience I’m getting at a graduate school,” she says. “My undergraduate experience at UC San Diego was great, but I didn’t really have career networking or resume workshops. I wasn’t really close with my classmates because I was in classes with 300 students. When I came to Rady, I thought, ‘Wow, this is more than just going to school. This is building a career.”
This summer, Teigan begins a new role in sales support at ACADIA pharmaceuticals, where she works part-time as a commercial operations analyst. She says that working closely with Rady career advisor Stephanie Sindt earlier this year helped prepare her for a new challenge. “We had internship meetups every week before COVID. It was a great way to crowdsource and work as a group and get Steaphine’s expertise. We would prepare for interviews and work on our cover letters and resumes.”
Ultimately, Teigan says that her dream job is managing sales teams for a biotech or pharmaceutical company. It’s a role that combines the competitiveness she’s fostered throughout her life in sports, the knowledge she’s gaining in her courses, and the collaboration and experience she receives among her peers.
“People forget that you try to interact with people just like you. This program encourages you to work with different people and learn how other people operate and work,” she says.
Teigan says that her favorite Rady experiences so far include her fall marketing class, the career treks organized by the Life Sciences Club to San Diego companies such as Thermo Fisher Scientific and ResMed, and conversations before and after class with her fellow students. Despite the current challenges and activities on hold–including rugby–due to the pandemic, Teigan remains optimistic about her future.
“When I land an interview or get a chance to talk to a company I’m interested in, I feel like I’ve scored a try, because it’s just one step closer to my goal.”
Meet National Rugby Champion and Full-Time MBA Student Teigan MacDonald was last modified: July 20th, 2020 by Camille Cannon
The Rady School has partnered with the San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC) to provide research support for SDMAC’s Military Economic Impact Report (MEIR). The MEIR is an independent annual study to comprehensively quantify the impact of defense-related expenditures on the San Diego region’s economy.
“The Rady School is the premier business school in the region with faculty recognized for their research,” said Mark Balmert, SDMAC Executive Director. “We are honored to partner with the Rady School on this important project. The school and Dean Ordóñez have been incredibly supportive and we look forward to continuing this collaborative and strategic partnership.”
On June 18, Dean Ordóñez and UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla are featured guests on an SDMAC webinar. This webinar will discuss the role of the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on UC San Diego and active duty and veteran students.
“At the Rady School, we are committed to our active duty service members and veterans,” said Rady School Dean Lisa Ordóñez. “Our partnership with SDMAC for the MEIR study will deliver a vital, independent look at the military’s impact on our local economy. Our faculty and student analysis of the SDMAC data provides clarity to local, state, and national elected officials who use the report to demonstrate the importance of the military on our region.”
Associate Professor Sally Sadoff
Sally Sadoff, an associate professor of economics and strategic management, will lead the analysis of the data provided by SDMAC, supported by a group of Rady School MBA students. The report will examine the economic impact of San Diego’s military cluster on jobs, income, direct spending, supply chain, and consumption. The report will also provide analysis of military personnel counts and wages and benefits for military branches, reserves, retirees, and the VA.
Once completed, the results of the report will be shared with the community via a press conference and distributed to key groups. The report will also be available online at SDMAC.org.
In addition to the Rady School’s partnership with SDMAC, the school offers unique programs to support service members and veterans, like the StartR Veteran accelerator program, which offers mentorship, support, and inspiration from other veteran entrepreneurs. For more information on the school’s support for service members and veterans, go to: https://rady.ucsd.edu/programs/masters-programs/mba/military/
Rady School Partners with SDMAC for Military Economic Impact Report & Webinar was last modified: June 16th, 2020 by Rady School
Update 6/15/20:Brilliant Biome and Ethos Mask both received funding!
Brilliant Biome finished second out of all 30 teams and was awarded a total of $10,500 in funding, including $3,000 as the winner of the Qualcomm Wireless Impact Reach Award.
Ethos Mask was awarded $1,000 as the COVID-19 Innovation Award winner.
Throughout the past academic year, student teams from diverse academic disciplines put forth their ideas for sustainable social innovation and participated in the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge. This challenge promotes hands-on experience and provides student entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop an idea that aligns with the mission of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
As part of UC San Diego’s commitment as a Changemaker Campus, Rady’s Center for Social Innovation and Impact (CSII) facilitated a virtual information session for interested students throughout the university, and hosted an art of the pitch workshop by StartR accelerators co-director Kim Davis King. The CSII then selected a group of social impact experts to judge the pitch competition of five UC San Diego finalists.
Now, two teams with Rady students will represent UC San Diego in the virtual global finals on June 13, 2020. Finalists from seventeen countries representing thirty universities will pitch for up to $50,000 in seed funding.
Ethos Mask created a supply chain to manufacture 3D printed facemasks and distribute them to local healthcare facilities in need. Two full-time MBA 2021 students, (left to right) Amir Hassan and Nick DiGirolamo, and FlexWeekend MBA 2021 student, orthopedic surgeon Mark Schultzel, M.D., came together shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic struck the U.S. to quickly produce and supply these reusable masks.
Brilliant Biome offers a personalized microbiome approach to drug addiction and recovery. This team participated in the Spring 2020 cohort of StartR, and is comprised of scientists (from left to right) Sierra Simpson, Ph.D.; Gregory Peters, M.S., Ph.D.; and clinical project manager and FlexEvening MBA 2021 student Carrie Herbert.
RSVP here to attend the virtual Global Finals on Saturday, June 13 at 5 p.m.!
Rady Students Among Finalists in Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge was last modified: June 15th, 2020 by Rady School
Alumni working at the Scripps Research Institute are conducting a study to improve the real-time surveillance of contagious respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 using data from smartwatches and activity trackers. Through the app-based DETECT study, Katie Baca-Motes (MBA ’09 and Director of the All of Us research project), Royan Kamyar (MBA ’10, physician and CEO and founder of Owaves app) and project manager and incoming MBA FlexWeekend student Lauren Ariniello, along with their colleagues, are crowdsourcing anonymized data across the United States.
“By evaluating individual changes to heart rate, sleep and
activity patterns, as well as logged respiratory symptoms and diagnostics test
results, the Scripps’ team hopes to complement traditional public health
surveillance methods, potentially leading to earlier detection and containment
of current and future outbreaks in various geographical locations,” said
Baca-Motes.
Rady Alumni Board president Josh Kuss is the Senior Director of Commercial Strategy at Illumina and the commercial lead for the company’s San Diego Emergency Management Team. The team has been working since March “defining and implementing the strategies for how we keep Illumina’s employees safe, while ensuring supply to our customers, many of which are on the front line of SARS-COV-2/COVID19 research, tracing, and treatment. We tackled how to transition to work from home, and are now in the process of determining a sound return to work strategy,” said Kuss.
Krithi Bindal (MBA ’17) is the founder and president of Aroga Biosciences, a regulatory writing biopharma firm which has been donating their scientific expertise to peer-review pre-print literature related to COVID-19 research.
“We are in a period of information overload,” said Bindal. “Misinformation about COVID-19, especially information lacking scientific rigor, can lead to significant risk to the public. I feel it is our duty as scientists to ensure effective communication and to help delineate scientific factual results from fiction. After all, our job as scientists is to find the truth.”
“The name of our company Aroga is based on the sanskrit term ‘arogya”, which means free of disease. We hope to continue to contribute to freeing the world of disease as we help to develop treatments for ailing patients. As we navigate these challenging times, our mission is unchanged and is stronger than ever.”
Richard Castle (FlexWeekend MBA ’13), the co-founder and president of Cloudbeds, a hospitality management software, launched the #HospitalityHelps initiative. The online platform facilitates connections between hotel properties that want to make their beds available to healthcare agencies, organizations or individuals who need them. Within a few days, the more than 1.2 million beds had been pledged at HospitalityHelps.org.
Andrea Yoder Clark (MSBA ’17), and her consulting company LiveGoode Programs & Analytics is working with 211 San Diego to analyze statewide data collected from regional 211s to support the state of California’s policy response to COVID-19’s impact on most vulnerable populations.
Jaden Risner and Clay Treska (FlexWeekend MBA ’19) founded Family Proud an app to help patients and their caregivers and loved ones manage their care, while they were students at the Rady School. In Spring 2020, the Family Proud platform was updated to include resources and support for those affected by COVID-19.
Snehanshu Tiwari, Vishnu Sharon R. and Sakshi Sharma (MSBA ’18) contacted Professor Ken Wilbur to offer their help reviewing resumes, preparing for interviews or make introductions for current MSBA students graduating this summer. When Professor Wilbur shared this update on LinkedIn, even more alumni offered to help!
Steve Prestrelski (FlexWeekend MBA ’06) is the founder and chief scientific officer of Xeris Pharmaceuticals, which is offering its GVOKE Pre-Filled Syringe—an injectable treatment for diabetes patients who experience severe hypoglycemia—for $0 copay through May 31st.
The team at Indigo Marketing Agency, founded by Claire Akin (MBA ’10). prepared a list of tips for working from home. “Indigo Marketing Agency is a company run almost completely virtually by mothers of young children,” said Akin. “We saw so many of our clients struggling to adapt, so we wanted to offer our tips and tricks for working at home (even with small children) … I believe that we are helping our team members support their families and spend time with their children. It’s the best of both worlds and it provides a highly fulfilling lifestyle!”
Sean Haggerty (FlexWeekend MBA ’17), founder of Protector Brewery, made curbside pickup and delivery available, in addition to offering the brewery’s supply of filtered water available to those in need. Protector Brewery has pledged to donate $1 from each order to Team Rubicon, a non-profit organization supporting veterans impacted by COVID-19.
Sara Jones (Flex Weekend ’13) is the CEO of Plum Blossom Creations. She is offering free workshops on The Big Four of Mental Toughness. “As an Unbeatable Mind student, I learned first-hand the power of the Big 4 of Mental Toughness in my fight against Triple Negative Breast Cancer. I used the Big 4 to feed my Courage Wolf, stare down my fears and thrive through the health crisis that threatened my life.”
When Suman Kanuganti (MBA ’14) arrived at the Rady School of Management, he knew he wanted to leave with an idea that would change the world—he just wasn’t sure where to start. An impactful course in entrepreneurship incited Kanuganti to pull from his experience to address a societal need. A question was posed to the class: How can entrepreneurship inspire positive change in the lives of others?
Motivated by a perseverant friend with deteriorating vision, Suman decided to use his engineering skills to help empower visually impaired individuals to achieve their full potential. Launched by Kanuganti in 2015, Aira was created to help visually impaired individuals navigate the world with more freedom and autonomy. By leveraging leading technologies, such as smart glasses and mobile devices, Aira connects users with a network of trained remote human agents to provide them with instant access to information and assistance in the physical and digital world, when and where they want it.
Aira is one of today’s fastest-growing assistive communities, revolutionizing travel, commuting, and shopping for visually impaired individuals. Aira users are able to connect to agents who are able to see a user’s location and surroundings, providing a clear, live auditory narrative of the user’s environment in virtually any daily activity.
Through partnerships with Lyft, airports, Walgreens, universities (including the University of California San Diego), sports stadiums, museums, and other lifestyle venues, Aira has brought its assistive service to millions across the U.S. and around the world. As the technologist and innovator who co-founded and serves as president of Aira Tech Corp., Kanuganti is reducing barriers and empowering people who are blind or have low vision to fully engage, explore, and experience the visual world.
Kanuganti is an active alumnus at the Rady School of Management, and has hired five other Rady School alumni to Aira. He has also worked with Rady School faculty to host two capstone projects for the Master of Science in Business Analytics. In addition, Kanuganti has spoken at several events to share his story with students, including a TEDxUCSD talk in 2017.
Suman Kanuganti (MBA ’14) Honored by AACSB as a 2020 “Influential Leader” was last modified: February 5th, 2020 by Rady School
How do qualified MBA applicants select which program is a fit for them? Their reasons are varied, layered and often deeply personal.
According to a 2019 survey by the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants, the five most important factors influencing an MBA applicant’s school selection are: reputation, ranking, school culture, career impact and city/geographic location.
So, how does the Rady School of Management distinguish itself? We asked full-time MBA students to share what influenced their decision.
Valerie Wiest, Class of 2021
Valerie (center)
Rady offers one of the best entrepreneurship programs in the nation and it focuses on having a positive impact on the world through
innovation. This
mission was made clear from the start when, in our orientation, one of the
presenters led us through an activity that implored us to solve problems worth
solving. That idea of
entrepreneurship with a purpose is the very reason I wanted to obtain an MBA
and why Rady is such a special place.
Small cohort size. Having a relatively small
class means that I am able to connect with my classmates and teachers on a much
deeper level than I would be able to in a bigger cohort.
San Diego weather and proximity to the beach! You really can’t beat La Jolla. I wake up every day and feel like I am on vacation. I love living and going to school here.
Kartik Sanghi, Class of 2020
A verydiverse
and inclusive culture. We get an opportunity to work with people from
around the world and grow our network globally. This also exposes us to various
perspectives and help us broaden our thought process, which is a business skill
in itself.
San Diego is a hub for entrepreneurs that offers exposure to innovation in industries such as healthcare and technology. Rady’s courses, programs and events provide multiple platforms to get hands-on experience with innovative ideas and work with like-minded people. Rady has a terrific record of [cultivating] successful entrepreneurs.
Rady hasworld-class faculty who are subject matter experts in their fields and are proactive in sharing knowledge and offering guidance to students. All of the faculty are easily approachable and open for feedback. They also make sure to modify the course structure as the industry demands to keep students up-to-date with the latest trends.
Paul Wynns, Class of 2020
Rady’sculture of innovation and collaboration resonates strongly with me.
No entrepreneur goes it alone. I’m excited about the communities here where I
can stretch my collaborative skills and find like-minded colleagues across a
diversity of technical and life experience backgrounds.
The school is agile, responsive, and forward-leaning in its approach to its MBA program. Its relationships in the San Diego startup ecosystem are full of exciting opportunities for insight, mentorship, and connections with investors.
Ehsan Amozegar, Class of 2020
The spirit I got fromits people. Since the very first
email I sent to graduate programs, Rady staff answered me in detail. I could
tell it was not copy/paste [correspondence] sent to everyone. I received a
one-on-one Skype call and the admissions team helped me discover the school from
thousands of miles away. I experienced the same level of support once I got
into the school.
UC San Diego is among the bestyoung schools globally and the Rady School offers you lessons in agility and creativity. Young schools in general, and business schools specifically, require those characteristics. After all, these are the qualities that their students need to be taught!
Takuya Onda, Class of 2020
Takuya (right)
People around Rady
are collaborative and work with others in order to pursue something new.
With its strong connections in the local economy, Rady has helped my startup access
so many resources such as mentors, advice from professionals, and the
opportunity to make a pitch.
I can develop a rich relationship with my cohort. The size of about 50 students allows me to get to know everyone well. Since the Rady community is really close-knit, you feel a responsibility to make our community better than ever.
San Diego is the best place to study with no stress thanks to the beautiful weather and ocean. Even if you are exhausted from studying long hours, the wonderful sunset from campus would make you feel great at the end of the day.
There is a cross-cultural environment here that [is important for business]. People around Rady are totally open-minded and willing to learn.
Lorena Arellano, Class of 2021
The school is highly driven by innovation. Rady allows you to explore real-life scenarios in its Lab-to-Market course, which gives me the flexibility I am looking for to simulate specific mechanisms in my industry with help and advice from professors. Also, Rady is well recognized for its quantitative analysis expertise.
Full-Time MBA Students Share Their Reasons for Choosing Rady was last modified: January 21st, 2020 by Rady School
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As the holidays approach, however, you may find yourself with a to-do list longer than Santa’s Nice List—and that’s why we’re here to help! Below you’ll find innovative gifts for your loved ones, all of which were created by companies founded by Rady alumni. We hope this guide helps make your holiday season bright, and we wish you all the best in the New Year!
Last Christmas, you gave kids new clothes and the very next day … they outgrew them! Skip the store and save by shopping “pre-loved” finds, delivered to your door.
Treat someone you love (or yourself) to some pampering—haircuts, manicures, beard trims and more—at the mobile salon that’s easily accessible to busy professionals.
Take something off your loved one’s to-do list and book an oil change on their behalf! These automotive experts bring their services to office parks and businesses across San Diego for a quick and convenient change during the work day.
For the friend whose New Year’s Resolution is (always) to drink less caffeine, try Cascaraa, an antioxidant rich tea made from coffee fruit that contains about one third the caffeine of your average cup of joe.
No holiday season is complete without snow … shaved snow, that is! Get the family together for a creamy frozen dessert that would satisfy even Santa’s sweet tooth.
Robert Yang MBA ’11
These Companies Founded by Rady Alumni Can Make Your Holiday Shopping Easier was last modified: December 10th, 2019 by Camille Cannon