About the Organizers
Reaching Out is unique among national MBA conferences in that it is 100% student run and led. Every aspect, from picking the conference location and dates to selecting panelists and securing corporate sponsors is handled by a core group of student organizers. These students were selected by the Reaching Out Board to serve as the Organizing Committee. Following last year's conference, a group of students from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and the Stanford Graduate School of Business connected, and began working to bring the conference to San Francisco. For the past year, these students have worked tirelessly to build the best conference possible so that all attendees can achieve new heights at Reaching Out 2007.
The Organizers
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Corey HarrisCorey Harris is a second-year student at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. After receiving his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, Corey worked at Merck Pharmaceuticals as an analyst within the Supply Chain Management group, a technical operations engineer, and a lead supervisor for the manufacture of vaccines in clinical trials, including HIV vaccines. While at Merck, he was active in the Black Employees Network and GLEAM (Gay and Lesbian Employees at Merck). As a member of GLEAM, he co-organized the effort to bring PFLAG to Merck and co-sponsored a film series on Bayard Rustin (a black, gay civil rights activist). Originally from St. Thomas U.S.V.I., Corey hopes to impact the acceptance of LGBT in his island community and the Caribbean at large. Corey is co-president of the Out4Biz Chapter at Stanford GSB and has taken initiative to increase the visibility of the group on campus and increase active participation. |
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Anuj JenvejaAnuj (AJ) Jenveja is a second-year student at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley with a focus in real estate and hotel development. This summer, AJ is working at Hix Rubenstein Companies, a golf resort developer. Prior to attending Haas, AJ worked in investment banking for 4-1/2 years at JPMorgan and gained experience in debt capital markets, corporate finance and M&A. In addition to banking, AJ also has about two years of IT consulting experience at Deloitte Consulting. For his undergraduate studies, AJ attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where he obtained a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and minors in Technology Management and Latin-American Studies. Within the LGBT community, AJ was an active board member of PRIDE, the LGBT diversity group for JPMorgan, and also founded a nonprofit LGBT professional networking organization in Chicago. At Haas, AJ is an active member of Q@Haas, the Berkeley Real Estate Club, the Culinary Club, and the South Asian Business Association. |
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Melissa OngMelissa Ong is an MBA 2008 candidate at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. She worked this summer at Autodesk, which makes 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building, and media and entertainment markets. Melissa previously worked for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as a bank examiner. Her work centered on reviewing bank risk management systems and enforcing compliance with laws, including the Sarbanes-Oxley and USA Patriot Acts. She has managed multi-billion dollar bank examinations, led reviews of problem banks, and worked as an analyst at FDIC headquarters in Washington, DC. She also designed and presented at seminars for bank Boards of Directors and was a subject matter expert in anti-money laundering laws. Melissa is a member of the Q@Haas and Women in Leadership clubs at UC Berkeley. She attended the University of San Francisco, where she majored in Finance and also studied at Oxford University for a semester. She has lived in San Francisco for the last 10 years. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys traveling and staying active. She is an avid snowboarder, budding food and wine enthusiast, and she retired from her 5-year rugby career last year. |
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Alejandro PardoAlejandro Pardo is a second-year student at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. For his summer internship Alejandro is working for Wal-Mart Mexico in their strategic planning department. Prior to attending Haas, Alejandro worked at Coca-Cola FEMSA, the second biggest bottling company in the world accounting for almost 10% of Coca-Cola's global sales. He worked as a manufacturing-human resources executive where he planned and coordinated all human resources affairs for the twelve manufacturing plants and the logistics divisions of Mexico. Alejandro is an active member of Q@Haas, LAHBA (Latin American and Hispanic Business Association), and Marketing clubs at UC Berkeley. Originally from Mexico City, Mexico, Alejandro attended the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City where he earned his bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering. |
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Brian RichardsonBrian Richardson is a second-year student at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Prior to attending Haas, Brian was Press Secretary to U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, where he focused on rebuilding the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. Before working on Capitol Hill, Brian directed the Democratic National Committee's Office of Specialty Media serving as the official party spokesperson for community based media, including LGBT media, during the 2004 Presidential election. Brian also spent two years as a high school teacher in New Orleans with Teach for America. In New Orleans and Washington, he volunteered for the local LGBT community center and pride organizations. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Brian received his Bachelors from the University of Chicago where he concentrated in Geography. He is the current President of Q@Haas, the business school's LGBT organization. |
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Brian TheisenBrian Theisen is an MBA 2008 candidate at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he is a Co-President of the school's LGBT student group Out4Biz. Prior to attending the GSB, Brian worked as a Consultant for the Boston Consulting Group in Boston and San Francisco. While at BCG, he focused primarily on consulting for the healthcare industry and spent his most recent year working with clients in the non-profit healthcare sector. Brian is spending his current summer interning with Google at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California. In recent years, Brian has served as an advisory board member for Live Out Loud, a New York City-based non-profit dedicated to empowering, energizing, and enabling LGBT youth to live full, rich lives by exposing them to positive gay and lesbian role models. Originally from Virginia, Brian attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned his bachelor's degree in Brain and Cognitive Science. |
Host Schools
Berkeley's Haas School of Business and Stanford's Graduate School of Business are recognized by recruiters, executives, and peer institutions as two of the premier business schools in the world.
Though both Stanford GSB and Haas are relatively small institutions, their LGBT student clubs, Out4Biz and Q@Haas, are among the most active in the nation. Both clubs work to promote LGBT awareness and visibility in their respective campus communities, and in turn, the worldwide business community. Their efforts are focused on fostering a strong LGBT community and raising campus awareness of LGBT issues. Through their presence and ongoing efforts, both groups' members are able to provide mutual support for each other, educate their fellow classmates, attract many of the best and brightest LGBT students, and strengthen ties with international companies and organizations.
The Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley: www.haas.berkeley.edu
Q@Haas: www.qathaas.com
Stanford Graduate School of Business: www.gsb.stanford.edu
Out4Biz: sa-gsb.stanford.edu/clubs/out4biz
If you would like information on how you or your school can bring Reaching Out 2008 to your city, email nextconference@reachingoutmba.org.
