| Business Analytics Bulletin
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Disruptive Technologies and Education
The second annual LMU Innovation Symposium - cohosted by the College of Business Administration, School of Education, and External Affairs - brought together leaders from tech, K-12, and higher education to discuss the confluence of disruptive technologies and education, with an emphasis on AI. The agenda included panels, keynotes, and a fireside chat with experts from companies such as Zoom, Cie Digital, and West Ed. Learn more.
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2023 MSBA Capstone ShowcaseThe MSBA Class of 2023 presented their capstone projects to clients, faculty, and the Los Angeles analytics community on August 4. Clients included CHLA, Currie & Brown, Good Jobs First, Hawthorne, LAEDC, Trimble, and Wedgewood. Students created dashboards to help clients understand data for strategic decision making. They also incorporated predictive models for understanding trends and empowering clients to make intervention decisions.
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|  | Robbie Nakatsu, Ph.D.
Robbie Nakatsu, professor of ISBA, has taught at LMU for over two decades. His areas of expertise include AI/machine learning, data management, IT outsourcing, and crowdsourcing.
“As a professor of information technology, I have to contend with a discipline that is in a constant state of flux. Hence, in order to survive and thrive, it's important to adopt a mindset of constant learning and updating of knowledge and skills. I strongly encourage my students to become lifelong learners and develop a passion for learning, not only in technology but in whatever discipline they are pursuing.”
| |  | Susheem Gupta
As director of strategy and business processes at Epson America Inc., Susheem Gupta oversees strategy, market analytics and research, business process improvement, and retail category management for North America and Latin America. “Analytics provides the strongest fact-based foundation to support answering the question ‘how can we do this better?’”
As an MSBA Advisory Board member, Susheem regularly shares his expert insights and mentors students. “I had so many great mentors and advisors during my educational studies and career. I wanted to support MSBA students in the same way.”
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LMU Holds Inaugural DatathonISBA and MSBA, in collaboration with ISBA Society, organized the first LMU Datathon on campus. Fifteen student teams came up with predictive or descriptive analytics using datasets from Good Jobs First. They presented their analyses to industry judges from LinkedIn, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Fastly, Good Jobs First, and Adobe. Winning teams received cash prizes that totaled over $3,000!
Special thanks to MSBA board member Ryan Komagome '03, MBA '04 who made the Datathon possible as well as Good Jobs First for providing the datasets. Congrats to the winners: Track 1: 1st place to Wiktoria Rutkowska, Michelle Shaffer, Brenda Hernandez, and Sebastian Van Hemert; 2nd place to Jeremy Law, Reine Ndayisaba, and Sanjana Shehnaz Chowdhury; Track 2: 1st place to William Judy, Sophia Wagner, and Scott Nelson; 2nd place to Kristivra Widjaja, Zade Tcherkes, and Isabella Tcherkes.
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|  | Speridian Technologies
Sourav Roy, VP of delivery and operations, and Brendan Neary, VP of sales and marketing, from Speridian Technologies spoke about their consulting career paths to ISBA and MSBA students. Speridian is a global technology solutions provider with expertise in digital transformation, cloud computing, and enterprise software providing services across healthcare, finance, and government. Sourav and Brendan spoke about the consulting track, their projects at Speridian, and apprenticeship opportunities.
| |  | Blockchain Workshop
Alex Nascimento, managing director of 7CC Blockchain Investments, introduced "Blockchain for Business Leaders" to CBA faculty and students. Alex lectures on Blockchain Business Applications and Security Tokens. He discussed how decentralization ensures that blockchain is not governed by an individual but is evenly distributed in a network to eliminate chances of misjudgment. He illuminated the benefits of smart contracts for accuracy, security, and savings when using them in business.
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|  | Elstan Tam, M.S. '23
Recent MSBA graduate Elstan Tam is working this summer as an IT business analyst intern at Montage Hotel International where he supports the company's financial analytics. He says the internship has been a “rich learning experience."
Elstan participates in project status meetings and collaborates with cross-functional teams to build interactive and user-friendly dashboards using Power BI. This internship has improved his technical skills and understanding and taught him the importance of collaboration and effective communication.
| |  | Michael Matsheza, M.S. '23
Michael Matsheza is the founder of Bionome, which supplies high-quality in vitro diagnostic products to Zimbabwe as a distributor for South Korean manufacturers.
“I joined the MSBA program to understand data analytics, which I plan to implement in businesses to make impactful decisions and contribute to economic growth.”
Michael's advice for future MSBA students is to stay curious and ask questions. “Approach faculty early when you seek clarity. They are always ready to dedicate time to help you excel and succeed.”
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|  Matthew Arakelian '25
Matthew Arakelian is a junior entrepreneurship and ISBA double major and philosophy minor. He's also president of the LMU Real Estate Society (@lmu_realestate).
Matthew gained valuable work experience through a dynamic apprenticeship with Gentile Real Estate. More recently, he's working as a financial analyst under Pardis Nasseri, CEO of Palm Tree LLC, an M&A consulting and advisory firm.
| |  Sarah Olsen, M.S. '23
Recent MSBA graduate Sarah Olsen served as co-president of the CBA Graduate Student Association (@lmu_cbagsa) and sat on the LMU Board of Trustees Academic Affairs Committee as the GSLMU representative (@gslmu).
"After my first year in the program, I applied for data analyst roles. With the knowledge I gained from the program, I was able to land two different job offers as a data analyst! I accepted the offer at Epsilon Data Management, LLC, transitioned my career from marketing to ad tech, and now I’m on the path that I’ve always dreamed of."
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|  | Ana Mangal, Ph.D.
Ana Mangal, clinical associate professor of ISBA and co-director of the MSBA program, joined LMU in 2021 and enjoys building lifelong connections with her students.
“Learn as much as you can in your classes and build your network with fellow students, faculty, and the 100,000+ LMU alumni you have access to. Upon graduation, prescribe to ‘lifelong learning,’ taking every opportunity to learn and stay relevant throughout your career.”
In addition, Ana helps MSBA students with capstone projects. She says it's rewarding to see her students “get it” and apply their new knowledge and skills to the workplace.
| |  | Ken Summers
Congrats to Ken Summers '84, MBA '92, senior lecturer of ISBA, on winning the LMU Part-Time Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award!
"I feel privileged to receive this award and contribute to the education of our students, helping develop skills they will need as future business leaders. I had a boss once who told me 'If you're not having fun, you're doing something wrong.' Fortunately, I'm still having fun!"
Thank you Professor Summers for making the learning experience engaging for our students!
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