Put a group of the college’s business partners and members of the staff together over lunch and you get a great result. Anyway, that’s always been the case at the annual Business Partners Luncheon. This year was no exception.
“We were pleased to have about 85 guests, including members of our seven Chapman School advisory boards, Dean’s Council, Alumni Circle, Latin American Forum, Latin American Human Resources Forum, Chapman Executive Committee, and corporate friends of Executive and Professional Education (EPE),” said Natalia Echeverría Sol, director, corporate relations. Her office coordinated the event, which took place on November 21, 2006, at The Palm in Merrick Park.
Joyce J. Elam, executive dean, and José de la Torre, dean of the Chapman School, addressed the group, which included program managers who have advisory boards as well as staff members with external relations responsibilities.
“Both deans expressed their heartfelt gratitude to everyone there, thanking them for their help and recapping for them some recent achievements, such as our rankings and the progress on our new building complex,” Echeverría Sol said.
Guests send their thanks.
The guests clearly enjoyed the chance to reconnect with colleagues and meet others who share their enthusiasm for the college.
“I was fortunate to sit next to Tony Argiz (BBA ’74), with whom I had not really talked in about a decade—not since we served on a school board together,” said Ken Roberts, president and CEO, WorldCity and a member of the International MBA (IMBA) Advisory Board. “I also sat next to a long-time friend, Dominique Virchaux, founder Virchaux and Partners, and of course saw many other friends.”
Both Argiz, CEO and managing partner of Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, LLP, and Virchaux serve on the Dean’s Council.
Mark Maki, human resources manager at Bacardi and a member of the Master of Science in Human Resource Management (MSHRM) Advisory Board, sent his thanks for “a wonderful lunch. It was a great opportunity to meet new people.”
Buster Castiglia, president and CEO, Continental National Bank, and a member of the Master of Science in Finance (MSF) Advisory Board, wrote to thank the staff “for a wonderful event,” and said that he’s “looking forward to working with the advisory board for the coming year.”
“We are always delighted to host this event as a way to thank our many dedicated corporate partners,” Echeverría Sol said. “Their contributions of time and expertise immeasurably enhance the experiences of our administrators, faculty, staff, and most especially, students.”
