Dear San Francisco State EMBA Alumni,
Since the founding of the SFSU EMBA Alumni Association back in 2008 we have seen nearly two-dozen individuals step up to help establish a framework whereby past, present and future cohorts could build and maintain personal and professional relationships. Over this time we have been consistently amazed at the dedication of this group of alumni who have served to in varying capacities to building a better environment for our ever growing EMBA community.
One prominent way that has been discussed over the years to improve available bandwidth and program consistency is to build synergies with the broader SFSU Alumni community. Recently our EMBA team had a series of meetings with the SFSU Alumni Association and EMBA Downtown Campus (DTC) leaders to discuss how to align resources to better promote and grow our community.
The primary outcome of these discussions was that we decided to make the moveto become an "SFSU Affinity Group", an organization which will now exist under the umbrella of the broader SFSU Alumni Association. We believe this change will bring about some much needed improvements to our organization by helping to support both near-term promotional goals as well as long-term program sustainability.
To be recognized as an affinity group, SFSU required the sponsorship of 10 Founding members, defined as EMBA alumni who have also become lifetime members of the broader SFSU Alumni Association. In January we asked a number of individuals who have served prior iterations of the Alumni Association to be a part of this sponsoring group. At this time we would like to extend a hearty THANK YOU to this group of Founders for your involvement and contribution!
Carl Nicolari, Josh Silverman, Ryan Fuller, Cameron Wasson, Ed Cox, Elisa Tsang, Todd Clobes, Emily Cohen, J.J. Panzer, and Scott Marsic
Q: What does this change mean for the SF State EMBA Alumni Association?
A: As an Affinity Group we are permitted direct access to the resources of the university (web space, promotional capabilities, events / activities, etc.) while still allowing us to retain our strategic, financial and operational autonomy. Along the way this alignment will also allow us access to a group of individuals in the alumni services group at SF State who will be working with us to provide the support and oversight we’ll need as our base of alumni grows and our needs evolve.
A: The biggest changes you’ll experience is an improvement in our promotional capabilities and a solidified and consistent framework to which future generations can grow the EMBA Alumni Association.
Q: Is there a requirement for me to join the broader SF State Alumni Association?
A: There is no obligation for EMBA alumni to join the broader SF State Alumni Association in order to be a member of the EMBA Alumni Association.
You will continue to receive bi-monthly EMBA Alumni eNewsletters, receive invitations for participation to alumni events, and be asked by your alumni leaders to become involved when your organization has a need.
Q: Are there additional benefits to becoming a member of the SF State Alumni Association?
A: To receive broader support from the university, access to career and library services through SF State, as well as a host of other benefits and services requires that you become a lifetime alumni member of SF State. If you haven’t already become a member, I encourage you to review the SF State Alumni website and evaluate for yourself if the $89 lifetime membership fee would be of benefit to you.
Q: What promotional changes will I experience as part of this change?
A: Now that we are aligned with the SF State Alumni Association we now have a unique web home on the official SF State Alumni Website. All eNewsletters, such as the one you just received, will all reference back to this website. We will also continue to maintain our Facebook and LinkedIn presence for community outreach and networking purposes. We would like to extend a big Thank You to Melinda Chan (Cohort 5) and Cameron Wasson (Cohort 13) for their expertise anddedication in making these improvements possible.
Q: How do I get involved with my SF State EMBA Alumni Association?
A: We are always looking for individuals to help us promote events and activities beneficial to building our unique EMBA community. Now that we have made these changes to the framework of the alumni association we look forward to spending more time advancing events that are of interest to you.
The biggest way to become involved is to participate in EMBA sponsored events as your time allows.
Q: How do I become involved as a SF State EMBA Alumni Association board member?
A: Information on board involvement for 2011 – 2012 will be announced in the coming months. Both individuals who have and have not been involved in the past will be encouraged to participate.
As always, we thank you for your time and involvement with your EMBA Alumni Association. If you have any comments or suggestions we always welcome your input.
Best Regards,
Scott Marsic (Cohort 13) & Elisa Tsang (Cohort 11)
Co-Presidents, SF State EMBA Alumni Association
EMBAlums@sfsu.edu
EMBA Mentoring Update
In 2010, we sent a survey to over 300 EMBA alums and students, asking what they felt would have been an invaluable resource while they were a student, and what they hoped for once they graduated to Alumni status. We received responses from numerous different cohorts and without question, the majority replied with suggestions for a mentorship program: one in which they could benefit as a student, give back as an Alumni, and build connections with an Alumni peer.
Emily Cohen and Elisa Tsang took the lead in designing the SF State EMBA Mentorship Program. The purpose of the program was to partner alums with students to guide them through the program, to help them deal with the work, life, and school balance, and to connect them to other cohorts and possible career information. The mentorship program would also provide opportunities for alums to be partnered with other alums in order to build connections for career prospects and to learn about possible next steps after completing the EMBA program.
We launched the SF State EMBA Mentorship Program in September 2010 with 13 pairs of mentors and mentees. We received positive responses to the program and encouragement to move forward with the next term. We viewed the first rendition of the program as a great start, but based on feedback from participants, understood that some changes needed to be made to the program.
For the March 2011 term, in addition to a speed matching event (to be held on February 23rd at the Downtown campus), we have also added a training session for all mentors and mentees to provide more guidance in the mentorship partnership (to be held on March 9th at the Downtown campus with Antoine Andrews, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Gap, Inc). Furthermore, we will also be establishing an EMBA Mentorship website and holding a networking event to better facilitate interaction among all the mentors and mentees. We are hoping that March 2011 is a productive and successful mentorship term.
If you would like to participate as a mentor or mentee in the mentorship program or learn more about the program, please e-mail Emily Cohen (Cohort 13) and Elisa Tsang (Cohort 11) at SFSU.EMBA.Mentorship@gmail.com.
Alumni Spotlight
When the San Francisco Apartment Association announced the winner of the coveted Property Management Firm of the Year award, it came as no surprise that Cohort 13's very own J.J. Panzer earned the honor for his exemplary leadership at Real Management Company.Real Management Company was established by J.J.'s father Joel Panzer in 1978, with a philosophy "that property management is not about the property, but rather, It’s about the people, both the owners and the tenants" Growing up, J.J. frequently watched as his father would walk out of the family home in the middle of the night to do what they only half-jokingly call “guerrilla property management”— going into buildings in the Tenderloin where there were black tar heroin rings, or heading to the Bayview. Although J.J.'s early collegiate education at Berkeley focused on psychology and business - never intending to follow his father's footsteps - he soon realized he wanted to return to the family business, joining the staff full-time in 2002.
Since joining RMC, J.J. has vastly improved the processing for fee assessments and changed the way RMC engages in tenant and client relationships. Though Joel Panzer, an admittedly sentimental guy, has gone out of his way to help tenants, even those on rent control, the inevitable conflict that pervades property ownership and management in San Francisco had seeped into RMC ’s dealings.
But J.J. looked at rent control in a different way. When J.J. Panzer started business school at San Francisco State University he turned RMC into a kind of laboratory for new ideas, and things started to change. That’s when RMC became customer service focused; before that, the tenants were the enemy…it was war. J.J. credits his MBA training with helping him realize that "even in San Francisco, where rent control is such a divisive force, those are the rules we must operate under. We have to focus on customer service, even with the folks who make our work more challenging and sometimes less profitable than it should be. We have to be professional above all else.”
In September 2010, J.J. Panzer took over his father’s property management company, maintaining his father's approach to property management and to it's business practices that is based on a solid set of morals and ethics. Rent control wasn’t the only thing that RMC changed under J.J.'s watch. Every new idea, combined with the strong ethical and practical foundation he’d drawn from years of watching his father run the business, started to transform RMC . The most striking evidence is that RMC's 20% growth in 2010, while many companies struggled to break even.
After winning the award, J.J. remembers thinking “‘What things are we going to do in the industry to make next year’s application different? I want this to be the first in a series—a recognition that we’re doing great things on an ongoing basis.”
…And we know he will succeed!
J.J.'s spotlight inspired by Heather Boerner of the SF Apartment Association Magazine, Feb.2011
Events Calendar
SF State EMBA Mentorship Program Speed Matching
Participating in the next session of the EMBA mentorship program? Here’s your chance to meet other mentors and mentees in person and provide feedback about which individuals you feel would be a good mentor or mentee match for you.
Date: Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m
Location: SF State Downtown Campus, 835 Market Street, 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94103
Cost: Free with RSVP
Note: Attendance is strongly recommended for participants in the mentorship program.
Sponsored by: SF State EMBA Alumni Association
RSVP: Email Elisa Tsang or Emily Cohen at SFSU.EMBA.Mentorship@gmail.com
SF State Career Insighter Forum:
“Where are the great jobs and how do you get one?”
Learn how to get a competitive edge in today's job market. Hear directly from a panel of HR managers, recruiters and hiring executives from dynamic Bay Area companies, including Apple, Yelp, Riverbed Technology, Levi Strauss & Co., and others. A hosted networking reception follows.Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Time: 6:00-7:15 p.m.
Location: SF State Downtown Campus, 835 Market Street, 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94103
Cost: Free with RSVP
Sponsored by: SF State College of Business. Forum developed in partnership with The Examiner.
RSVP: Register today for the SF State Career Insighter
Swing by the SF State Alumni Association's next First Thursday after-work mixer at the Royal Exchange, a landmark family-owned pub-style eatery situated in the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District. Enjoy a drink and free snacks as you network and connect with college of business alumni and friends. No host bar.
Date: Thursday, March 3, 2011
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m
Location: Royal Exchange, 301 Sacramento St, SF, CA 94111
Cost: Free with RSVP
Sponsored by: SF State Alumni Association and College of Business
RSVP: RSVP today for First Thursday Mixer
Mentoring Workshop
How do you become a good mentor? A good mentee? Learn how to build a strong mentoring relationship at this essential professional development workshop. Antoine Andrews, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Gap, Inc., will facilitate the workshop. Attendance is mandatory for participants in the EMBA Mentorship Program.
Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Location: SF State Downtown Campus, 835 Market Street, 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94103
Cost: Free with RSVP
Sponsored by: SF State EMBA Alumni Association
RSVP: An invitation will be sent to all EMBA students and alumni.
Info: E-mail Elisa Tsang or Emily Cohen at SFSU.EMBA.Mentorship@gmail.com
SF State MBA Career and Internship Fair
Don't miss out on this great opportunity to network with industry professionals and learn more about various Bay Area organizations and employment or internship positions available. The career fair is open to all current graduate business students (SF State MBA, MSA, EMBA, and MBA-MIB programs).
Date: Friday, March 18, 2011
Time: 10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Location: SF State Downtown Campus, 835 Market Street, 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94103
Cost: Free with RSVP
Note: All graduate business students must register in order to participate in the MBA Career & Internship Fair. The deadline is Friday, March 4.
Sponsored by: SF State College of Business, Graduate Studies
RSVP: Register today for the SF State MBA Career and Internship Fair
Spring Business Alumni Mixer
Please join the College of Busines and the Graduate Business Association for our Spring Business Alumni Mixer. Catch up with old firends and make new connections at one of the best destinations in downtown San Francisco. Business alumni and graduate business students are all invited. Cash bar. (Happy hour: 6:00-7:00 pm)
Date: Friday, April 15, 2011
Time: 6:00 -- 8:00 p.m
Location: Level III Restaurant, JW Marriott SF, 500 Post Street (3rd floor), San Francisco
Cost: Free
RSVP Deadline:Tuesday, April 12, 2011
RSVP: RSVP today for Spring Business Alumni Mixer
Leadership Keynote Address
Liz Wiseman, president of The Wiseman Group will be providing a keynote address based on her research and book, Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter at this exclusive EMBA student and alumni event.
Date: Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Time: 6:00-7:30 PM
Further details to come. Stay tuned!
