Veterans@Anderson
Veterans@Anderson
Always in Service to Something Greater
Former Captain — Strategy Lead, Information Warfare, U.S. Marine Corps
Utility-scale solar projects
Project Origination and Development (internship), Candela Renewables
Major — Civic Affairs Team Leader, U.S. Marine Corps
Managing large-scale emergency operations projects
Operational Planner and Stakeholder Liaison (recent), City of San Diego
Former Health Services Manager, CBRNE Response, Air National Guard
Expanding access to alternative health and wellness providers through employee benefit programs
Founder, Foliage Health
Former Captain O-3, U.S. Army
Mentoring and encouraging prospective dentists
Owner and CEO, GetYourDentistOn.com
As a member of the Association of Veterans at Anderson, I am immensely proud of the remarkable individuals who make up the veteran community. Their service to our nation demonstrates their commitment to honor and excellence. Now, as they venture into the business world, the skills acquired during their military service — teamwork, strategic thinking, adaptability — will undoubtedly propel them to success.
In the coming year, AVA is planning events with the school’s Outdoor Adventure Club, John Anderson Golf Club, Craft Beer Club, Out@Anderson and many other student-led groups. We hope that through our increased collaboration, we’ll both elevate the visibility of the veterans among us and contribute to the overall Anderson experience. I am truly excited to embark on this journey and profoundly grateful to be part of AVA and the Anderson community at large.
David W. Oh (’24)
President, Association of Veterans at Anderson
The UCLA Anderson community of students, alumni, staff, faculty and donors includes veterans and active-duty personnel from all branches of the military. Individually and collectively, they have a profound influence on Anderson and on the wider world. They answer the call of duty in times of peace and war. They demonstrate leadership and teamwork in equal measure.
UCLA Anderson’s degree programs attract top applicants from every corner of the globe. We’re humbled by the great dedication of our students who serve or have served in the armed forces of this nation and others. We’re proud of the diversity among them and the camaraderie they extend to the entire student body.
Please join me on Veterans Day and every day in honoring and supporting the people who have served with such distinction.
Tony Bernardo
Dean and John E. Anderson Chair in Management
From Service to Students
Courage at Work
UCLA Anderson Alumnus Raises $23MM in Series A for Bright Uro
A U.S. Army Dentist Disproves Stereotypes
He Went from Marine to Movie Maker
A Game Changer for a U.S. Navy Reservist
Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans Is a Launch Pad for Startups
U.S. Army veteran Joey Chaires came to UCLA Anderson to scale his business
UCLA Anderson’s Real Estate Concentration Drew this U.S. Marine
Jason Kim (’09) Is a Leader for the Millennium
A U.S. Navy Lt. Commander Seeks Purpose-Driven Work with the UN
UCLA Anderson EMBA Bridges the Military and Civilian Worlds
U.S. Army Reservist’s Career Could Be a Movie
U.S. Air Force Veteran Flies Full Circle to a Creative Career
U.S. Navy Veteran Feels UCLA Anderson’s Embrace
Listen for Inspiration
His Peers Expanded His Aperture
A veteran U.S. Marine Corps officer, Cheddy Matthews (EMBA ’24) is now an executive coach and vice chairman of the National City Chamber of Commerce in California. The father of two arrived at UCLA Anderson highly accomplished, yet he embraced every opportunity to learn and develop professionally, taking full advantage of exposure to his diverse classmates’ knowledge and expertise.
Balancing Everything
Class of 2020 graduate and John Wooden Global Leadership Fellow Rob Busalacchi is an investment banking associate at Barclays. He looks back on his experience balancing priorities while he went through the UCLA Anderson FEMBA program as a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
From Marine to Movie Maker
Why does a U.S. Marine Corps veteran earn an MBA from UCLA Anderson? And what can his military training teach the rest of us about dealing with COVID-19? Joel Searls (’17), an investment banking associate at McCafferty & Company, reflects on these topics as well as his decision to reinvent himself as an associate producer of a feature-length Hollywood movie, Running with the Devil (2019), starring Nicholas Cage and Laurence Fishburne.
Teamwork — in the Navy SEALs and Business School
U.S. Navy Captain Gary Ryals (’08) and Duncan Smith (’91), retired U.S. Navy SEAL officer
Why Anderson Works So Well For Veterans and Active Military
Our highest-ranking student, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Chris Lee (EMBA ’23), describes the fit and gives a special Veterans Day message
The Honor Is Ours
“Success is peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming.”
— Coach John Wooden
“As a transitioning veteran, this quote helps remind me that hard work is done for self-satisfaction and rewarded by peace of mind. At the end of each day, I find comfort in knowing that if I dedicate 100 percent of myself to personal and professional growth, achievement is merely a side benefit.”
Captain Luke Goessman (EMBA ’18), U.S. Marine Corps
EBV trains veterans for a new kind of challenge.
The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) offers cutting-edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines disabled as a result of their service to operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
LEARN MORE
resources
Financial Aid for Military
Even if you are not eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® Yellow Ribbon Program, all full-time MBA students are automatically considered for fellowships. No separate application is needed.
Association of Veterans at Anderson
A professional club at UCLA Anderson for all military veterans, both U.S. and foreign: Association of Veterans at Anderson
UCLA Veteran Resource Center
UCLA provides a wealth of resources for active-duty military service people and veterans: veterans.ucla.edu
Financial Aid for Military
Mandatory student charges will be covered up to your eligibility percentage.
Application fee waivers are available for all U.S. military applicants. To request a fee waiver for the program you’d like to apply to, please reach out directly to MBA Admissions, FEMBA Admissions or EMBA Admissions.
Even if you are not eligible for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® Yellow Ribbon Program, all full-time MBA students are automatically considered for fellowships. No separate application is needed.