In spring 2020, Cal State Fullerton’s Mihaylo College of Business and Economics debuted the Executive in Residence program, which gives business students the opportunity to connect with successful professional mentors — many of them alumni — who lead in the Southern California business community.
When the coronavirus shutdown began in March, seven mentors — Scott Coler ’85 (B.A. business administration-finance), Mike Groff ’78 (B.A. business administration-management), Barbara Kelley ’84 (B.A. business administration-accounting), Joseph Moderow Sr. ’70 (B.S. economics), Linh Nguyen ’98, ’17 (B.A. business administration-management, MBA), Richard Ramsey, and CSUF First Lady Julie Virjee — rapidly shifted to online formats, ensuring that students in the program received the best possible experience.
The quick pivot worked, and four students share how mentoring from these business leaders has made a difference in their lives.