The Department of Marketing at Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics and ThinkLA, the largest marketing community in the region, announced the successful debut of the 2025 CSUF x ThinkLA Career Launchpad Summit, a workforce development initiative designed to expand Orange County’s pipeline of marketing and advertising talent.
The summit responds to a growing regional need as Orange County continues to diversify and innovate and local employers face increasing pressure to attract new talent capable of supporting brand growth in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
Orange County has become a multicultural majority market, with over half of residents identifying as Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Black or multiracial, signaling both a demographic shift and a major economic opportunity for employers.
“Advertising can’t effectively speak to a multicultural America without multicultural talent in the room,” said Don Lupo, executive director of ThinkLA and co-host of the summit. “This event helps ensure that the next generation of creative, media and strategy professionals is ready to step into local roles in Southern California on day one and have their voices heard.”
Held on Nov. 14, the four-hour summit brought together more than 250 students, faculty, executives and recruiters for a day of immersive professional development focused on early career readiness, leadership, client expectations and the future of AI-powered marketing.
“First-generation and diverse students are uniquely positioned to contribute to Orange County’s innovation economy,” said Jake Beniflah, director of TITANIAM at Cal State Fullerton, the talent accelerator for the business college’s marketing program. “They bring cultural fluency that local businesses urgently need.”
Read more about ThinkLA in CSUF Business News.