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In The News
October 22, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College of Business Administration & Public
Policy
Honors Business Friends at Awards Luncheon
(Carson, CA) — Executives
from local companies in the industries of energy, water and finance
will be the guests of honor at the second annual College of Business
Administration and Public Policy Awards Luncheon on Nov. 6 on the
campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills.
The luncheon will take place from noon
to 2 p.m. in the Dominguez Ballroom of the university’s Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker
Student Union. The afternoon will feature opening remarks from
university President Mildred García, a keynote address by
PROMÉRICA Bank founder and chairwoman Maria Contreras-Sweet,
and presentations of the Dean’s Medallion Awards to Sempra
Energy’s Debra Reed as Executive of the Year, Metropolitan
Water District executive Gilbert Ivey as Alumni of the Year, and
BP Carson Refinery as Organization of the Year.
“The slate of honorees for 2008 includes some of the most
influential businesses and leaders in the region, partners who
have helped guide this college and university through the years,” said
James Strong, dean of the College of Business Administration and
Public Policy (CBAPP). “Their support is invaluable and this
luncheon is one way to show our appreciation.”
The luncheon and the Dean’s Medallion
Awards were established to publicly recognize community and business
partners that have
played and continue to play a role in raising the prestige of programs
in the College of Business and throughout the university. Through
strong partnerships with and support from local industry, CBAPP
is able to offer it students not only the theoretical frameworks
they need, but access to real-world experiences that will help
them succeed, Strong said.
BP Carson Refinery has partnered in a number of different ways
with the university, specifically through support of the Presidential
Scholarship program and Toro Athletics. As the largest refinery
of its kind in California, covering more than 630 acres and processing
275,000 barrels of oil each day, it is also a major employee in
the region, generating more than 1,000 jobs. BP acquired the Carson
refinery in 2000 and quickly became involved in the surrounding
community, including providing support to CSU Dominguez Hills.
Walter Neil, BP director for public affairs, will be accepting
the Organization of the Year Award on behalf of the company. Water
is a former member of the CSUDH Foundation and has chaired the
Toro Athletics Golf Tournament for the last two years.
 Alumni of the Year honors will go to Gilbert
Ivey (Class of ’75,
B.A., business administration). Ivey is assistant general manager
and chief administrative officer for the Metropolitan Water District
of Southern California. He began working at MWDSC as an intern
while still in school, and in his 35-year career with the water
district has worked in nearly every division. Among his many accomplishments
at MWDSC has been the successful completion, ahead of schedule
and under budget, of the utility’s current headquarters.
That project went on to receive many awards. As CAO he is responsible
for the administrative management of the district and also serves
as the liaison to its 37-member board of directors.
Ivey is being named Alumni of the Year
for his continued commitment to CSUDH and his desire to give
today’s students the kind
of support and encouragement he received. He currently serves on
the CBAPP Advisory Board.
“We are extremely pleased to be honoring Gil Ivey as Alumni
of the Year,” Strong said. “Gil has been a tremendous
advocate to the university and the college. He has taken as his
mission raising the profile of CSUDH with influential downtown
government and business leaders. He’s a great guy as well,
and we are very proud to have him as an alumnus.”
With the recognition of Reed as Executive
of the Year and a keynote by Contreras-Sweet, one theme that
has come out of this year’s
awards luncheon is the increasing success of women at the top levels
of business. The number of women choosing careers in business continues
to grow, and that trend is reflected in the student body within
CBAPP: more than 60% of students in the college are women.
Both women are expected to speak on the challenges women face
in becoming successful in male-dominated business fields, and their
experiences climbing the corporate ladder.
“During this year when Sen. Hilary Rodham-Clinton and Gov.
Sarah Palin are breaking glass ceilings in politics, we are fortunate
at this awards luncheon to hear from two women who are doing the
same in the corporate world,” Strong said. “The accomplishments
of Ms. Contreras-Sweet and Ms. Reed are well deserved and we believe
will serve to inspire not only our female business students but
all our students.”
 In 2006, Reed was named president and chief
executive officer of San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern
California Gas Co., after serving as their president and chief
operating officer since
2004. Both utilities are owned by San Diego-based Sempra Energy,
a company that has been a strong supporter of the university for
many years. Reed has conveyed her interest in continuing that partnership,
expressing a belief in the mission of the university to provide
educational opportunities for all in the diverse communities of
southern California.
Reed, who was born in Long Beach and graduated from USC, became
the first female corporate officer of SoCalGas in 1988, 10 years
after joining the company as an engineer. In the road to becoming
its president and CEO, she served many capacities in the company,
including market services manager, manager of environmental engineering,
vice president of administrative services and also of human resources.
 Keynote speaker Contreras-Sweet has held
a number of high-level positions in her illustrious career, from
serving as a vice president
at Westinghouse and the 7Up/RC bottling company to being appointed
California’s secretary of business, transportation and housing
under Gov. Gray Davis, the first Latina to hold a cabinet-level
position in the state. Today she is chairwoman of PROMÉRICA
Bank, which she founded in 2007. It is the first Latino-owned bank
to open in California in the last 35 years.
Contreras-Sweet is also the founding president
of the Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), a leadership,
advocacy
and education nonprofit for Latinas, and the founding director
of California Endowment, a private health foundation whose mission
is to expand access to affordable, quality health care.
The luncheon
is being sponsored by College of Business Administration and
Public Policy Advisory Board. Tickets are $50, with proceeds
going to support student scholarships and faculty development.
A limited number of tickets remain. For reservations or more
information, call (310) 243-3548. For information about the College of Business Administration and
Public Policy at CSUDH, visit cbapp.csudh.edu.
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About
CSU Dominguez Hills -- California
State University, Dominguez Hills is a highly diverse,
urban university located in the South Bay, primarily
serving the
Los Angeles metropolitan area. The university prides itself
on its outstanding faculty and friendly, student-centered
environment.
Known for excellence in teacher education, nursing, psychology,
business administration, and digital media arts, new degree
programs include computer science, criminal justice,
recreation and leisure
studies, social work, and communication disorders. On campus
is the Home Depot Center, a multi-purpose sports complex
that hosts
world-class soccer, tennis, track and field, lacrosse, and
cycling.
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