On Thursday, June 12, D'Amore-McKim School of Business Deputy Dean Rajesh Aggarwal and the D'Amore-McKim School of Business Development team launched the Southern California Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the fourth regional and industry-focused council to launch in the last 18 months.

The evening was a resounding and spirited success, hosted at Atlas Entertainment's headquarters on the storied Sunset Boulevard by partner and talent manager Dave Fleming, DMSB'89, a vice-chair of the SoCal ELC. The well-known Hollywood movie and TV production and management company, with its commanding view of LA and West Hollywood, provided a fitting backdrop for an event that generated extraordinary energy and engagement among the 64 attendees.

After being introduced by his client Holt McCallany, a veteran actor with roles across TV and film, Fleming spoke about his background and Northeastern story. “The kickoff event was a huge success to help galvanize and connect like-minded alumni and to continue to build from this energy filled community we're creating here in So-Cal. With the goal to not only create deal flow but a ‘giving back' mindset to the education that helped get us here!” says Fleming.

Additionally, Julie Anne McNary, Assistant Dean of Development, discussed the mission, vision, and “moral imperative” of connecting D'Amore-McKim's highly successful alumni through the ELC initiative, while Dean Aggarwal provided a comprehensive update on D'Amore-McKim. He highlighted key initiatives, including DASH (D'Amore-McKim AI Strategic Hub), a way Dunton Family Dean David De Cremer is positioning D'Amore-McKim at the forefront of business education innovation. DASH focuses on preparing students to navigate and lead in an increasingly data-driven and AI-powered business landscape, demonstrating the school's commitment to staying ahead of technological transformation in business.

A major highlight of the evening came when the local ELC's expansive geographic reach, with some traveling from as far as San Diego, was emphasized and all members were introduced, culminating in the announcement of Dave Powers‘ significant $200,000 commitment to F1RST Scholars—a demonstration of the philanthropic impact that the ELC network aims to generate.

“The comment that everyone from our staff to attendees had about the launch is that the energy in the room was off the charts,” noted Senior Director of Development, George Rutherford. “Everyone was very engaged with each other and didn't want to leave.”

The Hollywood setting provided memorable moments throughout the evening, as attendees took selfies with the Oscar for last year's Best Picture winner, Oppenheimer. Fleming graciously showed guests around Atlas Entertainment's offices, which featured original works by prominent artists, including Banksy and Hockney.

Southern California Executive Leadership Council Vice Chairs:

  • Joe Aube, DMSB'01 – Senior Director of Equity Capital Markets & Trading, Kayne Anderson Rudnick
  • Dave Fleming, DMSB'89 – Partner, Atlas Entertainment; President, Atlas Artists
  • Justin Hand, DMSB'03 – Managing Director and Founder, Westcove Partners
  • Nikko Lara, DMSB'15 – Co-Founder and CEO, Objectively Good (OGM)
  • Patrick Manning, DMSB'90 – CEO, Manning Ventures and Executive Chairman, BioUp Mimetic Technologies
  • Mark Minichiello, DMSB'90 – CEO, Quincy Cass Investment Management
  • Katya Pourteymour, DMSB'22 – Partner | Asset Management and Investor Relations, Arete Venture Partners
  • Dave Powers, DMSB'89 – President & CEO, Deckers Brands, retired
  • Helene Servillon, CAMD'12 – Founding Partner, JourneyOne Ventures
  • Allen Stern, DMSB'82 – Managing Director, Imperial Capital
  • Zachary Tarica, DMSB'10 – CEO, The Forest Road Company
  • Rusty Wilenkin, DMSB'13 – Co-Founder and CEO, Old Pal

Southern California Executive Leadership Council Members:

  • Paul Kim, DMSB'10 – Ads Engineering, Google
  • Baxter Leman, DMSB'10 – Director of Business Development, Aramark Healthcare+
  • Perry Wallack, PNT'27 – Director, Tebra, TigerConnect, Procore, Pacvue, Tapin2, Arine
  • Jason Wanatick, DMSB'00 – VP Finance, Elemental Materials Technology

The Southern California launch represents a significant milestone in D'Amore-McKim's mission to help students “learn across borders to lead with impact” and educate “responsible business leaders of the world who can navigate, create, and manage in a digital world.” Since the launch, one additional member has joined the Council, with others in active discussion as a direct result of the event's success and the connections made that evening.

D'Amore-McKim alumni interested in joining the Executive Leadership Councils in any of the following regions should contact George Rutherford at ge.rutherford@northeastern.edu: Boston, New York City, Northern California, Southern California, Florida, Texas, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver, or Seattle.