Leadership Fellows : Where Are They Now?
The College of Business and Public Policy would like to commend Xavier Mason and Lauren Riley. Both graduated from CBPP and participated in the Leadership Fellows program, and both have been very busy.
Xavier Mason was recently accepted to the MBA program at Oxford University in Oxford,
England. Xavier graduated from the College of Business and Public Policy undergraduate
program in 2015. Upon graduating, Xavier held the honors of Leadership Distinction,
Leadership Honors, University Honors Scholar, Cum Laude, and the Commencement Speaker
for the graduating class. During his time as a student, Xavier was a Community Engaged
Student Assistant, College of Business and Public Policy Student Leader of the Year,
CBPP Leadership Fellow, Emerging Leader Program graduate, a member of the UAA Diversity
Action Council, co-founder of the Phi-Alpha Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon, among many
others.
As part of his research, Xavier plans to add a second degree to his studies, an MSc in Education specializing in Child Development and Education as part of Oxford’s 1+1 MBA program. His goal is to integrate these two degrees towards his understanding of how to increase the equity and quality of global education on the outset of the fourth industrial revolution. Xavier first became passionate about education, when he recognized the inequity in his own childhood education and its correlation to income, location of housing, and race and how they are interconnected to affect that individual's overall quality of life.
Xavier will study for an MBA at Oxford University with the opportunity to add an MSc in Education under their 1+1 MBA program. This two-year program will culminate in September 2019 at which time Xavier plans to travel the world launching his nonprofit VisualAid and meeting with fellow World Economic Forum Global Shapers to explore entrepreneurial and angel investing opportunities.
Lauren Riley was recently accepted to the Research in Management Ph.D. program at
the Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen, Scotland. Lauren graduated from the
CBPP MBA program in 2015 and has been an employee of UAA’s Business Enterprise Institute
and Small Business Development Center since 2011. During her time as a student, Lauren
was a member of the MBA Student Advisory Committee and successfully completed the
Leadership Fellows Program.
As part of her research, Lauren plans to investigate the collective impact of culture and gender on a woman's ability to succeed in the workforce. Lauren first became passionate about the subject during her time in the Peace Corps when she worked with a small cooperative of Moroccan women to bring their products to market. After consulting with the cooperative for a year, she realized that many of the young women left the workforce once they married, even if they had previously aspired to grow the business. She hopes her work will lead to a career in academia as well as a greater ability to advocate for equality in the workplace.
Lauren will study under Dr Emmanuelle Rey-Marmonier, Lecturer in Leadership and Organizational Development. The three-year program will culminate in February 2020 at which time Lauren plans to return to the U.S. and apply her studies to her work.