As the 2021-2022 school year begins, the Cal State Fullerton College of Business and Economics welcomes seven new members to the Dean’s Advisory Board, a leadership forum ensuring the college’s curriculum, programs and activities relate to current business and corporate needs. Among the new members are five Titan alumni and one current business student.

“The new board members provide additional perspectives to the future strategic direction of the College of Business and Economics.  I look forward to working with each of our new board members,” says CSUF College of Business and Economics Dean Sri Sundaram.

“I’m excited to welcome the new members. Each brings a passion for CSUF and a diversity in background and experience that will strengthen the Dean’s Advisory Board as it carries out its mission in leading business education by influencing innovative learning opportunities and informative community-focused research,” says Mark Clemens, chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board and office managing partner for KPMG LLP in Orange County.

Here’s a look at the careers and contributions of the recent additions to the Dean’s Advisory Board.

TERRY GILES ’70

Having grown up in poverty in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, Terry Giles settled in Southern California as a young man, where he attended Cal State Fullerton while working at Disneyland. After serving in the U.S. military for six years and earning his law degree at Pepperdine, Giles went on to establish a large criminal defense law firm and acquired or built 35 companies through his holding company, Giles Enterprises. A proud Titan, Giles recently contributed $1 million to fund the Center for Leadership, is a mentor in the Executive in Residence program, and is the author of The Fifteen Percent: Overcoming Hardships and Achieving Lasting Success.

LINH NGUYEN ’98,’17

The vice president of Orange County’s Advance Beauty College, Linh Nguyen earned both her bachelor’s in business administration and MBA from the College of Business and Economics. A second generation business owner, Nguyen works with her brother, Tam Nguyen, leading the accredited beauty college with the largest manicuring program in the nation with more than 40,000 graduates, many of them Vietnamese Americans. Linh gives back to Cal State Fullerton through board memberships with the Center for Leadership and Center for Family Business, and is an Executive in Residence mentor.

CHRIS SCHMIDT ’81

Chris Schmidt is the chair and CEO of Moss Adams LLP, where he has worked since 1986, when he joined the firm soon after earning his accounting degree at CSUF. In his current role, Schmidt is responsible for establishing and promoting the firm’s strategic plan. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, where he has held a number of leadership roles.

MARSHALL SOLOMON

The marketplace leader of Deloitte’s Orange County practice, Marshall Solomon oversees audit, tax, consulting and advisory services, and leads marketplace and community activities. Solomon has spent his entire 25-year career with Deloitte with an emphasis on corporate taxation. He is committed to ensuring that Cal State Fullerton offers the best accounting education possible.

PAUL WASSERMAN ’87

Born in New York, Paul Wasserman relocated with his family to Southern California as a child, where he first gained access to an original Apple II computer, sparking a lifelong love of technology. After earning his economics degree at CSUF, Wasserman went to law school at Santa Clara University and began a legal career. In 1999, Wasserman and a partner launched Ebates.com (now Rakuten), a cash-back and shopping rewards company.

FRANK WEBER ’82

As director of capital markets, Frank Webber helps Talley Capital Groups clients raise financing to fund acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures and corporate restructurings. Weber has more than two decades of commercial and corporate banking experience and a decade of sales and marketing management experience. Weber’s commitment to Cal State Fullerton also includes membership in the Executive Council.

KARISSA DOLE ’23

A current operations and supply chain student at the College of Business and Economics, Karissa Dole is committed to her academics, university and faith, with leadership in the Business Honors Program, Beta Alpha Psi, the graduate business program and Titan Catholic. As the first student representative in the history of the Dean’s Advisory Board, Dole is honored to represent the student perspective.

For more information about the board and how to get involved as a Southern California business leader, reach out to Paul Stover, senior director of development, at [email protected].

Or read more about the college’s business community, which includes the Executive Council, Executive in Residence Program and department-level opportunities.