This fall, Courtney Elmes joined the leadership of Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics as associate dean, graduate programs and non-degree programs.

Elmes brings nearly two decades of experience in consulting, brand marketing and higher education, which will support the college’s outreach in Southern California and beyond.

We asked Elmes a bit about her background, goals in the position and inspiration.

What attracted you to the CSUF College of Business and Economics?

There were two things that drew me to the college – the mission and the opportunity. From a mission standpoint, providing the access to business education that the college does is astounding. With nearly 9,000 students, the impact the college has on the future of Orange County and California as a whole is immense. I wanted to be a part of that.

Regarding the opportunity, I saw a college with a large base of well-researched and strong teaching faculty across six departments. I also saw a large number of graduate programs supported by these faculty. I am excited for the opportunity to grow our graduate programs in size, while ensuring we are delivering exceptional experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom focused on academic excellence, professional development and leadership development.

What are your goals as a leader at our college?

My goals are, first and foremost, to ensure the college continues its trajectory of excellence. I am excited to work alongside Dean Sri Sundaram to execute his vision for the college. I aim to align our portfolio of programs with the demands of the market. We certainly have opportunities to grow in several areas, and my goal is to work with our faculty and leadership to realize this growth. Additionally, I see a space for us on the nondegree side, utilizing our outstanding faculty to deliver shorter format programs that meet the needs of our corporate strategic partners and our community at large. 

You have a wealth of corporate brand management and consulting experience. How does this career knowledge inform your work as a higher education leader? 

Training is important in any role, and I see my prior careers in consulting and brand marketing as integral in my development as a professional and a leader. Working in consulting really built my foundational skills in strategy development and making data-driven decisions, in a world where data was abundant. My transition into brand management and brand marketing allowed my creativity to take center stage, utilizing the foundations I built in consulting, but within a framework of constantly testing and learning with different audiences.

Now as a leader in higher education, I can balance making decisions driven by data and trends, but I am also comfortable with making decisions in the absence of data. In an industry in which market needs are evolving so rapidly, we will miss opportunities if we wait to have all of the information before moving forward. I am also able to think strategically and assess the market today and how it may change in the future. Most importantly, I am able to approach challenges in higher education with multiple lenses which allows me to be a more effective and impactful leader.

Who is your greatest inspiration?

I really admire Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand. As a mom of young children myself, I value how she has made space in her career for all the different parts of her life – leader of a nation, woman, mother. She has unapologetically shared all of these different facets of herself, during a time when, at least here in the U.S., being a mother isn’t often recognized as a strength in the workplace. Jacinda is known to be a leader who is empathetic, transparent and collaborative – all things that I aspire to be as a leader.

One of my favorite quotes of hers: “If you sit and wait to feel like you are the most confident person in the room, you are probably going to be left by yourself.” I try to remind myself of that before I walk into any meeting.