Welcoming Two New Members to the Dean’s Advisory Board | College of Business and Economics at CSUF (welcoming-two-new-members-to-the-deans-advisory-board)

_{New Dean’s Advisory Board members Tim Olaerts ’01 (left) and Everett Sands.}

The Cal State Fullerton College of Business and Economics is expanding its professional network, gaining from the expertise of business leaders across multiple industries, with two new additions to its Dean’s Advisory Board.

Tim Olaerts ’01 (accounting) is returning to his alma mater to provide insights in light of his role as corporate controller at Irvine based company Alteryx. Everett Sands, CEO of Lendistry, looks forward to providing insights from more than a decade of leading one of the nation’s premier small business lenders.

Tim Olaerts ’01: Alteryx Corporate Controller to Bring an AI Focus

More than two decades after earning his degree in accounting at Cal State Fullerton, Tim Olaerts is giving back to his alma mater, utilizing his experience as corporate controller at Alteryx to guide the college’s curriculum and outreach into AI-focused directions.

“I have two kids in high school and with their college days around the corner, I have started to reflect on how pivotal my experience at CSUF was in terms of developing a foundational education that has enabled me to build a successful and rewarding career,” says Olaerts. “It’s incumbent on all us alumni to find ways we can help ensure the next generation of Titans are prepared with the tools and relationships they will need to enter the workforce.”

Back in his on-campus days, Olaerts was on the advisory board of Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting, finance and information systems fraternity. It was also at CSUF that he met his wife of nearly 20 years, who is a fellow a Titan grad. Thanks to the world-class teaching and experiential learning opportunities at the business college, Olaerts has had more than 20 years of accounting and finance experience, beginning as an intern at Arthur Andersen, then holding managerial roles at PwC, Niagara Bottling, CoreLogic and finally Alteryx. The automation focus of Alteryx, which is already a corporate partner of the School of Accountancy, will be particularly beneficial to the college.

“Alteryx empowers enterprises to democratize AI-driven analytics by providing a flexible platform that connects across global data ecosystems, enabling business users to create compliant and secure data workflows. With much of our focus being on the business analyst, we have an extensive history of partnering with higher education institutions such as CSUF to provide educators and students access to our products as a means to enable upskilling and developing data analytic skills,” he says. “I am excited to share perspectives on how AI and data is being used to transform the accounting and finance function.”

Everett K. Sands: CEO of Lendistry to Share His Expertise with the Business College

A native of Washington, D.C., Everett Sands studied Japanese and economics at the University of Pennsylvania before entering the mortgage business. After practicing finance at a mortgage company, he started his own company at age 22. Sands would hold leadership roles at a number of respected financial firms, including Wells Fargo, before founding Lendistry in 2015, where he has served as CEO for more than a decade.

Lendistry focuses on three asset classes: small businesses, residential mortgages and insurance. “The mission of the company is to help underserved and undercapitalized communities with access to capital,” explains Sands, whose company has been on the front lines of providing financial resources after catastrophes such as the January wildfires in Los Angeles County. Starting from four people in La Habra, Lendistry now has 300 team members across the country. “We believe in PACA – people as competitive advantage. At the same time, it’s a daunting task with helping people. There is a constant tug of putting the mission first and ensuring we are responsible lenders and capital deployers, amidst knowing the challenges of capital deployment.”

The intersection of education and the tools and resources that will be the future of lending and business and the desire to develop youth into successful business leaders and broaden their horizons has motivated Sands to get involved with the college.

Leading a company dedicated to entrepreneurial success, Sands gives this advice to students, alumni and others interested in business startup. “Make sure you have your why. Being an entrepreneur is tough. There’s a lot of conversations about startup and success stories, but what isn’t told as much is the middle,” explains Sands. “Having a real passion gets you through the middle stage of business. Entrepreneurship has glitz and glamor, but every business has started small. The discipline of crawl, walk, run is something every entrepreneur needs to know. Businesses go through lifecycles. Where you start will not be where you are at year three, or year 10 or year 20.”

Getting Involved and Giving Back

The Dean’s Advisory Board provides an enriching opportunity for alumni and Southern California business leaders to give back to the next generation, while building their own talent pool and supporting best practices in curriculum and program development. Additionally, many of our Centers of Excellence and academic departments also have opportunities for alumni and the community to provide executive advising to the college.