Executive in Residence Mentors

They have been responsible for the urban growth of Orange County. They have made the auto industry accessible to millions globally. They have transformed the lives of people throughout the world through economic and professional development. From manufacturing to philanthropy to finance, the professionals engaged with Mihaylo College's Executive in Residence program together bring more than 250 years of leadership experience to prepare today's young professionals for their futures in the ever-changing global business environment of the 21st century.

Juniors, seniors and graduate students interested in participating in the Executive in Residence program are encouraged to apply to become a mentee via the buttons contained within each executive profile below. If selected as a mentee, you will engage with your mentor through either small-group or individual mentor sessions. As a mentee, you will be expected to meet with your mentor one to two times each month during the relevant semester(s). 

First impressions count. Your application to become a mentee is your opportunity to make a strong first impression. Please provide detailed responses when completing your application. The application review is a competitive process, and mentors will select those individuals perceived to be the best match for a successful mentor-mentee relationship. Please identify only one executive with whom you would like to connect. Multiple applications will not be reviewed.

Application deadline for the spring 2020 rotation is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. Please check again for new application periods in future semesters. 

	Michael Groff ’78 For 35 years, I worked at Toyota Financial Services and retired as its CEO in 2018. I successfully developed the organization into a company that made people, true diversity and community service part of its cultural DNA. Currently, I am the principal and CEO of Harborview Consulting LLC, which provides general managerial consulting services to the Orange County community. I serve as a member of the Mihaylo College Dean’s Advisory board and am a national trustee for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I have a strong belief in family as my wife of over 40 years, two sons, and seven grandchildren have contributed greatly to my success and happiness. As a proud Titan, I am excited to be the leader and founding member of the Executive in Residence program. I graduated from CSUF in 1978 and earned an MBA at Chapman University. I am looking forward to working with junior, senior and MBA students who are interested in management, marketing and leadership. Mike Groff is available to meet his mentees on Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
	Scott Coler ’85 Currently, I am president and principal owner of Capital Pacific Homes, an Orange County-based residential homebuilding company that I have been a part of from the ground up. As a CSUF graduate, I proudly support the university and currently serve as governor of the CSUF Philanthropic Foundation, and I am a member of its Investment Committee, chair of the Mihaylo College Dean’s Advisory Board and board member-at-large with the Center for Real Estate. During my 35-year real estate career, I have overseen the combined entitlement and construction of approximately 5,000 homes and $1.5 billion in revenues. I believe in maintaining a proper work-life balance to remain invigorated professionally, which naturally leads to motivation, accomplishment, leadership and, of course, personal recognition and financial success. With finance as a central theme, I am looking forward to working with junior, senior or MBA students in the area of securities and investments, financial management, or real estate. Scott Coler is available to meet his mentees on one to two Thursdays each month from 1 – 5 p.m.
	Barbara Kelley ’84 I am a partner at HMWC CPAs & Business Advisors specializing in taxation and business advisement for real-estate clients, and I have more than three decades of tax and business consulting experience. It’s important to me to have a holistic approach in consulting with my clients to fully understand where they are currently and where they would like to be years from now. I formerly worked at companies such as Deloitte, Moss Adams LLP and my own private firm. As a Titan myself, the accounting program at CSUF contributed greatly to my career and personal life; in fact, my late husband and two daughters are also fellow Titans. In my free time, I work with foster youth at 44 Women for Orangewood and serve as an officer for the Women’s Sailing Association of Orange County. I am looking forward to working with junior-level students who are first-generation university students.  Availability for Barbara Kelley to meet her mentees is forthcoming.
	Joseph Moderow Sr. ’70 For more than 40 years, I worked with UPS, where I was the former senior vice president of legal and public affairs. I served as a presidential exchange executive in the Reagan Administration, an accomplishment which would not have been possible without the help and inspiration of one of my CSUF economics professors, Robert Michaels, who back in the late 1960s inspired my field of study. I give back to my alma mater through my membership on the Dean’s Advisory Board as well as actively supporting the Center for Leadership. I look forward to working with the students of Mihaylo College, particularly students pursuing an economics major or legal studies concentration.  Availability for Joseph Moderow Sr. to meet his mentees is forthcoming.
	Linh Nguyen ’98, ’17 The Advance Beauty College, where I am vice president, has graduated more than 40,000 students, many of them fellow Vietnamese immigrants, into rewarding and impactful careers. Having earned both my undergraduate and MBA degrees from Mihaylo College, I am a proud member of the Center for Leadership board of directors, a committee member for CSUF’s Concert Under the Stars, and a mentor to students in Mihaylo graduate programs, Center for Family Business and Women’s Leadership Program. Outside of CSUF, my volunteer activities have included serving as a sponsor for the Miss America Organization and involvement in numerous professional associations. I am passionate about learning other languages and understanding different cultures. Because I am fluent in Vietnamese and proficient in Spanish and understand these cultures, it is beneficial in all aspects of my career. Cultural intelligence makes you an asset to any company. I am looking forward to working with junior or senior students who are in the area of operations management, entrepreneurial management or marketing. Linh Nguyen is available to meet her mentees on one to two Fridays each month from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
	Richard Ramsey As a former Walt Disney Company vice president of human resources with extensive international experience and expertise in organizational design, change and cultural transformation, and strategic foresight, I helped Disney expand and grow internationally for more than three decades. Sharing knowledge with young professionals is important to me, and I teach cross-cultural management as a lecturer at Mihaylo College in addition to serving on the board of the Center for Leadership. I am proud of my three children (a son and two daughters), all of whom have college degrees and two of whom are Titans. I earned my undergraduate degree in the humanities at Biola University and my master's in human resources from Chapman University. Richard Ramsey is available to meet his mentees on one to two Wednesdays each month from 1 – 5 p.m.
	Julie Virjee I am the co-founder, along with my husband, CSUF President Fram Virjee, of Yambi Rwanda, a nonprofit committed to improving the lives of the victims of the 1994 genocide in one of East Africa’s poorest nations, and I travel regularly to Rwanda working on the numerous projects Yambi Rwanda supports. My focus is on education, and I am an advocate for children of all ages and their development as I also volunteer with a number of other educational foundations and organizations. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where Fram and I met, with a bachelor’s degree in communications and speech/hearing. I am also an entrepreneur: I am the owner and founder of Thimbleworks, a small business that has specialized in both hand needlework and specialty sweet-hot mustard for 30 years. In addition to running a nonprofit and a business, I’m also an organizer and public speaker, and I work with Fram serving as a campus leader and representing CSUF at many social, community, athletic and philanthropic events. I’m inspired by the students, staff and faculty at CSUF, and I enjoy being a part of the Titan family – I am passionate about connecting people and helping them achieve success. Julie Virjee is available to meet her mentees on one to two days per month, on a flexible basis.
	Paul Folino I serve as chairman of the board of directors for Commercial Bank of California, and I am the former executive chairman and CEO of Emulex Corporation. I was recognized by the Toshiba Classic Hall of Fame in 2013 and 2015 as one of the “top 50 most influential business leaders” here in Orange County. As an active benefactor of the arts and Orange County higher education, I am proud to have helped launch the campaign to move the college into its current state-of-the-art home and have been an athletics supporter of the CSUF Athletic Hall of Fame since 2016. I earned my undergraduate degree from Central Washington State University and my MBA at Seattle University. Paul Folino will serve as a mentor for the Fully Employeed MBA cohorts during the spring 2020 semester.