MARISA LUE is a member of the UCLA Anderson Executive MBA Class of 2026 and served as co-president of the EMBA Class Council. She is a staff program manager at Illumina, where she leads cross-functional product development programs that advance genomic sequencing technologies used by researchers and healthcare organizations worldwide. With more than a decade of experience in biotechnology and life sciences, Lue has built a career leading complex teams, commercializing new products and driving innovation across global markets. Her decision to pursue the global management specialization stemmed from a desire to better understand how culture, economic development and regional context influence business strategy and leadership

At Anderson, Lue pursued a diverse portfolio of international experiences that expanded her global perspective. Through an international exchange at Insper in São Paulo, Brazil, she explored consumer behavior and market-entry strategies in Latin America while studying sustainability challenges facing the Amazon. Drawing on her scientific background, she examined how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and genomics can support biodiversity conservation and environmental stewardship.

Lue also completed the EMBA International Business Residency in Barcelona, Spain, where she gained insight into European business culture, supply chains and entrepreneurship. Visits to organizations including the Port of Barcelona and the Barcelona Health Hub highlighted the region’s emphasis on sustainability, innovation and long-term value creation. The residency also led to Lue’s Strategic Management Research capstone project, which was focused on growth opportunities within the European travel industry.

Her two global immersion experiences further broadened her understanding of international business and global impact. In South Africa, she studied social entrepreneurship and community-centered business models designed to address social issues such as poverty and unemployment. In Singapore and Shenzhen, as part of the Greater Asia Region global immersion, she studied how technology transformation and innovation in Greater China and Southeast Asia are increasingly shaped by the convergence of artificial intelligence, government policy, capital formation, talent density and highly adaptive consumers. Across these experiences, she observed how successful organizations adapt their strategies to local context and cultural, political and economic realities.

On campus, Lue complemented her international experiences through the Global Trends course and participation in CGM programming. Through discussions on trade, technology, immigration and global economic change, as well as her professional accomplishments, Lue has demonstrated a strong commitment to service and community impact through leadership roles with Net Impact and her long-standing involvement with cancer research fundraising initiatives.

Reflecting on her global management journey, she credits the specialization with reinforcing a core leadership principle: Context matters. Whether collaborating with international colleagues, launching products across diverse markets or leading teams, she believes effective leadership begins with understanding the unique perspectives and circumstances that shape people, organizations and communities around the world.