Happy Thanksgiving 2021 FEMBA friends!

[January 13, 2022 update: The Palooza 9 Date has moved and will NOT be July 16, 2022, as stated in video below. New date to come soon. -Dylan]

I hope you share fellowship, food and laughter with loved ones this weekend. My wife and I leave with our boys at 5:00am tomorrow for their first trip to Yosemite. We are trading football and turkey for Half-Dome and El Capitan.

I know it’s early, but looking ahead to 2022, after a two-year pause, we are bringing Palooza back!  I recorded a little preview: https://youtu.be/Pbi1i57Exww.

Of course, we will follow the health rules, but assuming we can safely host a large event, please save-the-date for FEMBApalooza 9, Saturday, July TBD, 2022, 3:00 P.M. to Sunset.

For the first-time ever, we are hosting Palooza at UCLA Anderson which allows

• more learning and career-networking sessions
• friends and family to see your school
• Alumni to see our new Marion Anderson Hall
• (Plus lots of clean restrooms!)

And, don’t worry—we will still have great food, a kids’ zone (with bounce houses), the opportunity zone with clubs and tons of networking, and of course our incredible beer garden featuring custom-crafted, FEMBA-flavors brewed by our very own Dr. Diego Benitez, FEMBA Class of ’19.

Palooza 9 welcomes the Class of 2025 and offers our 24 and 23 FEMBAs their first Palooza. Hosting at Anderson allows for more great content, but as a sneak peek, here are three speakers we’ve already confirmed:

Health Tech Session

Dr. Nasim Afsar, FEMBA ’17       
Medical Doctor. Mother. First-ever Chief Health Officer of Cerna Corporation, overseeing 1,000+ healthcare professionals in product development and patient care.
What’s next in Health Tech?
Listen to Drive Time Ep 42 interview of Nasim

Brick and Mortar Entrepreneurship feat. Progress Brewing, So. El Monte’s First Microbrewery

Dr. Diego Benitez, FEMBA ’19    
PhD in Chemistry from CalTech. Serial-Entrepreneur. Father. Founder of Progress Brewing in South El Monte, and longtime brewer of Palooza’s beer.
What’s it really like to be a founder and entrepreneur?
Listen to Drive Time Ep 33 interview of Diego

Family & International Business Session

Billy Erickson, FEMBA ’23            
Sixth-generation tequila distiller and family business leader with Fortaleza Tequila. Father. What’s it like to have your dad as your boss, and carry forward a family legacy?

These three sessions are the tip of the iceberg. We’re getting our organizing committee set. This year, FEMBA Council and FEMBAssador leadership will take their biggest role ever. We’re going to have a great day.

As we come into Thanksgiving 2021 tomorrow, especially when I reflect on where we were a year ago, I am optimistic. One thing I am thankful for is being part of a community as rich and varied as ours here at UCLA Anderson. Palooza 9 will showcase that and support you deepening your network. Please save-the-date. 

All best and Happy Thanksgiving,
Dylan