Business Alumni

Kimberly Sykes didn’t want her son to finish college before she did so decided to return to finish what she started years ago. Watch her interview below to hear more of her story:

Sylvain Authier is no stranger to higher learning, having earned numerous degrees from many prestigious learning institutions. He was researching a university were he could earn the Doctorate that would set him apart and give him the credibility he needed for his high profile business. The distance learning format offered at CalSouthern fit his schedule and the quality of the education met his requirements for the D.B.A. program he was looking for. The long distance and time zone difference did not prevent him from keeping in touch with his Faculty Mentors via phone and email and he was able to complete his degree in just 2 years!

BENJAMIN VALDEZ is the Business Department Chairman for the Community College of Aurora, which has campuses in Aurora and Denver, CO, as well as online programs. In his current position, he is responsible for the quality and development of the college’s business program. This includes working with local high schools to expand the new concurrent enrollment program whereby high school students take college courses while in high school and earning college credit.

Prior to his current position, Valdez was the Chief Executive Officer and District Superintendent for Life Skills Charter High School. As the CEO, he oversaw 13 high schools located in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico with a total enrollment of more than 8,000 students. Valdez worked with Life Skills for close to a decade, where he also served as a high school principal.

Dr. Bashar Elkhatib is a Technical Training Program Manager in the IT Division of Intel Corporation, he is based in Folsom, California US. He works on IT security projects and related training and workforce development programs. Dr. Elkhatib also designs courses and instructor-led training strategies and drive their implementation within the organization. He also delivered technical classes in many countries for Intel developers worldwide.

Dr. Elkhatib has been involved in the corporate and academia for the past 16 years. Prior to joining Intel in 2000, he worked for Hansen information Systems Corporation in Sacrament, California as a Sr. MIS Analyst where his responsibilities and role covered the testing and design of different applications, software & hardware installation & configuration, and driving their training strategies and implementing their deliveries. His projects covered most states in the US. Bashar also worked as a Software Developer at Earth Tech, Inc. in Grand Rapid, MI (a Tyco International Subsidiary) for couple years before joining Hansen.

He has been active in the learning community, where he presented at many forums and conferences. He also was the reviewer for the Microsoft Access Book published by Cengage Course Technology.

Click here to read an interview with Dr. Bashar Elkhatib in which he discusses his learning experience at CalSouthern.

I have served a number of businesses over the years, working at many levels from Machinist through President & CEO. I have accumulated many college credits over the years, but until recently never completed a degree program.

All was well with my career until a few years ago. I had worked very hard over the years, and I had worked through many corporate levels, finally reaching President & CEO. My broad experience gave me a unique perspective that allowed me to achieve results. A few years back, I decided (unwisely in retrospect) that the next step was to work with a private equity company and be part of acquisition & merger work. That lasted only a year, and I was on the street looking for a job. In all my years of working, I had never been out of a job for 10 minutes. Yet, when put on the streets as I was, I realized quickly (via rejections by prospective employers) that my formal education didn't match my title or long-term goals.

My name is Charlotte A. Belt. Currently, I wear two “professional hats.” First, I work for KPMG in downtown Dallas as a Practice Administrative Supervisor in our Advisory Practice. I have 24 years of business administration experience with KPMG and BearingPoint. Second, I am Vice President of QuinLab Consulting, in Dallas, that provides consulting services for the oil and natural gas exploration industry. Also, I am a past or present member of several professional organizations, such as the American Marketing Association, American Management Association, Project Management Institute, and Delta Epsilon Tau International Honor Society.