CSUN President Harrison and Nazarian College Dean Named to List of the Most Influential People in L.A.

CSUN President Harrison and Nazarian College Dean Named to List of the Most Influential People in L.A. by Cy Shafii, CSUN Today 

For the second straight year, CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison and Chandra Subramaniam, dean of CSUN’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, were recognized in the Los Angeles Business Journal LA500, a list of the city’s most influential people.

The L.A. Business Journal recognized Harrison for her efforts to foster innovation and entrepreneurship at CSUN. The magazine cited CSUN’s Innovation Incubator, which helps students turn business ideas into marketable products and programs. This and other ongoing initiatives led the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities in 2018 to name CSUN an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University.

“I am honored to be included among the many leaders on the Los Angeles Business Journal 500 list,” Harrison said. “From Finance and Accounting, to Cinema and Television Arts, to Mechanical Engineering, we offer an education broadly recognized for quality and infused with innovation that prepares students for the 21stcentury workforce. Our programs, service and research are fiercely focused on elevating the people, culture and economy of Los Angeles and beyond.”

Subramaniam was recognized for the impact he has made as dean of the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, which is instrumental in creating a workforce of leaders and innovators in industries throughout Los Angeles and beyond. The college has partnered with some of the world’s most respected business organizations, including IBM and KPMG, to hold discussions on topics relevant to the workforce of the future. The Nazarian College Entrepreneurship Program hosts the annual Bull Ring New Venture Competition — modeled after ABC’s “Shark Tank” reality show — to encourage students to pitch, launch and grow innovative ideas.

“It is an honor to be part of the LA500, and I am proud to be the Dean of the Nazarian College,” said Subramaniam. “We have more than 7,000 students, which makes us the second-largest college of business in California, and the ninth-largest in the U.S. The high quality of our programs is widely known given that CSUN’s business alumni are well-represented at the upper echelons of business and industry.”

The 2019 LA500 issue was published May 20. The Business Journal’s list focuses on the people, companies and transactions that have an outsized impact on the business community.

“Los Angeles is a city of innovators with a growing pool of emerging talent,” said alumna Anna Magzanyan ’97 (Psychology), publisher and CEO of the L.A. Business Journal. “The executives featured were selected after months of extensive research, and they represent the diverse array of business leaders that define Los Angeles.”