Newswise — Irvine, CA – (February 9, 2016) – UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business alumna and retired PIMCO executive Kristen S. Monson will serve as the 2016 Distinguished Executive Commencement Speaker for the business school graduation ceremony to be held Monday, June 13, in the Bren Events Center on the UC Irvine campus. “It is a privilege to share my insight with the Merage School graduates of 2016. My experience at UCI and the Merage School helped lay the foundation for success in both my career and in my personal life. It’s the inspiration this institution gave to me that I hope to share with the outstanding students who are graduating this year," said Monson.
Monson, a 2006 recipient of the UCI Distinguished Alumni Award, is a longtime member of the Merage School Dean’s Advisory Board and a Charter Member of the Dean’s Leadership Circle. Most recently, in 2015, Monson pledged $1.5 million to name the Grand Terrace in the new Merage School building. Her gift is the largest pledged in support of the new business school facility and the largest received to date from a Merage School graduate. “Kristen is exemplary in all facets of her life. She was a successful executive, a change agent, and her exceptional philanthropic spirit enables others to thrive. At the Merage School, we are proud to call her a friend, and we are honored to have her participate in our commencement ceremony this year,” said Eric Spangenberg, dean of the Merage School.
In her professional life, Monson served as an Executive Vice President at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO), a Newport Beach-based investment management firm with $1.5 trillion assets under management. She joined PIMCO in 1986 after earning her MBA, having previously worked for four years at an equity and balanced investment management firm. She retired from PIMCO in 2012.
During her career, Monson was responsible for more than 35 client relationships and 95 separate accounts with more than $50 billion in client assets (at the time), including: corporate assets, corporate pension plans, Taft Hartley plans, foundations and public plans. Her clients included the prestigious Boeing, Ford, Halliburton, Illinois State Universities, and Schlumberger accounts.
Monson was also responsible for the conceptualization and development of the PIMCO Institute, a client-focused training program, offering eight different year-round seminars in Newport Beach as well as visiting seminars in the U.S. and around the globe. She also led efforts to further enhance and develop the PIMCO culture in its London, Munich and Asian offices by instilling the firm's values in local employees via globalized servicing standards and mentoring of worldwide investment professionals.
About The Paul Merage School of Business at UC IrvineThe Paul Merage School of Business offers four dynamic MBA programs, a Master of Professional Accountancy, two specialized Master’s programs – plus PhD and undergraduate business degrees – that deliver its thematic approach to business education: sustainable growth through strategic innovation. It graduates leaders with the exceptional ability to help grow their organizations through analytical decision-making, innovation and collaborative execution. In-class and on-site experiences with real-world business problems give students the edge needed to help companies compete in today’s global economy. To learn more, visit: merage.uci.edu, or go to: merage.uci.edu/go/commencement, for details about the program.###
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