A highlight of the LMU Executive MBA experience is an immersive trip to Sacramento each June where students gain a better understanding of the legislative process and have the opportunity to meet with individuals who shape policies and decisions.
Students engage with elected officials, capitol staff, NGOs, lobbyists, state departments and legislatively mandated offices that are integral to facilitating state government operations. Speakers and topics are carefully selected to cater to students’ professional objectives.
Due to COVID-19, students this year were unable to travel to Sacramento. Instead, they participated in a two-day, intensive virtual seminar meant to simulate the daily life of someone working in the capitol or engaging in legislative affairs. A series of virtual meetings with elected officials and speakers took place including a special session with Senator Lena A. Gonzalez, a 2017 graduate of the LMU EMBA Program.
Capital partners provided students with an insider’s perspective on how the legislative process works, the various players that support the effort, as well as the essential role that relationships and trade-offs (priorities) play in maintaining the fabric of a functioning state government.
Through this experience, students now have the tools to engage the state government and legislature through their elected officials, industry lobbyists, NGO/advocacy groups and state departments. They also learned the language of the legislative process, and better understand how to decipher policy, Senate and Assembly daily files, the legislative calendar, navigate the committee structure and access information. As a result, they gain the ability to create opportunities for engagement, cutting through and efficiently navigating the bureaucracy, to achieve results that their colleagues cannot.
“Our students are well-positioned to play a role in meeting the pressing needs of California,” said Joe O’Hannigan, senior director of the LMU EMBA Program. “Our executives expanded their professional networks with experts in their field who can provide the latest trends and legislative actions that currently are or will impact their company, business or industry.”
Speakers included:
- Governor Newsom’s Office
- Senator Ben Allen
- Senator Lena Gonzales, MBA ’17
- Assemblywoman Autumn Burke
- Secretary Cathryn Rivera-Hernandez
- Legislative Analyst Office
- California Public Policy Institute
- Assembly Clerk’s Office
- California Forward
- Senate and Assembly Capitol Staff
- Yes In My Back Yard, Housing Lobbyist
- Capitol Lobbyists
