San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders Speaks to Rady School MBA Students

Keri Peckham | February 25, 2008

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders speaks at the Rady School of Management Wednesday.

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders spoke to a group of Rady School students, faculty and staff, as part of the school’s MBA Executive Speaker Series Feb. 20. This was the first time that Sanders spoke at UC San Diego since becoming mayor in 2005. The speaker series was designed to allow Rady MBAs to network with one another and with alumni, as well as to learn from business and community leaders.

In his remarks, Sanders recognized UCSD for its impact on the community, saying that “great things happen in San Diego because of the work done at this university.” He recalled moving to San Diego more than 30 years ago, when it was primarily a military and defense-industry town. As entrepreneurs graduated from UC San Diego and other local universities, they created San Diego’s high tech and biotech industries, which the city is now known for, he said.

Also in his speech, Sanders addressed leadership and crisis management. He acknowledged that leaders face challenges every day, but management experience and training teaches you how to deal with these issues. Often it is necessary to take risks and try new things – this is part of the learning process, he said.

Trying new things is not an unfamiliar concept to Rady MBAs, who have joined the four-year-old management school on its mission to create leaders for innovation-driven organizations. Many of them are also already risk takers, starting companies and creating products, hoping to have an impact on the San Diego region and beyond.

Sanders spoke specifically about the challenges faced by the city and the collaboration between the major and city council necessary to deal with San Diego’s financial woes, as well as the wildfires that affected the community in fall 2007. Following the mayor’s remarks, Rady students asked questions about tough issues for the city, including immigration, water resources and the airport.