Faculty Awards

Carmina Bech Segarra

Visiting Lecturer

Carmina Bech Segarra is the recipient of the 2023 School of Management Advisory Council Award for Oustanding Performance in the area of Teaching. On her second extension at the School of Management, Professor Bech Segarra teaches beyond the classroom, including creating and participating in extra-curricular experiential learning by advising and mentoring students. She regularly holds guest speaker engagements, has helped students find their path outside of their university education, has mentored students for our New Venture Fair, and has used her personal time to visit Cal Lutheran students at the European Innovation Academy. Professor Bech Segarra has also helped in the selection of applicants for the Dorfman Scholars scholarship program, and she is currently in the process of creating a travel course to Spain with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Innovation together.

John Garcia

Assistant Professor, Finance

John Garcia is the recipient of the 2023 School of Management Advisory Council Award for Oustanding Performance in the area of Research. Professor Garcia joined the School of Management in the academic year of 2021/22 to teach in both undergraduate majors and graduate programs. His deep industry experience with a thirst for learning earned him two master’s degrees, one Ph.D., and several credentials such as a CPA, CAP, and ACI. In his short time at the School of Management, he has published articles in highly respected peer-reviewed journals, including Applied Finance Letters, Managerial Finance, Financial Markets and Portfolio Management, Investment Analysts Journal, Machine Learning with Applications, and the Journal of Forensic Accounting Research. In addition, he also presented at conferences such as the Financial Markets and Corporate Governance Conference or the Southwestern Finance Association and the Financial Management Association Annual Meeting.

Mark Orlando

Assistant Professor and Director, Sports Management Program

Mark Orlando is the recipient of the 2023 School of Management Advisory Council Award for Oustanding Performance in the area of Service. Professor Orlando joined the Cal Lutheran School of Management as an adjunct instructor in 2020 and then became a full-time faculty member at the beginning of the academic year 2022/23. As an adjunct instructor, Professor Orlando took on the role of interim program director for the recent Hospitality and Tourism Management major whose program director had just moved on from Cal Lutheran. He navigated the program through a difficult phase while providing our students with the best education they deserve. Professor Orlando also guided the major through a 3-year program review and prepared the discontinuation of the major. 

As a full-time faculty member, he is the brand new Sports Management program director. The major is the fastest growing and one of the largest majors at Cal Lutheran within a period of just two years. The attractiveness of the major combined with his high level of activity and excellent performance in program management – from hiring qualified instructors to managing program quality to liaising with applicants and students to arranging experiential learning opportunities and extra-curricular activities – have contributed to the success of the Sports Management major in terms of growth and student satisfaction. His industry-specific experience and networks are readily accessible to students, as well as managing the student-industry interface in a highly effective manner, and has become a role model for others. In addition, he has also served as an advisor in the T2CLU program.

Tiki Van Heest

Graduate Program Specialist, MBA/MSM (International)

Tiki Van Heest is the recipient of the 2023 School of Management Staff Member of the Year Award for her support of the school’s mission, outstanding service, commitment, and creativity. For many years, Tiki has been working tirelessly to support our programs, assisting students from different walks of life. Especially for non-traditional students in what was previously called ADEP and now is the Bachelor’s Degree for Professionals program and for hundreds of international students. She navigated the internal bureaucracy for them, she has advocated on their behalf, but she also stood on firm ground and showered students with her tough love when it was warranted. She is also a trusted supporter of new staff members, faculty members, and adjunct instructors.

Paul Witman

Professor Emeritus, Information Technology Management

Paul Witman is the recipient of the 2023 School of Management Chuck Maxey Lifetime Achievement Award. The Chuck Maxey Lifetime Award is named after the previous Dean of the School of Management, Chuck Maxey, and it is not an annual award. It is only presented in those rare cases when a faculty member leaves the university and, through many years of service, has documented exceptional commitment that makes them a deserving candidate. Professor Witman has developed and taught undergraduate, graduate, and Professional (formerly known as ADEP) courses; he served as Program Director of our Undergraduate Business Administration Program for many years; he started and served as Program Director of our MS in Information Technology program; he served on numerous university-wide faculty committees, including Appointment, Rank and Tenure, the Faculty Executive Committee, and others; he published numerous articles and case studies in scholarly journals and held presentations at academic conferences; he was a faculty advisor for Sigma Beta Delta and Delta Sigma Pi and – most importantly - he was well-liked by students, highly respected by his colleagues, and fondly-remembered by many alumni. And, not to forget, he excelled at Faculty Jeopardy at the annual faculty retreat.

In 2023, the university recognized our recipient’s dedicated service in a number of ways. In the spring of 2023, he was inducted as an honorary alumnus, and, in addition, the status of Professor Emeritus was awarded to him. It is now with great gratitude that we add one more honor.