BREC stands for Business Research and Education Center.

Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Values of BREC

Purpose:

1. Support faculty and student research opportunities and activities;
2. Be actively involved in community-based outreach programs as a resource to local and regional  businesses and to economic development efforts;
3. Provide a local and regional forum for lifelong learning experiences; and,
4. Create and administer programs that promote student participation within the university and the community, such as scholarships, internships, cooperative education, and community service projects.

Mission: To be the catalyst for collaborative and interdisciplinary research by faculty, students, and the business community.

Vision: To be the local leader and catalyst for leading-edge research and education in business.

Values: Embrace diversity and inclusion by enabling faculty members and students to work with one another, with other institutions, and with representatives of the civic, corporate, and philanthropic communities on issues, projects, and programs related to BPA’s academic strengths and interests.

BREC Virtual Seminars

Sunny Snawar

Sunny Snawar

Thomas Parker - Cintas

Thomas Parker - Cintas

BREC Virtual Seminars

Trust in the Workplace

Role of Technology in Business

Diversity and Inclusion Panel Discussion

BREC Virtual Seminars

Monika Mangla

Jim Damian

Aera Energy Overview

BREC Virtual Seminars

Better Money Habits Part 1

Better Money Habits Part 1

Better Money Habits Part 2

Better Money Habits Part 2

Better Money Habits Part 3

Better Money Habits Part 3

BREC Virtual Seminars

The Future of Technology the Convergence of Bio

The Future of Technology the Convergence of Bio

Leadership and Trust

Leadership and Trust

Entrepreneurship in Kern COVID-19 and Beyond

Entrepreneurship in Kern COVID-19 and Beyond

BREC Seminar Events

Fall 2022

• Diversity and Women in Leadership
• Strategic Leadership and My Entrepreneurial Journey

Fall 2021

• The Future of Technology: The Convergence of Biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, and Neural Networks

Spring 2021

• Better Money Habits
• Kern County Economic Overview and Update
• Entrepreneurship in Kern: COVID-19 and Beyond

Fall 2020

• Role of Technology in Business
• Diversity and Inclusion Panel Discussion
• Trust in Workplace

BREC Advisory Board

Leadership

Dr. Sumita Sarma

Director of BREC and Assistant Professor of Mgmt.

Phone: (661) 654-2072Email: ssarma@csub.eduOffice: BDC 232AMore About Dr. Sumita Sarma

Dr. Sumita Sarma is an Assistant Professor of Management at California State University-Bakersfield. She received her Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship & Innovation from the University of Missouri Kansas City. Her main teaching and research interests include entrepreneurship, innovation, and strategic management. Dr. Sarma has published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Business Horizons, Entrepreneurship Research Journal, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, and Journal of International Consumer Marketing on areas of firm-level strategies, opportunity identification, entrepreneurial ecosystem, and customer development.

Board Members

Mohsen Attaran

Professor of Management

Email: mattaran@csub.eduOffice: BDC 137A Mohsen Attaran's WebsiteMore About Mohsen Attaran

Mohsen Attaran is the 2004-05 Millie Ablin Outstanding Professor of Management at California State University, Bakersfield. He obtained his Ph.D. in Systems Science with specializations in Operations Management and Business Forecasting from Portland State University. He is the author/co-author of three books, over 100 peer-reviewed research papers, and ten commercial software packages. Professor Attaran’s research agenda lies in the interface of operations, knowledge management, and information technology. Much of his current research is focused on studying technology and its societal impacts and identifying the implications for individuals and businesses. Moreover, he is interested in issues arising in the operations of internet-based markets. His research has been widely published in the major professional journals in his field such as the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Systems Management, Business Horizons, Information & Management, Supply Chain Management Journal, Industrial Management, and Applied Economics. He has taught in the Europe, and the Middle East, and was a three-time recipient of the Meritorious Performance and Professional Promise Award for outstanding performance in teaching, research and community services. In 2006 and 2016, he was nominated for Wang Family Excellence Award and in 1996 he was honored as recipient of the El Paso Natural Gas Faculty Achievement Award. Professor Attaran was president of the National Tax Sheltered Accounts Association Educational Institute and served as an educational consultant for the National Institute for Pension Administrators for 10 years. He has been a consultant for public and private organizations and has conducted numerous in-house workshops and seminars for Fortune 1000 companies. He is the founder and president of IES, Inc. a Web and Mobile App Development Company. For the past 20 years, IES, helped several thousand for-profit and nonprofit organizations establish, expand, and strengthen their digital brand presence on the Internet. He has founded, launched and managed several businesses in his career in a variety of technological fields including a Telehealth Doctor Visits, a subscription based virtual business, and a few non-profit organizations.

Kelly Bearden

Director, SBDC (Small Business Development Center)

Phone: (661) 654-2856Email: kbearden@csub.eduOffice: CSU Bakersfield SBDCMore About Kelly Bearden

Kelly Bearden is the Director of CSU Bakersfield Small Business Development Center
1631 17th Street
Suite 200
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 654-2856

Keith Brice

President, Mid State Development Corporation

Phone: (661) 322-4241Email: president@msdcdc.orgOffice: Mid State Development CorpMore About Keith Brice

Keith Brice is the President of Mid State Development Corporation
1631 17th Street
Suite 100
Bakersfield, CA 93301
(661) 322-4241
Office (661) 322-0536 Fax

Richard Chapman

President and CEO, KEDC

Phone: (661) 332-5550Email: richard@kedc.comOffice: Kern Economic Development Corp.More About Richard Chapman

Richard Chapman is the President and CEO of Kern Economic Development Corporation. Mr. Chapman has 20+ years of economic development experience. He earned his BSBA in Finance at Georgetown University and his MBA in International Marketing at American University, Kogod School of Business.

Richard Gearheart

Associate Professor of Economics, CSUB

Phone: (661) 654-3962Email: rgearhart1@csub.eduOffice: BDC 257AMore About Richard Gearheart

Dr. Richard Gearhart is an Associate Professor of Economics at California State University Bakersfield. He received his Ph.D. in Economics with a Primary Field of Public Economics, Secondary Fields of Labor Economics and Applied Econometrics, and a research focus (and interest) in Health Economics.

Vincent Oragwam

Director, Grant Management, CSUB

Phone: (661) 654-2233Email: voragwam@csub.eduOffice: 24 DDH

Anthony Pallitto

Lecturer of Public Policy and Administration, CSUB

Phone: (661) 654-4033Email: apallitto@csub.eduOffice: BDC 106AMore About Anthony Pallitto

Tony Pallitto joins the faculty of BPA with over thirty years of experience in the delivery of healthcare and public administration. Before retiring from Kern County’s Public Health Department, Pallitto served the students at CSUB as an adjunct lecturer focusing on student internships and health care transition research. Pallitto attributes his passion for health and health care policy work to his time as a chief flight paramedic where he participated in health care systems nationally and internationally. Pallitto is a CSUB alumnus earning his master’s degree in health care management and is currently a doctoral candidate in the Public Policy and Administration Program at Walden University.

John Stark

Interim Dean and Professor of Management

Phone: (661) 654-2323Email: jstark@csub.eduOffice: BDC 100A

John Tarjan

Chair, Management and Marketing

Phone: (661) 654-2321Email: jtarjan@csub.eduOffice: BDC A 144 and BDC A 209

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