USC Marshall School of Business

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce announced today that Richard Drobnick, director of the Center for International Business Education and Research at USC’s Marshall School of Business and managing director of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) World Initiative, will receive the prestigious Stanley T. Olafson international trade award.

“Dr. Drobnick has been a global trade champion expanding global trade awareness in our region and across the Pacific Rim,” said L.A. Area Chamber Senior Vice President of Global Initiatives Carlos J. Valderrama. “His efforts have helped shape foreign and domestic policy and aided governments in their understanding of international trade.”

Dr. Drobnick is the founding director of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at the Marshall School of Business, which has been supported by the U.S. Department of Education since 1990, as one of its 33 national resource centers on international business. CIBER, in partnership with the U.S Department of Commerce, has produced the Asia/Pacific Business Outlook Conference (APBO) annually since 1988.

Dr. Drobnick is also the Managing Director of the APRU World Initiative, which was developed in 2006 to produce interdisciplinary research on issues of importance to Pacific Rim policy makers. He is also the Secretary General Emeritus and a member of the Steering Committee of the APRU, the association of presidents of 42 leading Pacific Rim research universities.

Named for former L.A. Area Chamber International Trade manager Stanley T. Olafson, the award is one of the Chamber’s oldest and most prestigious presented annually to an individual who has dedicated his or her life to the development of world trade in the region.

Recent Stanley T. Olafson award recipients include Dr. Abraham Lowenthal, University of Southern California; Carol Rowen, International Trade Education Programs, Inc.; Nancy Woo Hiromoto, Citizen Watch Co.

The L.A. Area Chamber will present Dr. Drobnick with the award during the 85th annual World Trade Week kickoff in front of more than 500 business and civic leaders on May 6.

The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of business in L.A. County. Founded in 1888, the Chamber promotes a prosperous economy and quality of life in the Los Angeles region. For more information, visit www.lachamber.com.