Festival Schedule & Speakers

Emily was born and raised in Los Angeles and received her undergraduate degree in Political Science at UCLA. She is an experienced consultant, specializing in forensic litigation strategy, crisis management communications, and project management. Emily began her career in San Francisco and later moved to New York City before returning to Los Angeles to come to USC Marshall. At Marshall, Emily is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where all students feel empowered to do their best. This past summer she worked as a brand management intern at Mars and she looks forward to continuing to use business to make a positive impact on the world around her. In her free time, you can find her spending time with friends and family, taking care of her dog Lola, and enjoying live music.

Nadia Allaudin is a Managing Director and Wealth Management Advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Century City. She earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation.* Nadia has been named to the Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list in 2020.* Nadia was named to Working Mother/SHOOK Research’s “Top Wealth Advisor Moms” list in 2019.*

With more than 20 years of in-depth experience in the financial services industry, Nadia and her partner, Bill focus on empowering women and the LBGTQI community to better understand their wealth management needs. They enjoy exploring their clients’ relationship to money and assisting them with their financial concerns.

Having founded the annual Women, Wealth & Wisdom Conference in Los Angeles that brings together hundreds of professional women, Nadia works to foster deeper relationships and participate in discussions with renowned speakers on health/wellness, leadership and spiritual best practices. In appreciation of her efforts, she was awarded the prestigious Bank of America Diversity & Inclusion Recognition award.

Nadia plays an active role in the community through her involvement as a Board Member of Marymount High School and MADRE. She completed her yoga teacher training program at Yogaworks and is a certified yoga instructor.

Nadia earned her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration with a dual emphasis in Finance and Business Communication from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.

Priya Bhikha works as a FinTech consultant for Capital Group and is based out of the LA office. She is also a Riordan Leadership Institute Fellow and is currently pursuing an eight-month nonprofit board training and matching program with the goal of better serving her community. She recently graduated with an MBA from University of Southern California and served as President of the Graduate Women in Business association, a Marshall Leadership Fellow, and a Forté Foundation Fellow. Prior to business school, she received her undergraduate degree from the Gallatin School at NYU and began her career in California's real estate investment industry.

Dr. Geoffrey Garrett joins the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business as Dean, Robert R. Dockson Dean’s Chair in Business Administration and Professor of Management and Organization.

He becomes the 18th dean of the Marshall School, which is celebrating its centennial year in 2020-21. Garrett assumed the role on July 1, 2020 after six years as Dean of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Garrett rejoins USC, having taught here from 2005-2008 as a professor of international relations, business administration, communications and law while also serving as the President of the Pacific Council on International Policy.

Additionally, Garrett’s previous administrative appointments include service as Dean of the business schools at both the University of Sydney (where he was also founding CEO of the United States Studies Centre) and UNSW Australia, and as founding Dean of the International Institute as well as Vice Provost of International Studies at UCLA.

Dr. Garrett is a member of the board of directors of Park Hotels and Resorts and has served on the advisory boards for the Indian School of Business, the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance and the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management.

A distinguished international political economist, Garrett has held academic appointments at Oxford, Stanford and Yale universities. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Social Sciences, a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a winner of the Foreign Policy Association Medal and the Advance Global Australian Award.

Dr. Garrett is a LinkedIn Influencer whose blog is widely followed by academic, business and thought leaders. His expertise on world politics, business and the global economy, as well as on and U.S./China relations, is sought after by major media organizations around the world.

Garrett holds a BA (Honors) from the Australian National University, and an MA and Ph.D. from Duke University where he was a Fulbright Scholar.

Larry Harris holds the Fred V. Keenan Chair in Finance at the USC Marshall School of Business. His research, teaching, and consulting address regulatory and practitioner issues in trading and investment management. He authored Trading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners, a widely regarded “must read” for entrants into the securities industry. Professor Harris served as SEC Chief Economist from 2002-2004. He currently serves as lead independent director of Interactive Brokers (IBKR), director of the Selected Funds, and research coordinator of the Q-Group. Dr. Harris received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago, and is a CFA charterholder.

Morgan Housel is a partner at the Collaborative Fund, a venture capital firm backing young companies that are moving the world forward. Previously, he was a columnist at The Wall Street Journal and an analyst at The Motley Fool. He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and was selected by the Columbia Journalism Review for the Best Business Writing anthology. In 2013 and 2016, he was a finalist for the Gerald Loeb Award and Scripps Howard Award. Using insights from psychology, history, neurology and sociology, Morgan walks audiences through the cognitive biases that cause investors to become their own worst enemies, and explains how understanding your own behavior can be the key to reaching your financial goals. An expert on behavioral finance and investing history, his presentations combine storytelling with the latest research to discuss the current state of financial markets, the investment industry and personal finance. He has authored two books: Everyone Believes It; Most Will Be Wrong and 50 Years in the Making: The Great Recession and Its Aftermath. “Morgan Housel’s explanatory skills are simply superb. Best of the class,” praised the judges of the prestigious Society of American Business Editors and Writers.

Mr. Rosenberg serves as the co-portfolio manager for Oaktree’s U.S. High Yield Bond, Global High Yield Bond and Global Credit strategies, as well as co-portfolio manager for the Oaktree Diversified Income Fund. He joined Oaktree in 2004 following graduation from the University of Southern California with an M.B.A. in business administration. Before attending graduate school, Mr. Rosenberg served as an associate in the Franchise Systems Finance Group at J.P. Morgan. Mr. Rosenberg holds an M.P.A. in professional accounting with a concentration in finance and a B.A. degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

Max Skelly graduated from Princeton University in 2016 with a B.A. in the School of Public and International Affairs. Prior to attending USC Marshall, he spent his entire career at Domino’s Pizza, where he was a graduate of their operations leadership development program and an internal business consultant for franchisees in the NY area. This summer, he will be working at Transom Consulting Group as a Summer Associate. Max became interested in investing after gaining the opportunity to participate in Domino’s ESOP. In his spare time, Max trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, plays board games, and enjoys hiking with friends and family.

Born in Germany and raised in Mexico City, Heliane Steden moved to the U.S. in 1983 to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration at USC and play tennis for the Women of Troy. As a student-athlete, Steden was a three-time All-American and a member of two national championship teams. Named Mexico’s top female athlete in 1985, she represented the country in both Federation Cup play and the Pan Am Games. After years as a top college and professional tennis player, Heliane Steden ’86 took her leadership talents to the business world. Steden served as a managing director at Merrill Lynch’s flagship international office in New York, where she provided private banking services to clients in Mexico. Ms. Steden is an esteemed member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Southern California.

Wes Hansen is Managing Director of Trading and Operations at Arca. Wes oversees trading, counterparty due diligence, and the implementation of systems, tools, and wallets. Wes began his career in digital assets as the Director of Trading and Operations at TCC. He previously worked as an equity market maker and was the founding CEO of ShadowBid—a fintech startup in Los Angeles. Wes earned an MBA from The USC Marshall School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Boston College. He holds FINRA Series 7, 55, and 66 licenses.