Alumni panel to share insights as part of President’s Speaker Series

By Mark Muckenfuss

Valerie Valdez says the Monterey Peninsula is a great place to be an independent gym owner. 

“In this area, we have fewer corporate-style gyms,” Valdez said. “Anywhere else, there would be corporate gyms and I can’t compete with that.”

This and other economic avenues will be among the topics addressed during a panel discussion that is part of Cal State Monterey Bay’s President’s Speaker Series on Nov. 12.  The 6:30 p.m. event at CSUMB’s World Theater opens with an address by Erik Cushman, publisher of the Monterey County Weekly. 

Valdez is one of four CSUMB alumni who will be on the panel. Others are Erik Uppman, vice president of Marketing for the Cannery Row Co.; Colleen Courtney, senior customer accounts manager for Central Coast Community Energy; and Sabrina Siqueiros, event sales specialist at Monterey Bay Aquarium. The panelists will be discussing how they found success in the local economy. 

Valdez earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from CSUMB in 2016. In 2020, she opened Strength Monterey, a boutique gym offering personal training. She said she is fortunate to be in a vibrant sector of the market.

“There’s a ton of growth in this industry,” she said of the fitness field. But she also credited CSUMB for some of her success. When she was in school, she said, she was alerted to lots of opportunities by her professors.

“They link you up with local physical therapy clinics, strength clinics, doctors’ offices, and athletic programs,” she said. “I think that is a huge reason that some of our alumni stay here.”

Courtney said the energy industry she is in is also healthy.

“The energy sector is being forced to grow right now,” Courtney said. Because of increased demand, “we need to build a more resilient grid, which is creating major opportunities.”

Courtney works at Central Coast Community Energy, a public agency that facilitates long-term clean energy procurement and invests locally to support the transition to affordable, renewable power.

Courtney graduated from CSUMB in 2015 with a degree in environmental studies. She has also worked for local government, most recently as chief of staff for former County of Monterey Supervisor Mary Adams. 

Besides the energy sector, Courtney sees job opportunities in the areas of hospitality, agricultural technology and healthcare. 

Uppman has a similar perspective. 

“Agriculture and the hospitality and tourism industries are the two that really shape the local economy,” Uppman said. “Getting exposure to those businesses while studying, and doing it in a destination like ours, is an incredible opportunity for students.”

A 2001 graduate of CSUMB, Uppman received a bachelor’s degree in computer science. Since then, he has worked in the advertising field for such companies as Chevrolet, Ford and MINI/BMW. He was part of the team that launched Chevy’s American Revolution campaign in the early 2000s. He has been with Cannery Row for 11 years.

He believes CSUMB is a strong regional asset. But he thinks another local resource is often overlooked, that of highly successful people who have retired here. His own career was helped by a connection with a retired advertising executive.

“So many residents here have done remarkable things in their careers,” he said. “There’s so much value in tapping into their experience.”

The World Theater is located at 5260 Sixth Ave., Seaside. Guests are asked to RSVP.