CS204 Featured Professional Joni Norby Name: Joni Norby Profession/ Educational Background: BS, Minnesota State University, Moorhead (Business Administration/Management) MBA, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX Retired, California State University, Fullerton, Mihaylo College of Business and Economics, Associate Dean for Administration 1. Tell us a little about yourself. (An overview of you professionally.) As an undergraduate senior in 1981 I accepted the opportunity to participate in the Small Business Institute and worked to develop the convention and visitors bureau in our community, I stayed with this organization for 6 years advancing to Associate Director. Using the nonprofit, organizational skills developed through working to market and organize state, regional, and national events, I secured a management position with the University Hospital Consortium (UHC), now known as the University Healthcare Consortium, an international association of medical teaching institutions. It was with the UHC that I worked with the likes of Stanford and Georgetown to develop an internet network specifically for teaching institutions; we called it “Comnet.” The year was 1986. As a point of reference, we were still typing memos at Cal State Fullerton in 1997. From the UHC I went back to school and earned my MBA. This was a family-centered decision. My husband and I had two children in 2 years (I do not recommend this) and I needed to work part-time so I completed my degree and went on to teach business courses at state universities and community colleges a few nights a week. I taught Business Communication and Personal Finance. These courses were available to me because of my extensive project experience and proven ability to communicate and budget time and other resources. Once our children started high school I started teaching Business Communication full-time at Cal State—Fullerton, and I was asked to co-chair the department’s assessment of learning initiatives. It was through this work that I caught the eye of the business school dean. Assurance of learning (aka—assessment) was becoming a major element in the maintenance of accreditation process (Cal State—Fullerton has held AACSB International* accreditation since the 1960s) and college-level leadership was needed to develop a program that pulled together the efforts of faculty across six departments. We were also in the schematic phase of a 4 year, 190,000 square foot building project and a college representative was needed to see it through to a timely (and on-budget) completion. So even though I did not have a Ph.D. in my field, I had the experience needed to be named Associate Dean for Administration. I held this position for 5 years and celebrated with fellow faculty and administrators as we earned best-practice marks for our assessment program by AACSB during our maintenance of accreditation visit and opened Stephen G. Mihaylo Hall on time and within budget. I retired from t.

1. CS204 Featured Professional Joni Norby
Name: Joni Norby
Profession/ Educational Background:
BS, Minnesota State University, Moorhead (Business
Administration/Management)
MBA, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
Retired, California State University, Fullerton, Mihaylo College
of Business and Economics, Associate Dean for Administration
1. Tell us a little about yourself. (An overview of you
professionally.)
As an undergraduate senior in 1981 I accepted the opportunity
to participate in the Small Business Institute and worked to
develop the convention and visitors bureau in our community, I
stayed with this organization for 6 years advancing to Associate
Director. Using the nonprofit, organizational skills developed
through working to market and organize state, regional, and
national events, I secured a management position with the
University Hospital Consortium (UHC), now known as the
University Healthcare Consortium, an international association
of medical teaching institutions. It was with the UHC that I
worked with the likes of Stanford and Georgetown to develop an
internet network specifically for teaching institutions; we called
it “Comnet.” The year was 1986. As a point of reference, we
were still typing memos at Cal State Fullerton in 1997.
From the UHC I went back to school and earned my MBA. This
was a family-centered decision. My husband and I had two
children in 2 years (I do not recommend this) and I needed to
work part-time so I completed my degree and went on to teach
business courses at state universities and community colleges a
few nights a week. I taught Business Communication and
Personal Finance. These courses were available to me because
of my extensive project experience and proven ability to

2. communicate and budget time and other resources.
Once our children started high school I started teaching
Business Communication full-time at Cal State—Fullerton, and
I was asked to co-chair the department’s assessment of learning
initiatives. It was through this work that I caught the eye of the
business school dean. Assurance of learning (aka—assessment)
was becoming a major element in the maintenance of
accreditation process (Cal State—Fullerton has held AACSB
International* accreditation since the 1960s) and college-level
leadership was needed to develop a program that pulled together
the efforts of faculty across six departments. We were also in
the schematic phase of a 4 year, 190,000 square foot building
project and a college representative was needed to see it
through to a timely (and on-budget) completion. So even though
I did not have a Ph.D. in my field, I had the experience needed
to be named Associate Dean for Administration. I held this
position for 5 years and celebrated with fellow faculty and
administrators as we earned best-practice marks for our
assessment program by AACSB during our maintenance of
accreditation visit and opened Stephen G. Mihaylo Hall on time
and within budget.
I retired from the California State University system in 2009
and now serve on various advisory boards including the Kaplan
School of Management advisory board as well as work on select
writing projects.
*AACSB is short for the Association to Advance Collegiate
Schools of Business.
2. What professional skills/abilities helped you to get your job?
A combination of good grades and relevant work experience (I
worked as a travel agent to partially fund my undergraduate
degree) secured my internship with the Small Business Institute.
My work and dedication to the Institute project helped me land
my first professional position 2 weeks before my college
graduation. My career advancement from that point on was a

3. combination of taking advantage of opportunities afforded me
and by realistically assessing the demands of my family to build
a rewarding career. No matter where I worked or what job I
held, it was my interpersonal communication skills and
effective project management that helped me thrive in the
workplace.
3. What professional skills do you use every day on the job?
Professional “soft” skills are paramount to my effectiveness;
these skills include listening, interpersonal skills including
coalition building, time management, and critical thinking.
Reading and responding to e-mail constitutes at least half my
day. Professional phone calls are almost a thing of the past and
are usually scheduled in advance with the prep for the call
handled via e-mail. Texting is starting to replace short e-mails.
I do a lot of listening…it can be exhausting! When chairing a
meeting I try to hold all my comments and questions until after
everyone has had a chance to present whatever problems or
questions they have. I’ve often found people can solve their
own problems if given enough time to reasons things out and
that if I interject my comments before the entire case is
presented we may make decisions on incomplete information.
Projects are usually complicated and multi-disciplinary so it
requires a great deal of listening to see how the pieces will fit
together and what I can contribute.
4. What type of communication skills do you use on a daily
basis for your job? What advice would you give a new
professional in your field for communicating effectively in a
work environment with colleagues of diverse ethnicities,
groups, and personalities?
What type of communication skills do I use daily? It may
surprise you to learn the skills are basic: listening, talking,
reading, writing. Everything I do centers around
communication; I think this is the case with anyone in

4. management. Technology is vital to communication and I e-mail
and text constantly. Phone communication and face-to-face
interaction constitutes about 10% of my day and I occasionally
Skype®. I’m open to all sorts of social networking, but right
now most of my communication is focused on small groups or
one-on-one. I was fortunate in that the bulk of my career was in
Orange County, California: a richly diverse area in terms of
ethnicities, personalities, income brackets, and education. I
found I was most effective when I did not rely on common
understandings and was specific with my requests. Patience and
respect are also critical to success. Amazing results are possible
when people of different backgrounds and experiences pull
together, but it can be a messy process and folks need to feel
secure they will not be penalized for asking questions and
putting forth new ideas.
5. Describe how you collaborate with others in your workplace
internally and externally.
I cannot think of anything I have done professionally that has
not depended on collaborating at one level or another. It is my
experience that the greater the project the more I need to rely on
the help and expertise of others to get things done. A healthy
balance of humility and confidence is required to find the right
people to work with and then trust in the partnership. The poet
John Donne said it best, “No man is an island.”
I try to be upfront about my strengths (where I can contribute)
and my weaknesses (where I need to ask for help); I strive to
curb my tendency to over-control things. I guess my message
for students is to know yourselves, and in the areas that you are
weak…admit it or get the education you need to contribute.
There were times when I was learning on the job and there will
be times in your careers where that will be necessary. Get
comfortable with life-long learning. Ask for help when
necessary, but learn from the journey.
6. What are the three most important characteristics you must

5. have to be successful in your profession?
Emotionally Intelligent: the foundation of business is
partnerships; maturity, professionalism, balance, humility,
confidence, and a moral compass are essential to long-term
success.
Reliable: if someone cannot be trusted to come to work on time
or to complete projects when needed, no other skill is relevant.
Teachable: most of everything we learn in college will be
obsolete within 6 years of graduation; it is our ability to keep
learning, embrace change, and seek opportunities that helps us
build successful careers.
7. How do you maintain your professional presence and
marketability in order to remain competitive in your field?
I maintain my professional relationships via my iPhone®.
Texting, e-mail, internet, Skype…everything I use to stay
connected is linked to this pocket device so I am always
accessible. If I were actively seeking a greater market presence
I would add a Twitter™ account and probably a blog. I could
also see incorporating Facebook®. Social networking sites, such
as LinkedIn™, are now staples for staying relevant and
connected as well.
To maintain a local presence, I belong to a corporate
scholarship committee and a professional woman’s networking
group. I also cold call local writers to introduce myself and set-
up coffee dates. It does not hurt to be a little bold and throw in
some old-fashioned one-on-one chats or phone calls to build
serious, long-lasting relationships.
8. Have you benefited professionally from social networking?
Please explain.
I cannot say that I have, based on today’s definition of “social
networking,” but my opportunities—or big career breaks—were
the result of my being able to network. One quick example: I
wanted to get into education and by chance my next door

6. neighbor was an associate dean for our university’s college of
criminal justice (not Cal State Fullerton) so I introduced myself
and explained my goals. He helped me build a resume suited for
an open part-time faculty position and gave me invaluable
insight into how to handle myself during the interview. My
neighbor coached me to say as little as possible because he
knew the person I’d be interviewing with loved nothing more
than to hear himself talk! So, during the interview I sat back
and listened as my interviewer did all the talking. I got the job
based on my ability to ask for help, follow direction, and listen!
9. What are your long-term career goals? What steps are you
currently taking in order to achieve your goals?
I have worked for non-profits, corporations, and post-secondary
education so I am now at the point in my career where I work
for myself. I stay connected with people in business education
and serve where and whenever possible. My goals are to
continue in advisory capacities to help business education
colleges prepare curriculum that best serves students’ need to
meet the demands of the market place. I do this by serving on
advisory boards, meeting with deans on a face-to-face basis, and
connecting electronically when appropriate.
Specific to Kaplan, I stay connected to the online student by
being an online student myself! I take continuing education
courses with Stanford and Oxford and make detailed notes on
what I see as opportunities to enrich the online student
experience.
Finally, on a personal note, my husband I started a vineyard in
California’s Central Valley to raise raisin grapes (Thompson
Seedless). We are in our second year of this venture and plan to
contract with a national raisin company in 2013.
10. Anything else you would like to share?
Thank you for the chance to contribute. It has been my

7. experience that when I am open-minded and confident, good
things happen. I must take the initiative, but the world pretty
much meets me where I am. I feel the same is true for all of us.
Nothing excites me as much as a group of students striving for a
better future through their own contributions to society so
please call on me if you feel I can be of further service.