Fowler Faculty Community Service

October 21, 2021

When they aren’t doing research or teaching our students, many of the faculty members at San Diego State University’s Fowler College of Business serve their community through their volunteer and service efforts.

Here are the stories of five Fowler faculty members who are engaged in valuable community service.

Dave Meader – Social Venture Partners

Each year, two-to-three local not-for-profit organizations benefit from funding and pro bono consulting from the San Diego chapter of Social Venture Partners (SVP) in order to enable them to better serve those needing their assistance. Management information systems (MIS) lecturer, Dave Meader, has been a member of the San Diego chapter of SVP since 2017 and was previously a member of the Silicon Valley chapter from 2006-16.

Meader, who provides technical consulting to SVP’s chosen organizations, said that those selected to receive resources from SVP over a three-year period include those dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk youth, financially challenged families and veterans, and people struggling with homelessness and food insecurity, among others. “I joined SVP because I believe their business practices can improve non-profits and social enterprises,” said Meader. “I wanted my money and efforts to help non-profits become more effective in serving challenged communities.”

David Meader, Ph.D.

Lecturer
Management Information Systems Department,Online Degree Completion (BSBA)

Nicholson (left) has flown for the Civil Air Patrol for the past seven years

Mark Nicholson – Civil Air Patrol

Management lecturer, Mark Nicholson, is one of 6,000 citizen pilots of the Civil Air Patrol, which is an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force. Nicholson, who has had his pilot’s license since 1982, volunteered for the organization seven years ago so that he “could build friendships with aviation-minded people.”

One of Nicholson’s most recent assignments required him to fly into restricted airspace so that Air Force fighter pilots can practice engaging and intercepting small aircraft who have entered government no-fly zones without clearance. He is also involved in search and rescue missions, surveillance missions, and photo reconnaissance activities where images are used to review damage after natural disasters such as an earthquake or a fire.

On October 2, 2021, Nicholson’s squad was named as the Squadron of the Year during the Civil Air Patrol Annual Conference for the California Wing.

Allison Soares - Balboa Park Committee

Allison Soares, a lecturer in the Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy, has been appointed by San Diego mayor Todd Gloria to the city’s Balboa Park Committee. Soares, who teaches at the Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy, had her appointment confirmed by San Diego’s city council in August 2021.

Soares, who is also a partner and tax attorney at Vanst Law, teaches Tax Planning for Individuals (ACCTG-655) to SDSU graduate students during the university’s spring semester.

The Balboa Park Committee meets on a monthly basis and serves in an advisory role to the mayor, city council and city manager regarding policy issues impacting Balboa Park.

Allison Soares, J.D./MBA

Lecturer
Charles W. Lamden School of Accountancy

Amy Randel at The Old Globe Theatre

Amy Randel – The Old Globe Theatre

Management professor, Amy Randel, started volunteering as an usher at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre when she and her daughter, Madeleine, joined a mother-daughter volunteer group in 2013, and she continued to volunteer there with her son, Nathaniel, after her daughter left for college.

While her son has also left for college, Randel has continued as an usher at the Old Globe, which recently re-opened after being shut down for most of 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Randel says she volunteers at the Old Globe because “I enjoy supporting the arts, working with a team of volunteers, and seeing well done theatre productions too!”

Tom Warschauer – Spreckels Organ Society

Finance professor emeritus, Tom Warschauer, attended the International Summer Organ Festival at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park about twelve years ago. The event prompted him to volunteer for the Spreckels Organ Society because he “loved the community spirit that was engendered at the festival.”

The Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park is over 100 years old and is the largest outdoor organ in the world with over 5,000 pipes. Currently, the society, along with San Diego City Parks and Recreation, host afternoon concerts each Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. at no charge.

Warschauer currently volunteers as the organization’s treasurer and the chair of the investment committee, which oversees the investments of four endowments given to the to the society.