January Parkos Arnall
University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business
Age: 46
“A life-long learner and twin mom dedicated to building belonging through art.”
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Family Members: My children Laszlo and Gretchen, husband James Arnall, sister Jaclyn Parkos, parents Joan and Tim Moran, and my late father Gregory Parkos, as well as many extended family members!
Fun fact about yourself: I did an archaeological dig in Belize between undergrad and my first graduate school program.
Undergraduate School and Degree: BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; MFA from Temple University, Tyler School of Art; PhD from Claremont Graduate University
Where are you currently working? Director, Public Programs and Creative Practice at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles: My extracurricular activities and philanthropic pursuits tend to revolve around the arts, education, and supporting the developmental disability community.
I serve on the board of directors at JOAN Los Angeles, a non-profit art space in downtown LA. Additionally, I am the chair of the College Art Association’s Editorial Board for Art Journal (print and Art Journal Online), a peer-reviewed publication in the arts.
I am an active parent/teacher council member for my son’s high school, Vistamar. I am also a proud Beta Gamma Sigma honors society member in my graduate school alumni program at USC.
Finally, I was actively involved with a group home for individuals with developmental disabilities in Rhode Island for many years, where my sister resided until recently.
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I entered business school from a career and educational path in the arts and was terrified about all things math, finance, and statistics. Facing that fear and potential deficiency, I asked my study team to allow me to co-lead the work for our statistics course with Professor Dawn Porter. I was proud to join my phenomenal co-leads, Elizabeth Lefelstein and Jean Bednarz, to help lead the whole group to high marks. At the same time, I discovered in myself a capacity and skill set that I was uncertain about before taking this leap and that applies to my field. Upon graduating, almost our entire study team was invited to join the honor society Beta Gamma Sigma. I am so proud that we brought each other through this program together, pushing each other and also offering the support that allowed us to strive and thrive.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? In my professional career, I am most proud of building relationships with staying power. I have always sought to hear what is underlying my colleagues’ statements and have worked to find mutually satisfying solutions across internal and external stakeholders. This is true also in my work as a supervisor. I work to prioritize my team members’ aspirations and goals and to stay connected even if they leave the organization. I take the greatest pride in watching someone I have championed grow their career. While these aren’t always the most visible accolades, my network is expansive and deep, which is one of the most treasured achievements I could ask for in this field of work.
Who was your favorite MBA professor? There were so many I admired, but I especially enjoyed Professor Kyle Mayer’s global strategy class in our second year. The cases and course work encouraged us to think in broader global contexts with rigor, and the assignments allowed us to deeply examine real issues in each of our professional sectors. As we moved into our capstone projects in ensuing courses, he continued to make himself available as an advisor and thought partner.
Why did you choose this school’s executive MBA program? I was impressed by the people I met who had been through the program, the diversity of career paths, and the gender parity that USC had achieved. The program’s strong emphasis on leadership development was evident, and I appreciated the cohesive nature of the cohort, which remained intact throughout the program. The structured curriculum, comprising a thoughtfully selected group of well-rounded courses, appealed to me more than selecting individual courses along the way.
What is the biggest lesson you gained during your MBA and how did you apply it at work? Professor Dave Logan’s course on leading people and organizations came early on during my time at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (a new museum founded by filmmaker George Lucas and business leader Mellody Hobson currently under development in the Exposition Park area of South Los Angeles). Logan’s work on organizational culture and book, Tribal Leadership, were influential on my work. I’ve been thinking about how best to develop my new team and build relationships within and across teams as the museum planned to more than double the overall staff in anticipation of our opening. Thinking critically about the team culture influenced how I approached the work. I had to consider the functional skills that I could grow through management versus the EQ skills that we needed as we built our team dynamics also influenced the next hire I made for the department.
Give us a story during your time as an executive MBA on how you were able to juggle work, family and education? Twenty-two months is a long time in the life of a family. Like many of us in the program, it brought with it many happy moments as well as trials. Over the course of the program, I had a serious health crisis with my daughter; my sister, who has a developmental disability called Jacobsen Syndrome, suffered a brain bleed from a fall that threatened her life and ensuing brain surgery; and we dealt with health crises and life changes with our parents as well. Add to this, there was the stress of having newly moved back to Los Angeles from Chicago and taking on a new position, not to mention the rigors of being back in school. It was quite overwhelming. Key to figuring all of this out was the relationships that I built with the 67 individuals in my cohort that I now count as close friends. The people on my study team and beyond were always there to workshop ideas, to lend a listening ear, to cover notes and discuss readings. I always felt supported in life as well as academically. One of the most magical things about the Executive program is finding other individuals who are similarly balancing life and career at a more advanced stage in their professional journeys. It is a real gift to coach each other and empathize with one another in both of these arenas.
What advice would you give to a student looking to enter an executive MBA program? Think about where you want to build your network and your career. Ask about how people support each other and the relationships they forged in their time at the school. Also, lean in to the university and to the program! It is what you make it. You could end your time there with three extra letters or you could find a new group of professional champions and personal friends in both your fellow cohort members and the staff and faculty that guide the program. One of my cohort members, Travis Roderick, co-founded a new LGBTQ+ leadership symposium for USC during our time in the program, while several others found new jobs and opportunities by attending networking events put on by the university.
What was your biggest regret in business school? While I dove in deeply with my cohort members, I would have loved to find more time to query professors with questions and thinking around my own professional development. Each of them has promised however that they will make time and be available in an ongoing capacity for us as we need listening ears and advice throughout our careers. I look forward to taking them up on that offer!
Which MBA classmate do you most admire? One of the many classmates I admire is Dr. Anjalee Galion, who holds the positions of Chief Wellness Officer, President Elect of Medical Staff, and is a practicing pediatric neurologist at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Beyond her impressive professional achievements, Anjalee is also a champion for all of us, seeing the absolute best in each cohort member and modeling optimism and support in all of her interactions.
During a challenging time, when another classmate was dealing with a recurrence of breast cancer, Anjalee rallied all of us to support that classmate in as many ways as we could — through the nourishment of food, support in coursework, and just personal time and attention. When I was dealing with an emergency with my own daughter, she was the first person I called from the hospital and her calm demeanor and care meant the absolute world to me.
Anjalee is also the most incredible mom and family member, somehow always there for the people she cares about while never compromising her own professional ambitions. She will make a huge mark on the world. In fact, she already has!
What was the main reason you chose an executive MBA program over part-time or online alternatives? I chose the executive program because I loved the way it was structured to build not only professional acumen but also life-long relationships. The intensive periods of time we had together in residentials and full-day weekend classes were treasured opportunities to dig deeply with each other, exploring professional aspirations as well as personal and family relationships.
In addition to the formal learning, I was looking for the opportunity to connect with professionals in a range of fields and learn from their experience and expertise, I felt the executive program was the best way to accomplish that goal.
What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I plan to continue pursuing purpose-driven work, whether that means executive leadership in an arts non-profit or museum or on the philanthropic and community-building side of a firm in a creative industry. While much of my career has been in building content and sites of connection, I look forward to putting my new tools to bear in creating sustainable operations and expanding audiences for purpose-driven brands and institutions.
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