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Dean Linda Livingstone of the Graziadio School Receives Success Award From the International Association of Business Communicators

The Los Angeles Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC-LA) will honor Linda Livingstone, dean of the Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management, with the IABC-LA SUCCESS Award. Presented each year to a business leader in the Los Angeles area for outstanding and effective contributions to organizational communications, the SUCCESS award will be presented at the IABC-LA annual banquet on Wednesday, June 24, at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles.

"Dean Livingstone's effective use of communications to further the University's goals makes her the ideal winner of this year's SUCCESS award," says Jamie Lipson, President of IABC-LA. "She recognizes the power of communications to drive change and create a shared culture, while embracing all forms of communication from town halls to video to the web. She works collaboratively with her communications team to increase employee engagement and drive a greater understanding about the school's strategy and vision."

"I'm honored to receive this award from IABC," says Livingstone. "Being able to communicate effectively has always been an important part of my management philosophy and I've tried to instill that same thinking within our leadership structure."

As the first woman dean at Graziadio and a professor of management and organizational behavior, Livingstone is often sought out by the media for her comments on the progress of women in business and breaking down the so-called glass ceiling. She also proactively writes opinions pieces about the school's message of ethical leadership and responsibility.

Since being named Dean in 2002, Livingstone has increased the university's international partnerships to 30 business schools around the world and led the school to membership in the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative and as a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Management Education.

In addition to spreading the school's message of ethical leadership, she has committed herself to ensuring internal transparency in all new initiatives for the school, including the current multi-year strategic planning process and budget and staff reduction plans required to ride out the current economic downturn.

"The ability to effectively communicate is even more critical given the information overload that exists in today's wired, 24/7 world," says Livingstone. "Given the range of external stakeholders we have at Graziadio - students, alumni, faculty, outside academics and many other external audiences - I have redoubled my efforts to make sure our goals and vision are clearly articulated."

Livingstone has a well-deserved reputation for being accessible and embracing all forms of communication, including actively blogging on the theme of ethical leadership and responsibility. She sends out e-mails communicating the significant details of what is going on with the school, including facts and figures on recruitment, admission, and more to all staff members - not just key stakeholders. She takes the opportunity to lead town hall meetings regularly with students and on a consistent basis with staff and faculty. She even records video welcome messages for the school's website and online practitioner quarterly, the Graziadio Business Report.

Livingstone is the third recipient of the IABC-LA SUCCESS award. Past winners were Barry Sanders, Chairman of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games (SCCOG), and Peter H. Griffith, Vice Chair and Pacific South West Area Managing Partner of Ernst & Young LLP .

IABC-LA is the Los Angeles Chapter of the more than 14,000-member International Association of Business Communicators. IABC Los Angeles serves the entire Los Angeles Metropolitan Area including: Downtown, South Bay, San Fernando Valley and Westside. IABC-LA members work in the public and private sector as consultants, independent business owners, and corporate staff in such diverse fields as marketing, advertising, corporate communications, government relations, human resource communications and shareholder relations.

For more information about the Graziadio School of Business and Management, visit the Graziadio School Web site.