As the College of Business Administration (CBA) continues to expand opportunities for students, the launch of the College of Business Administration Career Hub (CBACH) marks a defining moment in how Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ prepares Broncos for meaningful careers in business. A key component of that momentum is Liliana Chan Ventura, a multilingual marketing executive, certified career coach, global workforce development leader, and first-generation college graduate who is determined to transform education-to-employment pathways as the first-ever Talent and Employer Engagement Strategist for CBACH. She also serves on the inaugural CBACH Board.
Pathways Powered by Representation and Access
CBACH, a new career hub located on the Cal Poly ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ campus in CBA 164-1070, focuses on career growth, coaching, and development. While students may recognize the physical space, Ventura emphasizes that its strength lies in the people and partnerships behind it.
“Our Board represents a wide spectrum of industries and disciplines, from global companies like Amazon, Edwards Lifesciences, and TikTok to fields ranging from accounting and entrepreneurship to HR, IT, and sales and marketing,” she explains.
Several CBACH Board members are also CBA alumni who once navigated the same challenges many students face today. “They’ve been where CBA first-generation students are, trying to earn a degree while navigating a different culture, juggling a part-time or full-time job, and contributing to family responsibilities,” she notes.
For Ventura, that representation matters. CBACH’s Board of Directors is composed of leaders representing both the industries students aspire to join and the communities from which they originate. By spotlighting those leaders and strengthening employer relationships, CBACH aims to ensure students see themselves in boardrooms, startups, and global corporations alike.
This ethos resonates deeply with Ventura’s own journey. “I was first introduced to CBACH when Singelyn Family Dean Sandeep Krishnamurthy and Associate Dean of Student Success Pia Gupta invited me to join the CBACH Board, ahead of the career hub space’s launch and ribbon-cutting ceremony in November 2026,” she recalls. Now serving in its inaugural strategist role, Ventura sees her work as deeply personal.
“As a first-generation student from an Asian and Latinx background, I hope to be a resource that my younger self would be proud of by being generous with my community cultural wealth. My goal is to design long-term strategy that translates into practical and impactful bridges from education to employment for our undergraduate and graduate students,” Ventura adds.
From Global Brands to Student Talent Development
The bridges Ventura describes are informed by more than two decades of global experience. She has led digital marketing initiatives for brands from Amazon to Uber and contributed to digital marketing campaigns for product launches including Apple Music, the first Apple Watch series, and the first iPad Pro with Apple Pencil. She has coached professionals from NASA to Nordstrom and supported career development and planning for Southern California Edison. She also serves on the Board of Directors at Groundswell, a non-profit that provides conflict resolution programs to youths and mediation services for communities. “I bring a cross-disciplinary approach to developing student talent in the Intelligent Age and to employer engagement around Southern California and across the U.S.,” she says.
Equally important is her ability to connect across cultures. Born and raised in Latin America to Asian parents, Ventura grew up primarily in El Salvador, Ecuador, Chile, and Taiwan. She speaks Spanish, Mandarin, English, and Taiwanese, and is learning Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Arabic, and Greek. “Being able to communicate with students in the languages and cultural contexts of their countries and communities of origin allows me to align their professional outlook to their personal values,” she explains. “I see myself as a global growth and workforce innovation chef compelled by curiosity. My ‘fusion cuisine’ draws ingredients from a large variety of languages, cultures, cuisines, communities, ecosystems, disciplines, and interests.”
This global lens shapes how she describes her role in building workforce pathways, with the outcome remaining focused on creating access to productive careers in business for students and incremental regional market growth. Even her experience launching iconic global products reinforces the power of relationships. “Thriving in global teams means noticing what is unsaid, from cultural nuances to relational undercurrents, to legacy processes,” Ventura says.
She adds that taking a few extra minutes to be genuinely interested in colleagues and clients as people can make or break complex campaigns. The relationships nurtured before pressure builds help teams navigate high-stakes projects successfully and can even yield lifelong friendships that span continents.
A Philosophy of Champions, Courage, and Adaptability
Serving on the CBACH Board also reinforces Ventura’s belief in collaborative leadership. “Being a part of the CBACH Board is a masterclass in leadership, authenticity, and generosity,” she shares. She describes the most successful and satisfied professionals as lifelong learners and practical givers, qualities she sees reflected in her fellow board members. Together, they envision CBACH as a catalyst for real-world career-readiness programming and valuable employer relationships. “Our goal is that employers will increasingly find the hidden gems in our CBA student pool to drive dynamism and transformation in their organizations,” Ventura says. That focus on nurturing hidden gems reflects her broader philosophy on career readiness.
Liliana Chan Ventura’s Suggestions for Student Success:
- “Cultivate champions that advocate for you in rooms you’re not in.” Mentors can provide advice based on their lived experiences, but champions enthusiastically highlight strengths and potential to their peers.
- “Instead of waiting to be invited to a seat at the table, bet on yourself, and set the kind of table you’d want to invite others to join.”
- She encourages students to hold themselves to a consistent standard of excellence and to “show up embodied and present,” investing in others with the currency of their full attention.
- “When change is the only constant, be ready to bend so you don’t break.”
Ambiguity and tension are integral parts of building a career in the modern world, and according to Ventura, being able to draw from different disciplines and pivot creates traction. Throughout her career, Ventura embraced reinvention while maintaining core values, a tenacity and adaptability she credits with bringing her and fellow Board members to CBACH.
Whether she is teaching a workshop on making powerful first impressions, advising a first-generation student navigating competing responsibilities, or strengthening ties with regional employers, Ventura approaches the work with CBACH as both strategic and human.
“These bridges will lead to professional prospects for our students and economic growth for our region,” Ventura says. “I’m thrilled to collaborate with students and employers who are ready to join me in this ever-evolving landscape of career development and exploration.”