Dr. Gerhard Apfelthaler, PhD is the Dean of the School of Management at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California, and a professor of International Business in its MBA and Executive MBA (EMBA) programs. He has led the School of Management through professional business school accreditation, expanded its program offering, positioned its Center for Economic Research and Forecasting as one of the nation’s premier economic forecasting organizations, and vaulted the School of Management into one of the highest ranked MBA programs in California.

Dr. Apfelthaler has launched initiatives on diversity, equity and inclusion, and built Hub101, a community start-up space located in Los Angeles County. Hub 101 is home to several high-growth companies and has become a model business incubation center. Dr. Apfelthaler has founded several companies including Oak Therapeutics, Cure Pharmaceutical, and AT Consult. He serves on the boards of the California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks, the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County, and the Valley Economic Alliance.