Dianne Thompson earned her undergraduate degree from Notre Dame de Namur University with a major in Business Administration and Economics. She went on to earn her MBA from the Graziadio School of Management at Pepperdine University. While working for the John Wayne Cancer Institute as Special Events Director, she earned a fundraising certificate from UCLA Extension. Ms. Thompson has also worked as a Comptroller for a publicly-traded company on the American Stock Exchange where she was responsible for filing 10Qs and 10Ks. Additionally, she has served as CFO and partner in a music streaming platform.
For the past 25 years, Ms. Thompson has founded two consulting companies—Improved Efficiency and Common Cents Development Corp (CCDC) in 1997 and 2011 respectively where she has consulted in a variety of industries including entertainment, foster care, and marketing. In 2019, she founded Solano Women in Medicine (SWIM) to address health disparities in underserved populations.
Juliann Fisher-Batiste earned a BA degree in Organizational Development & Behavior from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Because there was no major at the time that fit Ms. Fisher-Batiste’s educational aspirations, she individually designed her major, which was approved by the UM Board of Regents; including courses in business, psychology, communications, industrial psychology, as well as graduate level classes and research. This was the beginning of the hallmark of Ms. Fisher-Batiste’s career as a problem solver and leader.
Ms. Fisher-Batiste met Dianne Thompson when they both enrolled at Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Management and received their respective MBAs together. They have been lifelong friends and business partners ever since. Additionally, Ms. Fisher-Batiste has worked for over 25 years as a VP in client service management of mid-jumbo- sized contribution plans totaling over $900M in assets where she held Series 6, 26, and 63 licenses. Over that career span, she handled some of the more complex plans and clients.