As a senior official in state and federal government, Lon Hatamiya traveled the world, met with prime ministers and presidents, and negotiated international trade and commerce agreements that opened the door to new global markets for American business.
This spring Hatamiya is drawing on his extensive public service and private sector experience as the Graduate School of Management's executive-in-residence. He is teaching a course focused on the management of change within organizations and how to deal with unexpected turns in public policy, and regional and international economies.
Each year the Graduate School of Management invites a high-level, often recently retired, executive to teach a course on management strategy. They bring real-world perspectives to the classroom, while the teaching offers them a chance to influence management education. The program has attracted top business leaders to campus since 1993 and is the only one of its kind in the UC system.
Hatamiya most recently served as secretary of the California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency under former Gov. Gray Davis. Head of the agency from 1999 to last November, Hatamiya was the voice of California business within the state cabinet. He directed programs that stimulated economic activity for international trade and investment, small business, rural development, tourism, manufacturing, entertainment, and other industries. The agency was shut down in December, a victim of budget cost-cutting.
"It was a tremendous opportunity to lead during a time in which California grew from the eighth to the fifth-largest economy in the world," Hatamiya said. "The last 18 months -- facing the largest budget challenge in the history of the state -- was a rollercoaster ride."
Before joining the Davis administration, Hatamiya served as administrator for the Foreign Agricultural Service and the Agricultural Marketing Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1993 to 1999. He led a worldwide agency that promotes the growth of exports of American agricultural, fish, and forest products, and oversaw the USDA's international trade agreements, negotiations and trade-policy development.
In January, he became a director with LECG, an international consulting firm with clients that include Fortune Global 500 corporations and government agencies worldwide.
Hatamiya, who lives in Davis with his wife and two sons, has deep roots in the region. His father attended UC Davis, and Hatamiya grew up on the family orchard near Marysville. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard University and later an MBA and law degree from UCLA.
Executive-in-residence is just one of his efforts on campus. He also is a member of the Office of Research External Advisory Board and is a candidate to serve on the UC Davis Foundation Board, which oversees the investment of all gifts, trusts and endowments to the university.
What were the highlights serving as the state's top trade and commerce official?
It was exciting. I had opportunity to meet more than two dozen heads of state from around the world, including the prime ministers of Japan, China, the United Kingdom and Israel, and the presidents of Chile, Mexico and Greece. Most countries look at California as a nation-state because of the size of our economy. We're very important to many different countries, and they all want connections and access to the state because of its great resources.
How would you grade the Schwarzenegger administration's efforts so far to boost trade, commerce and economic development?
When Gov. Schwarzenegger came in, he did not have the ability to do much in trade and commerce, because the previous budget eliminated the state agency. So the jury is still out on what he's going to do. He has proposed privately financing a business development team, but that's still a concept. The difficulty is he doesn't have the public funding to promote trade and commerce because of the budget crunch, and he doesn't have the support from the Legislature for it, either. But I'm hopeful he can get it done in some way.
Where do we stand without a state-level agency promoting trade and commerce?
It's a huge disadvantage in the short-term. California is suffering because we don't have a presence either domestically or internationally when it comes to economic development. We could get left behind if we don't remain competitive and paint a positive picture for the state.
How well is California agriculture positioned in world markets?
Open markets benefit California agriculture because we produce more and are much more efficient than any other place in the world. However, we need to focus on what we do best. We're a major player in specialty crops such as tree fruits and vegetables as well as in organic production. Environmentally friendly production is a great marketing opportunity. UC Davis will have an even greater impact as researchers develop new techniques and genetically modified crops.
How is your class going?
It's fun. The students are engaged and they have a good mix of experience in business. I'm learning as much from the students as I hope they learn from me. My goal is to have them come away as better prepared managers to deal with uncertainty and change in today's global environment.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Being out of government service has allowed me to spend much more time with my wife and children. We like to travel and play golf as a family. I'm also coaching my sons' Little League team here in Davis.
Read any good books lately?
I'm reading The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida, a professor of regional economic development at Carnegie Mellon University. It's all about how cities can attract a new generation of creative people. It will not only help me in my business consulting, but it gives me a good perspective of where the future of smart growth will occur.
What's something surprising about you?
Having grown up on a farm and being in agriculture, I hate gardening. It's kind of funny, and maybe it's because of overexposure in my lifetime.
If you had three wishes, what would they be?
First, I would wish for global peace and prosperity. For me, personally, I wish for continued health and happiness. I also wish I could play in the major leagues -- I'm a big baseball fan, so that's been a life-long dream. Maybe one of my children will do that! •