We are delighted to feature Hanna Malak, Class of 2014, for this month’s alumni spotlight. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Hanna attended Junipero Serra High School, a Catholic college preparatory high school in San Mateo, and Menlo College where he earned a business degree and participated on the wrestling team.  Immediately following his graduation from Menlo in 2012, Hanna began a graduate program in Business Management and Administration at NDNU while working full-time at the American Red Cross. He currently serves as Regional Chief Executive Officer for the Northern California Coastal Region, covering 15 counties in Northern California.  

Please tell us more about your work at the American Red Cross: 

I’ve been with the organization for nearly 11 years now, first interning in Blood Services and as a Senior Account Manager here in the Bay Area. My work experience has taken me to Portland as a Regional Volunteer Services Officer, upstate New York as the Regional Donor Services Executive and back again to the Bay Area. Over the years I’ve helped with many on-the-ground disaster relief efforts including earthquakes, fires and winter storms.   

I have been in my current job since July 2022, and I have to admit that it is a very big job. As Regional CEO, I oversee Humanitarian Services, which includes aid for Turkey and Ukraine, and also supports medical aid for measles and rubella. We have a $28 million budget and 75 staff members and 7,000 volunteers. I also support chapter operations for the Bay Area American Red Cross. I am grateful to work with an amazing leadership team and incredible volunteers. 

 How did NDNU prepare you for the work you are doing? 

For starters, I am not your typical graduate student in that I went directly from undergraduate studies to graduate school. I did this because I didn’t want to become too comfortable in the workplace and delay going back to school. Around the same time, I was offered an internship in Blood Services at the local American Red Cross, which appealed to me as I had a close relative who was dealing with related health issues at that time. So I decided to do both and started working full-time and attending graduate school on the same day. The flexibility of NDNU’s class schedules made going to school while working full-time possible.    

My coursework was immediately relevant to the work I was doing, especially the classes in finance and accounting. Dr. Jordan Holtzman, one of my professors and advisors, was a great thought leader, always encouraging us to apply what we were learning to real world experiences. I had the opportunity to do my Capstone project on employee motivation in the workforce which was incredibly meaningful.  

What was it about NDNU that attracted you? 

The close-knit community reminded me so much of Menlo College which I loved, and the campus itself is so beautiful. I liked what I saw and was very impressed by the caliber of the professors and the program itself. Plus, the university was close by and offered classes that were convenient to attend. Overall, I loved my NDNU experience. I was able to take classes directly applicable to my work and I had so many great colleagues with whom I am still in touch.   

Do you have any advice for people considering applying for graduate school at NDNU? 

Get on campus and get a close-up look at the warm, engaging community that NDNU offers. I attribute a great deal of my career trajectory and success to my NDNU experiences.  

What do you like to do for fun? 

I love my work; it really inspires and gets me going. That said, I enjoy working out, food, wine and traveling. I recently went to Italy on a big trip which was wonderful. I am also on the Board of Directors at Junipero Serra High School where I serve on the Advancement Committee.