Business and Economics Mentoring Program (BEMP)

Gregory Figueroa
Program Manager
g3figueroa@ucsd.edu

Gregory Figueroa serves as the Program Manager of the Business and Economics Mentoring Program (BEMP). He works to lead the BEMP team, ensuring that the Rady School continues to deliver on its ambitious mission and commitment to our scholars, family, and community.

Prior to joining UC San Diego, Gregory served as an executive director at Bright Horizon’s where he led a portfolio of three programs serving approximately 700 students. He also served on the management team at Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), where he led the operation of programs serving approximately 500 students across the HCZ’s K-12 pipeline.

He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Hunter College-City University of New York. He holds Dual Master Degree’s from Fordham University Graduate School of Education, with distinction.

Maysoon Lehmeidi
Associate Director for the Education & Community Outreach Department at UC San Diego Extension
m9dong@ucsd.edu

Maysoon Lehmeidi is an Associate Director for the Education & Community Outreach Department at UC San Diego Extension. She has worked for UC San Diego in a variety of different capacities for over 11 years. Prior to working with UC San Diego Extension, she was the Assistant Director of the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) program at the Jacobs School of Engineering. She also worked in the Division of Biological Sciences as a Program Coordinator, developing and maintaining continuing education programs for professionals in the field of biotechnology. Maysoon received her B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from UC San Diego and received her M.S. in Economics from Boston University.

Sally Sadoff
Associate Professor of Economics and Strategic Management
ssadoff@ucsd.edu

Sadoff's research in applied microeconomics is focused on behavioral economics, experimental economics, labor and human capital. Prior to coming to the Rady School, Sadoff was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago.

Sadoff earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago. She earned her B.A. in Economics from Harvard University.

Emanuel Vespa
Associate Professor, Department of Economics
evespa@ucsd.edu

Emanuel Vespa received his Ph.D. in economics from the New York University in 2012. He was an assistant professor at UC Santa Barbara prior to joining UC San Diego. His primary interests are in experimental and behavioral economics. He has published in excellent journals including the American Economic Review.

Andrea Lai

Andrea Lai is a third year studying Business Economics and International Business. Her career focus is to enter the consulting industry. In addition to being a BEMP Mentor, Andrea is involved with several business organizations at Rady which are Business Council, Triton Consulting Group, and Cornerstone Community Consultants.

Makenzie Johnson
mbj001@ucsd.edu

Makenzie Johnson is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UCSD studying business-economics with a minor in computer science. She is a part of student orgs on campus including Triton Consulting Group and InterVarsity. Makenzie has held positions at The International Rescue Committee as a community engagement intern and at Colorescience as a finance intern. After graduation, she will work at Deloitte as a business technology solutions analyst.

Emily Lam
ehlam@ucsd.edu

As a first-generation college student from a low-income background and as a woman, the journey to higher education, particularly in the field of economics, was not without its challenges. Navigating the complexities of academia and the professional world often felt difficult and lonely. Thus, when the opportunity to become a mentor presented itself, I felt intrinsically motivated to get involved.

My hopes were to assist and guide students who may have faced similar struggles and to encourage more marginalized communities to pursue higher education, especially in this field. Through this experience, I have had the privilege of working with bright, budding peers and I have been able to pass on advice that I had to learn firsthand. In many ways, I feel like an older sibling by getting to know their dreams, looking out for them and always wishing for their success. I am deeply proud and wholeheartedly fulfilled to contribute to the success of these students.