After 20 years as CFO of a publicly traded holding company based in Compton and three years as co-chairman and president of Chicago Pizza & Brewery, Klinger launched his entrepreneurial career with his own consulting business in 2003. He followed it up with his post as executive vice president and chief financial officer at It’s A Grind, identified last year as the second fastest growing, private company in Los Angeles county, all of which made him uniquely qualified to teach the undergraduate Small Business Management course this past spring. Still, teaching was a new experience for this executive who’s more used to boardrooms than classrooms.

“I thought it was absolutely gratifying to have a dialog with students, to be a part of that foundation for them to maybe launch their own businesses. From the beginning to the end of the class, I saw many of them really take the next step in their lives and their future careers,” said Klinger, who says the number one reason he’s become so involved is to give back. “Most people acquire an incredible amount of knowledge throughout their lives, but then they never pass it on. It’s lost forever. It’s one of my most avid beliefs and desires to pass on any expertise or knowledge I can that I’ve gained over the years.”

The teaching experience crystallized much of what Klinger had sought in beginning his relationship with the university three years ago about the same time as when Dean Jim Strong came on and looked to revamp the Advisory Board. Klinger had not been overtly looking for such a relationship to give back, but found a perfect opportunity to do so when he first met with President James E. Lyons, Strong, and others. He was immediately struck by the potential for CSUDH and the challenges its students faced that mirrored his own while in college.

Taking night classes at the University of Minnesota after getting married and entrenched in a full-time career, many of his classes had been taught by practitioners who worked in the discipline on a daily basis. He valued their real-life input and viewed their advice and expertise as one of the most valuable seeds to his prosperous career. Now as the head of the CBAPP Advisory Board Executive Committee, he gets excited about the ways in which the board members have already given back, and others he hopes will come soon.

“I think it can be like a snowball effect. First, we participate on the board, making suggestions and looking to increase the educational opportunities Dominguez Hills offers. That can lead to a better curriculum, attracting great faculty, opening the door to grants and scholarships, and it keeps going,” he said.

In addition to the class he taught, Klinger is currently developing a graduate-level entrepreneurship class that he will teach next spring, yet he’s certainly not the only board member to volunteer time to CSUDH and its students. Robert Orci, vice president of marketing for Juanita Foods, is sponsoring student internships within his company. Mike DiBernardo, director of planning and research for the Port of Los Angeles, gave a tour of the port’s operations for some supply chain management classes in the spring. Executives like Klinger, Orci, Llyn King, vice president of finance for American Honda Motor, and Guy Fox, principal of Guy Fox & Associates, and Daniel Roberts, president of Merchants Bank, are just a sampling of the board members who have delivered guest lectures in classes. And more than 10 board members met with faculty candidates and accreditation officials in the past year. Combined, such volunteerism from the area’s top executives delivers not only valuable lessons and insight to the college, but a strong message of how committed this group is to bringing CSUDH, its curriculum, and its students to a new level.

Of course, building such an active board was no coincidence. It was one of Dean Strong’s top priorities when he came to CSUDH in July 2003. “We’ve focused all of our efforts on building practitioner-oriented programs within the college. Rebuilding the board was one of our main objectives, but we weren’t interested in having executives with glossy titles join if they weren’t going to really be involved,” said Strong.

That ethos of truly getting involved and having an impact on the business leaders of tomorrow has led to the impressive growth and success of the board. When Strong came on, the board featured six active members. Today, it has 32 members, all of whom have been active at the board’s quarterly meetings and beyond. That burgeoning growth and increased involvement in the College led to the development of the executive committee to head the board’s activities last year, and Klinger was an obvious choice as chair because of his commitment and leadership skills.

As Strong suggests, it’s board members like Klinger who provide invaluable leadership for the College in the business, government, and non-profit communities where CSUDH needs strong advocates. “Because of our goals and the students we serve, CSUDH is the kind of place that people can really believe in and rally behind. Ernie is one of the best examples I have of that. He’s not only willing to give his time to this university, but he has a true passion for CSUDH and a great desire to see us succeed,” said Strong.