OC Cornell Business Luncheon

Big Data: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Thursday January 23, 2014   11:30am – 1:30pm

We are privileged to have as our guest speaker Cornellian and Human Resources and Big Data Expert:

Terry Petracca
President, Petracca HR LLC, Former VP, Strategic HR Initiative Experian

11:30 AM Luncheon will begin promptly
12:00 PM Presentation/Q&A
1:30 PM   Luncheon will end promptly

Cost: $40 members, $45 non-members,
includes valet parking at Center Club.

Location: The Center Club, 650 Town Center Drive – Garden Level,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Tel.  (714) 662-3414 .

Parking Information: Valet Parking at Center Club is included.
Event Contact: Gaye Tomlinson, MBA ’05, CAAOC Business Lunches and Breakfasts,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ,  714-742-2948 .

Event Overview:
Do we understand Big Data and its personal, professional, social and emotional implications on us?
During this lively discussion, we will review Big Data and how its evolution has become potentially revolutionary in its ability to:
•               Impact policy and actions to benefit people and the planet
•               Influence what we read, buy and think
•               Determine our personal and financial well-being
•               Affect workplace decisions such as hiring and promotion
•               Diminish the importance of small data insight
•               Elevate data analysis to the profession of the future (and the future is now!)

Big Data may or may not be insidious so before you make that determination, learn more about the good, the bad and the ugly!

Speaker Bio:
Terry Petracca is the President of Petracca HR LLC, having recently transitioned from Experian’s Vice President, Strategic HR Initiatives to her own independent HR consulting firm. She has over 30 years of management and human resources experience with organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups. Her recent work has focused on Fact-Based Human Resources – Strategic Workforce Planning, Predictive Analytics and HR data. She also has extensive experience in Total Rewards, including compensation planning, development and administration including long-term and broad-based incentive programs; benefits design and management; shared service center and HRIS; HR mergers and acquisitions due diligence; and global mobility.

She has recently presented at workshops on “Big Data- Has your organization taken the BIG leap yet?”, “New age workforce planning for globalized world”, and will be presenting at the World At Work conference in May, 2014 on “Next Gen Rewards: Where Strategy and Data Meet”.

Her husband, Mark Petracca (Cornell, ’77), is the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies in the School of Social Sciences at UCI and Professor (and former chair) of Political Science.

Anaheim Ducks Hockey Game and Behind the Scenes Tour of the Honda Center

Anaheim Ducks Hockey Game and Behind the Scenes Tour of the Honda Center

Join your fellow Cornell Alumni for an exclusive “behind the scenes” tour of the Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks, courtesy of Brian Hayward '82, former Big Red and Montreal Canadiens goalie, and now the TV broadcaster for Ducks games.  The tour will be followed by the game between the Ducks and the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, March 2.  We have secured a block of 25 seats for the game, and will have to limit the tour to those who have game tickets.   

The tour will begin promptly at 1:00 pm that Sunday afternoon, as the game starts at 5:00 pm and we have to vacate the facilities before the players begin to arrive.  This event sold out quickly last year, so please respond quickly if you are interested in attending.   The tickets are priced at $50 for CAAOC members and $60 for non-members.  Instructions for parking and the meeting place will be sent to all participants.  To purchase tickets, please send an e-mail to the event coordinator, Bruce Tatusko ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) and he will provide you with the details regarding the transmittal of the payment.  Due to the limited size of the group we can accommodate, we will not be advertising this event on the CAAOC website.  

There should be time between the tour and the game to get lunch at JT Schmidt's across the street from Honda Center.  For those who have not had the opportunity to attend this event in the past, I can assure you that the tour is something not to be missed if you are a hockey fan.

Jack Fleming
President, CAAOC

February Mixer -Thursday, February 13th

CAAOC - February Mixer -Thursday, February 13th

If we missed you as we brought in the New Year, hopefully we will see you this February at Corona Del Mar’s Landmark Steakhouse on Thursday the 13th!

Our friends at Landmark are providing us up with some free appetizers, a stellar happy hour menu, as well as two specialty drinks to commemorate Cornell as well as Valentine’s Day. All O.C. Cornell Alumni are encouraged to come - the more the merrier so please bring friends and family!

Date: Thursday, February 13th

Time: 6:30pm to ...

Location: Landmark Steakhouse, 3520 E Coast Hwy Corona Del Mar, CA 92925

Event Contact: Savion Agard – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cost: Whatever you care to spend on drinks! 

Please RSVP to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so we can give Landmark an accurate count ahead of time. Can’t wait! SEE YOU THERE!!!

CAAOC - May Mixer @ Bistango

Though April showers

May come your way,

They bring the flowers

That bloom in May.

Thankfully we live in Southern California, where it doesn’t rain much, and we have year round sun. May brings another time for Cornellians and friends to get together. Hopefully we will see you this May at Irvine’s Bistango on Thursday the 15th!

All O.C. Cornell Alumni are encouraged to come and join us for Tapas - the more the merrier so please bring friends and family!

Date: Thursday, May 15^th

Time: 6:30pm to ...

Location: Bistango - 19100 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine, California 92612

Event Contact: Savion Agard – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cost: Whatever you care to spend on drinks!

Please RSVP to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. so we can give Landmark an accurate count ahead of time. Can’t wait! SEE YOU THERE!!!