Judy Rosener

The Merage School community mourns the loss of Dr. Judy Bogen Rosener, who passed away on October 1, 2022, at her home in Newport Beach, CA, surrounded by her family. She was a month shy of 93 years old.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dr. Rosener graduated from UCLA in 1951, receiving her BA in Sociology. She continued her education at CSU Fullerton, earning her MA in Political Science in 1968, and later receiving her Ph.D. in Government from Claremont Graduate University in 1979.

Dr. Rosener was a devoted mother and wife. She was also an active member of the League of Women Voters. She had a deep passion for politics, environmentalism, and activism, which led her to become involved in the preservation of the Back Bay in Newport Beach and later, the preservation of Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve north of Huntington Beach.

In 1970, Dr. Rosener became a lecturer at UCI extension, and then joined the faculty at the UCI Paul Merage School of Business, where she became the first Professor of Teaching. She taught courses in business and government, cultural diversity, privatization and social and political implications of Information Technology research focused on workplace gender issues. Dr. Rosener's work had a profound impact on the way organizations view women in leadership, and she authored two books and numerous articles, including the groundbreaking article "Ways Women Lead" (Harvard Business Review, Nov-Dec 1990). As a co-author of Workforce America! Managing Employee Diversity as a Vital Resource (Business One Irwin, 1991) and author of America's Competitive Secret, Women Managers (Oxford University Press, Paperback, Fall 1997), Dr Rosener was a regular columnist in the business section of the Los Angeles Times, a commentator on the PBS TV show “Life and Times”, and a columnist for the Orange County Business Journal. She was a sought-after consultant and speaker, sharing her expertise with CEOs and top executives of some of the largest corporations in the world.

In her role as an educator, Professor Rosener left an indelible mark on hundreds of students at the Merage School of Business. The impact she had was evident when, in 2014, the Merage School inaugurated a new building and Professor Rosener’s former students chose to honor her by fundraising to name one of the new classrooms in her honor. 

She is preceded in death by her beloved husband Joseph and twin brother Mike Bogen. Dr. Rosener is survived by her sister Bobby Lovell, her sister-in-law Jeanie Bogen, her three children Lynn, Doug, and Janet, their spouses Earl Thomas and Janet Swann, her four grandsons Jake Rosener, Luke Rosener, Forrest Rosener, and Graham Swann, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Gerardo Okhuysen, Senior Associate Dean and Professor
Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine