Raffi brings over 40 years of experience in the digital transformation and IT fields, beginning his career as a software engineer at Bechtel Corporation and going on to lead software development teams at companies including SQRiBE Technologies (now Oracle), The Walt Disney Company, Candle Corporation (now IBM), DeskTalk (now HP), SeeBeyond (now Oracle) and AOL (now Verizon).He has managed more than 65 large-scale projects and launched over 20 enterprise and online products, combining strategic thinking with a strong focus on team building, innovation, and results. Since 1987, Raffi has taught IT and technology management courses at CSUN, UCLA Extension, and Learning Tree, and has consulted for organizations such as Northrop Grumman, Paramount Pictures, UCLA, and numerous startups. He holds a BS in Math/Computer Science from UCLA, an Executive MBA from Pepperdine University, and is Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certified. Currently, he serves as Program Director at UCLA’s Epicenter, where he leads STEM certifications, project-based and experiential learning programs, and industry-partnered innovation challenges based on the Design Thinking framework, which have evolved into credit-bearing engineering courses and international bootcamps. Raffi is deeply committed to workforce development, focusing on digital, business, and human skills through his consulting firm, which partners with industry and educational institutions to deliver non-academic, experiential learning programs.
