Irwin Gamal:
CLASS OF 1961
Warren High SchoolClass of 1961
Downey, CA
Irwin's Story
Karen and I have been married for forty-nine years. We've lived in Laguna Niguel since 1979 and both love the close proximity of the beach, especially Laguna Beach with all of its great galleries and restaurants. Plus, we're a five minute walk from two parks and a lake. I launched my second successful leadership consulting company (Insight Systems™ Group) in 1987 after working in management in a number of organizations (American Red Cross, Fluor Corporation, Coldwell-Banker, etc.) for 14 years. I have also been an Adjunct Leadership Coach (since 1993) with the Center For Creative Leadership in La Jolla. CCL was cited by BusinessWeek magazine as one of the top ten leadership research and development think tanks in the world. I was also a senior faculty member and Lead Instructor with the Leadership Services Program of Chapman University for about six and-a-half years and have taught at that level for 38 years. Additionally, I taught at California's Command College for seven years, where future chiefs of police learn contemporary leadership practices. Moreover, I consulted with 23 police agencies throughout the state of California.
I graduated from Cal State University at Long Beach (CSULB) in 1972 with a Masters Degree in Communication Theory. I initially received a B.A. in Social Science (with an emphasis in Cultural Anthropology) in 1967 and an equivalent Communication Theory B.A. later as a graduate student. I consider myself very fortunate in that I'm one of the few people I know who actually used my degree in my work. Regrettably, it often doesn't work out that way.
In the winter of 2010, I was selected by the CSULB Alumni Association as one among 25 students to represent 250,000 graduates of the university since 1949. The story was highlighted at that time in the Beach Connection magazine. At the same time, I was interviewed by CSULB for their College of Liberal Arts online Alumni Profiles. If you Google "Irv Gamal" it will come up on the list and then click on it for the entire interview. I was also a Distinguished Speaker for the College of Liberal Arts, Department of Communication Studies in 2012 and 2013. I was the subject of a feature story in Th...Expand for more
e Beach Magazine in the Summer 2014 issue (see the picture). For four and-a-half years, I was Chairman of the Legacy Society at Cal State Long Beach and very active in fundraising with Karen and I personally providing scholarships for Communication Studies majors.
Along the way, I have traveled extensively in Europe (thirteen countries), Asia (China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore), the U.S. (including Alaska), Canada, Mexico, and four other countries in Central America. I absolutely love Hawaii and have been there 12 times, traveling there in October 2016 on a 15-day Princess cruise. Nonetheless, with all of the frustrations of globe-trotting today (post 9/11), Karen and I preferred our motorhome over the airport for sixteen years. My favorite trip during that time was spending a month in Wyoming and Montana. I have great memories of Jackson Hole, adventures in Yellowstone, and the breathtaking beauty of Glacier National Park. I believe there's so much to see in North America that often is overlooked. A trip today, however, is more likely to involve putting our little one (Dulce, a ten-year old Jack Russell Terrier) in our Audi and aiming for the open road.
In 2011, I was very involved in our 50th High School Reunion. I worked with a great group of classmates to make this event exceptionally memorable. This included de facto oversight of the reunion committee, designing our invitation, selecting our DJ, enlisting donations from the committee to fund our entertainment, subbing for Bob Strang as an emcee, etc. Bob and his wife had concurrently scheduled a safari in Africa, so John La Porta and I co-hosted the evening as emcees. We all had a really terrific time.
In September of 2019, I published a book called, “Leadership Skills For Managing Technical Professionals.” The book is a fun, stimulating, and great learning experience for any manager pressured with the challenges of directing a well educated, specialized staff. Currently, I've now been retired since August of 2020, thanks to the Covid-19 virus. Not that I got it, but it pretty much took the wind out of the business economy. So, each day is mine (at 78) to do as I please. Just like when I was a kid!
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