Alumni News & Profiles

Profile in Philanthropy: Paul Carney '82

December 19, 2018

A 1982 Isenberg accounting graduate, Paul Carney spent the lion’s share of his career in senior managerial finance and administration positions for early-stage, emerging technology companies, funded by premier Silicon Valley venture capital and private equity firms. Paul has been a consistent donor to the greater UMass community since he graduated. Isenberg’s Business Innovation Hub boasts a state-of-the-art café and seating area that carries the proud name of Paul Carney ’82 and his family. “My aim in making this high-profile gift is to raise awareness of giving and philanthropy at Isenberg and UMass Amherst,” he observes.

Isenberg Alum and Entrepreneur Brings Collaborative Art to Kids

December 18, 2018

Chris Bent '12 founded Piccles, a collaborative online coloring app targeted to children in hospitals and other medical facilities. The 2012 Innovation Challenge runner-up (for Crowd Solar, which used crowd-funding to help communities buy renewable energy) has consulted with Matt Glennon's marketing classes on his new venture.

Driven Alumni: Li Li Leung, MBA/MS '03

December 05, 2018

A former gymnast may seem an unlikely star player for the NBA. But at the league headquarters in NYC, Li Li Leung, alum of Isenberg’s Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management, is just that, deftly leading her team of offices and partners from all around the world. As the VP of Global Partnerships, she oversees cohesion and integration to maximize investments, meet business objectives and “help make their partnerships come to life.” Watch her video profile to learn more.

Edward Kolb '15 MBA: From Physician to Physician-CEO

November 20, 2018

“In Isenberg’s Online MBA program, my professors and the administrative staff consistently went out of their way to ensure that I had the opportunities and resources that I needed to succeed in the program and in my profession,” recalls 2015 graduate Dr. Edward Kolb. A medical doctor with a focus on anesthesiology and pediatrics, Ed is Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Hospital Operations at Boys Town National Research Hospital and Clinics, in Omaha, Nebraska. This November, he assumed the role as hospital director.

Isenberg's Innovative New Building

September 25, 2018

Meet the new star of UMass Amherst’s campus, and the result of finding the answers to those questions, the Business Innovation Hub. Designed by the Boston architectural firm Goody Clancy and the Bjarke Ingles Group (BIG) of New York and Copenhagen, the circular building’s most striking design feature is the series of three-story-tall, copper-clad fins that create a vertical lattice for the glass outer wall. Along with their dynamic look, the slats function as a way to allow natural light in without overheating the building.

Business Leaders Share Their Keys to Success

September 14, 2018

On August 29, at the UMass Club high above Boston Common, David O’Leary ’81 MBA convened the 2018 MBA Keys to Success panel discussion after drinks and dinner. The event was the celebratory end of a three-day Boot Camp for first-year MBA candidates, in which the students learned career-building skills while getting to know each other. Along with several supportive second-years, alumni, and faculty, the first-years engaged with moderator David and the panelists on subjects ranging from job searching and interviews to Ford’s recent decision to stop manufacturing almost all of their sedans.

Profile in Philanthropy: Brian Tino ‘11

August 21, 2018

“My overriding aim in supporting Isenberg is to build and strengthen the community, especially among students,” says Isenberg finance grad Brian Tino ’11. To that end, Brian has partnered with former Isenberg undergraduate dean Carol Barr to create the Barr/Tino Leadership Scholarship. The award recognizes exceptional student leadership at Isenberg. In making that commitment, Brian found a role model in UMass Amherst alumnus Peter Bloom ’78. “I was one of the first three recipients of Peter’s scholarship, which honored our track & cross country coach, Kenneth O’Brien,” Brian recalls.

Profile in Philanthropy: John Micalizzi ’94

August 17, 2018

“A number of things in my life have special meaning, special resonance. For me, Isenberg and UMass are among them,” notes Isenberg accounting grad John Micalizzi ’94. As Human Resource Leader with the Boston office of accounting firm RSM, John has catalyzed two substantial gifts of $150,000 and $100,000 to Isenberg from its alumni at RSM and the RSM Foundation.

Isenberg Grads Pitch Careers in Accounting

August 16, 2018

“I don’t have the stories that Jeff has,” remarked EY partner and New England recruitment leader Jason Janoff ’93. “I may be fun to listen to, but Jason is more important to you,” countered Jason’s former classmate and special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago office, Jeff Sallet ’93. With the aplomb and timing of a seasoned Saturday Night Live comedy duo, the former Isenberg classmates made an incontestable case for accounting as a professional destination. The venue was Cathy Lowry’s Introduction to Accounting class, and the students couldn’t get enough of Sallet and Janoff’s positive message.

Alumnus William Hubbard, Tokio-Marine HCC Endow Sport Management Internship Awards Fund

July 31, 2018

Sport management Alumnus Bill Hubbard, in conjunction with Tokio-Marine HCC, has established an endowed fund with a $1 million gift that will provide financial support to McCormack Department of Sport Management students who participate in internships within the sport and entertainment industry.

Annual Isenberg Banquet Celebrates Driven Alumni

July 05, 2018

“UMass Amherst and Isenberg are now investment grade,” remarked Edward D. Shirley ’78, principal honoree at Isenberg’s annual Business Leadership Awards gathering on June 14. “When Mark Fuller became dean in 2009, he developed a strong aspirational team culture with the faculty that will live beyond [him],” Ed told his audience of 450 alumni, students, and faculty at the Colonnade Hotel in Boston. Isenberg’s rebranding as a “driven” community was a powerful catalyst in its rise to national prominence, Ed continued.

Walking the Tightrope of Social Media: An MBA Grad from Dell Shares Insights

June 01, 2018

Thom Lytle ’07 MBA, Senior Director of Social Business and Digital Marketing with Dell, spoke to Isenberg’s full-time MBA students to share his insights on the importance of aligning social media practices with a company's marketing strategy.

Isenberg Graduation Celebrations Launch Students on Exciting Career Paths

May 18, 2018

The 2018 Isenberg graduation celebrations were held on May 12th at the Mullins Center before an audience of 1,200 graduating seniors and their 6,500 family members and friends. Dean Fuller gave his farewell address at the event which was MC'ed by William Brown, the new undergraduate dean. One day prior, on May 11th, 630 Isenberg graduate candidates received degrees in a campus-wide commencement ceremony for graduate students.

Isenberg Finance Educator Honored with Endowed Professorship

May 08, 2018

Isenberg is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Bing Liang to the newly created Charles P. McQuaid Endowed Professorship. The professorship’s benefactor is Isenberg finance graduate Charles P. McQuaid ’74 who retired after 35 years at Columbia Wanger Asset Management in Chicago.

Isenberg Accounting Educator Professor Honored with New Professorship

May 08, 2018

Professor David Piercey has been appointed as the first John F. Kennedy Endowed Professor. Chair of Isenberg’s Department of Accounting and John Spinney Faculty Fellow, Piercey is a nationally prominent researcher in behavioral accounting. The endowed professorship’s benefactor, John F. Kennedy ’76 M.S., is a long-time supporter of Isenberg and its students.

Using Data to Win: Sport Analytics Panel Explores a Changing Industry Landscape

May 04, 2018

The McCormack Department of Sport Management’ hosted a three-member panel discussion called "Every Yard Counts; A Conversation on Football Analytics" The panel, organized by the student group, the Association of Diversity in Sport, and moderated by Sydney Robinson '19, featured Dean Oliver, Diane Bloodworth, and McCormack alumnus Dan Hatman ’11 who discussed the transformative power of data analytics in sports.

Gratitude and Innovation Highlight 2018 Annual HTM Awards Dinner

May 01, 2018

The 2018 Annual HTM Awards Dinner at the Boston Park Plaza featured an awards ceremony and vibrant gathering for networking, attracting 440 alumni, faculty, students, and other movers and shakers from Greater Boston’s hospitality community and Florida, Washington, D.C., California, and other states.Richard M. Kelleher ’73, one of eight awardees, was honored with HTM's Distinguished Industry Industry Leader award.

Sport Management Graduate Drives Minority Mentorship Program at Isenberg

April 24, 2018

McCormack Sport Management has launched the Initiative for Underrepresented Students which pairs Sport Management graduates mentors with the department’s current McCormack students—all from minority backgrounds. Melcolm Ruffin '13 partnered with Nefertiti Walker, Sport Management Professor/ Director of Diversity & Inclusion; Nicole Melton, Sport Management professor; and Molly McGuigan, Communications, Events/Alumni Relations Coordinator in this first-step toward a longer-term initiative, which will take on recruitment, scholarships, and career development dimensions.

Three Biomedical Start-ups Take Top Prizes at Innovation Challenge

April 18, 2018

Three student-led teams won top honors at the final of the 2017-18 Innovation Challenge at the annual cross-campus entrepreneurship competition run by the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship at the Isenberg School of Management.

2018 Harold VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumni Award

March 22, 2018

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at the Isenberg School of Management, UMass Amherst is proud to announce the winners of the Harold VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumni Award as Colleen Duffy Brace (BS ‘95), Jeff Goering (MS ‘97), David Hixon (MS ‘79), and Bob Schwartz (BS ‘84).

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