Alumni News & Profiles

42,000 strong. Isenberg graduates are dynamic, driven business leaders across the U.S. and in 72 countries. They are a community of change agents who energize industry and create hands-on learning opportunities for our students. Here are just a few of their stories.

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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. The start-ups, eBiologics, Phytos Therapeutics, and Kinase, Inc., were awarded seed money of $35,000, $20,000, and $15,000, respectively, by a seven-judge panel of area business leaders.

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).

McCormack Announces 2018 Alumni on the Rise Winners

March 22, 2018

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at the Isenberg School of Management, UMass Amherst is proud to name Elissa Hollander (Dolacky) (BS ’11), Melissa Marchionna (MS ’09), Preetam Sen (BS ’10), and Kairon Serrette (MS ‘08), as recipients of its 2018 Alumni on the Rise Award.

Fifth Annual Women of Isenberg Conference Empowers Hundreds of Students

March 21, 2018

“It isn’t working hard that gets you recognized. It’s working smart,” emphasized Victoria Vega ’88, keynote speaker at the 5th annual Women of Isenberg Annual Conference. Vega’s remarks formed the basis of a prevailing theme throughout the day-long conference, which stressed a changing landscape for women in the workplace and the importance of finding one’s own way even in challenging circumstances.

Accounting Alumnus of the Year Exemplifies the Profession's Reach

March 16, 2018

Each year, Jeff shares career insights with scores of students in Isenberg’s introductory accounting course. “You will always be employable and not just in public accounting,” he tells them. “I wanted to be an FBI agent from the beginning. Among other things, my accounting degree was a means to an end, a differentiator."

UMass Video Profile: Doug Berthiaume, '71

February 26, 2018

Waters Corporation, Chairman, President & CEO, Accounting, Isenberg School of Management
Watch as Doug Berthiaume talks about his time at Isenberg and UMass and his view on business and entrepreneurship. In early 2014 the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship at the Isenberg School of Management was established thanks to the generous financial support of Diana and Doug Berthiaume.

Panel and Networking Highlight Isenberg Women in Finance Luncheon

December 15, 2017

Road-tested advice for women contemplating financial careers and networking opportunities with their peers and Boston area employers were highlights at Isenberg’s first Women in Finance Luncheon. Presented by State Street and coordinated by Isenberg’s MBA program and the school’s (undergraduate) Women in Business student group, the event at the UMass Club in downtown Boston attracted 51 students from Isenberg and five other area universities: Boston College, Brandeis, Northeastern, Suffolk, and Worcester Polytech.

Isenberg Grad Changed the Rules in Sportswear Marketing

December 07, 2017

“My brother excelled in operations; marketing always came easily for me,” remarked Marty Jacobson ’68 in Matthew Glennon’s course, Fundamentals of Marketing. The Isenberg marketing grad’s prowess was a critical ingredient in the innovation and success of Nutmeg Industries, the brothers’ upscale sportswear company. The Tampa-based company succeeded spectacularly throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, when Vanity Fair Corporation bought it for $325.5M in cash.

Alumnus Offers Banker’s-Eye-View of Property Loan Assessments

December 07, 2017

“In loaning money to a prospective buyer of property, I’m not giving advice; I’m negotiating,” emphasized PeoplesBank CEO Tom Senecal ’88 in a visit to HTM professor Bob Wilson’s course, Real Estate Finance, Analysis, and Investments. “I’m not in the business of owning property; I’m in the business of loaning money,” added Senecal, whose network of community-focused banks rule as the largest mutual bank business in western Massachusetts. The Isenberg accounting graduate revealed a banker’s perspective that shed light on a case study recently tackled by the students.

How We Built the Women of Isenberg Conference

December 07, 2017

Now in it's fifth year, the Women of Isenberg Conference brings together over 300 students, faculty and alumni. The conference is organized by the Isenberg Women in Business student organization. Learn more about what it took to create this highly successful event.

Isenberg Hospitality Graduate Reveals a Celebrity Chef’s Savvy and Grit

November 09, 2017

“Remember, it’s all about journeys. Be patient!” HTM graduate and high-profile Manhattan-based chef Marc Forgione ’01 advised his mostly student audience in the Campus Center Auditorium in late October. Since its debut in 2008, Marc’s establishment, Restaurant Marc Forgione, has earned coveted Michelin stars and review kudos from the New York Times, Forbes magazine, and the Zagat Guide. In 2012, Marc won the Food Network’s Next Iron Chef competition, instantly gaining international “chef” celebrity status. So why did Chef Forgione regale his student audience with the good, the bad, and the nitty gritty details of his notable ascent?

Victoria Vega '88 Accepts Presidency of the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management

October 27, 2017

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