Alumni News & Profiles

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).

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

Victoria Vega, Vice President of Operations for Unidine Corporation’s Corporate Culinary Group and Senior Living Culinary Group, recently assumed the presidency of the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM) at the association’s annual conference in October. This is one of the highest accolades in the industry. Vega currently serves as president-elect of the organization’s board of directors. “I’m proud to have been selected to serve the association that represents the interests of so many of my peers and colleagues,” said Vega. “I look forward to advancing the organization’s agenda over the next year and outlining my goals for my brief time as president at the upcoming conference.”

Nobelist in Economics Headlines Annual CISDM Event

October 23, 2017

Since the 1970s, innovation—conceptual and technological—has transformed the practice of finance. But “innovation itself doesn’t create growth” it must be “translated into the general economy,” insisted MIT finance professor Robert C. Merton in his keynote presentation at Isenberg’s Center for International Securities and Derivatives Markets’ (CISDM) annual research conference on October 6. Professor Merton—a 1997 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics—headlined an ambitious program devoted to diverse aspects of digitally enabled financial innovation, including cryptocurrencies, algorithmic trading, and other advances on the financial landscape. Attended by a packed house of 125 academics and practitioners, the daylong event took place at Boston’s Aloft Boston Seaport Hotel.

Introducing High Schoolers to Business Academics and Careers

September 12, 2017

Summer C.A.M.P. in July at Isenberg? For 35 high school students, it was the easy first choice versus fun in the sun. For 19 years, the Isenberg School of Management has hosted Massachusetts high-school students predominantly from underrepresented backgrounds in an all-expenses-paid* weeklong immersion of accounting- and business-focused learning experiences. Also known as the Careers in Accounting and Management Professions program, C.A.M.P. features business-focused talks, workshops, skill-building activities, and field trips.

Executive Panel and Workshops Prep First-Year MBAs for Leadership Careers

September 07, 2017

Deftly moderated by David O’Leary ’81 MBA, the panel discussion on August 30 at the elegant UMass Club on Beacon Hill in Boston was the culminating event at the annual David C. O’Leary MBA Orientation Program.* The three-day retreat for Isenberg’s 42 first-year full-time MBA students offered workshops and discussions devoted to team building, personality management, improvisatory skills, behavioral interviewing, and other career building skills. The immersive gatherings also included three days of social and networking opportunities with fellow MBA students and Isenberg alumni.

Alumni Night at the Mets Game

August 28, 2017

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management hosted an alumni night at the New York Mets vs. LA Dodgers game at Citi Field on August 4th, 2017. Over 40 alumni, students, faculty and staff joined us in a private suite to network, catch up, and enjoy a great afternoon of baseball!

Sport Management Graduate is New Cleveland Cavaliers GM

August 07, 2017

McCormack graduate Koby Altman ’09 MS recently took the reins as General Manager of NBA team the Cleveland Cavaliers - a first for a graduate of Isenberg's MS in Sport program.

RSM Gift Energizes Isenberg Building Expansion and Scholarship Support

July 11, 2017

A $250,000 gift from the accounting and consulting firm RSM US and its RSM Foundation will support Isenberg’s new Business Innovation Hub and will create an endowed RSM Student Scholarship.

Annual Isenberg Gathering Is a Multi-Generational Celebration

June 22, 2017

"Business leadership is critical. As a management major at Isenberg I learned about balancing economic growth with social responsibility,” emphasized Earl Stafford ’76 at Isenberg’s Business Leadership Awards (IBLA) dinner on June 15. Stafford was Principal Honoree at the annual event, which attracted 340 Isenberg stalwarts to Boston’s Colonnade Hotel. “Isenberg taught me business practices and techniques. Professors like Tony Butterfield and Art Elkins taught me the importance of value-based decisions—decisions that also promote the common good,” he told the gathering.

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