Alumni News & Profiles

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.

Alum Combats Risk while Building Relationships in the Hospitality Industry

June 19, 2017

Fred Mitzner '86 (HTM) is the Senior Vice President at ConferenceDirect a national third party go-between that secures conference sites and services at hotels and other venues for trade associations and other special interest groups.

McCormack Alumni Gather at NACDA

June 19, 2017

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management hosted alumni for a networking breakfast event at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Conference (NACDA) in Orlando, Florida. Joining Associate Department Chair, Steve McKelvey (far right) are Jonathan DeAndrade, Ben Rosenfeld, Gloria Nevarez, Ryan Pierce, Leigh Torbin, Jack Woodbury, Thorr Bjorn, Noreen Morris, Mark Wilson, James Paquette, Leslie Wurzberger, Casey Stark, Craig Fink, Todd Nebeker, Amy Coleman and Jamie DiLoreto.

Earl Stafford '76: The Business of Giving

May 23, 2017

“What’s important is that you dream,” advises IBLA honoree Earl W. Stafford ’76. “Dream not only of what is possible, but of what you consider to be improbable—and go for it,” urges the Isenberg graduate. That entails “using your success to go out and help others. It is just as important to business education as accounting or finance.”

MBA Alumnus Sheds Light on Business Adaptation in India

May 22, 2017

Harsh Singhania ’86 MBA spoke to an MBA class about his experiences in Isenberg's MBA program and as Managing Director of Indian conglomerate JK Industries.

Isenberg Celebrates Graduates of the Class of 2017

May 19, 2017

This year's commencement ceremonies celebrated the nearly 1,700 combined graduates of Isenberg's undergraduate, MBA, MS, and PhD programs.

The Class of 2017: Driven to Give

May 15, 2017

The class of 2017 is breaking philanthropy records in the Senior Gift Challenge, giving at a rate that far exceeded their goal. Isenberg is successfully tapping seniors to think about giving back while they're still on campus, increasing young alumni donations and engagement.

Canfield ’83 MS Appointed to USTA Board of Directors

May 02, 2017

Laura Canfield ’83 MS, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) as the Director at Large. Canfield boasts a prodigious reputation within the sport of tennis. She’s served as executive director of the USTA Middle States Section, special liaison to the USTA President, tournament coordinator/circulation manager for Tennis Week magazine, and more. Canfield is co-founder, and currently holds the role of director, of the Buck County Tennis Association. Read More.

The Million Dollar Man: Behind the big-thinking genius of J.B. Bernstein ’90

April 14, 2017

Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel had never held a baseball before meeting J.B. Bernstein, but after winning the top two slots in his “Million Dollar Arm” reality TV show, they were signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates and became the first Indians contracted to play professional sports in the United States. Bernstein’s cross-cultural experience turned his career around, led to his marriage, and gave him a new perspective on the things that matter. Today, he continues to advocate for the power of this kind of breakthrough insight, in work and in life, and recently came back to UMass to inspire Isenberg’s next generation of graduates.

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