2026 Strategy Summit : Isenberg School of Management : UMass Amherst

The Isenberg School of Management’s Management Department hosted its 4th annual Strategy Summit April 25, 2026, for students to develop and showcase their problem-solving, strategic thinking, and teamwork abilities. The summit featured two main competitions: the Capsim Strategy Simulation Competition and the Isenberg Consulting Academy Case Competition.

Robert Bird, professor of business law and the Eversource Energy Chair in Business Ethics at the University of Connecticut, delivered the keynote address. Bird’s scholarship focuses on compliance, legal design, legal strategy, and business ethics. His speech, titled Transforming Legal Knowledge into a Strategic Asset, reflected his expertise in ethics and law and set the tone for the summit.

The event featured an afternoon panel with Isenberg faculty who served as judges for the Isenberg Consulting Academy’s Case Competition. Lynda Schwartz, professor of practice, director of forensic accounting and data analytics curriculum; Randy Williams, PhD, operations and information management (OIM) lecturer; Finance Lecturer John Griffin, PhD; and Management Lecturer Brian Shea, JD, shared strategic insights and career advice with the students. They also gave students the opportunity to hear personal stories and perspectives.

Student teams who competed in the Isenberg Consulting Academy’s Case Competition were given a Harvard Business School case that focused on Starbucks. The participants received the case a day before the event and then presented their recommendations to the judges at the Strategy Summit.

The judges unanimously voted the winning team: finance majors Jaden Odorczuk ’28 and Tejas Naik ’28.

Management Lecturer Matthew Langenkamp and OIM Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator Nora Junaid, PhD, rounded out a year of activities and learning with the case competition as faculty advisors for the Isenberg Consulting Academy.

Management Lecturer Carlos Valladares, PhD, was the faculty lead for the Capsim Competition, holding student workshops to help prepare competitors and getting the teams set up in the simulation. He was joined by accounting major Ray Thann ’25 and legal studies and finance double major Dante Coppola ’26, who provided guidance to student competitors and de-briefed the teams after each round.

Associate Professor of Management Ulya Tsolmon, PhD, also attended the competition, working with PhD students Ritasha Sharma and Patel Gbedjemaiho, who observed the competition as part of their research into team dynamics and AI.

The Capsim Competition hosted both undergraduate and graduate students, with eight teams over two industries within the simulation. In “Industry One,” first place was awarded to finance major Phan Ha Tran ’26 and marketing major Ryan Hu ’26. Second place was awarded to management major Daniel Ryu ’26, marketing major with a concentration in business analytics Thao Nguyen ’26, OIM major Mai Le ’26, and finance major Thuan Tran ’26. The award for most improved went to OIM major Jared Venditti ’26 and finance major Zachary Stuhldreher ’26. The top product/highest customer satisfaction award went to management major Phil Patterson ’26, management major John Pavlenkov ’29, and accounting major Valerie Terhune ’29.

In “Industry Two,” first place was awarded to finance major Alex Brunelle ’26, OIM major Darren Li ’26, and accounting major Nam Nguyen ’27. Second place went to accounting major Leslie Agurto ’26, finance major Brandon Ouellet ’26, and management major Thomas Pearson ’26. The innovative strategic approach award went to Sreyoshi Mukherjee, ’29MSBA, and Balaji Pranav Reddy Kaja ’26MSBA. The endurance award went to Madhura Bhonsale ’26MSBA and Alyssa Li ’26MBA .