This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 1 (Fall 2012)
1930
Joseph R. McCormick ’34 turned 100 years of age in May and is believed to be the oldest living former UConn football player. Mr. McCormick was a Brigadier General in 1967 with three Battle Stars, a Bronze Star and an Oak Leaf Cluster. He was also president and CEO of Connecticut Light & Power from 1968-1977, and has also served as vice chairman of the UConn Board of Trustees and UConn Alumni Association president.
1950
Senator Joseph J. Crisco Jr. ’59 has been inducted into the Wilbur Cross High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Senator Crisco was also honored with
the Distinguished Service Commendation.
Mr. Gene T. Offredi ’56 has been recognized by America’s Registry of Outstanding Professionals for his outstanding contributions and achievements in the field of financial planning and wealth management. Mr. Offredi is licensed as an investment adviser representative under the State of Connecticut, Department of Banking. His specialty is investment and insurance planning for individuals, families and small businesses. One of Gene’s major financial accomplishments includes founding and owning the investment advice Summit Investor Coach, LLC. The company maintains intimate business relationships with attorneys and CPAs to provide all aspects of legal, accounting and financial assistance to clients when necessary.
1960
Steven P. Boyle ’69 MBA announced his retirement. Mr. Boyle led St. Peter’s Hospital through a $258 million construction project and a historic merger with two other health systems. He joined St. Peter’s Hospital in 1988 as the chief operating officer. He became president and CEO of St. Peter’s Hospital in 1993 and was the first layperson to lead the Catholic institution, which was founded by the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1869. During Mr. Boyle’s tenure, operating revenue more than tripled from $142 million to $454 million, and annual patient discharges grew from 20,800 to 25,500. The hospital has been recognized for its cardiac program, cancer services and nursing care.
Scott S. Cowen ’68 has been elected to the Notre Dame Board of Trustees. Mr. Cowen is currently the 14th president of Tulane University, where he is a professor of business and economics. Mr. Cowen is the author of four books as well as more than 100 academic and professional articles, essays, and reviews on strategic financial management systems, corporate governance and leadership.
1970
D’Anne Hurd ’79 MBA has been appointed to the Board of Directors at Hiperos, the leading platform for 3rd party management. Ms. Hurd served as the vice president, CFO and general counsel of a series of venture-backed, biotech and high-tech emerging-growth companies in the greater Boston area.
Christopher J. Kelleher ’77 was appointed to managing director and senior portfolio manager for Newfleet Asset Management. Mr. Kelleher will be part of Newfleet’s Multi-Sector Fixed Income Strategies team, where he will co-manage fixed income assets in the Virtus Total Return Fund and other portfolios. Previously, Mr. Kelleher was a senior managing director and senior portfolio manager at Goodwin Capital Advisers, where he managed the company’s multi-sector bond portfolios.
Bruce B. Monahan ’76, ’12 MSA has been appointed to senior vice president and chief audit executive of Subsidiary Selective Insurance Company of America. Mr. Monahan joined Selective in 2007 as vice president of Internal Audit. Prior to that, Mr. Monahan was assistant vice president of Liberty Mutual Group.
Anne W. O’Connell ’74 CPA was appointed to director of administration and finance for the University of Connecticut’s Alumni Association. Ms. O’Connell will supervise all of the organization’s financial operations, information technology and the Alumni Center. Ms. O’Connell will also be working to streamline the internal processes and build greater efficiency in the Alumni Association’s operations.
Charles P. Slacik ’76 has been appointed to STAAR Surgical’s Board of Directors on the Audit Committee. STAAR Surgical Company is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of minimally invasive ophthalmic products. Mr. Slacik has over 30 years of executive-level experience in the health care industry serving most recently as the senior vice president and chief financial officer of Beckman Coulter Inc.
Edward G. Verlander ’76 MBA is chairman of Verlander, Wang & Co., LLC, an international management consulting firm based in New York and published his book, The Practice of Professional Consulting, in October. Mr. Verlander’s book is a comprehensive examination of what has been called “the world’s newest profession” and is a practical resource that offers an overview of the industry.
1980
Yvon Alexandre ’82 was awarded the UConn Alumni Association Humanitarian Award. Mr. Alexandre has served on civic and professional boards, as chairman of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce, on the City of Hartford’s Property Tax Reform Task Force, and also was head of the Connecticut Haitian American Organization where he coordinated an immense fundraising effort to aid the Haitians who were affected by the disaster.
Christopher W. Curtin ’82 has joined Processing Technologies International LLC as the vice president of International Sales. Processing Technologies International is a maker of sheet extrusion machinery in Aurora, Illinois. Mr. Curtin has 26 years of plastics industry experience and was previously an owner of EDI, a maker of flat dies and extrusion coating dies. While at EDI he held positions such as international market development manager, marketing director, executive vice president of sales and marketing and most recently vice chairman of commercial activities.
Andrew J. DeLoreto, Jr. ’88 has been appointed to national sales manager of the financial institutions channel at Lincoln Financial Group. In his new role, Mr. DeLoreto will lead all distribution efforts for the insurance solutions line in the financial institutions channel and will focus on assisting advisors with issues regarding taxation strategies, retirement planning, wealth protection and wealth transfer. Mr. DeLoreto has had over 24 years of financial services and sales leadership experience.
Melanie (Scussell) Joy ’87 has joined Rockville Bank as vice president, senior commercial real estate banking officer. In her role there, she is part of the bank’s commercial real estate group and she is responsible for loan origination of their Regional Commercial Real Estate Program. Ms. Joy has had over 25 years of commercial real estate lending experience at Liberty Bank. While at Liberty bank, Ms. Joy held the titles of team leader originations and underwriting and resort finance manager.
David M. Jurasek ’86 MBA was recently promoted to vice-president of finance at Crystal Rock LLC, Inc. Mr. Jurasek will continue to evaluate the financial health and direction of the business. Evaluating costs versus investments and creation of financial key performance indicators will help to ensure Crystal Rock is financially sound. Mr. Jurasek will help the company navigate changing economic market conditions.
Brian J. Kelley ’87 MBA was named president and chief executive officer for Tii Network Technologies, Inc., a leader in designing, manufacturing and marketing network products for the communications industry. Mr. Kelley has been on the company’s board since April 2008 and has served as the chairman of the company’s board since May 2010.
David D. Kennedy ’85, ’89 JD has been appointed to executive vice president and chief legal officer at JDA Software. His roles include providing leadership on legal matters for the company, including corporate governance, compliance, litigation and risk management, acquisition activity and commercial transactions. Mr. Kennedy has had over 25 years of experience providing legal counsel to public and private technology companies in his time at IBM, Better Place and Business Objects.
John Y. Kim ’86 MBA was selected to run one of the two major business units created in the recent reorganization of New York Life Insurance Company. Mr. Kim, who will maintain his positions of executive vice president, chief investment officer and head of New York Life Investments, will assume additional responsibilities for Retirement Income Security products and solutions, which are being combined with New York Life Investments.
Frederick H. Kuriger ’89 MBA has been named chief executive officer of Catskill Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in New York. With over 30 years of experience in hospital administration, Mr. Kuriger joins CRMC from Seton Health System where he served as executive vice president, chief operations officer and corporate responsibility officer.
Paul Morrisroe ’86 was appointed to senior vice president, chief financial officer and secretary of Associated Materials, LLC in Ohio. Mr. Morrisroe brings over 20 years of management experience in manufacturing and logistical services companies, including three years serving in a senior management capacity.
Douglas M. Nelson ’82 was named president at Acadia Insurance Company. Mr. Nelson has more than 25 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry. In his new position, Mr. Nelson will help to strengthen Acadia as one of the premier providers of property casualty insurance in the Northeastern United States.
Robert J. Nikl ’83 MBA has been appointed to executive vice president and chief financial officer of Silicon Graphics International Corporation. Nikl has over 35 years of financial experience which encompasses financial and internal control activities, including financial planning and reporting, accounting, internal audit, investor relations, tax, treasury and risk management.
Marcienne M. Tiebout-Touron ’84 MBA has been promoted to executive director at Associa Gulf Coast. Associa Gulf Coast provides community association management and developer services to Southwest Florida. Prior to her promotion, Ms. Tiebout-Touron served as corporate and client controller.
John A. Wain ’88 has been appointed to chief financial officer at Rouse Properties in New York City. Mr. Wain was most recently a managing director and the head of Real Estate Americas at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank. Previous to this, Mr. Wain has focused extensively on structuring and negotiating secured and unsecured corporate real estate facilities and property level loans for public REITs, owners and developers, as well as corporate bonds, interest rate derivatives and equity transactions.
Bradford H. Wainman ’85, ’95 MBA has been chosen to lead Simon Konover Development Corporation’s strategic expansion as senior vice president. In this role, he will direct the strategic expansion of its portfolio through a combination of new construction and property acquisition. Mr. Wainman will also continue to serve as capital markets director, overseeing investment strategy, risk management and portfolio development. Mr. Wainman has over 25 years of experience in commercial real estate and asset management.
L. Wesley Stout ’86 MBA has been appointed to the American Society of Landscape Architects Council of Fellows for 2012. Mr. Stout is recognized for his contributions to his profession and society based on his works, leadership, management and service. He has transformed Stamford, Connecticut by working to extend the city’s greenway and connect it to its waterfront.
1990
Robert H. Bateman, Jr. ’91 MBA has been promoted to senior vice president and controller of The Hartford. Mr. Bateman will be responsible for the accounting operations of the company. Since joining The Hartford in 2004, Mr. Bateman has held the position of senior vice president and chief financial officer for The Hartford’s Commercial Markets division as well as a variety of roles within the finance organization.
Diane (Vaccaro) Bredehoft ’90 MBA has been promoted to first vice president at the Bank of New Canaan. Ms. Bredehoft joined the Bank of New Canaan in 2009 and is responsible for developing new lending relationships, managing existing customers and underwriting for new and existing real estate and C&I loans. Previously Ms. Bredehoft was vice president of risk management at Wachovia Bank in New Haven, Connecticut.
Priscilla Cale ’99, ’06 MBA co-authored with David C. Tate Ph.D. . the book, Sink or Swim: How Lessons from the Titanic Can Save Your Family Business.
Klarn J. DePalma ’92 has been elected chair of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association. He is currently the senior vice president and general manager of WFSB-TV 3, Hartford and New Haven, and WSHM-TV. Mr. DePalma’s positions at the station include account executive, local sales manager, general sales manager, director of sales, vice president and general manager.
Frederic C. Dupont ’98 MBA was promoted to head of global sales of the Mubadala Aerospace MRO network. In this new position, Mr. Dupont will play a key role in expanding the MRO network’s global customer base and position the joint product and service portfolio of Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies and SR Technics.
A.J. Edwards ’93, ’97 MBA has been appointed to chief investment officer of the Cornell Board of Trustees. Mr. Edwards joined Cornell as a senior investment officer in 2008. In his role as CIO, Mr. Edwards is responsible for the management of Cornell’s $5.3 billion endowment in concert with the board’s investment committee. Mr. Edwards’ other responsibilities include recommending the asset allocation to the investment committee, risk management and the manager selection process.
Kenneth C. Griebell ’91 has been appointed as a director of marketing and distribution for Ramius LLC’s New York firm. In this newly created role, Mr. Griebell will expand Ramius’ marketing and distribution activities for liquid alternative products to new and existing customers and grow Ramius’ presence across distribution channels that focus on mass affluent retail investors. Mr. Griebell joins Ramius LLC with a great deal of experience, having spent more than 20 years in the financial services industry.
Michael E. Haylon ’91 MBA has joined the Hartford asset manager, Conning Inc. as managing director, overseeing investment products. Mr. Haylon will be in charge of global product development and management of Conning’s investment products. Mr. Haylon joins Conning from General Re New England Asset Management and was previously executive vice president and investment chief at The Phoenix.
Barry A. Morris ’96 MBA has been appointed to executive vice president and chief operating officer at STR Holdings Inc. Mr. Morris joined STR in 2002 as vice president and chief financial officer and prior to that Mr. Morris served as chief financial officer of General Bearing Corporation.
Christine Shaw ’91, ’96 JD, ’09 MBA has been appointed as Connecticut’s deputy treasurer by Treasurer Denise Nappier. Ms. Shaw’s previous treasury experience includes government relations, communications, and investment compliance. She has worked with Nappier in the Treasury Department since 1999.
William D. Sluben ’92, ’95 MBA and Live Link Events, the agency he founded in 2005, have been acquired by MoZeus Worldwide. Mr. Sluben will serve as the company’s new senior vice president of consumer engagement. Live Link Events was created as an experiential marketing agency specializing in strategically identifying, implementing and executing marketing solutions that leverage the convergence of on and off-line consumer engagements.
John Toscano ’91 was named partner at accounting and consulting firm J.H. Cohn LLP. Mr. Toscano is in charge of J.H. Cohn’s Educational Institution Industry Practice and is a member of the Not-for-Profit Industry Practice. His expertise includes accounting, auditing and consulting in the not-for-profit, manufacturing and construction industries.
Stacie M. Wolf ’99 MBA has joined Scan-Optics, a leader in applying high-speed imaging, recognition and data capture solutions as chief financial officer. Prior to joining Scan-Optics, Ms. Wolf held senior level positions with Motorola, Barnes Group and Sensus USA.
2000
John J. Albanese ’06 MBA was promoted to commanding officer of the police Troop C barracks in Tolland, Connecticut. Prior to taking this position, Mr. Albanese was executive officer at Troop H in Hartford, Connecticut for the past three years.
Robert P. Amenta ’07 joined ING Investment Management located in New York as a high yield analyst. Mr. Amenta was most recently employed at Credit Suisse as a trading desk credit analyst, covering the media and telecommunications sectors. He is currently working for ING’s Global High Yield Fund, covering the aerospace, cable, defense, metals, mining, satellites and transportation sectors, in addition to having analytical portfolio management responsibilities.
Andrew A. Boyd ’08 has been appointed to the position of director of the Orthodox Church in America’s Department of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministries. Mr. Boyd was an active member of the local chapter of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship and attended Holy Trinity Church in Willimantic, Connecticut while he was at UConn. Mr. Boyd worked as an intern at the headquarters of Syndesmos, the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth, in Athens, Greece. He also entered the Masters of Divinity Program at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary, from which he graduated cum laude in May 2012. Since 2010, Andrew has edited the department’s blog, Wonder, which publishes several articles every month on specific themes. Mr. Boyd plans to expand the department’s multi-media and social networking offerings.
Vasantharao Chigurupati ’05 MBA, ’12 Ph.D. successfully defended his dissertation titled, “Essays on Capital Market Frictions: Evidence from Lease Financing.” Dr. Chigurupati has accepted a position at Sacred Heart University.
Jeffrey D. Downs ’07, ’09 MSA has been awarded the prestigious Elijah Watt Sells Award for his excellent performance on the Certified Public Accountant exam. Mr. Downs is currently employed with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hartford, Connecticut.
William T. Jachym ’07 has been awarded the prestigious Elijah Watt Sells Award for his excellent Performance on the Certified Public Accountant exam. Mr. Jachym is currently an employee of McGladrey and Pullen in New Haven, Connecticut.
Christopher C. Jarvis ’01 MBA joined the Board of Directors at True 2 Beauty, Inc., a leading distributor of male and female lifestyle ingestible products and health and beauty accessories in the United States. Currently Mr. Jarvis is president and CEO at Caprock Risk Management, where he has built a nationally recognized boutique commodities firm specializing in the energy markets.
John J. Kelly ’08 MBA was named vice president and commercial loan officer in commercial lending by TD Bank in Vienna, Virginia. Mr. Kelly specializes in commercial real estate developing and maintaining relationships with investors and middle-market developers throughout the D.C. Metro region. Also, Mr. Kelly has six years of commercial real estate banking experience and more than 20 years in real estate acquisitions and development.
Matthew O. Liskom ’09 joined the sales and local tax (SALT) team at Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC in Brentwood, Tennessee. He brings experience in both SALT and OneSource software. Prior to joining LBMC, he was a sales and use tax analyst with IBM.
John W. Marchetti ’00 MBA was appointed to chief strategy officer at Fabrinet USA, Inc., a provider of precision optical, electro-mechanical and electronic manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers of complex products. Prior to joining Fabrinet, Mr. Marchetti worked as an equity analyst at Cowen & Co. from 2008 to 2011 and Morgan Stanley from 2002 to 2008.
Garth A. Monroe ’00 was appointed to chief financial officer at BioNano Genomics, Inc. Prior to joining BioNano Genomics, Mr. Monroe served as chief financial officer for Epocal, a multi-national, venture-backed medical device company, where he played a large role in the $55 million sale of the company to Alere™.
Hang T. Nguyen ’08, ’12 Ph.D. was named the winner of the 2012 Ph.D. student teaching award in marketing at the UConn School of Business. This honor was selected by a group of the coordinators of the business school concentrations along with the program director. Additionally, Mr. Nguyen was named the co-winner of the 2012 School of Business Ph.D. Student Teaching Award.
Hieu V. Phan ’06 MBA, ’12 Ph.D. successfully defended his dissertation titled, “Essays on Corporate Pensions and Failed Takeovers.” Dr. Phan has accepted a position as Assistant Professor at UMASS-Lowell. Additionally, Mr. Phan was named the winner of the 2012 Ph.D. student teaching award in finance at the UConn School of Business. This honor was selected by a group of the coordinators of the business school concentrations along with the program director.
Maxim Polonsky ’02, ’04, ’12 Ph.D. has successfully defended his dissertation titled “Going Beyond the Information Given: Perceiving Owners’ Personalities From Brands and Perceiving Brands From Owners’ Personalities.” Dr. Polonsky will be a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University, School of Medicine, under the supervision of Dr. Frederick L. Altice, coordinating health marketing research projects and conducting federally funded intervention and prevention campaigns in Eastern Europe.
David Rotatori ’04 MBA has been named chief financial officer of Naugatuck Savings Bank. He is currently the senior vice president and chief risk officer and will continue to serve in those roles. Mr. Rotatori has over 22 years of financial experience and is also a Chartered Global Management Accountant and Certified Public Accountant.
2010
Mark Aikman ’10 MBA was named one of the “40under40” Brand Innovators for 2012. The winners, who are 40 of the most innovative brand marketers under 40 years old, were selected by Brand Innovators based on their professional accomplishments and ability to use digital media and emerging advertising technology platforms to implement marketing and advertising campaigns.
Mario Alagoa ’12 MBA has been appointed to the position of solutions consultant at FiREapps. Before Mr. Alagoa joined FiREapps, he worked as a treasury manager at Nokia Inc., the multinational telecommunications company. There he was instrumental in the development and management of the company’s future cash-flows and balance sheet hedging programs. During his 12 years at Nokia Inc., Mr. Alagoa held several positions in the Accounting and Treasury departments in both Europe and in the United States.
Pantea Alirezazadeh ’12 Ph.D. successfully defended her dissertation titled, “Risk Management and Intangibles. The Role of Information in Customer Acquisition and Evaluation of Intangibles.” Dr. Alirezazadeh has accepted a position with 1010 Data.
Adam Boyajian ’12 was named the winner of the 6th annual Whiteboard Challenge hosted by the Westchester/Greater Connecticut National Black MBA Association. Mr. Boyajian’s business idea to bridge the gap between bus companies and college campuses with minimal public transportation, which was presented using only a whiteboard and marker, won him the competition.
Nick Forte ’11 produced a documentary film entitled, Eleven, which features eleven veterans from time periods ranging from World War II to the present. The documentary has been shown at the G.I. Film Festival in Washington, D.C.
Fan He ’12 Ph.D. has successfully defended his dissertation titled, “Essays on Investor Protection and the Impact of Globalization of Capital Markets.” Dr. He has been hired as an Associate Professor at Central Connecticut State University.
M. Nesij Huvaj, ’12 Ph.D. was named the winner of the 2012 Ph.D. student teaching award in management by the UConn School of Business. This honor was selected by a group of coordinators of the business school concentrations along with the program director. Additionally, he successfully defended his dissertation titled, “A Modularity View of Alliance Portfolio Configuration and Organizational Ambidexterity.” Dr. Huvaj has accepted a position as assistant professor of management and entrepreneurship at Suffolk University in Boston.
Elizabeth O. Kohl ’12 Ph.D. was named the winner of the 2012 Ph.D. student teaching award in accounting at the UConn School of Business. This honor was selected by a group of coordinators of the five business school concentrations along with the program director. Additionally, Ms. Kohl was named the co-winner of the overall 2012 School of Business Ph.D. Student Teaching Award.
Alain Krapl ’12 Ph.D. successfully defended his dissertation titled, “Essays in Foreign Exchange Exposure and International Finance.” Dr. Krapl has accepted a position as Assistant Professor at Northern Kentucky University.
Michael R. Kukenberger ’12 Ph.D. successfully defended his dissertation titled, “A Shared Leadership Classification and Multi-Level Exploration of Compositional Antecedents and Team and Individual Outcomes.” Dr. Kukenberger has accepted a position at Rutgers University.
Christopher M. Morelli ’10 has been appointed to the position of law clerk at the law firm of Trendowski & Allen, P.C. Mr. Morelli worked as a lawyer’s assistant for the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone and Morelli and as a summer associate at the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, Workers’ Compensation Division. He will enter his third year of law school in September at the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Smriti Prabhakar ’12 Ph.D. has successfully defended her dissertation titled, “Reaping the Fruits of Legitimacy: Effects of a New Venture’s Pre-IPO Alliance Portfolio in the Market for IPOs.” Dr. Prabhakar has accepted a position at the Unviersity of Connecticut School of Business.
Natesa Prasad ’12 Ph.D. has successfully defended his dissertation titled, “Two Essays on R&D.” Dr. Prasad has been hired as a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in New Delhi, India.
Kerri E. Richardson ’11 was featured in a recent issue of WetFeet Magazine, which highlights recent college graduates that have had success in the business field. Ms. Richardson currently works at Royal Bank of Scotland America’s headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
Lei Wang ’12 Ph.D. was named the winner of the 2012 Ph.D. student teaching award in operations and information management at the UConn School of Business. This honor was selected by a group of coordinators of the business school concentrations along with the program director.
Junichi Yamanoi ’12 Ph.D. has successfully defended his dissertation titled “Competition Networks: The Influence of Relational and Structural Embeddedness on Competitive Activity.” Dr. Yamanoi has accepted a prestigious Post-Doc position at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in their Management Department’s Center for International Business.
Michael Zacchea ’12 MBA has been awarded the prestigious Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year Award. He is currently the program director of the University of Connecticut Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities. He was commissioned in the Marine Corps in 1990. Mr. Zacchea’s military awards include the Bronze Star Medal for Valor (with gold star in lieu of 2nd award) and numerous unit and campaign awards.
Hall of Fame 2012
On Friday, April 27, 2012, the UConn School of Business inducted alumni with outstanding achievements in business into their 19th Annual Hall of Fame Celebration which was held in Hartford, Connecticut. The School’s Hall of Fame was established in 1993 to recognize the outstanding business and community achievements of its alumni and students.
This year’s alumni inductees were Melinda T. Brown ’77, ’85 MBA, Senior Vice President, Global Financial Shared Services, PepsiCo Inc.; Gerald “Jerry” D. DesRoches ’82, Managing Director, Wealth & Tax Advisory Services, Inc.; Sheldon F. Kasowitz ’83, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Indus Capital Partners LLC; and Edward M. Satell ’57, President, CEO & Founder, Progressive Business Publications. Cigna received the
Outstanding Strategic Partner Award. Ida Chaplinksi ’96 accepted the award on behalf of
Cigna.
