Hall of Fame 2010

This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 2, Issue 1 (Fall 2010)

The School’s Hall of Fame was established in 1993 to recognize the outstanding business and community achievements of its alumni and students. Since then, over 100 alumni have been inducted. Alumni with outstanding achievements in business were inducted into the 17th Annual Hall of Fame Celebration. This year’s alumni inductees are Michael G. Koppel ’78 and Joseph E. Parsons ’79. Fifteen School of Business students were honored as Hall of Fame Fellows. The Travelers Companies, Inc. received the Outstanding Strategic Partner Award.

The Travelers Companies, Inc.

The University of Connecticut is committed to addressing the state’s needs through education, research and outreach. To fulfill this mission, partnerships with leading Connecticut businesses are vitally important. The enduring support of The Travelers Companies, Inc., a much valued collaborative partner, has significantly strengthened UConn and, in so doing, benefitted the people of Connecticut.

Because the company has a major presence in Connecticut, Travelers and UConn share a commitment to developing a well-educated workforce and improving the quality of life for the state’s residents. Travelers has employed more than 700 University of Connecticut alumni employees and continues to actively recruit UConn graduates.

From 1982 to 2009, Travelers’ philanthropic gifts to UConn exceeded $6 million. Of that amount, more than $1.2 million was directed to the School of Business for scholarships and a variety of programs, most notably a college access initiative targeting underrepresented youth that has awarded scholarships totaling $534,000 since 2007. Travelers EDGE: Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment is designed
to increase access to higher education and provide students with the opportunity to excel.

Joseph E. Parsons ’79
Management Committee Member
Bridgewater Associates, LP

Joseph E. Parsons joined Bridgewater Associates as a member of its Management Committee in 2010. Prior to joining Bridgewater, Joe was a vice president of General Electric Company and president & CEO of the GE Real Estate’s Global Investment Management division. Before taking on these responsibilities, Joe was president of GE Real Estate’s North America Equity division, where he led a group of real estate businesses stretching throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico with more than $25 billion invested in real estate assets Prior to leading North America Equity, he was president and
CEO of GE Equity, where he managed a $5 billion portfolio. Joe earned an MBA from the University of Arkansas and a BS in Finance from the University of Connecticut.

Michael G. Koppel ’78
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Nordstrom, Inc.

Michael G. Koppel is executive vice president and chief financial officer of Nordstrom, Inc., one of the nation’s leading fashion specialty retailers. Mike has more than 25 years of retail
industry experience in finance, strategy and planning and operations. After joining Nordstrom in 1999 as corporate controller and principal accounting officer, Mike was appointed CFO in April 2001.

Additionally, Mike supports and serves as a member of the board of Nordstrom fsb, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nordstrom, Inc. and federally chartered savings bank. In 2009, Mike was recognized by for the third time in Institutional Investor magazine as one of “America’s Best CFOs.”

Student Fellows

Gregory M. Autuori ’10
Undergraduate Program

Ethan C. Beschler ’10
Undergraduate Program

Bryan W. Bystricky ’10
Part-Time MBA, Hartford

Sophia K. Cerreta ’10
Undergraduate Program

Russell A. Gagain ’10
Executive MBA, Hartford

Jennifer K. Gorman ’10
Full-Time MBA Program, Storrs

Simone T. Hill ’10
Undergraduate Program

Nicholas C. Misenti ’09
MS in Accounting

Ezra J. Okon ’10
Undergraduate Program

Andrew O. Oladipo ’09
Part-Time MBA, Stamford

Camron Rafiee ’10
Undergraduate Program