Alumni


CEO: Among Worthwhile Charities, UConn Tops List

Eugene F. Martin III '87, '89 MBA, president and CEO of Gordon Brothers Finance Co., serves on the Dean's Advisory Cabinet, offering valuable advice and advocacy for the School of Business.
Eugene F. Martin III ’87, ’89 MBA, president and CEO of Gordon Brothers Finance Co., serves on the Dean’s Advisory Cabinet, offering valuable advice and advocacy for the School of Business.

“The UConn School of Business was the foundation for everything I did in my career. It set me on a great course,” said Eugene F. Martin III, ’87, ’89 MBA, president and CEO of Gordon Brothers Finance Co. “If a career is a pyramid, you need a strong foundation. That came from my education at UConn.” Continue Reading


Which Wine Should I Try?

Red Wine | Which Wine to Choose

Startup VineSleuth Paired with UConn Grad Students to Revolutionize Wine Selection

Here’s a toast: To a team of ambitious, hardworking UConn graduate students, whose research helped grow a revolutionary wine-selection company.

Surprisingly, the students in Marketing Professor Girish Punj’s ‘Big Data & Strategic Marketing’ class were able to “uncork” the answers they needed, without a drop of wine dancing on their tongues. Continue Reading


Drug Triggers Immune System to Fight Cancer in Pets

Ashley Kalinauskas, '14 (BUS). (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Ashley Kalinauskas, ’14 (BUS). (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

UConn Today – Every time the veterinarian removed the cancerous tumor from the back of “BW,” a sweet-faced, well-loved, white cat, the malignancy would return two or three weeks later.

The cat’s owner opted to try a revolutionary veterinary cancer treatment, called VetiVax, which triggers the animal’s immune system to fight the disease. After the third treatment, the fibrosarcoma tumor didn’t recur, and “BW” has been healthy for 2½ years.

UConn alumna Ashley Kalinauskas is the CEO of Torigen Pharmaceuticals, the Farmington, Connecticut-based company that creates the new treatment. She is currently marketing it to veterinarians and is anticipating rapid growth for her startup.


When Cancer Attacks a Family

Renee Jackson '07 JD/MBA (Renee Jackson)
Renee Jackson ’07 JD/MBA, ready to bounce back and “really crush the opportunities” that come her way. (Renee Jackson)

Alumna Renee Jackson ’07 JD/MBA Shares Story of Resilience After Breast Cancer

It is hard to understand how life can be so cruel to one family.

But UConn alumna Renee Jackson watched her father battle breast cancer and her sister fight ovarian cancer, both with grace and resilience. They were her role models, Jackson said, when she herself was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, at age 37. Continue Reading


Prudential ‘Bootcamp’ Benefits Business Students

Business students who participated in the Prudential Career Strategy Bootcamp pose for a photo. (Kelly Kennedy/UConn School of Business)
Business students who participated in the Prudential Career Strategy Bootcamp pose for a photo. (Kelly Kennedy/UConn School of Business)

New Initiative Boosts Skills, Confidence; Maximizes Second-Year Student Experience

A new Prudential Career Strategy Bootcamp, designed to help UConn second-year students confirm their major, enhance their confidence, and gain mentoring relationships, was a huge success, organizers said. Continue Reading


Advice for the Class of 2017

Bo Ni '17 (BUS) poses for a photo with the husky statue following the School of Business Commencement ceremony on May 7, 2017. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)
Bo Ni ’17 (BUS) poses for a photo with the husky statue following the School of Business Commencement ceremony on May 7, 2017. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Arrive Early, Stay Late, Put in the Effort to Succeed, Says Commencement Speaker Doug Elliot, President of The Hartford

In a commencement speech laced with solid career advice about hard work and attaining career success, Doug Elliot ’82 mentioned that his life did benefit from a touch of serendipity. Continue Reading



Unique, Creative Startups Win $30,000

2017 Innovation Quest Awards

Innovation Quest Tops Participation Record; Winners Present Vastly Different, Creative Startup Ideas

The winners of this year’s Innovation Quest (iQ) competition had a unique set of people to credit for inspiring their success, including:

  • A friend with a teddy bear tattoo, emblazoned with his ex-girlfriend’s name;
  • A waitress who was trying to handle a mad-house of customers during a blizzard, when the rest of the wait staff didn’t show up;
  • A little brother who leaves his EpiPen home because it is too bulky to carry;
  • Americans who have very polarized beliefs about political events, depending on which news source they follow.

Continue Reading


‘Always Think About the Common Good’

The April 10 NetImpact program, titled, "Careers for the Common Good: The Value of Sustainability in Business" featured panelists Rene O. Deida, Susan Rochford, Sara Bronin, Benjamin Simmons-Telep, and Daryl Shore (Zack Wussow)
The April 10 Net Impact program, titled, “Careers for the Common Good: The Value of Sustainability in Business” featured panelists Rene O. Deida, Susan Rochford, Sara Bronin, Benjamin Simmons-Telep, and Daryl Shore. (Zack Wussow)

Personal Story of Overcoming Homelessness Adds Powerful Dimension to Net Impact Panel Discussion

Daryl Shore‘s personal story silenced the crowd at the inaugural meeting of the new UConn graduate students’ Net Impact chapter, an organization of people eager to make a positive change in the environment and the world. Continue Reading


Leadership: 3 Tips for Students

School of Business alumnus Joseph Briody '86, UConn's associate director for leadership development. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
School of Business alumnus Joseph Briody ’86, UConn’s associate director for leadership development. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Associate Director for Leadership Development Offers Students Three Tips to Maximize Their Potential

“Great ideas and innovations come from people who ask: what if we do it a different way?”

Joseph Briody ’86, UConn’s associate director for leadership development, still uses the background knowledge and skills that his accounting education gave him, but in non-financial ways. Continue Reading