UConn Today – This past spring, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Chairman Rodney Butler ’99 (BUS) addressed a large audience of students, faculty, and staff at the Student Union Theatre. One member of the audience paying especially close attention was Samantha Gove ’24 (CLAS), a member of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation who worked extensively with UConn’s Native American Cultural Programs during her time in Storrs. Shortly after Butler’s visit, he and Gove connected over video call for a conversation about Butler’s time at UConn, what he’s learned in two decades of leadership in the Nation, and what he wants Native students to keep in mind. The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Alumni
‘Change Happens When One Person Makes a Bold Move’
UConn Today – Alumna Medina Jett ’08 EMBA delivered a commencement speech to the Class of 2024 that emphasized something she knows well: the importance of being brave and thoughtful in the face of change, whether celebrated or not.
“I stand before you not only as a fellow Husky, but as someone who understands the challenges and triumphs that come with the journey of life,’’ Jett told some 700 enthusiastic undergraduates, their families, and friends on Saturday afternoon in Gampel Pavilion.
‘Hall of Fame’ Inductees Share Business Wisdom, Keys to Personal Success
UConn Today – The UConn School of Business’ Hall of Fame Ceremony offered a collection of stories, both funny and poignant, an abundance of heart-felt gratitude, and enough great business advice to fill an Adam Grant bestseller.
Retired IBM Executive Shares Family Doctrine About Fostering Change, the Value of True Innovation
UConn Today – As the former Executive Vice President of Innovation and Technology at IBM, Nicholas Donofrio had plenty of insight to share on technology, leadership qualities, and how people wrongly address their workplace challenges.
Donofrio spoke to 100 people—professionals, faculty and staff, and students–during the annual Rosenberg-McVay Business Leadership Series event on Tuesday night at UConn Stamford.
Sustainability Summit: Doing the Right Thing for the Environment is Much More Complex Than It Seems
UConn Today – When a team of technicians travels by boat from New London, Conn. to South Fork Wind, the Orsted-company’s expansive offshore wind farm, their vessel travels at a very slow speed to prevent disruption to whales and other marine life.
And while that is the best thing to do for the environment, the slow-moving boat gets rocked hard by the waves, making many members of the crew seasick before they get to the job site.
In addition, because of the speed limits, it takes up to 3.5 hours to get to the destination, a longer time than the technicians spend doing their work. It is just one of many stories shared at the annual Global Business Leadership in Sustainability Summit in Storrs on Friday, illustrating the challenges of implementing new technology and the complexity of creating a greener Earth.
Designing a Take-2 Career
UConn Magazine – Any interior designer would be ecstatic to be one of 15 finalists for the HGTV 2023 Designer of the Year award. But for Jeanne Collins ’05 MBA, the honor is particularly meaningful, as she is only three years into a design career.
Accounting Professor Frank Murphy Wins Award for Outstanding Research
UConn Today – Accounting professor and UConn alumnus Frank Murphy ‘07 has won the American Taxation Association’s Outstanding Tax Manuscript Award for his significant contribution to the tax literature.
‘A Beautiful Coincidence’
UConn Today – What are the odds that two women, complete strangers from Dallas, Texas, would enroll in the UConn Online MBA program during the same semester?
How about the chances that these two graduate students happen to live on the same street?
Whether it was destiny, or just a rare and delightful coincidence, Anna (Neupert) Wildfeuer ‘19 (BUS) and Julia Carter are glad they met at orientation in Connecticut last fall. They have since become both collegial classmates and good friends.
UConn Alum to Discuss Bold Changes, Perseverance in Addressing Sustainability Challenges
UConn Today – When Brian Paganini ’03 (BUS) and the team at Quantum Biopower proposed building a food waste-to-energy plant in Connecticut about 10 years ago, there were plenty of cynics.
“The challenges we faced were too many to list,’’ Paganini says. “We had to figure out the logistics of developing, constructing, and operating a new technology platform that had not existed in this country at that point.’’
Nicholas Donofrio, former Executive VP at IBM, Shares Leadership, Innovation and Tech Strategies at March 5 Alumni Program in Stamford
UConn Today – With almost six decades of experience in technology and innovation, including as an Executive Vice President ushering an era of dramatic change at IBM, Nicholas M. Donofrio knows a great deal about transformation and strategy.
Donofrio, a scientist and engineer, is also the author of a 2022 book titled, “If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes: The Nick Donofrio Story,’’ which offers a combination of personal anecdotes, business insight, and wisdom, woven in with the advice and guidance from 37 other, extraordinary business leaders.