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.
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.
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 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.’’
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.
UConn Today – Five UConn School of Business alumni, who have excelled in fields as diverse as college basketball, power-tool manufacturing, and complex financial services, will be inducted into the School of Business Hall of Fame this spring.
Brian & Company – Rory Mcgloin and Mayor Shari Cantor of West Hartford join the conversation.
UConn Today – More than a dozen UConn students put Hartford under the microscope this semester, assessing the city’s strengths, scrutinizing its shortcomings, and strategizing ways to increase its vibrancy.
Luis Quisumbing’s eyes light up as he talks about his membership in the student-run UConn Formula SAE race car organization. The latest car took first place for acceleration in a recent college competition, beating more than 100 other entries. The technology and innovation it incorporates might also be applied to other fields, including the defense industry.
Aria Penna is developing expertise in investing, and is particularly intrigued by companies developing technology that can make the world more green. She has become more knowledgeable about sustainability, and can quickly identify promising startups.
Although five decades separate the two business students from UConn alumna Antonietta ‘Toni’ Boucher ’02 MBA, their perspective is the same: Who better than UConn students and alumni to create, support, bolster and lead companies that are going to change the world?
“When I talk to these students, I see my own children, I see my own grandchildren. The School of Business is a place of innovation. There is wonderful talent here,’’ said Boucher, a former Connecticut state legislator who served for 22 years.
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UConn Today – Alumna Lindsay Adams ’22 (BUS), a law student at Fordham University, didn’t know a soul who worked in Major League Baseball, but she didn’t let that prevent her from landing her dream internship.
She scrolled through LinkedIn and sent messages to everyone she could find who was affiliated with MLB. She ended up connecting with the woman who would become her supervisor.