MBA


Women MBAs Connect at UConn-Sponsored NAWMBA Event

Insurance executive Melissa Cummings ’98 MBA urges women to be more gutsy in their career pursuits. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Insurance executive Melissa Cummings ’98 MBA urges women to be more gutsy in their career pursuits. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

School of Business Lead Education Sponsor for National Association of Women MBAs Conference

The path to a top executive position isn’t a straight line, but, instead, a series of zig-zags that build competence, expertise and wisdom.

That’s what Melissa B. Cummings ’98 MBA, senior vice president and chief customer officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, told hundreds of women MBA students and graduates. Continue Reading


‘You are an Entrepreneur!’

Kathryn Friedrich, Head of Global Monetization, YouTube (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Kathryn Friedrich, Head of Global Monetization, YouTube (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

UConn’s New Xcite Conference Draws 200+ Women; Strives to Increase Connecticut’s Women Business Leaders

It was a simple assignment that YouTube executive Kathryn Friedrich gave to the audience of 200 business women: take a minute and think of an entrepreneur.

“If you’re not thinking of yourself, think again, because you are an entrepreneur,” she said. “Entrepreneurship is a mindset. You don’t have to start your own company to be an entrepreneur. You can start working on it right away!” Continue Reading


A Place Where Science is Always Fun

Matt Fleury '07 EMBA, Connecticut Science Center CEO and chairman, Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Matt Fleury ’07 EMBA, Connecticut Science Center CEO and chairman, Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

‘You Can See People Enjoy What You’ve Created’ Says Matt Fleury, CEO of CT Science Center

You can hardly blame Matt Fleury ’07 EMBA for wishing it would rain.

The president and CEO of the popular Connecticut Science Center in Hartford knows that rainy days create skyrocketing attendance. On warm, sunny days, families head to the beach or to pick apples.

On a quick walk through the Science Center, which draws some 300,000 visitors annually, Fleury’s eyes light up as he shows off his favorite exhibits: Continue Reading


‘The World Is …Brimming with Opportunities’

Sumit Kumar '17 MBA, one of 5 UConn graduate students who participated in a new summer program called The Verge Consulting Group. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Sumit Kumar ’17 MBA, one of five UConn graduate students who participated in a new summer program called The Verge Consulting Group. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Graduate Students Find Fulfillment in Assisting Startups; Business Owners Grateful for Helping Hand

Sumit Kumar, a second-year MBA student, couldn’t believe his good fortune.

This summer he was able to devise a market strategy for a growing beverage company and conduct market analysis and funding research for a biomedical-device manufacturer, both in Connecticut.Continue Reading


“I Want Her On My Team”

Corliss Montesi '86, vice president and corporate controller at Stanley Black & Decker, addresses hundreds of enthusiastic students at one of several graduate student Convocation events. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Corliss Montesi ’86, vice president and corporate controller at Stanley Black & Decker, addresses hundreds of enthusiastic students at one of several graduate student Convocation events. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Stanley Black & Decker Exec Urges New Grad Students to Find, Embrace their “Personal Brand”

One of the most important things you’ll bring to the workplace is your “personal brand”—your reputation, your expertise and the widespread perception that you are a valuable asset to the team.

“A brand is a promise of what’s to come,” Corliss Montesi ’86, vice president and corporate controller at Stanley Black & Decker, told hundreds of enthusiastic students at one of several graduate student Convocation events held on Aug. 25 at the Gershon Fox Ballroom in Hartford.Continue Reading


Alumnus Pledges $1 Million

John Kim '87 MBA (UConn photo)
John Kim ’87 MBA (UConn photo)

Scholarship Fund to Help Students from Underrepresented Backgrounds Attend School of Business

John Kim ’87 MBA, a Korean immigrant who earned an MBA from the UConn School of Business and is now the President of New York Life Insurance Co., and his wife Diane have pledged $1 million to a scholarship fund to help underrepresented students from Hartford earn a UConn business degree.

Kim and his family were able to move to the U.S. many years ago because of sponsorship by a host family.Continue Reading


Top Business Executives/Alumni Join Newly Created Dean’s Advisory Cabinet

UConn School of Business Dean John A. Elliott (Marie LeBlanc/UConn School of Business)
UConn School of Business Dean John A. Elliott (Marie LeBlanc/UConn School of Business)

Dean John A. Elliott has assembled a new Advisory Cabinet for the School of Business, which includes 12 outstanding business leaders who are also passionate about their commitment to the University. Continue Reading



‘Treat People Right Throughout Your Life’

Bill Simon '81, '88 MBA, former Walmart CEO, at the UConn School of Business Stamford campus. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Bill Simon ’81, ’88 MBA, former Walmart CEO, at the UConn School of Business Stamford campus. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

‘Treat People Right Throughout Your Life’ Says Former Walmart CEO Bill Simon ’81, ’88 MBA

A store manager had been abruptly fired in a small North Carolina town and Walmart president and CEO Bill Simon‘s phone was ringing off the hook.

Customers were irate, store associates were upset, and even the town’s mayor called to lodge a complaint.

“Our store manager had chased a shoplifter into the parking lot, tackled him and brought him back into the store,” recalled Simon, who earned both his bachelor’s degree and MBA from UConn. “Our policy was that we don’t chase shoplifters because of the risk of someone getting hurt, and he had clearly violated the policy.Continue Reading


CEO Evolution Features Former Walmart CEO/MBA Alum

William S. Simon, former president and CEO, Walmart U.S. (UConn School of Business)
William S. Simon, former president and CEO, Walmart U.S. (UConn School of Business)

Former Walmart CEO/UConn alumnus William S. Simon To Speak at CEO Evolution Program on June 15

William S. Simon ’83, ’88 MBA, former president and CEO of Walmart U.S. and a UConn School of Business alumnus, will be one of the panelists at the third annual CEO Evolution program on June 15.

He will be joined by Margaret Keane, president and CEO of Synchrony Financial in Stamford, and M. Scott Gillis, senior managing director and co-founder of the Manhattan managing consulting firm Galt & Co.

They will speak of Continue Reading