Alumni


Lessons From a Fortune 500 CEO: Courageous, Thoughtful Leadership is Paramount in Business

Alumna Mary Laschinger ’92 EMBA, at a recent event for UConn Grad Students. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)
Alumna Mary Laschinger ’92 EMBA, at a recent event for UConn Grad Students. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)

Long before she became one of the most powerful CEOs in the nation, alumna Mary Laschinger ’92 EMBA developed a strong work ethic and the courage to take on formidable challenges.

“My upbringing, working on a Wisconsin dairy farm, in a large family including four brothers, helped me a great deal. You had to speak up and not be shy” she said. “As a business leader, I knew I had a right to be at the table and to be heard. I developed the confidence to speak my mind about what was important and what needed to be said.”Continue Reading


Financial Risk Grad Program Prompted Former Student Athletes, NFL Player to Overcome Obstacles, Adversity Off the Field

Young and successful football manager working on a tablet, and sitting on the stands alone. Cropped photo.
(istockphoto.com)

Before UConn alumnus Tyler Davis ’18 became a tight-end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, he started applying football strategies to his graduate work in the School of Business’ Financial Risk Management (FRM) program.Continue Reading


HBJ Honors 4 UConn Business Alums For Their Professional, Community Contributions

Businesswoman reading newspaper on worktable
HBJ’s 2021 Women in Business Awards include nine honorees who are alumnae of the UConn School of Business. (istockphoto.com)

Four UConn School of Business alumnae will be honored at the 2021 Women in Business Awards Ceremony. The April 22 event is sponsored by the Hartford Business Journal.Continue Reading


Alumnus’ Brainchild: Cannabis-Infused Beverage Company

Cans of Levia - Cannabis-infused seltzer
LEVIA, our April UConn Startup, is introducing cannabis -infused seltzer to the Massachusetts Dispensary market. (Photo Courtesy of LEVIA)

Alumnus Matt Melander ’09 is the President of LEVIA, a new cannabis-infused beverage company, based in Massachusetts. The company currently has three seltzers that are distributed at 38 dispensaries in Massachusetts, with roughly 40 more on the waiting list. Sales have been better than anticipated and the startup is growing quickly. Continue Reading


UConn To Debut New Online MBA Program

Cropped shot of a young female college student studying.
(istockphoto.com)

The UConn School of Business will launch an Online MBA program in the Fall, increasing accessibility for prospective graduate students while still providing the rigor, prestige, and benefits of an in-person UConn MBA degree.

The OMBA program, which will welcome its first 40-member cohort in late August, was endorsed by the university’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday. Applications will be accepted beginning in March.Continue Reading


Investors Keen on Alumnus’ Pet-Insurance Brokerage Business

a woman sits in her lounge and browses on her digital tablet whilst sorting her paperwork with her dog
(istockphoto.com)

Alumnus Travis Bloom’s Pawlicy Advisor, a pet-insurance marketplace, has raised an additional $6.5 million in funding, allowing the company to move on to the next stage of strategic growth.

The company analyzes top pet-insurance brands to explain coverage and price options for pet owners seeking medical insurance for their animals. Bloom, who earned his bachelor’s degree in business from UConn in 2013, is the co-founder and CTO.Continue Reading


Alumna: Happiness Isn’t as Elusive as it May Seem

UConn TodayUConn alumna Michelle Wax ’12 (BUS) drove her Jeep across the country in search of people who were truly happy.

She found hundreds of them, from teenagers to senior citizens. None of them were millionaires. All of them led normal lives with challenges, from the mundane to the extreme, yet their outlooks were inspirational.

In a documentary film, American Happiness, which debuts next week, Wax chronicles her journey and what she discovered from those who live joyful, energetic, and meaningful lives.Continue Reading


Wolff Family Philanthropy Champions UConn Entrepreneurs with ‘Unstoppable Ambition’

UConn Today – If there is one thing that alumnus Thomas John Wolff ’56 (BUS) knew well, from first-hand experience, it’s that becoming a successful entrepreneur is incredibly hard work.

Wolff, who once owned five businesses simultaneously, believed in persistence, ambition, determination and almost unstoppable drive. He also knew that a great mentor and wise advice can take a young entrepreneur a very long way.Continue Reading


Alum Who Created ‘Merican Mule Cocktail Company Has Plenty to Celebrate

UConn Today -Sales of ‘Merican Mule premium cocktail have skyrocketed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, fueling the good spirits of its UConn alumnus co-founder.

“Sales have been shot out of a cannon,’’ says Dean Mahoney ’09 (BUS). “The pandemic posed challenges to people who typically went to bars and restaurants. They wanted a quality cocktail at home, so they shifted their search to liquor stores.Continue Reading


A Taste of Something New! Alumnus Creates Monthly ‘Subscription Box’ Filled with Distinctive Local Goodies

Curated CT provides products from a variety of local sources. Pictured above, is a sample from a previous month. (Contrbuted Photo)
Curated CT provides products from a variety of local sources. Pictured above, is a sample from a previous month. (Contributed Photo)

For more than a decade, alumnus Donald Pendagast ’20 MBA, had been thinking about ways to introduce people to local, small food businesses that they might not try otherwise. In October, his idea came to fruition with the creation of Curated CT, a subscription food box featuring local delicacies, including cheese, coffee, chocolate and sometimes beer. The company is already turning a profit and donates some of its profits to a different local charity every month.Continue Reading