Alumni


Real Estate Alum David Wharmby Returns to UConn As Program Director

UConn Today – As a new business student, David ‘Dave’ Wharmby ’89 (BUS), ’02 MBA took an introductory real estate course that changed his life.

“Professor Byrl Boyce was a very personable guy, with a dry sense of humor, who really wanted to make sure we understood the material,’’ Wharmby says. “He took some complex financial math and went over it again and again, until students really felt like they were masters of difficult material.’’


UConn Will Name New Hockey Arena the Toscano Family Ice Forum

UConn Today – In recognition of a leadership gift that continues the transformational philanthropy of University Board of Trustees chairman Dan Toscano ’87 (BUS) and his family, the new state-of-the-art ice hockey arena being constructed at UConn Storrs will bear the name Toscano Family Ice Forum.


‘It Shouldn’t Have to Be So Hard’: UConn Team Creates Software to Revolutionize Nursing Clinical Scheduling

UConn Today – A team of former UConn students, their professor, and an industry expert have created a new company, called Appoint. Appoint’s inaugural product will be a software, called Clinical Assistant, that the founders believe will simplify the process, save time, and meet the needs of students, faculty, and medical practitioners.


UConn Startup Uses Tech To Ensure Breastfed Babies Thrive

UConn Today – At least half of breastfeeding mothers stop nursing by their infant’s second week of life, largely due to concerns about the baby receiving enough milk.

UConn alumnae Jayme Coates MS ’07, MBA ’10 and Brittany Molkenthin ’17 (NUR) believe they have created a solution. Lactation Innovations is an easy-to-use, non-invasive technology that may alleviate mothers’ concerns.


EBV Honors Lawrence Dapo ’15 With Inaugural Zacchea Veterans Impact Award

(Contributed Photo)

The UConn EBV program has awarded the inaugural Michael J. Zacchea Veterans Impact Award to a program alumnus who played an integral role in protecting former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sept. 11, created a successful Connecticut construction company, and continually supports his fellow veterans.Continue Reading



At-Risk High Schoolers Learning Personal Finance Basics at UConn

UConn Today – About 50 students from four high schools in Hartford and East Hartford have been traveling by bus to UConn’s Storrs campus for several Saturdays this spring to learn the basics of personal finance. Among those lessons are how to open a bank account, managing personal spending, and ways to fund a college education.


Grad Student Lexy Vecchio Wins IQ Challenge with Videogame that Mimics PTSD

Mary "Lexy" Vecchio and her startup Ursa Mayhem Media have won Innovation Quest 2022 with their video game, Here There Be Bears. (Contributed Photo)
Mary “Lexy” Vecchio and her startup Ursa Mayhem Media have won Innovation Quest 2022 with their video game, Here There Be Bears. (Contributed Photo)

At 11 years old, Mary “Lexy” Vecchio had a traumatic, life-changing ski accident.

She was skiing alone, without a helmet, and hadn’t told her family which trail she would be on. She had a terrible crash, and broke her hip. She was alone in the snow, stranded, frightened, and seriously injured. Her screams for help went unheard for a long time.Continue Reading


Commencement Speaker Rich Vogel: Pandemic Created Unprecedented Opportunity for Class of 2022

Areesha Khan '22, left and Sahar Sajjad '22, right, both MIS majors, attend the School of Business 2022 Commencement Ceremony at Gampel Pavilion. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)
Areesha Khan ’22, left and Sahar Sajjad ’22, right, both MIS majors, attend the School of Business 2022 Commencement Ceremony at Gampel Pavilion. (Nathan Oldham / UConn School of Business)

Richard Vogel ’87, a marketing expert and an adviser and champion for startup businesses, recalled feeling proud, but also uneasy about his future, when he attended his UConn graduation 35 years ago.

“Don’t ever let that feeling stop you from going boldly into your work. Instead, use fear and anxiety as a motivator and source of focus,” he told 800 enthusiastic undergraduates, their families, and friends at Saturday’s School of Business Commencement ceremony in Gampel Pavilion.Continue Reading