Event Article

“I Want Her On My Team”

Posted on by Claire Hall
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

Watch Out!

Posted on by Claire Hall
Roger Piqueras Jover (pictured), a wireless security research scientist at Bloomberg, was among the speakers at UConn's TakeDownCon security conference. (UConn School of Business)
Roger Piqueras Jover (pictured), a wireless security research scientist at Bloomberg, was among the speakers at UConn’s TakeDownCon security conference. (UConn School of Business)

Security Experts Offer Warnings, Recommendations During UConn’s Cybercrime Prevention Conference

The world is in the throes of a love affair with mobile technology and it shows no signs of abating.

We love to do our banking on our phones, text our friends—whether a block away or halfway around the world—and even set our thermostats using our mobile devices.

But the freedom and power that technology gives to mobile users is also a gateway to trouble for professional hackers, said Roger Piqueras Jover, a wireless security research scientist at Bloomberg. Because every time your phone or mobile device switches to a different transmission tower, a passive eavesdropper in your vicinity could potentially track the location of your smartphone, he said. Continue Reading

2016 iQ Winners

Posted on by Claire Hall
Elizabeth “Liz’’ Pouya, a rising senior majoring in physiology and neurobiology, who ultimately hopes to become a physician, presents her idea to prospective investors. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Elizabeth “Liz’’ Pouya, a rising senior majoring in physiology and neurobiology who ultimately hopes to become a physician, presents her idea to prospective investors. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

“I Was Surprised That Someone Hadn’t Invented This Yet”

UConn senior Stephen Hawes debuted as an entrepreneur several years ago, working diligently to perfect his first invention: a wrist-mounted, propane-driven flame thrower.

His parents worried that their son, a mechanical engineering student, would burn down their home.

But Hawes persisted, and brought his prototype to an engineering conference in New York City. There, he saw a company demonstrating artificial appendages for children missing fingers.Continue Reading

Courage, Vision, Wisdom

Posted on by Claire Hall
Left to right, Mark L. Fagan, Scott Gillis, Bill Simon and Margaret Keane discuss business values at the "CEO Evolution." (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Left to right, Mark L. Fagan, Scott Gillis, Bill Simon and Margaret Keane discuss business values at the “CEO Evolution.” (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Three Top Executives Share Business Advice, Values at ‘CEO Evolution’ Program in Stamford 

When UConn alumnus Bill Simon ’81, ’88 MBA, was a newly hired executive at Walmart, before he became its president and CEO, he made a gutsy decision that he knew could make or break his career there.

The low-price retail giant was excelling in its cost-saving mission on many fronts, but when Simon looked at the profit margin on prescription medicine, he realized it could do much better. Continue Reading

Alums Inducted Into Hall of Fame

Posted on by Claire Hall
2016 Hall of Fame Alumni Inductees Robert Hughes '92, Drew Figdor '83, and Corliss Montesi '85 (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
2016 Hall of Fame Alumni Inductees Robert Hughes ’92, Drew Figdor ’83, and Corliss Montesi ’86 (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

School Honors Three Top Business Leaders Who Also Make Time to Give Back

The UConn School of Business honored three of its top alumni on May 6, inducting them into the School’s Hall of Fame during an elaborate and festive ceremony at the Hartford Marriott Downtown.

Those honored included: Continue Reading

Trailblazers: Three Outstanding Students Inducted Into Hall of Fame

Posted on by Claire Hall
Associate Dean of Research Sulin Ba presents Emily Vasington '16 with her Hall of Fame award. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Associate Dean of Research Sulin Ba presents Emily Vasington ’16 with her Hall of Fame award. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

An undergraduate who worked to improve bachelor-degree programs, an MBA student who helped his colleagues make new business contacts, and a Ph.D. student with award-winning research were the three student inductees into the School of Business Hall of Fame on May 6.Continue Reading

Graduates: Listen to Your Mother!

Posted on by Claire Hall
John Y. Kim '87 MBA, president and CIO of New York Life, offers advice to School of Business graduates during commencement on May 8. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
John Y. Kim ’87 MBA, president and CIO of New York Life, offers advice to School of Business graduates during commencement on May 8. (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

New York Life President John Y. Kim ’87 MBA Delivers Light-hearted, Advice-Filled Commencement Speech

Be kind to your siblings and your co-workers, never show up at a celebration empty handed, and listen to your mothers.

That was some of the advice that alumnus John Y. Kim ’87 MBA, the president and CIO of New York Life, offered to School of Business graduates during commencement on May 8. Continue Reading

Student Graduation Speaker: Parth Rana ’16

Posted on by Claire Hall
Parth Rana '16 (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)
Parth Rana ’16 (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

Finance major Parth Rana ’16, the student graduation speaker, told his classmates that they shouldn’t use their UConn knowledge strictly to excel in their careers. To do so, would be an injustice to the values of the university, he said.

Instead, he urged students to show gratitude to the innumerable people that helped carry them to this height and to blend knowledge with action. Meet new people, push yourself out of your comfort zone and express passion and excitement in all that you do, he said.

Related Commencement 2016 Stories

2016 School of Business Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony (Video)

View a copy of the 2016 Commencement Program

Listen to Your Mother! New York Life President John Y. Kim ’87 MBA Delivers Light-Hearted, Advice-Filled Commencement Speech

Graduate Profiles

When School of Business Dean John A. Elliott introduced the Class of 2016 at Commencement on May 8, he congratulated them on the significant milestone of graduation and reassured them that they are well prepared for what lies ahead.

“You are poised to become prominent members of your communities, voters whose votes will guide our choices, leaders whose words will affect others,” he said. “You are prepared to continue to learn, to leave your mark on our world, to innovate and create, to produce new products and new companies and to be leaders in your communities.”

Below, some of the top students from the Class of 2016 share their future plans:

Kevin Brown (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)


Kevin Brown: OPIM
Declined Two Job Offers Before the Right One Came Along

Andrea Jimenez (Melissa Ferrigno/UConn School of Business)


Andrea Jimenez: Financial Management
Graduate Took Time to Reflect on Family’s Sacrifices That Provided Her with a Brighter Future

Grace Kim '16 (UConn School of Business)


Grace Kim: Accounting
‘I think UConn was one of the better choices I’ve made’

Brendan Moore (Zack Wussow/UConn School of Business)


Brendan Moore: Real Estate
Graduate Plans to Bring Irish Work Ethic to Job; Mentor UConn Students the Way Others Guided Him

Kayla O'Leary (UConn School of Business)


Kayla O’Leary: Marketing
‘Those High Achievers Pulled out a Competitive Side in Me!’

Alexandra Wilds '16 (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)


Alexandra Wilds: Management
The Quest for Quality Health Care Worldwide is This Graduate’s Career Focus

Cybersecurity Must Be a CEO’s Top Priority, Former Military Defense Expert Tells Risk-Conference Audience

Posted on by Claire Hall
Connecticut Risk Management Conference 2016 (Zack Wussow)
Connecticut Risk Management Conference 2016 (Zack Wussow)

It isn’t a question of if your company’s cyber-security system will be breached, it is a matter of when.

That’s what retired Air Force Major General Brett T. Williams told more than 150 business executives and graduate students gathered at the Hilton Stamford Hotel and Executive Meeting Center for the UConn School of Business’ 4th Annual Connecticut Risk Management Conference.Continue Reading