Bentley University Magazine Winter 2022

Rallying pride and community

What do a dance floor in Waltham and a class room in the Smith Center have in common? That would be Director of Athletics Vaughn Williams.

Our AD steps out daily for Falcon practices and games at every level. But you can also find him stepping up to raise money for local seniors or to discuss effective leadership with students in a graduate management course. This fall, Vaughn took a timeout to talk with us, about the role of athletics at Bentley and where the days take him to further its mission. Meet the champion connector on page 16.

We also caught up with eight student-athletes, past and present. Busy days come with the territory. They care passionately about excelling in their sport. They accept individual honors with grace, but their first allegiance is to teammates. They thrive on the energy and

support of faculty, staff and fellow students. And, as alumni, they keep their game time lessons and mindsets in play.

The energy of this issue includes launching some new columns. First up is “News from the Nest,” a quick primer on what’s new and notable on campus. In “Forward Thinking,” President Brent Chrite speaks to shifting expectations in higher education and Bentley’s place in that landscape. Alumni experts in different fields are the focus of “Trending.” The topic this time is personal investing. Finally, your then-and-now accounts of friend ships that started at Bentley (page 41) will now be a regular part of each magazine — welcoming contribu tions by resident and commuter students alike.

As always, we hope you enjoy the issue. Until next time: Go Falcons!

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Bentley University is more than just one of the nation’s top business schools. It is a lifelong-learning community that creates successful leaders who make business a force for positive change. With a combination of business and the arts and sciences and a flexible, personalized approach to education, Bentley provides students with critical thinking and practical skills that prepare them to lead successful, rewarding careers. Founded in 1917, the university enrolls 4,100 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate and PhD students and is set on 163 acres in Waltham, Massachusetts, 10 miles west of Boston. For more information, visit bentley.edu.

Editor Susan Simpson

Class Notes Editor Molly McKinnon

Staff Writer Kristen Walsh

Contributing Writers Hayden Field, Mary K. Pratt

Designers Claire Anderson, P ’14 ’18, Juliana Freire

Multimedia Producer Kevin Maguire

Project Managers Casey Brennan, Vanessa Sales Print and Production Judy Metz

NEWS NEST from the

PHOTO BY JAMIE WEXLER

Welcoming Flourish ... Orientation leaders greet Class of 2026 students and families. Look for more move-in day photos on page 7.

Diplomatic Discussion

H.E. Shaikh Abdulla R. Al-Khalifa ’01, MBA ’03, ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the U.S., visited campus for a discussion with President Chrite attended by more than 150 students, faculty and staff in Wilder Pavilion.

Students had the opportunity to speak with the alumnus following the discussion, and a small group escorted him around campus.

“I’ve always been incredibly interested in diplomacy and international relations,” said Colton Destrampe ’24 , an Economics-Finance major. “Hearing the ambassador talk about his experiences at Bentley and after college was really helpful.”

COLLECTING KUDOS

Bentley continues to earn high marks in comparisons with other American colleges and universities. These recent rankings are nationwide unless otherwise noted.

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

most innovative in the north #2 regional university in the north

PRINCETON REVIEW

for career services

“Best 10 Schools for Business Majors” WASHINGTON MONTHLY

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Two Appointed to University Leadership Positions

Ferguson to Lead New Strategy and Innovation Division

Sean Ferguson was appointed vice president for Strategy and Innovation. In this role, he will create partnerships with public and private sector organizations that strengthen the student experience and elevate the university. The new position stems from community input during the creation of “Falcons Forward 2030,” the university’s new strategic plan.

Ferguson previously worked as senior associate dean for Asia School of Business, a startup partnership between the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Central Bank of Malaysia.

Before Asia School of Business, Ferguson served as the associate dean of MBA and Master of Science programs at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s School of Business, where he provided leadership for four MBA programs and seven Master of Science programs, substantially increasing enrollment and revenue.

“Growth, strategic planning, innovation and expanding external partnerships with faculty and academic leadership have been central to my roles over the years,” Ferguson says, “and I look forward to helping Bentley succeed in these spaces.”

Grugan to Oversee University Advancement

Chris Grugan joined Bentley as the new vice president for University Advancement in November after a national search. He oversees the university’s fundraising, alumni engagement and Pulsifer Career Development Center.

Grugan came to Bentley from Harvard University, where he most recently served as executive director of Principal Giving for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He was responsible for developing and leading a newly created principal giving team, which worked with many of the university’s most loyal and generous alumni, parents and friends.

“Looking ahead to the many ways that our strategic plan will impact Bentley’s next decade and beyond, University Advancement will play a major role in diversifying our revenue streams and expanding our endowment,” says President Chrite. “I am excited to welcome Chris into our community and know that he and the entire Advancement division will help keep Bentley an organization we can be proud of for years to come.”

Grugan joined the leadership team as Be a Force: The Campaign for Bentley University reached a milestone: raising $90 million toward its goal of $100 million.

“I am happy to be here at this pivotal time and look forward to immersing myself in the university community,” he says. “I was drawn to this role by the passion and care for Bentley that I saw in abundance from alumni, faculty and staff throughout the interview process. The momentum we are seeing in campaign achievement is further evidence of a community-wide commitment to building on Bentley’s history of excellence.”

At Harvard, Grugan also served as the senior executive director of Individual Giving, where he led a 90-person team responsible for securing gifts to support the university’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Before that, he held advancement leadership positions at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business and Tufts University. Grugan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology from Colgate University.

Elevator Pitch

Top employers in search of their future workforce returned for the first career fair held on campus since 2019. More than 400 representatives of 126 employers took part in the event at the Bentley Arena.

Approximately 1,400 students connected with employers, practiced their elevator pitch, shared their résumés and learned about different industries and career opportunities.

The event was also a homecoming for more than 100 alumni, who participated on behalf of companies including EY, FactSet, The Bulfinch Group, Moody’s Corporation, Enterprise, FTI Consulting and Intus Care.

Check out the video at bentley.edu/careerfair.

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GOOD Measure

Bentley — Gallup survey shares results

More than half of Americans believe the impact is positive, according to the nationwide Bentley — Gallup Force for Good Survey

The role of business in shaping our society is growing. Americans today expect more from the private sector, and the university’s multi-year partnership with Gallup aims to better under stand where business is headed and how its impact is changing.

LEARN MORE at bentley.edu/gallup

How are businesses doing when it comes to making a positive impact on the world? And where are they falling short?

Jumping Right In! The campus community turned out in force to welcome first-year and returning students.

Forward Thinking

It’s an exciting time at Bentley and beyond as the business world — and business education — continue to reimagine their place in society.

For so long, shareholder profits and bottom lines were central to business models and board decisions. Those things are still important, and companies must of course remain profitable and financially sound. However, they’re increasingly turning their eye toward a belief that I have firmly held throughout my academic and professional career: that businesses and capitalism have the power, and moreover the responsibility, to do good things in the world.

Before coming to Bentley, I spent decades in some of the world’s most challenging economic markets. In each community, I saw how capitalism could provide an avenue for millions to escape profound poverty. That’s a worthy goal, but businesses can also do good in a myriad of small ways. Look no further than the work you yourself are doing, along with that of others in our 67,000-strong alumni community.

As I continue to meet Falcons and hear their success stories, I’m convinced more than ever that doing good is good business. I’m not the only one. Our recent Bentley — Gallup Force for Good Survey revealed that more than half of Americans believe business has a positive impact on society. And companies are paying attention by responding to consumers’ rising expectations and assuming social responsibilities like never before.

You play a unique role in advancing these initiatives. As innovative and entrepreneurial leaders, you are in the driver’s seat when it comes to promoting good business. Please know that, at Bentley, we’ll continue to do our part to educate the future architects of positive change. The strategic plan unveiled this fall, after a year of wide consultation, ensures our university stays a global leader in this space. As we work toward meeting ambitious goals, I am thankful for the high bar you already set for what it means to be a Falcon.

TIPS TO CALM CONFLICT

BY ELIANE MARKOFF, UNIVERSITY OMBUDS

Conflict is inevitable in human relationships. Managing it successfully can actually make us a better colleague, a better partner and a better friend.

Meet in person in a neutral location

The location of the meeting sets the tone for the outcome. Meeting in one person’s office would give a disadvantage to the other. Get together in a café or outside on a bench or even for a walk. Remember to listen and not interrupt, even when you disagree. You can express your opinion when the other person finishes speaking. Feeling heard and acknowl edged is a critical step in resolving a conflict.

Explain the conflict’s effect on you and what you would like to see happen

Be specific. Is the conflict preventing you from accomplishing something important? Is it affecting a relation ship that you value? What exactly would you like the other person to do to resolve the conflict? Suggest potential solutions and encourage the other person to do the same.

Be willing to forgive

We get hurt and offended by others’ behavior. We can be overly sensitive and have a tough time forgiving those who have hurt us. When you forgive someone, you allow yourself to heal and allow the pain to diminish. It can help to remember a situation where you were forgiven after having offended or hurt someone, even unintentionally. Chances are you value that relationship and will always appreciate it.

Be aware of your “bad” ego

Healthy egos are necessary for us to grow and make a difference in our personal and professional life. The “bad” ego, defined as an unhealthy belief in our own importance, will alienate us from others and keep us out of touch with reality. Focus on what is important to do and not why it is important to win. A healthy ego allows us to compromise and collaborate in resolving a conflict. Our bad ego will focus on winning the conflict independent of the consequences.

Focus on common goals

Envision a resolution and steps needed to achieve it. Could this be important to the other person as well? If not, how is it different from what they want to achieve? Engage the other person to realize the advantage for both of you in resolving the conflict. A “better” and happier working relationship moving forward could be one goal.

Eliane Markoff has over 30 years in the high-tech and academic sectors, specializing in business mediation and conflict resolution, strategic planning and team dynamics. She has led the Ombuds Office at Bentley since 2018.

FAN FAVORITES

Athletics has a long and proud tradition at Bentley, teeming with tales of unparalleled abilities, unexpected comebacks, unbreakable bonds and underlying resilience. Here, Falcon athletes — past and present — reflect on finding their community and the lessons that outlast any season.

BY KRISTEN WALSH

PHOTO BY KEVIN MAGUIRE

Changing the Conversation

Tanya Hvizdak ’00, MBA ’01 was pivoting to catch a fast-break pass on the basketball court when she tore her ACL. It was during a summer training session with the Bentley women’s basketball team. Hvizdak had just transferred to the program and was excited to prove her skills.

“It was a curveball,” she says of the injury. “But sitting on the bench was a little bit of a blessing. I was able to take in the system that Coach [Barbara] Stevens had instituted from a program perspective.”

The cultural aspect of the program is what stuck with Hvizdak. “Coach Stevens’ big thing was painting the vision we wanted to accomplish together and then placing the building blocks to get us there. It was about seeing the larger picture.”

Hvizdak would prove herself on the court as a senior and graduate student, building a career she is “unbelievably proud of.”

Off the court, she was quick to recognize the platform she gained as a studentathlete.

“I’ve taken what I learned during my time at Bentley and transferred it into my career,” says Hvizdak, who is vice president of Global Women’s Sports Marketing at Nike and a loyal True Blue donor to Bentley. “I’m fortunate to work with some of the world’s greatest athletes and help amplify their voices. I’ve seen how that can impact different areas of the world — including political aspects such as women’s rights and equality. Athletes have the ability to change the conversation.”

So does Hvizdak. In May 2022, she was featured in the Footwear News “Women in Power” issue as one of six leading female executives at Nike in the sports industry. The honor caught her off guard.

“I typically like to shine the spotlight on athletes. But with stories like the one in Footwear News, I’m excited to show women there are career opportunities in sports outside of playing in leagues or on teams.”

Captain of Camaraderie

If the New England Patriots are playing, Jailen Branch ’21, MBA ’23 and his family are not hard to find.

“We’re watching it on TV or at the game together,” says Branch, whose mother is a devoted Pats fan and father played semi-pro football. “If they lose, we’re all upset. If they win, we’re all happy.”

He fosters a similar camaraderie in his Falcon family, particularly as a two-time captain.

“I focus on the betterment of the team and what I can provide to players to make sure we’re clicking on all cylinders to achieve a win.”

Branch carries the same goal off the gridiron. In 2021, the defensive back co-founded Bentley Black Student Athletes to elevate Black voices within the university’s athletics community.

“When you don’t have a lot of people who look like you, it’s important to find those who do to create a support network and family bond,” Branch says. “The more people we have together, the more voices will be heard — and the better the chance to make the experience of a Black student-athlete equivalent to that of a white student-athlete.”

That work got him noticed beyond his career stats: 97 tackles, 22 pass break-ups and three interceptions. In September 2022, Branch was named to the 31st Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes football student-athletes for outstanding contributions outside the sport.

“I want to leave more than just a mark and a legacy on the field,” says Branch, who is a two-time All Northeast-10 honoree. “I want to ensure that those who come after me are welcomed, supported and taken care of. Most importantly, I want to ensure that Bentley continues to grow and move forward — especially for students like me.”

PHOTOS

Warmth on the Ice

A handmade “Let’s Go Audrey” poster illustrates what Audrey McMillan ’24 loves about playing hockey: the community.

“My family watches hockey together, we talk about hockey together,” she says. “My grandfather coached hockey and my father played in college.”

The Connecticut native was “just a baby” when she donned her first pair of skates — double blade — to be pulled around the ice by her father. Home ice today is the Bentley Arena.

“When I look out at fans and see my sorority sisters, other athletes, classmates and even professors, I get a true sense of togetherness,” says McMillan, now president of the Falcon women’s competitive club ice hockey team.

She brings the same energy to the broader campus community, as an orientation leader and vice president of training for Bentley student ambassadors. One recent example: speaking to the entire first-year class about dealing with homesickness and adjusting to campus life.

“I had many students approach me afterward and in the following weeks about how my advice helped them,” McMillan says. “It’s important to be a resource for the people around you.”

This fall, players are counting on each other more than ever, as the team moves up to a more competitive conference: the Independent Women’s Club Hockey League. Their schedule has twice as many games as last year.

“It’s challenging, but the new league is something we all really want,” says McMillan, a Marketing major with minors in Management and Sports Management. “It’s rewarding to know we’re coming together as a team to impact the program and future Falcons.”

Shared Victory

David Falkowski ’90, MBA ’95 believes that “sports is a microcosm of life.” The former Bentley baseball pitcher still carries lessons he learned on the mound and in the dugout alongside then-coach Bob DeFelice.

“Playing a sport requires commitment and dedication, and above all, coming together toward a common goal,” he says.

He recalls a particularly grueling game against Boston College. “I pitched into the 10th inning. When the relief pitcher came in, he threw one pitch and we won. But we both had an important role to play in the victory. That’s what it’s like to work as a team and celebrate everyone’s role in rallying for the win.”

Today’s wins and losses are off the diamond. But commitment, preparation and teamwork figure into Falkowski’s role as executive vice president and chief compliance officer at CVS Health.

“My job is to protect the reputation of the company, but also to protect the safety of our employees and ensure we’re prepared for any crisis.

“Leading a team is about setting a strategy, and empowering people to achieve those goals.”

Falkowski also empowers today’s students toward their goals by giving back: He is a member of the President’s Club of leadership donors.

New Focus

Creative Industries major Eddie Monigan IV ’24 left the swimming and diving team to make a splash behind the lens.

“Connecting with athletes and capturing their energy and excitement for the game they love drives my passion for this,” says Monigan, who also shoots for the Worcester Red Sox and Harvard University.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL QUIET AND COURTESY OF THE ALUMNUS

Scoring in the Classroom

For the fifth straight year, Bentley student-athletes had the highest graduation rate (99%) of any NCAA Division II school in the country. Other wins in 2021-2022: 407 athletes across all teams: Named to the Northeast-10 Academic Honor Roll (spring 2022), for maintaining a grade point average of 3.0 or better — the highest in the NE-10 Conference

169 athletes in all sports: Earned academic achievement awards from the D2 Athletics Association — more than any other institution in the NE-10 Conference and the East Region

Women’s volleyball: Among 147 Division II programs to receive a United States Marine Corps/American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award

Men’s baseball: Team Academic Excellence Award from the American Baseball Coaches Association

Men’s and women’s track and field: All-Academic Team recognition from the United States Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association

Women’s and men’s soccer: Team Academic Award from the United States Soccer Coaches Association

Trusting the Turnaround

Brad Walker ’96 arrived at Bentley more wary of the cultural shift from an all-boys high school in the Midwest than his performance on the men’s basketball team.

Consequently, he says, “I leaned into getting to know the Bentley community and academics. Socially, it was a great year.”

Athletically, not so much: The Falcon recruit spent most of his time on the bench.

“Coach [Jay Lawson] and I had a conversation about whether Division II athletics is where I should be. I knew a big issue was a lack of commitment on my part; but I also knew that’s not who I am.”

Walker trained hard that summer, returned in his best shape ever and earned

a spot on the court. He rose from “most improved player” that season to captain during senior year.

“I’m a hustle-type player who knows how to be in the right place at the right time,” says the former Marketing major.

That same hustle took Walker from college sports information intern to head of basketball operations for the NBA G League. In 2021, he became the fifth commissioner of the America East Conference.

“There’s rarely a moment where I feel like, if things aren’t going right, it won’t turn around,” he says. “When I had my worst year as a student-athlete, Coach Lawson gave me another chance. As a leader, I deliver that same kind of compas sion and support. If we put in the commit ment and effort, we will get where we want to go.”

Competitive Composure

Lucy Ambroult ’24 can nail a 19-foot long jump and sprint 100 meters in 12.65 seconds, but her record-breaking accomplishments on the women’s track and field team don’t ease race-day jitters. What does help: a teammate who can ground your nerves.

“Chase Davies would sit down with me before a race or jump,” Ambroult says of the former team captain who graduated in spring 2022. “She’d say, ‘You’re fine, you’re seeded first.’ Then I would do the same thing for her.”

Sometimes, though, strength has to come from within. She remembers a meet in April 2022 at the University of California San Diego. The Golden State native had just tied the Falcon record for the 100 meters.

“Everyone was hyping me up that I would break the record in front of my parents,” recalls Ambroult, who would need to shave her time by a hundredth of a second. “I came in 15th and felt humiliated.”

After the race she took a short walk to gather her composure. “I knew I didn’t want to feel like this again and that I would take steps to change that.”

The commitment to “buckle down” in the face of difficulty helps her juggle sports and academics. Last spring, she was studying macroeconomics while training for both the New England Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the Northeast-10 Track Conference Championships.

“The class required a lot of work and focus,” says the International Affairs major. “Plus, the final was the same week as the New Englands.”

Ambroult earned All-New England honors at that competition by placing sixth in New England across divisions. The other victory, she says: balancing two stressful workloads.

Many Hands, One Goal

A field hockey game with Saint Michael’s College inspired a lasting memory for Allyson (Bunce) Baroni ’02. Upon arriving at the northern Vermont school during a snowstorm, Falcon teammates traded hockey sticks for snow shovels to clear six inches of the white stuff off their playing field.

“Everyone pitched in; we had to rely on each other,” says Baroni, a former co-captain who was inducted into the Northeast-10 Conference Hall of Fame in October 2022.

Other highlights of her athlete days were earning an NCAA Division II champion ship in 2001 and playing alongside her sister (and fellow Hall of Famer) Jennifer (Bunce) Hogencamp ’00.

“An individual award is a bonus, but it just doesn’t tell the whole story,” says Baroni. “The important thing is winning as a team. There are so many other people who contribute to that success.”

Energy Aggregator

Canada-born Lucas Vanroboys ’23 thrives on the energy of playing DI hockey in the Bentley Arena. His first faceoff, against the University of New Hampshire, ended with an overtime win in a packed house.

“I hadn’t played in a building that was so loud and energetic before, so that was really cool,” he says. “Especially for the game to end in such a dramatic fashion.”

The fanfare for athletics doesn’t end in the arena. Professors often congratulate Vanroboys after a Falcons win. One ended a Tuesday “night bomb” class at an early 8:30 p.m. — as long as students headed out with him to watch a field hockey game.

“I like that faculty members are in tune with student-athletes,” says Vanroboys, an Economics-Finance major and one of three All-American Scholars at Bentley in 2021-2022. “It’s that kind of school spirit that joins people together and gives us all a common thing to root for.”

His work ethic on the ice carries over to other parts of Bentley life. Vanroboys has founded EndorseMate LLC to level the playing field for endorsement deals, which typically go to large corporations and celebrities. Whatever the future holds, he’ll apply the formula that has taken him this far — ”giving 110% and having a positive, tenacious attitude.”

The mindset is an asset in her role as a wealth management client associate with the Fernon/Arabadzhiev Group at Merrill Lynch.

“My favorite part of the job is working with my team to help our clients reach their financial goals, and building strong personal relationships along the way. It’s not much different from being part of a successful team on the field. Our individual efforts are always in the best interest of clients and the team.”

Spirited GAME

PLAN

Falcon athletics and its director, Vaughn Williams, thrive on community.

family this fall. “You could be one of the greatest coaches or leaders, but if you’re not connecting to your people, they are not going to be really committed.”

See how he puts that philosophy into action every day.

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50 YEARS OF FOOTBALL DREW CLOSE TO 250 FORMER PLAYERS

Fifty years of football, 50 years of men’s soccer and 40 years of women’s volleyball. We want to celebrate milestones for alumni student-athletes so they can come home to Bentley, walk out on the field or court to be honored, and know that their experience meant something. We need to pay tribute to the past; their legacy lives on in these programs.

FIVE-YEAR PLAN

“ We strive to be ‘the beast of the East,’ a top-of-class Division II program and a force to be reckoned with in Division I hockey. And we will be.”

“

‘TEAM 2022’ ON THE LIBRARY STEPS

“ Greek life is part of the campus energy. They are the juice, and we need to celebrate that.

In 2022 we started a tradition of an orange juice toast and group photo of all student-athlete graduates. They need to hear from us that this is a big accomplishment. I’m already prepping seniors for the ‘Team 2023’ photo.

“

SOFTBALL FIELD OPENING

Facilities are a big piece of recruiting. Every student wants to have the best classrooms and laboratories to be the best student they can be. No different for student-athletes. They need the best facilities to practice their craft for best results.”

“ I want to make sure that everyone in our community knows they matter. We’re a predominantly white campus, and it’s good for students of color to get to know administrators — particularly those who look like them. That’s how you continue to draw connections with students, which is important for me beyond athletics.”

‘DANCING WITH THE WALTHAM STARS’ FUNDRAISER

and it’s important to contribute to the community. We need to keep finding ways to make that statement loud and clear.”

Watch the dance video

“ When Jack Harlow performed at Spring Day, we gave him a Bentley hockey jersey pre-show to help welcome him to campus and to our family. When he wore it on stage it created an instant connection and point of pride for students in the audience.”

MOSAIC COFFEE HOUR

Ahead of the

Paul Cheek ’14 built a marketplace to help keep microplastics out of our oceans. Now he is schooling tomorrow’s entrepreneurs.

BY HAYDEN FIELD PHOTOS OF THE ALUMNUS BY BRIAN TORTORA

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Early one Friday morning in 2012, Paul Cheek walked into a well-appointed room at the Algonquin Club of Boston and braced himself. The Bentley sophomore surveyed the sea of older professionals ready to discuss entrepreneurship over eggs and hash browns.

Cheek and the only other college-aged attendee, Rob Ianelli, struck up a conversation that became a friendship that became a business partnership. Their for-profit venture, Oceanworks, is a global marketplace for recycled ocean plastics.

Over three years, the company has rerouted thousands of tons of plastic destined for the ocean and sold it to hundreds of companies in 30-plus countries — which then, in turn, reuse the plastics in manufacturing. Customers include Clorox, Sperry and Glad.

Cheek uses his experience launching Oceanworks and other businesses to design some of his courses at Massachusetts Institute of Technology — where he teaches entrepreneurship and leads the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. He sees more and more students hoping to start mission-driven companies.

“They want to create something that aligns with their goals, their beliefs — something that will have a societal impact,” says Cheek. “Having something they care about a lot is so important, because the work is really, really hard.”

One of the hard-won lessons Cheek passes on to students: The popular business adage “If you build it, they will come” is simply not true.

“You have to go out and test the market,” says Cheek, who recalls, in the early days of Oceanworks, going all-in on research and marketing. The work proved to investors that companies would purchase plastic from the marketplace that he and Ianelli had developed.

The alumnus, who has pivoted from day-to-day operations at Oceanworks to full-time teaching, sees more students embracing entrepreneurship. One of his own programs, MIT Fuse, recently hosted its largest cohort ever, with 106 students working in 44 teams.

“They want to, on day one, get into the details and start building the business,” he says, applauding their initiative but noting a tendency to “skip over some of the fundamentals.”

Every action an entrepreneur takes should be with the goal of de-risking that business.

Those fundamentals include a few high-level points that Cheek wishes every potential entrepreneur knew. First up: Having a support system can make the road a lot smoother.

“Entrepreneurship is not easy — so finding the community that will support you through the highs and the lows of that journey is super important,” he says. “Entrepreneurs are all going through many of the same things, from a business mechanics perspective, to an interpersonal perspective, to a leadership perspective. Really anything and everything that an entrepreneur faces as a challenge, there are other entrepreneurs facing it as well. So working within a community or an ecosystem can be extremely helpful.”

Secondly, Cheek highlights that entrepreneurs should invest their efforts in building the right founding team. The different skill sets that he and Ianelli brought to Oceanworks played a big part in making its mission a reality.

“The idea is not worth much,” he says. “It’s all about the team and the people who you surround yourself with. That is what determines success in most cases.”

His final lesson concerns risk. Early on, “every action an entrepreneur takes should be with the goal of de-risking the business,” says Cheek, who cites narrowing the company’s focus as a prime strategy. He himself has struggled with trying to solve a problem for too many audiences at once, instead of choosing a niche and owning it.

“Finding the right focus in the early days is everything,” he says. “We have limited resources, limited time and limited money as entrepreneurs starting from the ground up. So focus first on having an impact for a small group of individuals who are all alike. And once we solve their problem, then we can expand.”

Wade through the Deluge

Eager entrepreneurs have a flood of resources to choose from. Paul Cheek recommends these.

Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup (Book by Bill Aulet)

The best starting point for those with an entrepreneurial itch, idea, technology or team. It presents a systematic framework for building a business.

Disciplined Entrepreneurship Workbook (Companion book)

Move forward with actionoriented worksheets that cover each step of venture creation.

Venture Deals (Book by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson) Read this for help navigating the startup fundraising process.

How I Built This (Podcast with Guy Raz) Hear from startup founders about their journeys, including tips and tricks they discovered along the way.

Entrepreneurship 101: Who is your customer? (Online course through edX) Learn the first principles and fundamentals of building a new business.

HAPPENING HUB

Bentley’s newest resource for innovative thinking — the Entrepreneurship Hub — will help students to cultivate their entrepre neurial mindset. The E-Hub will empower students who want to pursue entrepreneurial ideas to solve important challenges in business and society. The E-Hub will provide mentorship, curate events and facilitate collaboration among community members and with alumni, entrepreneurs and investors to generate new business ideas and grow them into reality.

CA still working on design

Bentley’s generous donor community has proved there is power in numbers, with new Great Benefactors joining the family, thousands of Falcons shattering donation records, and leader ship gifts helping the university reimagine business education as we know it.

From ensuring access to all deserving students, to innovating in the classroom and in academic centers across campus, to enhancing the student experience beyond the books, “this campaign is delivering on its promise to take Bentley to the next level,” says President Chrite.

Teamwork, camaraderie, perseverance, setting goals, overcoming obstacles: All that matters in life and business, I believe you learn in team sports.

TONY REMINGTON ’92

More than 250 alumni, family and friends celebrated 50 years of football at the first game of the season, and helped launch a $350,000 campaign that will name Peter Yetten Field in honor of the coach who led the team for 30 years. Former player Tony Remington ’92 kicked off the campaign with $50,000 for this year’s football program, and gave $200,000 more in endowed support.

Focus. Nutrition. Training. Making goals starts long before the puck drops. And Bentley’s Division I hockey team has a state-of-the-art setup to help them reach championship status: the Giunta Weight Room. Dedicated this fall, the facility is named in honor of a $250,000 gift from trustee David L. ’87 and Wendy M. (Calderon) ’88 Giunta , to support the multipurpose arena and the Bentley Fund.

Last spring, 1,829 donors made Falcons Forward our most successful giving day in Bentley history, unlocking $150,000 from trustee Brian Zino ’74 and Bill ’88, MST ’90 and Christine (Marudzinski) ’90 Speciale to raise $483,000 for the Bentley Fund. Mark your calendar for this year’s big day: MARCH 23, 2023!

Peter Yetten (l.) and Tony Remington

IN SIGHT

BE A FORCE: The Campaign for Bentley University reaches a milestone $90 million toward its $100 million goal

The campus spirit of tzedakah is thriving, thanks to trustee Steven C. ’83 and Beth Millner. Their recent gift of $400,000 will help provide regular Shabbat dinners, programming and staff support for Bentley’s Hillel community — a vital partner in the university’s interfaith network — whose mission is to “enrich the lives of Jewish students, so they may enrich the Jewish people and the world.”

Mainers Clarence ’55 and Lucy P. Hodgdon — she, the first in her family to graduate high school — deeply valued their education and the gifts it gave them in life. Their bequest of $2 million creates a legacy that will benefit generations of Maine students to come: the Clarence B. Hodgdon and Lucy P. Hodgdon Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Bentley has been ranked by U.S. News as No. 1 for most innovative school in the north — thanks, in part, to gifts like those of brothers Chris ’91, MBA ’92, P ’19/’20 ’24 and Greg ’91 Smith . The new Great Benefactors are investing $5 million to make Bentley synonymous with transfor mation in the health industry and, as Greg says, “to help anyone facing the challenges of the health care system.”

Bentley is clear-eyed about what the business leaders of the future will need to address myriad challenges — to use business as a force for good. This campaign is laying the foundation for Bentley to lead in this pivotal time.

PRESIDENT E. LABRENT CHRITE

Read more about these incredible gifts and the Falcons who’ve made them at bentley.edu/ beaforce-impact.

David and Wendy Giunta with President Chrite

CLASS NOTES

Best wishes for the journey ahead, Callie Anderson ’14 and Benjamin Canastrari

PHOTO

1981

John W. Cox , Portland, Maine, reports that he retired in March 2022 after spending the last 25 years of his career as chief financial officer at Stephens Memorial Hospital, part of the MaineHealth system.

1983

Carl Chatto, South Portland, Maine, was appointed to the Board of Directors at Greenfield Savings Bank in Greenfield, Mass.; he is chairing the audit committee.

1984

Eric Belley, Appleton, Maine, became the president and CEO of Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce in September 2022.

1987

James Maloney, East Hampton, N.Y., joined Paramount Global as senior vice president and head of Human Resources for CBS Television Stations, based in New York.

1991

Terri (Mercer) Cannan, Freeport, Maine, was honored as Brand CMO of the Year during the Ad Age Creativity Awards. The alumna is chief marketing and communica tions officer for MaineHealth.

Mark Cioffi, MST, Pembroke, N.H., is program analyst for the New Hampshire Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. He was reappointed to two government groups focused on drug and alcohol prevention and treatment: the Opioid Task Force and the Data and Evaluation Task Force.

“Everyone likely knows someone adversely affected,” writes the alumnus. “We have made progress decreasing the number of opioid prescriptions, their day’s supply, and strength. However, we now see statistics indicating increased use of stimulants and amphetamines, especially in the 30 to 59 age group. This is a national trend that we will now focus on, without sacrificing gains made against opioid abuse. As everyone knows, the COVID-19 pandemic sent several projects into a holding pattern. Now, we are moving forward once again.”

1992

Michael J. Meehan, MSF ’00, MSFP ’00, Topsfield, Mass., was named a shareholder at TFC Financial, an independent, fee-only financial advisory firm that is majority owned by its staff. He is a vice president and client adviser there.

1996

Andrew “Randy” Mullin, Waltham, Mass., was sworn in as Waltham’s new fire chief in August 2022.

Greg Sachs, Baltimore, Md., is senior information technologist at the Space Telescope Science Institute and a member of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Flight Operations Support IT Team. He writes, “Congratulations to the entire team on successful preparation, launch and commissioning as JWST embarks on its science mission.”

1997

David Collier, Peabody, Mass., was named partner and head of business consulting for Amplify Resource Group in Braintree.

1998

Erin McDonough, Scottsdale, Ariz., has been named executive director of First Tee — Phoenix, which teaches life skills and helps children and teens build strength of character through the game of golf. The alumna will provide leadership and direction to one of the largest First Tee chapters in the United States.

1999

In May 2022, Stacy Dow, MST, P ’19, Charlestown, Mass., was named financial consulting leader at RSM US LLP.

Christine L. Flaherty, North Reading, Mass., is the 2022 recipient of the CREW Boston Professional Service Award for excellence in commercial real estate. In August 2022, she was promoted to senior vice president, commercial real estate relationship manager at Berkshire Bank.

2001

Brad Champion, Westwood, Mass., of The Bulfinch Group, has earned the chartered financial consultant professional designation from The American College of Financial Services in King of Prussia, Pa. Additionally, he has been named a Leaders Club qualifier by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Leaders Club is one of the highest honors the company awards to financial professionals who demonstrate outstanding service and dedication to their clients.

Joelle (Cannon) Denham, Wakefield, Mass., was named to the Outstanding Women of 2022 list, compiled by Boston Real Estate Times. Honorees are influential women who play a major role in the Boston real estate market. Denham is senior vice president and chief financial officer at The Bulfinch Companies, a private real estate invest ment, development and management firm.

Shining Brotherhood

John Taylor ’77, Danvers, Mass., reports that Kappa Pi Alpha fraternity brothers enjoyed a day at Shining Sterling National Golf Club in Sterling, Mass. The outing on August 5, 2022, included (from left) Taylor; Jack Byrne ’79; Jim Preston ’79; Rob Warwick ’80; Bob Rice ’77, MST 87; Chuck Doolittle ’80, MSFP ’13; Hank Bornstein ’77; Bob Tobias ’78, MBA ’92; Mike Zack ’77; Rich Fink ’77; Mike Swiech ’80; John Fernez ’76; Bill O’Neil ’77; and Dave Riesmeyer ’79.

Unexpected Foursome

In August 2022, Buzz Travers ’79, P ’12, Longmeadow, Mass., and wife Lynn went to visit their son, Richard ’12, who now lives in San Diego’s Mission Beach area.

“Richard and I went to play golf at the famous Torrey Pines course, home of the 2021 U.S. Open and the annual Farmers Insurance Open,” writes the alumnus. “Now, what are the chances that we would be paired with two other Bentley alumni!” From left: Ravi Patel ’13, Vikram “Vik” Chabra ’11, Buzz and Richard Travers.

2003

Sarah Baxter Alderman, Campbell, Texas, received the behavioral financial professional designation from the Kaplan University School of Professional and Continuing Education, in conjunction with Think2Perform. The alumna advises clients at JBA Financial Services.

The Forbes list of Best-In-State Wealth Advisors in Massachusetts for 2022 includes Jason “Jay” D’Entremont , Norwell, Mass. He’s been affiliated with the Woburn-based Northwestern Mutual Boston office for 15 years, working with his team to coach clients toward a successful financial future.

In April 2022, Jayme (Fitzgerald) Moore, MSA , Marshfield, Mass., was named vice president and shareholder of G.T. Reilly & Company.

The organization Women We Admire named Marianela Vazquez, North Billerica, Mass., to its 2022 list of Top 50 Women Leaders of Massachusetts.

The alumna is chief customer officer at Numerated, where she leads the service and delivery organization.

2004

Chris Besse, MSA ’04, Beverly, Mass., is now director of emergency management at Bentley University.

In March 2022, Dawn (Marinelli) Kurzon, Weston, Mass., assumed the role of chief compliance officer for Competitive Power Ventures, located in Braintree.

Monica Morfelt , Oslo, Norway, became vice president, Global Accounting for Norwegian Air Shuttle in May 2022. The alumna writes, “I have very fond memories of my time at Bentley and am positive that my time at Bentley is what has set me up for success.”

Mindi (Ringstad) Labella, MSA ’06, Billerica, Mass., started the consulting firm Labella Solutions LLC, specializing in providing valuation and damage assessments arising from casualty and other unintended events.

2006

Jonathan Bloom, Marlborough, Mass., was promoted to director and senior wealth adviser at AAF Wealth Management.

Christina (Dennis) Nash, New Rochelle, N.Y., was appointed as a board member to local nonprofit Volunteer New York. “It is an amazing organization in the lower Hudson Valley of New York state that connects volunteers to organizations that need help,” the alumna writes. “I love giving back and Volunteer New York affords me the opportunity to support local communities in my native Westchester County.” Nash’s term runs from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2025.

2007

Shannon Kirwan and Erin Calamari tied the knot on April 30, 2022, at the Grafton Inn in Grafton, Vt. The couple honey mooned in Turks and Caicos, and reside in Wakefield, Mass.

2008

Joseph Calvetti, MST ’09, Ayer, Mass., has launched a fee-only financial planning firm, Still River Financial Planning. It offers comprehensive financial planning to help young families and professionals navigate financial decisions.

Safe Passage

In July 2022, Sonya Yee Coleman ’86, Arlington, Mass., attended President Joe Biden’s private event at the White House to mark the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The alumna is board chair of States United to Prevent Gun Violence.

2005

Dereck Johnson, MSA ’06 and Thomas Malanga said “I do” on May 28, 2022, at Crest Hollow Country Club in Long Island, N.Y. The newlyweds enjoyed a honeymoon aboard a Hawaiian cruise in July 2022. They call Long Island’s Central Islip home.

Chris Ronzio, Scottsdale, Ariz., reports that his company is #255 on the Inc. magazine 5000 list for 2022, which showcases the country’s fastest-growing companies. The former president of the Bentley Entrepreneurship Society says, “It’s cool to be putting that education to good use a decade and a half later!” Ronzio is the founder and CEO of Trainual, a software developer that helps small businesses onboard, train and scale teams.

2009Nate Burdick , Porter, Maine, is the owner/operator of Upward Organics, which grows medical cannabis for dispensaries, caregivers and patients. He established the company in 2018, with, he says, “a passion for producing high-quality, hand-grown cannabis flower and a deep respect for our planet and local commu nity.” Featured as the September cover story of Beer & Weed magazine, Upward Organics is on a trajectory to become Maine’s first net-zero cultivation company.

Shika (Laboriel) Holland and husband Christian ’10, Northborough, Mass., welcomed baby girl Camille Rae on May 27, 2021. She joins big brother Quincy.

Katrina Holmstedt married Robert DiMarino on May 7, 2022, at Shepherd’s Run in South Kingstown, R.I. Many fellow Falcons were on hand for the big day, including Kevin Baker ’08; Tonya (Smith) Baker ’08; Kristen (Whalley) Cantwell; Anthony Congelosi ’08; Nicole (Hallisey) Dagle ’08; Allison (Honeyman) D’Aprile, MBA ’10; Emily (Bedrosian) Diloyan; Haik Diloyan ’10; Alaina Hallisey ’10; Timothy Keshian ’08; Elisa Maggio; Julianne Manoogian; Rachael (Zaffini) Menton, MSA ’10; Tatiana (Casale) Mullaney, MBA ’17; Abigayle (Green) Russell; Allison (Walter) Ryan ’10; Courtney (Bowen) Spagnuolo; and Daniella (Summa) Volk

Thanh Than, MSF ’10, Orange, Mass., was promoted to assistant director of financial planning and analysis in the Executive Education Department at the Harvard Kennedy School. She has been with the school since 2013 and the department since 2015.

2010

Christian Holland and wife Shika (Laboriel) ’09, Northborough, Mass., welcomed baby girl Camille Rae on May 27, 2021. She joins big brother Quincy. Scott Rosen and wife Leah, Sharon, Mass., became proud parents of a son, Noah, on February 9, 2022. He joins sisters Maya and Sophie.

SPOTLIGHT CLASS OF 1991

MINDING THE GAP

BY MARY K. PRATT

Four words led Pam (Krull) Rosenberg ’91 to a new career: “If not now, when?”

In fall 2020, spurred by the pandemic and inspired by fellow Falcons, she joined husband Steve to start The One by One Project. It partners with Boston-area organizations to cover urgent needs that fall outside the mission of other nonprofits. For example: car repairs for low-income families who rely on the transportation for school and work, and a new refrigerator for a guardian struggling to raise siblings.

“We wanted to make it easier and faster to get money out to people than the traditional model,” says Rosenberg, whose organization typically responds to requests within 48 hours.

That client-focused approach reflects her experience working at corporations and startups as well as her natural entrepreneurial spirit. In fact, Rosenberg sees launching a nonprofit as akin to growing a startup: Both require reinventing a business model, raising money, finding clients, establishing operating procedures, developing back-office technology and scaling.

The Newton, Mass., couple sought initial advice from Steve Alperin ’87, who had teamed with Michael Connelly ’86, Alan Stern, P ’20 and another friend to create the nonprofit Boston BullPen Project.

“We talked with Steve a lot, and we talked to other nonprofits’ CEOs and directors. We did a lot of homework,” Rosenberg says, noting warnings about nonprofit work being “harder than you think it is.”

There is truth in those words, she admits. “But it’s also more fulfilling than we ever expected.”

Pam and Steve Rosenberg (back) with the Family Advocates team at Horizons for Homeless Children, whose “compassion and dedication inspires our partnership”

We wanted to make it easier and faster to get money out to people.

SPOTLIGHT CLASS OF 2005

BOY MEETS BRINE

BY MARY K. PRATT

Ten years ago, at a crossroads in his career, Justin Park ’05 landed in a bit of a pickle. It launched him into a new venture that — you guessed it — features his lifelong favorite condiment.

Park cooked up The Real Dill with friend Tyler DuBois. They had been pickling homegrown cucumbers in DuBois’ kitchen as a hobby, until producing a batch that inspired “a pickle epiphany.”

Their Jalapeño Honey Dills remain a bestseller for the company, which blends Dubois’ culinary skills with Park’s expertise in marketing and entrepreneurship. Another signature product is a Bloody Mary mix. They developed the recipe while looking for ways to use the cucumber-infused water left over from the pickling process. They strive for zero food waste.

Today, The Real Dill has about 15 employees, making everything from scratch out of a 6,400-square-foot facility in Denver. They distribute nationally to more than 1,000 accounts, mostly specialty grocers, liquor stores, cheese stores and butcher shops.

“We are careful not to jump too far ahead,” says Park, noting their goals to build a business that lasts, practices sustainability, and protects the work-life balance for all employees — including the owners. “We didn’t want to put stress and strain on the manufacturing side of things. We’re committed to making the best products. That drives our pace.”

(Class of 2010, continued)

Michael Sardano, Boynton Beach, Fla., is president and general counsel at Sensus Healthcare, a medical device company specializing in highly effective, minimally or non-invasive, cost-effective treatments for oncological and non-oncological conditions.

2011

Elina Alperovich, Franklin Lakes, N.J., was made a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig N.Y., working in the Corporate Group and focusing on private equity mergers and acquisitions. The alumna credits Bentley for setting her up for this achievement.

Jordi Mullor, MBA, MSF ’12 , Lawton, Okla., is vice president of growth at Rebalance, an award-winning wealth management firm that offers investing, financial planning and personalized advice to individual investors and small businesses.

Paul Smithwood and wife Madison, Charlotte, N.C., welcomed their first child on February 7, 2022: baby girl Bexley.

2012

Jonathan Kazarian, Boston, Mass., reports that his company was recognized as the country’s 97th fastest-growing company, on the annual list of 5000 compiled by Inc. magazine. The alumnus is founder and CEO of Accelevents, an event management platform offering engagement tools, lead generation, community-building and more.

2013 FOLD

Brett Kuba, MBA ’17 and Anastasia Agoulnik ’16, MSA ’17 said “I do!” on September 5, 2022, at the Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, Vt. The newlyweds call Sausalito, Calif., home and are planning to honeymoon in Italy in May 2023.

John McGloon, MSHFID, Geneva, N.Y., released his first book, Pastures and Raptures: Poems and such

Pickle purveyors Justin Park ’05 (left) and Tyler DuBois

We are careful not to jump too far ahead.

As teens in the Philippines, the Santos siblings were standout students and seasoned travelers who hopscotched through countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas.

In fact, they were vacationing in the United States when mother Belinda “Beng” proposed attending a U.S. college. The suggestion came with caveats: She and their father, Jose Ermelo Santos, wanted an academically challenging school with a strong business program.

“Bentley exhibited those characteristics we were looking for, and we weren’t disappointed,” says Beng, who has helped promote the university to others in their hometown of Manila.

Katrina ’96 and Joseph ’97, MBA ’08 supported each other as undergraduates; she remembers bringing him food during a sophomore-year bout of chicken pox. They hung out together but also had their own circle of friends. And they hosted their parents and sister, Lia, during family visits to campus.

ImpressiveItineraries

BY MARY K. PRATT

Those visits, along with Bentley’s focus on technology, convinced her to enroll.

“I saw that they had fun, and I saw that they had successful careers after graduating,” says the Class of 2003 grad. “I saw it was a formula that worked.”

For Joseph, the formula included graduate study. Cutting-edge technology and excellent professors drew him back to Bentley.

“Doug Robertson [professor of Computer Science] helped architect what I could do to maximize my education,” he says of folding technology expertise into his marketing background. The alumnus still calls Waltham home, serving as principal consultant for data strategy at Dun & Bradstreet.

Katrina, meanwhile, works in London as director of loan syndications for a bank. And Lia lives in Hong Kong while building her career in data quality management.

They all credit their parents’ encourage ment to study at Bentley — and the university itself — for launching them into professional life.

“The biggest life skill I took away from Bentley is being exposed to and learning to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds and with varying experiences,” Katrina says. “It’s almost like a test run for an international career.”

The well-traveled (from left) Joseph ’97, MBA ’08; Katrina ’96; and Lia ’03 with parents Beng and Jose Ermelo Santos

TRENDING

PERSONAL INVESTMENT

You’re hearing it all around: chatter of recession, inflation, shifting industries. What does it mean for you and how you manage your personal investments? We asked Bentley alumni experts to keep you updated with the latest.

Brian Kelleher ’14 Financial Adviser, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

The number one question: Are we going into a recession? Think back to your Econ 101 class and you’ll remember that recessions are a normal part of every business cycle. That said, it’s crucial to make sure your investment portfolio is allocated the right way going into periods like this. Many people might be over invested in technology and other large cap growth stocks. Those companies have performed phenomenally over the last 10 years, but that may not be the case going forward. These days, we favor companies with strong balance sheets, especially those that are dividend payers. To quote the great Wayne Gretzky, “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.”

Katie

Lidestri

’09 Senior Vice President, Wealth Management Adviser Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

The biggest trend I’m seeing of late is rising interest rates. Younger alumni are likely unfamiliar, since we haven’t been in a period like this since the 1980s, when a mortgage rate could have been up to 13%. Going forward, it will most likely get more expensive to borrow but also more advantageous to be saving. One piece of advice is that if you have savings at the bank, whether for an emergency fund or a particular purpose (e.g., a down payment on a house), you could consider purchasing short-term certificates of deposit (CDs) or, for tax advantage savings, U.S. Treasuries. It is a higher yield without the market risk.

Trevor

Larkan

’09

Lecturer, Bentley Finance Department Program Director, CFP Board Registered Financial Planning Concentration

Senior

In our Financial Planning concentration courses, I suggest to students that it is a no-brainer, assuming you are healthy, to open a health savings account (HSA); these have grown in popularity since their launch in 2004. Tax savings are significant: Contributions are made on a pre-tax basis, meaning money and earnings grow without any tax implication if eventually withdrawn. Although more than half of enrollees in private sector health plans qualify for HSA contributions, the Employee Benefit Research Institute reports that many HSA owners are not fully utilizing the very real tax saving benefits available.

Please be sure to consult with your own adviser for specific guidance.

FOLD

Callie Anderson married Benjamin Canestrari on May 12, 2022, at The Shore Club on Turks and Caicos. It was an intimate ceremony with family, and brother Daniel S. Anderson ’18 as a witness.

Jonathan Goldstein, Key Biscayne, Fla., is vice president and wealth adviser at Element Pointe Advisors LLC.

Matt Gorman, MSA ’15 and Katie Hill ’16 exchanged vows on May 14, 2022, at the Starting Gate in Hampden, Mass. Many fellow Falcons joined the Bentley lovebirds for their big day! They honeymooned in St. Lucia and call Sharon, Mass., home.

Emily Hamlin, West Roxbury, Mass., is now senior manager, CRM Growth at Tripadvisor.

James O’Brien and Tricia Reinken ’16 tied the knot on June 11, 2022, in Kennebunkport, Maine. After a honey moon in Charleston, S.C., they are living in southern New Hampshire.

Briana Wolff, Portland, Conn., is now assistant vice president, HR Data & Analytics at The Hartford Financial Services.

Elin Wytrwal married Bryan Johnson on June 5, 2022, at Gurney’s Resort & Marina in Newport, R.I. The newlyweds honeymooned on the Amalfi Coast, Italy. They are living in Boston’s Back Bay.

2015

FOLD

Shannon Connor and Daniel Lang exchanged vows on May 21, 2022, at Yesterday Spaces in Leicester, N.C. The couple lives in Charlotte.

Jake Gilfix and Kathlene Capiral tied the knot on August 26, 2022, at the Ryland Inn in Bridgewater, N.J. Many fellow Falcons celebrated with the couple, who are currently living in New York City, N.Y. The newlyweds honeymooned in Australia, visiting Melbourne, Hayman Island, Gold Coast and Sydney.

In June 2022, Christopher Goudoras, Oxford, Miss., won the Men’s National College World Series with the University of Mississippi baseball team. He has been the team’s internal coordinator of operations since 2018.

Melanie Lilly-Buster and husband Brandon, Ventura, Calif., welcomed son Rowan Sebastian into the world on March 1, 2022.

2016 FOLD

Anastasia Agoulnik, MSA ’17 and Brett Kuba ’13, MBA ’17 said “I do!” on September 5, 2022, at the Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, Vt. The newlyweds call Sausalito, Calif., home and are planning to honeymoon in Italy in May 2023.

Suzy Hallak , Emerson, N.J., was named strategy and transactions director at EY-Parthenon.

Brittani Hetyei, MSA ’17 and Carlos Diaz Barahona, MSF ’18 were married on August 7, 2021, at 9OFS in downtown Boston. The couple resides in the Boston area.

Katie Hill and Matt Gorman ’14, MSA ’15 said “I do” on May 14, 2022, at the Starting Gate in Hampden, Mass. Many fellow Falcons joined the Bentley love birds for their big day. They honeymooned in St. Lucia and call Sharon, Mass., home.

Tricia Reinken and James O’Brien ’14 tied the knot on June 11, 2022, in Kennebunkport, Maine. After a honey moon in Charleston, S.C., they are living in southern New Hampshire.

Molly Row, MSA ’17, Amesbury, Mass., has been promoted to manager in the assurance practice at Baker Newman Noyes (BNN). The alumna specializes in providing audit services to clients in the banking and not-for-profit industry, as well as health care organizations. She has been with the firm since 2017 after having interned with BBN’s audit and tax practices.

Four Decades and Counting

Jack Shapiro ’84, Bolton, Mass., writes that alumni and their significant others, including his wife, Jeanne (Taylor) ’84, gathered for a dinner in Framingham, Mass., in April 2022. From left to right: Norman Schain ’82, Bruce Klickstein ’82, Shapiro, Paul Demerjian ’82 and Ed Siranosian ’83. Demerjian, Schain and Shapiro were roommates in the B apartments. “We’ve all been friends for 42 years!”

Celebration Squared

Elba Valerio ’05, Waltham, Mass., shares that she and fellow Falcons had a reunion as Dereck Johnson ’05, MSA ’06 and Thomas Malanga said “I do” on May 28, 2022. From left: Jennifer (Joannides) Casey ’03; Stephanie (Murdough) Sanaga ’05; Valerio; Matthew Petit ’05; Johnson; and Michael Giraldo ’04, MSIT ’05.

Inside and Out

The Bentley Arena showed its softer side in March 2022, as family and friends hosted a baby shower in the Cube for Stephen Taft ’20 and Kerstin DiNardo-Taft ’22. In May, 1-month-old Ava returned to see the campus for herself, while celebrating Mom’s graduation. The family lives in Belmont, Mass.

2017 FOLD

Michael Lamb and Katherine Naughton ’18 exchanged vows on May 28, 2022, at Castle Hill Inn in Newport, R.I. Over three dozen Falcons were part of the occasion, including Jorge Albarran; Emily Barno ’21; Ryan Bohne; Tiger Clancy ’15, MSBA ’16; Jack Clay ’18; Starr Coughlin ’18; Elyanna Coutracos ’20; Sarah Curran ’18; Mike Durkin ’18; Christian Flaherty ’18; Tyler Hogan ’16; Casey Hult; Jeremy Jacobs ’20; Leah Jessiman ’18; Taylor Kane ’18; Will Kramer; Erin MacDonald ’16; Sydney MacLeod ’18; Lauren Mariano; Ben Marlor; Emily Mason; Ryan McMurphy ’18; Mackenzie Mello ’18; Jake Mischler ’16; Kathrine Murray, MSA ’18; Conor Naughton ’20; Sean Naughton ’15; Liam O’Keefe; Anthony Portannese ’16; Katie Quilty ’18; Emily Richard; Allie Rosenberg ’18; Nora Saunders; Sydney Schmerzler; Rebecca Schroder ’18; Alycia Silva ’21, MSA ’22; Claire Virkler ’18; Justin Williams; Chloe Wright ’15. The couple honeymooned on the French side of St. Martin and St. Barths. They live in Boston’s South End with their dog, Cooper.

2018

FOLD

Katherine Naughton and Michael Lamb ’17 exchanged vows on May 28, 2022, at Castle Hill Inn in Newport, R.I. Over three dozen Falcons were part of the occasion, including Jorge Albarran ’17; Emily Barno ’21; Ryan Bohne ’17; Tiger Clancy ’15, MSBA ’16; Jack Clay; Starr Coughlin; Elyanna Coutracos ’20; Sarah Curran; Mike Durkin; Christian Flaherty; Tyler Hogan ’16; Casey Hult ’17; Jeremy Jacobs ’20; Leah Jessiman; Taylor Kane; Will Kramer ’17; Erin MacDonald ’16; Sydney MacLeod; Lauren Mariano ’17; Ben Marlor ’17; Emily Mason ’17; Ryan McMurphy ; Mackenzie Mello; Jake Mischler ’16, Kathrine Murray ’17, MSA ; Conor Naughton ’20; Sean Naughton ’15; Liam O’Keefe ’17; Anthony Portannese ’16; Katie Quilty; Emily Richard ’17, Allie Rosenberg ; Nora Saunders ’17; Sydney Schmerzler ’17; Rebecca Schroder; Alycia Silva ’21, MSA ’22; Claire Virkler; Justin Williams ’17; Chloe Wright ’15. The couple honeymooned in the French side of St. Martin and St. Barths. They live in Boston’s South End with their dog, Cooper.

Accounting Honors

Kim Westermann, PhD ’11, San Luis Obispo, Calif., won the 2022 Deloitte Foundation Wildman Medal Award, which recognizes significant research contributions relevant to the profes sional practice of accounting. The alumna is a faculty member at California Polytechnic State University and shares the award with co-authors Jeff Cohen of Boston College and Greg Trompeter of the University of Central Florida.

2020

FOLD

Stephen Taft and Kerstin DiNardo-Taft ’22 Belmont, Mass., welcomed daughter Ava on Palm Sunday: April 10, 2022. Fun fact: The alumna’s great-grandfather, Harold Meyers ’23, was a student when Mr. Bentley was teaching classes in Boston!

2021

FOLD

Zackary Corr, Belmont, Mass., joined commercial real estate firm Bulfinch in fall 2021 as an associate tenant coordina tor. He works at the company’s Cambridge Discovery Park location.

2022

FOLD

Nina Anusavice, MSHFID, Worcester, Mass., was selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the U.S. Digital Corps, a program launched last year to bring civic-minded, early-career technol ogists to serve in the federal government. The alumna will spend two years at the Department of Veterans Affairs, developing and delivering innovative digital tools and experiences to benefit veterans and their families.

Kerstin DiNardo-Taft and Stephen Taft ’20, Belmont, Mass., welcomed daughter Ava on Palm Sunday: April 10, 2022. Fun fact: The alumna’s great-grandfather, Harold Meyers ’23, was a student when Mr. Bentley was teaching classes in Boston!

“I graduated almost 100 years later, and my husband is Class of 2020, so Bentley roots definitely run deep in our family,” writes the new mom.

William Heiberger, MSF ’22 , South Setauket, N.Y., was hired as an account ing associate with the Miami Marlins, based in their Finance Department. The alumnus writes, “I’m proud to represent Bentley and enter my professional career in the sports finance sector!”

Dream Team

Send us your notes and photos!

bentley.edu/class-notes

In 2009, Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island granted one for Gregory Keene ‘17 (left), Westwood, Mass., as he fought cancer as a teen. His dream: a replica of Fenway Park in his backyard. Keene and his family have continued to share the gift with others by hosting an annual event, the Brewski Park Wiffleball Tournament, where the cancer survivor grants a wish of a child in the local community. Their 10th tournament, in June 2022, raised more than $30,000 to benefit Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

ALUMNI 2022 AWARDS

TWO EARN HONORS IN MAY

A Unanimous Vote

A distinct honor for the Global Alumni Board (GAB) is selecting the annual Harry C. Bentley Alumni Achievement Award winner: a Falcon who embodies the tenets of the school’s founder, by achieving excellence in professional, community and Bentley settings.

“In this year’s case, all three boxes were easily checked off,” says Chuck Coppa ’85, former chair of the GAB. “The vote was unanimous and one of the easiest decisions ever.” J. Terence “Terry” Carleton ’77, P ’09 ’11 served on Bentley’s Board of Trustees for 22 years, including seven as chair and two leading the university during a presidential search.

“His leadership has exemplified all the attributes that Bentley holds dear,” says Coppa, “with many selfless gifts of time, insight, vision and financial support to his alma mater.”

Over the course of his trustee tenure, Carleton helped Bentley College grow into Bentley University, chaired the board’s Investment Committee, was honored with the establishment of the J. Terence Carleton Scholarship, and gave ongoing support to the Bentley Fund. This generosity brought Carleton into Bentley’s highest circle of donors, the Great Benefactors.

Athletics has been a special passion. Carleton’s gift of $500,000 helped lay the groundwork for Bentley’s thriving athletics programs. The former soccer player is a 1986 inductee to the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame — and a proud Bentley dad who is the embodiment of “paying it forward.”

Carleton began his career at investment firm Kidder, Peabody & Co. Next came nearly two decades at Hill Holiday, where he was executive vice president before joining USB Financial Services. He has served on multiple for- and nonprofit boards, but “for his profound leadership of Bentley,” says Coppa, “we are truly grateful.”

A Shining Example

Swim team star. Patient academic tutor. Outstanding orientation leader. Driven women’s leadership scholar. Regular on the Dean’s and President’s lists. The superlatives go on and on for Rona Mejiritski ’22 , who received the Emerging Alumni Leader Award, given annually by the GAB.

“Rona is an upbeat and genuine person who has embraced the Bentley spirit,” says Mary Kay Samko, coach of women’s swimming and diving. The award’s three tenets are impact, inclusivity and honesty — traits Mejiritski has in spades. “Being a student-athlete is all about accountability,” Mejiritski says, adding she worked hard to achieve goals that she set and navigate challenges in the pool and the class room. “Being on a team sometimes requires you to stand up for what is right. Asking, ‘Are we acting with integrity?’”

Leading by example, she spent hours welcoming students at orientation, as well as each incoming swim team — and tutored those who needed help. The Bentley Honors Program member also mentored younger Falcons throughout her four years.

Mejiritski is kicking off her career at Nike, as a senior operations professional. “I truly believe that empowered women empowering other women will make a positive difference in the world of business.”

Says Coppa, “Our campus is a better place for Rona’s involvement, commitment to others and natural passion to give back.”

Meet Your Global Alumni Board

KEITH SINGLETARY ’96 Chair New York, N.Y.

NEY OMAR PERALTA JR. ’10 Vice Chair Woodcliff Lake, N.J.

JIM BUCKLEY ’10, MBA ’11 Wilmington, Mass.

CODY AGUIRRE CLEARWATER ’08 Boston, Mass.

ANNEMARIE FRANK ’88 Saint Petersburg, Fla.

KEN FOO ’99, MSF ’01 San Francisco, Calif.

bentley.edu/gab.

LAKEYA GRAVES ’11 Stamford, Conn.

GUILDA HILAIRE ’00 Dedham, Mass.

The Global Alumni Board (GAB), Bentley’s leadership group representing the broad and diverse alumni community around the world, welcomed two new members this year:

CHRISTOS KALOGEROPOULOS, MBA ’91 Chalandri, Athens, Greece

3. Class Notes

DESIRÉE MIESES LLAVAT ’91, MBA ’97 San Juan, Puerto Rico MARK LONGO ’89 Pasadena, Calif.

Annemarie Frank ’88 and Mark Longo ’89. Adding representation from Florida and California, respectively, the pair join 10 returning GAB members for the July 2022 to June 2023 term, to continue their work engaging alumni, facilitating opportunities to connect, and ensuring a two-way conversation between alumni and the university. Chair Keith Singletary ’96 says, “I hope we will follow the motto ‘lifting as we climb’ and find ways to support the next generation of leaders.” Adds new Vice Chair Ney Omar Peralta Jr. ’10, “We’re excited to bring all the diverse communities of Bentley alumni together this year.”

Weddings

Then Now ROOMIES

Alumni share photos, stories and gratitude for friendships that started in dorms and elsewhere at Bentley. Look for more at bentley.edu/magazine/roommates and submit your own to classnotes@bentley.edu

1978

Kate Bartlet, Nancy Hyde, Carol Perkins Dodge and Cheryl Lamanna ’79

“Nancy and I have continued to meet regularly for years despite our locations — Florida, California, Texas, Ohio — and in the early years after gradua tion, even Greater Boston,” writes Dodge. In 2019, they gathered at Bartlet’s home in northern New York. “Honestly, we just picked up like we were still roommates. Wonderful times and friends!”

1982 1989

Cathy (Concannon) Parsloe, Anne Marie (Alpers) Martorana, Janet (Larsen) Logan and Anne (Jakul) Baynes

On graduation day, four commuter Falcon friends snapped a picture that launched a tradition: same lineup, same spot, every 10 years. Parsloe reports in from the group’s most recent gathering, in 2022: “Janet joked that, next time, the four of us might be in our Bentley rockers!”

Lisa (Svetin) Spaulding, Sara Niesobecki, Antoinette (Leonardi) Follett and Christine (Price) Roberts

The sophomore roommates lost touch after moving out, but reconnected via Facebook and met up for the first time in 30 years.

1990 1996 2001 Class Notes

Aimee (Garrett) Dake and Mary Margaret (Sloan) Conners

Dake and Conners met at new student orientation, chose each other as roommates and moved into Waverley Hall. They report: “We made great lifelong friends with the people on our hallway. We’ve remained close and our children even went to the same high school!”

Deborah Lang and Sandra (Sofoul) Parmentier

At orientation, Lang and Parmentier learned they could choose roommates rather than wait for an assignment. Lang looked at the classmate standing next to her. ‘‘We had hung out all through orientation and I thought, ‘I’d like to live with Sandi — but I’m not going to say anything because what if she doesn’t want to live with me?’ Reading my mind, Sandi turned and said, ‘Yeah!’” Their 35-yearsand-counting friendship includes being maids of honor and godmothers, meeting for an annual girls’ weekend, and celebrating the anniversary of the day they met.

Brandi (Cousineau) Hau, Erica (Velardi) Donovan and Rebecca (Martineau) Power “Roommates for three years at Bentley and still best friends!” writes Hau.

Vivian Cheng, Jillian (Lamoureux) Nowlan, Heather (Rysdyke) Cheney and Kate (McCullough) Gordon

They met as first-year students in Elm and lived together for the remainder of their journey at Bentley. The adventure continues, they write: “We take an annual vacation together, most recently to Oak Island/ Southport, N.C. We are so grateful to have received an amazing education and made lifelong friends at Bentley!”

2008

Joemarie Hernandez and Ashley (Lauzon) Caswell

“Ashley and I met at an accepted student open house and instantly connected,” writes Hernandez, who remembers talking so much “we were told to hush by someone sitting near us. Our friendship will last for a lifetime.”

Kristy (Hergrueter) Keenan and Liz (Farley) Harrington

It wouldn’t be a big day without a Falcon friend: Here are the roommates at graduation day and Keenan’s rehearsal dinner in 2021.

Julia Paradis and Deeksha Lal

“Two random roommates on the Women’s Leadership Floor became lifelong friends!” writes Paradis. “We will always keep in touch, and have Bentley to thank for bringing us together.”

Rubeah Jung and Neha Khanna

Jung calls Khanna “one of my first and bestest friends at Bentley” and notes that they stayed roommates after graduation. “So many memories in Slade and Kresge. Being close to the dining hall, we were always going for a Russo’s run (now Harry’s Pub)!”

1937

Michael Sullivan 1942

Marvin Portnoy, P ’77 1945

Irene (Iacovo) Litchfield 1947

Irving Gerratt Bernard Ross, P ’87 1948

Leon Raiche John Shaughnessy 1949

Wesley Horton Robert Laham William Pitney Benjamin Spector 1950 Charles Austin Herman Benedict Lawrence Comeau Harold Hughes Robert Olson Edward Puskey 1951

Albert Dow Edgar Ohman 1952

Robert Harris Arlan MacKnight Donald Walsh

In Memoriam

1953

Donald Golan William Napolitano Charles Seaman 1954 Bernard Gaudette Julian Harwood 1956 Richard Bakke Robert Dickinson Frank Hogan Romeo Labbe Robert Ronan James Smith Robert Smith 1957

Ralph Carlton, P ’87 Robert Caruso Donald Comeau Joseph DiCienzo Burton Priest 1958 Thomas Curley Francis Galasso William Schlosberg 1959

Martin Bernstein John Buckley Mary MacDonald Ralph Thomas 1960 Joseph Andrade Barbara (Berthel) Aucoin Herve Guay Raymond Patenaude Richard Pollock

1961

Angelo Leone, P ’75 Fred Schofield 1962

Joseph Goodrow Raymond Grigos 1963

Douglas Doherty Leo Freeman James Holland Robert Maynard Robert Ritchie 1964 John Gray John Jarvis Ronald Slater James Vannelli 1965 James Boyd Sandra (Wilson) Swartz 1966

Paul Dobson Arthur Farris 1967 Rosemary Campbell Edmund Mathews Theodore Miscovitch, MST ’84 Harold Stewart Gordon Teuber Bradford Verge Nicholas White

1968

John Gillis, MST ’77 William McArdle, MST ’77 Donald Murphy James Oates 1969 Joseph Midolo 1970

Edwin Laramee Anthony Mattaroccia 1971 Leonard DeCoste Edward Lusardi Francis McPherson Robert Wakely 1972 Robert Bendiske Joseph Hastings Ronald Smith, P ’93 1973 Vincent Dinan Geraldine (Creeden) Wangia 1974 William Balfour Thomas Doherty David Mariotti 1975 Joseph Carey John Mainini Francis Penders Brian Schultz

1976

David Baldwin William Bauld Daniel McMahon, P ’07 1977 Thomas Corcoran Frank McAnulty Peter Muise, MSF ’88 Arthur Shea, MSA ’77 Thomas Taylor 1978

Karl Ekonomy Eric Walters 1979 June (Brown) Breckenridge, MSA Richard Gutowski Carol (Dwyer) Lucas, MST ’92

1980

James O’Conners Lillian Villani David Walker 1981 Richard Meuse Robert Soroka, MBA ’91 1982

Jayne Alfano, MSA, MST ’89 John Whalen 1983 Lu Bauer, MST David Tagliamonte, MSA Leon Zaimes

1984

Paul Davidson James Ferdenzi Matthew Lavallee 1985

John Harrington, MBA ’95

Gerard Hartigan Norman LeBlanc, MST Antoinette (Volpe) Richmond, MSA 1986

Christine Barrie Amy (Chu) Chiu, MST Mark Savage 1987 Susan Morris, MST 1990

Janie Bouges, MST Jay Gerbis, MST 1991

Enzo Finelli Todd Keigwin Scott Simpson Paul Skowronski, MBA 1992

Stephen Preston Frank Terranova, MST 1993

Domenic Fucci, MSF John Tullie, MST 1996

Lynne Shea Todd Walton

1998

Susan (Wall) Corcoran, MBA 2000 Maureen Murphy 2001 Susan Clawson 2003 Christopher Gobron, MBA Nathan Hadlock 2004 Lisa (Belanger) Kane 2005 Angela Parsons 2008 Patrick Morris 2009 Richard Blackwood, MSFP, MST ’10 2010 Michael Nikiforov, MSA ’11 2016 Matt Cancel

Faculty, Staff and Friends

David R. Bowen, Former staff member John M. Connelly, Custodian, Facilities Services Joseph D. Comeau, Assistant Director of Student Center, Student Activities

John F. “Jack’’ Conway, HVAC Mechanic, Trades/Building Operations

Michael P. Goldberg, Senior Lecturer, Information Design and Corporate Communication Charles Malgwi, P ’07, Senior Lecturer Emeritus, Accounting Dorothy E. “Dottie” McGuire, Technical Project Coordinator, University Police Brenda M. Spencer, Work Order/Inventory Control Assistant, Physical Plant Administration

Joseph Smiroldo, Adjunct Instructor, Management Andrew J. Stollar, Professor Emeritus, Economics Lewis Robert Sullivan, Former faculty member, Accounting Irene Taylor, Receptionist, Pulsifer Center for Career Services

Remember Bentley classmates, friends, faculty and staff by making a gift in their name. bentley.edu/memorial-gift

FALCON Weekend

Alumni, families, students, faculty and staff celebrated Bentley’s best fall weekend on October 21 to 23! Families met their students’ friends and roommates, alumni visited with friends and future Falcons got to meet Flex. First Falcons — the first in their family to attend college in the U.S. — were honored at a pinning ceremony welcoming them to the Bentley family. And the gorgeous fall weather was a welcome addition!

The spirit of Bentley student-athletes has always been to excel, on and off the eld — ensuring our Falcons exemplify leadership and integrity in sport, in the community and in business.

Transform business education, and business itself.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL QUIET

The Falcon Files

SEPTEMBER 25, 1973

Students learned ballooning basics from local expert Ralph Hall, who ended the lesson with a liftoff. Were you part of the crowd? Tell us about it!

PHOTO BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS